richard5933

Michelin does have a tire in that size - it's not in their drop down menu when searching on the FMCA site, but if you go to the Michelin site and pull up the tires in that size you can take the MSNP and use it to search by that. I found a Michelin Defender LTX with MSNP 02903. You should double check to be sure that these tires meet all your specs. I've heard mostly good things about the Hankook tires, but there is an owner of a bus conversion who recently had problems with his 4-year-old Hankook steer tires when one of them developed a crack in the sidewall. Just anecdotal evidence, so use it for what it's worth. For me, I try to stick to the top tier tires whenever possible.

Finding the leak is key. Good that you were able to find it. If the refrigerant finds its way out one time, it will likely do it again unless you can find the leak like Herman did. Things don't usually fix themselves.

Topping off with something from a box store may work. Maybe for a while or maybe longer. However, there are so many variables in a/c systems these days that it seems like a risky venture. Pressures must be correct, hardware must be working properly, and the system needs to be leak free. I wouldn't trust a system that costs as much to repair/replace as an RV a/c to the instructions that come with a bottle of refrigerant from Walmart. (Or the quality of the refrigerant - lots of these leak sealing cans have ingredients in them that are not good long-term, and some don't use the actual refrigerant but rather a substitute which may or may not be compatible with the real stuff.) My suggestion is to take it to a qualified a/c repair center and have them do a proper leak test and system evaluation. If they tell you that it's just a slow leak, then you can take action in the future based on that. They can also tell you the proper refrigerant to use. But, if they discover something more ominous you'll be able to get it repaired.

Anyone know if they make an Instant Pot type appliance that works directly from 12v? Would be more efficient for us when we're running extended time on batteries. I know that they used to make similar things for truck drivers, but I've never seen one like the Instant Pot.

There is a vertical version of a rack similar to that which can be mounted on a pass-through hitch. Allows for attaching a trailer behind while still carrying the external gear. Not sure how it would work, but the specs seem to indicate full towing capacity maintained.

I had one of those apartment style stacked washer/dryer combo units here at home a few years ago. The washer and dryer are much smaller than you'd expect, and the access to the washer is not great. We eventually upgraded to a set of front-loaders stacked. The front loaders took the same footprint as the apartment unit and is far and above a better setup. Those apartment units really are very basic units which are way overpriced. Many of the high-quality washer/dryer manufacturers (LG, Samsung, etc) make smaller front loading units which can be stacked and installed in a small closet.

Here's what the lug nuts look like for a stud pilot rear wheel with dual wheels. The long part (Budd nut) holds the inner to the studs. The nut then is used to hold the outer to the threads exposed on the inner Budd nut. A square socket is used to tighten the Budd nut, and a standard lug wrench for the outer.

Boy can I relate to the salt - looks like White Sands around here as well. That's why our bus doesn't hit the pavement until after a couple of steady spring rains, if at all possible. Woke up to -26 temps this morning. Hit a high of -5 this afternoon. Strange, but we're supposed to have a heat wave Sunday and hit 40 (that's +40!)

Looks like an Alcoa 22.5 x 8.25 stud pilot on this page (towards the bottom) https://buytruckwheels.com/collections/twenty-two-half-eight-quarter Is this what you are looking for?

Some tires can be mounted on rims smaller than the chart shows, but suffer a reduction in their load capacity. For example, our coach is riding on Firestone FS40 in 315 size. They normally have an L load rating with a 130psi max pressure. That assumes mounting on a 9" rim. Our rims are only 8.25" and I had the same concern as you. I dug into the Firestone Data Book and round that the tires can be mounted on the narrower rim, but that the weight limit is reduced to what's listed in the column for 120psi. My suggestion would be to get a copy of the tire data book for your tires and dig deep into it. If you still can't find the answer, call the manufacturer and speak to someone in their technical department to see if they have information on the weight limits when mounted on your rims. You may be able to keep your current tires but at a lower weight limit. I'd also suggest a call to the manufacturer of your coach to see if you can mount the 8.25" rims on your coach safely. That would be an easy (although not inexpensive) fix. They should be able to tell you the max tire/wheel size permitted.

Shouldn't affect driving though. My understanding is that if your license is valid to drive in your home state you're good to go in all states as far as driving. If you live in a state still not issuing Real ID then federal buildings and air travel can be a problem, but a passport is a good work around since a US Passport is a Real ID and still be accepted for both.

Looks like you built an RV park. Good job!

That's not cold - that's a warm spring day. Overnight tomorrow is supposed to get to -29F. That's cold!

It was 34? Above zero? You mean spring has sprung in your area already?

That's specifically what I was looking for. Good to know and thanks for finding that nugget of data. I did look online but didn't see anything for sale at the time.

Not soon enough indeed. This is colder than we've had in many years, and up till this week the winter has actually been pretty mild. I went out to NAPA today for some fresh test strips just to confirm that the antifreeze was at the right ratio to protect the bus. Strips show somewhere between -34 and -60, so I'm guessing I'm good for now. Time for an adult beverage while we wait for the worst to be over.

Overnight temps of -24 predicted for Tuesday & Wednesday nights. When does spring start??

Our Subaru dealer sends out a similar message all the time. "We need good used cars - come in and see what we'll offer for yours" or some variant of that message. It was explained to me that car dealers make more money on used cars, especially if they can buy low and sell high. Interesting that they want your 2018 model - you'll take the hit on value since it's not new anymore and yet they'll be able to sell a nearly new coach for top dollar. Just my 2 cents worth.

If you're going to maintain your home in New Mexico then wouldn't that be your domicile? Seems like the easiest to do. I just read a survey of the cost to retire in various states, and New Mexico came in just a bit above the national average statewide. I've lived in a number of states, and it seems that you end up paying in one way or another. Some states have no income tax, but they have higher fees for things like vehicle registration to make up for it. States like Wisconsin have an income tax, but there is no personal property tax for individuals so my coach only has a $118 registration fee with no annual tax. It's hard for any of us to recommend on state over another without knowing all the details of your particular situation, especially how your income and taxes are set up. My hunch is that New Mexico isn't the only state that will see an increase in some taxes in the coming years. Wisconsin saw lots of tax reduction in recent years, but it looks like the bill is coming due for things like roads and schools and taxes will likely head up again. Probably the same in lots of places that were trimming budgets recently. It's all in the math, and eventually things have to be paid for.

Are you in a cold climate? Since you say it's worse in the morning I'm wondering if you have frost building up in the vent cap overnight.

That may be the case in some jurisdictions but not everywhere and not for all 240v outlets. I think it's important to avoid blanket statements like "still legal" when talking about things like this, especially since the rules vary so much from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Also because there is such a wide variety of ways to wire the many different types of 240v outlets. This all gets confusing quickly. It used to be common for 240v appliances like stoves and dryers to be connected with 3-prong outlets. These had two hot leads and a neutral. The metal casing of the appliance was grounded through the neutral. The neutral was needed to get 120v to run things like the clock on the range, etc. There are also straight 240v outlets with two hot leads and a ground. Then there are the 4-prong 240v outlets like are currently the NEC code for installation for dryers and stoves. And then there's the 50-amp RV outlet. Still going to stick by my earlier bottom line statement - never assume anything. Test the outlet before connecting anything to it so that the wiring inside can be confirmed. Even true when an "electrician" installs a new RV outlet for someone - have a knowledgeable and competent person verify that the outlet was installed correctly before plugging in the shore power cord. Too many stories online about these things being installed wrong and blowing all the circuits in someone' new rig.

Since my spare is so difficult to get to, I took the air pressure thing one step further. I ordered an additional TMPS sending unit from TireMinder and installed it on the spare. Now I can check the spare along with all the other tires. Our wheels are torqued to about 500 ft-lbs. No way I'm going to even get those to budge without pneumatic tools. It's cute that they issued tire changing tools with the bus from the factory, but I can't imagine them ever being all that useful. It came with a lug wrench, bottle jack, and run-up ramp.

Good suggestion. It would be better than the piece of flimsy rope I have on there now. I think the weight of the thing is only half the problem - the other half is that the spare is a 315 tire like all my others, but the compartment is sized for a 12R22.5 and doesn't have much room to spare. Once I get the proper tires on things should be at least a tad easier. To the original topic... If the OP is thinking about getting a wheel to mount the spare on, it doesn't need to be anything special. The dealer would of course be one option but will probably be top dollar. Any good tire dealer should be able to get an inexpensive plain steel rim with the proper size and specs to accommodate the tire.

I agree with you for a tire of this size. Makes no sense to carry an unmounted tire, and a mounted tire would probably be easier to attach to a vertical rack in this situation. However, there are some driving larger coaches & bus conversions that do carry unmounted spares. Usually it's because they don't have room to load a mounted spare, and sometimes it's because a mounted spare is much heavier and more difficult to get into the storage space. My mounted spare is almost 200 pounds and it's all I can do to get it in/out of its storage area behind the front bumper. The way it was explained to me is that it will be relatively easy to find a remote tire service shop anywhere even remotely near a highway. They'll be able to mount the tire in the field easily. What they won't be able to do as easily is bring a replacement tire, especially for a less common size tire. Even with a mounted spare, I'm going to be calling for assistance. No way I'll have the physical ability to safely change a tire on our rig - don't think I could even get the lug nuts loosened. My assumption is manufactures figure that since nearly no one is changing their own tires nowadays, it made no sense to take up space with a spare that could be used to provide more bells and whistles. After all, bells and whistles probably sell lots more rigs than things like spare tires.

One thing I've learned working on wiring in our house and helping a few friends around the area work on their electrical problems -- one never knows exactly what's behind the outlet cover plate until it's tested. Assumptions can't be made based on how old a building is or where it's located, although I'm always more cautious in farm buildings, workshops, and garage Mahals. Our local codes have required a neutral wire to be used in 240v outlets for quite some time, but they can still be found with just two hots and a ground in newer construction. Unfortunately many electricians are not following code, and there are far too many homeowners doing wiring themselves that don't even know there is a code to follow. I've uncovered some pretty scary things done by my friends and/or the previous owner of their buildings. We've had electricians here to give quotes on new work, and some made it clear that they were not planning to get a permit or have their work inspected. It was also clear that they were not planning to follow code so that they could lower the cost. They did not get the job. Sad (and scary) that there are still electricians willing to work in this way. Bottom line - never assume anything about wiring and always test before working or connecting to an unknown outlet.