richard5933

I think it's far less common to find such information available for tires used in autos and light trucks. Not because it is not useful, but because it's more likely to cause more trouble than it is to help. What I'm getting at is that most auto and light truck owners/drivers simply don't have the knowledge or awareness of how to properly inflate tires based on load, and manufacturers found it more helpful to just list one (or maybe two) inflation points on the federal placard inside the vehicle. More information was simply adding to confusion and not helpful. Just look at the confusion many RV owners have, even after weighing their rigs and looking at the load & inflation tables. I remember as a kid helping my dad do the math trying to figure out how much weight we were carrying in the station wagon so he could set the inflation properly. The placards put in vehicles back then used to have more information for pressure based on the number of passengers, cargo, etc. But even with all that information it would have been rare for a car or light truck owner to know the actual weight of their vehicle to set tire pressures.

I just read through the owners manual for these tires, and for inflation advise they tell the user to follow the vehicle manufacturer's specifications. Does your truck have a placard which has load & inflation variables? Or perhaps in the owners manual? I was able to find a manual for a 2011 RAM 1500, and best I can tell from the it is that you should look for a Supplemental Tire Pressure Information placard which will contain inflation pressures for various loads. Perhaps yours has something similar.

The GMC motorhomes used the front-wheel-drive driveline from the Toronado, but I believe in later years they were using the less expensive Chevy engines as well. Not sure which one. Olds used to make their own engines, and they were great engines for sure. Don't think I've ever seen one from the factory with a diesel, so that must be an aftermarket mod. All of them had transverse-mounted engines, which coincidentally my coach has as well.

There are universal watering sytems, and you have to make sure to get one which is compatible with your batteries. They come with different style caps to replace the original caps. Trojan makes their own, and it fits their batteries. There is a small float under each cap, and all the caps are connected with a rubber tubing. The tubing terminates in a single point with a quick-connect where you can attach the watering bulb. Here's the link to Trojan's system: https://www.trojanbattery.com/products/hydrolink-watering-system/ And here's a photo of my battery box. If you look at the lower left corner of the battery box facing you, there is a small black round thing - this is the quick connect where I connect the watering pump. Takes about 5 minutes start to finish to water the four batteries inside the box. I do open it a few times a season to visually inspect the batteries, but most time I just use the quick connect to top off the water. Makes it incredibly simple and quick to water the batteries, meaning that for most people it's no longer such a chore and can be done more often.

AGM batteries are nice, but from what I've seen they have less capacity than an equivalent size flooded cell battery. For me the goal was to get the most number of Ah in the allotted cubic inches of space. With the watering system, it's not difficult to maintain them, but obviously more so than AGM. It's all a trade-off, you just have to know what things are higher priority and which you can do without.

Trojan makes a number of 6-volt batteries, with the T-105 being the most common. They also have other varieties of this battery with the same footprint, just a bit taller. My suggestion would be to put batteries in there with the highest storage capacity you can fit. If you have enough space above your current batteries, you can consider going with something like the T-125 or T-145 instead. They are slightly taller but have the same footprint, so if you have enough height it's an easy way to increase capacity. I've been running Trojan batteries and have had no problems with them. I also have the watering system installed, which means it takes me only a couple of minutes to add water to the batteries without having to pull any of the battery caps.

When people ask where the coach's computer module is, I like to point to the large box on the firewall over the engine where the wiring & controls are. We have about a dozen large relays in there, and they are essentially the only "computer" in the works. Kind of looks like a miniature ENIAC machine, and it performs lots of yes/no functions at start-up to get all the systems up and running. If things go wrong, it also serves to shut things down. Simplicity at its finest. When compared side-by-side with an MCI of the same era, GM definitely took the road less complicated to get to the same place with many of the systems. I like that. Carl - The barn improvements are just a lottery ticket away. Now if only I could find the right lottery ticket.

Actually, in doing some research it seems that the shutters aid in fuel efficiency as well as keeping the engine at the proper temp. The HP needed for the fan to spin with shutters closed is much less than when they're pulling air through, so having them close when cooling is not needed helps in that regard. In spring and fall, it's not uncommon for my engine to operate below 190 degrees for quite a while, even going down the highway. The shutters will help keep the engine as near to peak temp as possible. The shutters and coolant thermostat are designed to operate as a system, and when only half the system is operating there's no way it can be at its best. Besides, I do like having things work the way they're supposed to. I get a thrill out of seeing the old technology still doing its thing.

Brief project update... Found some Shutterstat Fluid - sealed can never used. The oil inside seems to be good and not gummed up. I was expecting an odd smell since it has a solvent content, but didn't expect that smell to be mildly similar to the smell of Windex. The closest thing I've found to it so far was Marvel Mystery Pneumatic Tool Oil. I'll run some side-by-side wicking tests to see how they compare. The airline filter/oiler on my bus has been on there unopened for 46 years. On initial inspection the screws and fittings seem pretty well stuck and not keen to move. So, when I saw the NOS filter/oiler come up on eBay I got it just in case. The air cylinder rebuild kit was ordered through Ross Air Works, and the Shutterstat itself was bought from C&J in Minnesota. I'll probably replace the air lines themselves if there is any sign of dryness or cracking when I get things opened up. The shutters themselves move freely. I've been keeping them lubricated and have moved them manually a few times a year hoping to get them working at some point. Seems like I've got everything in place now to get the shutters working again. Probably won't get to it till I start working on the bus in the early spring, but it's nice to be able to find all the parts and supplies needed. For those curious as to why? Simple, because I can.

Wasn't there an article in FMCA's magazine last year about a handicap-accessible coach? Lots of legitimate reasons for having handicap tags on a coach. Lot's of people have handicapped tags on vehicles for things that you can't easily see as a casual observer. I count my blessings every day I don't need one, and when I do I'll count my blessings that they are available.

Lots of reasons why they haven't gotten back to us - could be anything from things suddenly going from bad to worse to something simple like lost signal/internet connection.

How did you get stuck with tires that weren't the correct size? The dealer couldn't order the correct ones?

First - welcome to the FMCA Forum. Sorry your first thread is about a breakdown. My Roadside Rescue card lists 855-737-0737 as the number to call for assistance. What happened that got you broken down on the side of the road? Whereabouts are you - perhaps there is an FMCA member nearby that can help, or perhaps we can help you get things working if you let us know what's wrong.

Lots of coaches run steer tires on all positions. Not sure about the sizing - can't you find out what it came with from the factory?

I had done something like that on our first coach for the same reason. There was a more noise from the rear tires, but not that noticeable from the driver's seat. The ones you linked to look similar to what I had on the semi I was driving over the summer. They'll provide better traction than all-position tires for sure, but I suggest you watch a few videos to see how easily a semi can get stuck on something like wet grass wearing shoes like that so you don't get over confident in their off-road ability. I agree that the ride itself will be the same - only change will be slightly better traction on softer surfaces.

Have you checked for a blown bulb or a bad/loose ground connection? On some systems a single blown bulb or bad ground connection can take out the whole turn signal/hazard light system.

With chapter membership rates that low, then I would say that my thoughts on the subject should have pretty high importance for a lot more people. Really - only 20-24% of FMCA members get to vote on how things are run at the national level? Why doesn't this bother more people? Sorry, but I find it really bizarre that in all these years the national leadership hasn't found it necessary to find a way to involve the other 76-80% of the membership in things like voting for our national leadership. No wonder things feel like an old boys' club sometimes.

Do we know the percentage of FMCA members that belong to a chapter?

I think it would be interesting to see the math on this one, and it would be an easy question for Dan or anyone in membership to answer. Just a simple database query. It was the only time I've been allowed to cast a vote as a member since I joined.

If you don't already work with a GOOD independent agent, that would be my first suggestion. He/she can shop the policy to multiple carriers, and possibly combine it with your home/auto policy for a larger savings. In my experience, I've never been able to do better shopping directly with an insurance company than by working through an independent agent. You just have to ask around to find the one in your area that is good and that works for your best interests.

Even among the 50 states, not all require membership in a party to vote. Not all states require this - you just show up an vote for whomever you wish. I like the parallel here - if you want to vote in the state's (chapter) election, you've got to be a citizen of the state (chapter). But, everyone gets to vote in the national election.

I might have said it before, but it's worth repeating... If you always do what you always did, you always get what you always got. Lots of good ideas have been presented on this thread about ways to bring in new members, ways to improve participation, and ways to help FMCA transition into an organization that can offer future generations what they will need. Hopefully someone in leadership is taking notes.

Yeah, and at the beginning of FMCA most of the coaches looked very much like my coach - not like modern RVs. I get it. I understand the desire by some to have a chapter of like-minded people. Not trying for a second to take away from anyone's chapter, their love of their coach, or their desire to be in a sub-group of FMCA to organize activities. Nothing I've said or will say is aimed at denigrating any chapter or those who want to join one. My point is simple. I believe that ALL members of FMCA should be given an opportunity to vote on things like our national leadership. Directly or indirectly, makes no difference to me. What does make a difference is the large number of members who do not belong to a chapter and as such are left without a vote. At all. This thread is about the future of FMCA - it's not about what we've done in the past. I know that I'm not alone in thinking that the notion that FMCA members can only vote for national leadership through a chapter is outdated. There are many ways to accomplish voting without funneling the vote through chapters. What about FMCA members who belong to multiple chapters? Do they get a louder voice in national elections since they have multiple points of input? Hard to say from where I sit. Yes, there are tens of thousands of members. But, having a membership-wide election is not that difficult. I own a few shares of stock in some very large companies - every year I get to express my thoughts through the annual ballot. Not quite the same, but a good example of various ways to give ALL members a path to having a voice.

This is one of the things about chapters that confuses me and makes it difficult to know which to choose, if any. If a chapter is a "whatever" chapter, then how is it anything other than just a geographic subset of the FMCA membership? In that case, just assign all members to a generic state chapter so that everyone gets to vote. Nothing to stop members from being in an interest-focused chapter as well, but at least everyone who pays dues would be given an official voice in things like national elections.

Funny - I can remember my father trying to do the math when we loaded up the family's station wagon for our annual trip to the Catskills from NJ. He tried his best using a bathroom scale to adjust the tire pressure according to the sticker on the doorpost based on how much we were carrying. Maybe that's where I get it from. Of course, that station wagon had Firestone 500s on it so we were doomed to have problems regardless. And we did. Rear blowout on an elevated section of Rt. 22 heading into NYC. Yours truly was the designated tire monkey, even though it took standing with all my body weight on the jack handle/lug wrench to break them free when I was a kid. Ah, the good ole days.