richard5933

Glad to hear you got it figured out, and that it ended up being something simple. Those braided water lines always seem so durable to look at, but you never really know what's going on inside them or what's the state of the rubber inside them which actually carries the water.

Welcome from Wisconsin! What type of RV are we talking about here? Will help us help you if we have some more information such as make/model.

Not sure if this is the kind of knowledge you're looking for, but a good intro to heavy vehicles is actually your state's CDL manual, especially the sections 2.1 (Vehicle Inspections) and 5 (Air Brakes). Section 11 (Pre-Trip Inspection) is also good to read through. This won't give you detailed knowledge of the systems, but it is a great intro level resource. The main purpose of these sections is to provide new drivers a basic level of knowledge needed for safe operation, and it might serve as a launching point of sorts for you to see what it is you are going to need to know besides just the engine. I've also found some of this checklist type knowledge helpful in looking at vehicles I'm going to purchase. (If it can't pass a pre-trip inspection, repairs are needed.) Another route, especially since you have time till you purchase something, is to check your local community college or technical college (or what ever they're called in your area). They often offer training programs on things like diesel engines, and sometimes even have non-credit short-term programs aimed at the general population.

No, they don't. The current version of these are made of plastic. While those will never rust, if they are outside they will still deteriorate. They have different problems, like breakdown from UV and stress cracks from extreme weather and temps. My brass pieces have lasted 45 years, so I'm not sure they really needed any improving. My guess is that the bean counters deemed they needed improvement in the cost to produce though, which is why the are now plastic. My plan is to rely on the paint to help reduce any electrolysis.

Surprisingly, they are mostly solid brass. The only thing that connects the snap cover & hinge assembly to the plate is two 3/32" rivets. I have a box of aluminum (couldn't locate the correct size in brass) solid rivet the correct size, and my plan is to reassemble the same way as the original. A couple of dabs of silver paint and things should look just the same as the original. The only difficult part of this is going to be rigging up a way to hold things steady enough so that I can smack the rivets hard enough for them to hold tight.

Wow! Even with the quality of motor homes being what it is sometimes, it's surprising that something like that didn't get caught. Also scary that the dealer didn't take action. Just shows how much we've got to be the final QC for whatever we drive.

Maneuverability is going to depend mostly on wheelbase length and steering axle cut angle. The shorter the wheelbase and the tighter you can turn the wheels, the easier it will maneuver through tight quarters. Of course, the downside of a too-short wheelbase is a harsher ride, so it's a balancing act. Some manufacturers of Super C motor homes spec out their chassis differently than others. The higher-end lines will spec out a softer riding suspension (true air ride) and other things that will add to comfort on the road. The lines aiming to meet a price point are going to feel more like a truck going down the road, having a combination of leaf springs and air bags or other lower-cost options. I agree that getting behind the wheel of one is going to be the best way to see if you like it more than what you're currently driving. I wouldn't have described the Super C as driving like an oversized SUV, other than the cabs are generally pretty much filled with all the creature comforts we've gotten used to in passenger vehicles. But, they have done a great job of civilizing what is essentially a commercial truck cab/chassis to make it much more comfortable and convenient.

That would work, but it looks like doing the snap cover transplant from the "new" ones I found onto the original mounting plate should work. Only a few steps involved in doing the transplant, and once the weather gives me a few warmer drier days I'll give it a shot.

No way to cut them without losing the tapered edges - all that would be left is a flat piece of thin brass. No way it would like flat against the door, as the edge is what give it strength/stability. Easier to do a transplant than to try and recreate the tapered edge.

Yeah - those are the ones I was able to find. Covers are the same, plate is larger than the one I am trying to replace.

Glad to hear the the occupants were okay. Scary to see how cleanly the house was snapped off the chassis. I'd really feel better knowing that they had done a better job putting the two halves together in a way that they stay together. Anyone know what make/model this was?

Thanks. I should have reported back earlier - I did find a few older covers, but like the one you found they all have the larger mounting plate designed for a regular 1-gang switch/outlet. However, I think that I have a plan. I'm going to surgically remove the cap and hinge assembly from a replacement, and then rivet it back onto the plate from my original. Kind of a cover transplant. I've tried it once on a scrap cover, and I think it will work.

I agree that Garmin is the best, but you have to get one specifically designed for RVs. We have the 760, and there are a few newer models since then. Once we entered in the height, length, & weight into the system it has done a pretty good job of not steering us wrong. However (BIG however) it is still important that you confirm the route as you travel. Don't ever trust any GPS system to keep you safe. In addition to paying attention to height and weight limitations, we keep a sharp eye out for steep grades, super sharp turns, or other things that we might have trouble with. "Driving" the route on Google Maps is a good way to get a preliminary look at the route, but even with that you've got to keep your eyes open. Welcome to the forum - I look forward to seeing you here again.

Are the contacts break-before-make or make-before-break? Curious if a momentary drop in power to the a/c from a break-before-make switch would be a problem for the a/c at all.

Have you confirmed the ground connections to the harness are good? Seems like quite a few problems like this end up being a bad ground, so that's always my first step.

Some do, some don't. We carry a mounted spare which rides in its own compartment behind the front bumper. Most coaches have the same size rims all around. As mentioned above, the only difference is that some with aluminum rims have a steel wheel on the inner wheels of the rear duals. You can mount two aluminum wheels, but you'll need longer studs to do it safely in most cases. But, in nearly every situation a steel wheel/tire can be used as a spare in all tire positions. It might look odd to have one steel wheel showing, but it will work till you get the flat fixed. There are many opinions on whether or not it's wise to carry a spare. Kind of like asking what's the "best" brand of oil to use. Guess it all depends on which set of hassles you prefer: The hassle of carrying a spare or the hassle of not having one when you need one.

Not sure if the ATS was mounted in the orientation shown in the photo (vertical mounting with the terminal strip vertical), but in the PD manual (page 3) it mentions if doing a vertical mount to keep the terminal strip going side-to-side, stating that early failure may be the result of improper mounting. Not sure if this failed ATS has the same warnings, but it would be something to consider when mounting whatever you get to replace it.

Assuming that you are talking about the wire gauge size, are you certain that the new ATS is rated for the same capacity as the one you're replacing? Sounds like it may not be. I'd agree with you - trimming down the existing wires to fit the new ATS is not the way to install it. My 50-amp circuits are all running 6 ga stranded wire, which I believe is also used in most 50-amp shore power cord sets.

For a flat or even a blow-out (without ancillary damage) you can get it repaired roadside. They'll bring a tire, which you have to pay for. They can bring a wheel to o if needed. It would all depend on what and how much other damage was done by the tire failure. If you wake up one morning in a campground and discover a damaged sidewall or a flat, RA is certainly the way to go. If you have a blow-out which tears up things besides the tire, you may have no choice but to tow. We carry a spare, but I still would call RA since I am not even going to attempt changing a 125-lb tire unless it's an emergency and there are no other options.

That type of setup is most useful when parked very close to your neighbors. I was at an antique bus rally in Blytheville this summer, and the buses were parked in a very tight area. Many were running their generators quite a bit since it was really hot. Those Gen-Turi systems did help quite a bit getting the fumes up and over the roof of the coaches, preventing those walking around from breathing the fumes all weekend.

Here's the patent application. They were producing these from the 50s onward as pat. pending, then applied for it in 1961 from the looks of things. But, the patent seems to be on the general concept of the hinged lid on a metal base. Apparently they were in various layouts with slightly different sized bases using the same patent. I finally found a couple of these on eBay, unfortunately with the larger size base. At least I now know what they called the thing: Bell Electric Saf-T-Lok Snap Cover Plate. I still have not figured out what that smaller size (2" x 3") cover plate is called or what it was designed for. That would probably be the secret to finding one. In my hunting, I found a switch & box from an old Delta Unisaw. Oddly, the box that switch was mounted in appeared to be the same smaller size as these cover plates. My hunch is still that this was a commonly used size for industrial motors and machinery switches and outlets. Update: I ordered one from eBay, even though it has the wrong size base plate. My hope is that the patent application is correct, and that the carrier holding the hinged lid to the base is in fact held on by two rivets. If that's true, then perhaps I can transplant the lid assembly from the replacement onto the smaller base I already have. Since the part that is broken/weakened is the carrier for the lid & hinge, this would fix things if it works. Still would love to find the right one though. US3189212.pdf

The metal is starting to fatigue from 45 years of being opened & closed. One tab broke off the other day that holds the lid open, and when I looked close I could see that the point where the lid hinges is not far behind. I want to keep things looking original, but not sure if there are still any of these old style covers out there.

I'm guessing that the smaller size cover place is no longer in production. What's really strange is that I can't even find a reference to it online, not even a single photo.

The width is just over 2", and height is approx. 3". Yes - cam locks are located behind the covers. Thanks for the suggestion on the cam lock cover, but right now I'm trying to keep things original, if possible. They look very similar to the covers Bell made (and still makes) for residential outlets, except those are larger and designed to fit a standard residential box. My guess is that these were originally designed to cover an outlet on a motor or piece of machinery, not residential outlets. If only there were still old-school electrical supply houses, with the dusty back shelves filled with old parts. Now they all are company owned and only stock what is current - if something sits on the shelf too long it's sent back to make room for something else. I think that I'll search out a dusty old-school supply house and see if I can find one on a back shelf. If I knew what this size cover was called it would certainly make searching for it online much easier.

I know that this is a bit of a wild goose chase, but with the number of forum members with experience in the various trades over many decades, I was hoping that someone would know what exactly I'm looking for here. My coach has locks on all four bay doors. GM offered them as an option, and they came with flip up covers. I need to replace a couple of these, but I cannot find them anywhere. These covers are shown in the maintenance manual as an option, but they are not listed in the parts manual. So, no GM part number. Many optional parts never made it into the parts books, apparently. Since they look like that might have been an off-the-shelf electrical part back in 1974, I'm hoping that someone will know more about them. If nothing else, maybe I can find out what that sized cover would be called, what else it might have been used on, etc. They look very similar to Bell outlet covers currently in use, but they are a much different size. The plate is approx. 2" x 3". These covers are positioned at the bottom edge of the door handles, so I cannot use the new larger ones. Thoughts?