richard5933

I guess I could throw that back at you in reverse? What manufacturers specifically recommend replacing OE rubber bushings with polyurethane bushings? I can only speak directly about my research on these regarding the front end of a bus chassis, but logic would say that the theory holds true for many (if not all) types of vehicles. Polyurethane bushing have different elasticity and hardness qualities than rubber. There will be differences in ride quality, handling, vibration transmission, and other factors. When engineers spec out these things on a chassis, they're not just randomly picking some rubber bushing off the shelf because it's the cheapest or because it fits. They choose the bushing based on a number of factors that contribute to ride quality, safety, handling, etc. I don't have an engineering degree, so I'm not keen on just randomly changing a component of my suspension system because it's supposed to last longer or provide better handling, at least not without doing my homework to be sure that it's a wise choice. Here is just one of many sites out there that spell out the differences: https://www.suspension.com/blog/rubber-v-polyurethane-suspension-bushings/ Like I said in my previous post, I'm not saying that it's wrong to install the polyurethane bushings. I'm just saying that before someone jumps in and installs them it's wise to do a little research and see if the positives will outweigh the negatives. There will be both. Kind of like a situation years ago when someone at the tire shop convinced my father that he should ante up and get the more expensive 'better' tire that carried a 60,000-mile wear warranty. He did and proudly drove the car home. Next day he drove it right back and had them put on the tires he originally asked for. What went wrong? The 'better' tires had a much harder rubber compound designed to make them wear longer. Problem was that the trade off of getting a longer wear life was a drastically harsher ride and increase in road noise.

Not to be a trouble maker, but sometime just because a part will last longer doesn't mean it works better. Polyurethane bushings are available to replace lots of rubber bushings. They do change the ride and handling characteristics though, so it's important to research the results on the particular chassis in question to be certain that any negative consequences don't outweigh the positive ones. Not saying that polyurethane bushings are bad, just that they are not recommended in all applications on all chassis types.

Welcome. Glad to see we're not the only ones on the block that appreciates old machines. Great look ride!

It's strange when I compare Flying J prices through Gas Buddy. In some parts of the country they are within 10 cents or so to other stations. In other areas they are 30-40 cents higher, sometimes even more. I'd love to know how they set their prices. They must have some type of algorithm to set these. Just doesn't make sense on the surface though how they can stay in business when other stations are so much lower, unless maybe they do this in areas where the other stations are just too inconvenient for commercial truckers to get to.

Either it's charging the battery or not. If the voltage in the coach batteries is dropping with the engine running, there's a good chance that your alternator is not charging. Unless your chassis batteries have failed. I still think that it would be key to get your chassis batteries to a local auto parts store or battery store to see if they can even take a charge. Do you have a toad or can you borrow a vehicle to take them for testing?

If the voltage is dropping with the engine running AND it also drops while plugged into shore power (I assume with the external charger connected to them) then something is obviously not right. What is the voltage coming out of the engine alternator?

IF the isolator or solenoid (whichever is in use here) is bad, then the problem with the inverter could easily have killed other components or even batteries. The isolator is a device which allows the chassis alternator to charge the house batteries while the main engine is running. It could be near the house batteries. Hopefully someone else knows more specifically. The house batteries are not what's going to take you to the shop. The chassis batteries are the ones you need to worry about when driving. The house batteries may help you stay comfortable, but they won't get you where you want to go. If your chassis alternator is working, then your chassis batteries should not be dropping voltage with the engine running. When you said that the voltage is dropping did you mean with the engine running or off? Whatever you do to get to the shop, please be sure to factor in the upcoming storm. You certainly don't want to be on the road with questionable batteries with a storm closing in on you. Stay safe and dry.

Never said it was less expensive, just that at times getting a residential fridge installed isn't practical.

Not every coach can take a residential fridge without doing cabinet modification. Sometimes it's quite a bit of remodeling to get the opening sized right, and sometimes it's a problem just getting it inside. Can't speak to the specifics of this application, but there are situations where keeping at least the shell of the Norcold in place would be the optimal solution. Theoretically this should work if the shell is in good condition - all that's happening is replacing a failed/dangerous refrigeration system for one that works. These things are really nothing more than a big insulated cabinet with a refrigeration system attached.

Just a thought... If you're having frost problems inside the fridge then perhaps you have moisture getting in. Might be that your door gasket is not sealing well enough to keep out the warm/moist air.

Welcome to the madness!

Have you thought about planting with native grasses that don't need to be watered? Or mowed? Makes me tired just thinking about mowing all that lawn. We have four acres, but now we only mow the 1/2 acre or so around the buildings - the rest is native pasture grasses and takes care of itself.

We often choose the Flying J just for their ease of in/out and because they have other services we need like dump station, scales, etc. With the Good Sam discount it's usually within a few cents of the cheaper guy across the street with the tiny lot. Even 4 or 5 cents difference is only a few bucks, and it's worth it to me to know that my bus will fit into their lots. They also have high-flow pumps so I'm not there all day trying to fill a 165-gallon tank.

Which is why I mentioned early on that I wouldn't change tire size without confirming with the manufacturer it's a good idea. We can look all we want at these things to check for clearance and other issues, but we'll never be able to consider all the factors involved in changing tire size. Everything may look good when the rig is sitting still, but hit a big bump while taking a tight turn and the tire might suddenly (and catastrophically) hit the frame. Since tires in the current size are available in a variety of styles and load ratings I'm not sure what the advantage to changing size would be other than reading somewhere that they ride better. Not that design engineers never make mistakes, but if something as simple as using a different tire size would have enabled the coach to ride and/or handle better you'd think they would have either put them on at the factory or made them an option.

Welcome to the forum. Glad to you have you here. To better answer your question, more information is needed. What will you be using the towed vehicle for? Do you prefer a car or truck? Big or small? Will you be towing on a dolly, trailer, or with all four wheels down? Etc. Etc. Etc. A good place to start is the Towing Guide from FMCA. https://familyrvingmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/TowableLineup-Update_FMC0118.pdf This lists current vehicles listed by the manufacturer as towable. Of course, there are also guides for past years so if you want a used vehicle just look in the guide for those years. The guides are on the FMCA magazine web page. You'll have to be logged in to view them.

Overload on a circuit can cause a few problems... Circuit breaker tripped? Circuit breaker failed? GFCI failed? Inverter/charger failed? Am I missing something?

One more thought... Has anyone checked to be sure that the water level in all the batteries is at the proper level? And that the connections to the batteries are not corroded and are properly tightened? Didn't want to miss the easy stuff.

Not sure I understand what's going on here. The chassis batteries discharge at rest. The house batteries discharge at rest. The chassis batteries are not charging when the engine is running. The inverter/charger can't charge the house batteries. Something simple is gumming up the works and should be discoverable by following a simple yes/no testing procedure. Two approaches - battery & inverter/charger. My hunch is that one of these is causing all the problems. My suggestion is to follow one path at a time. Your choice which to do first. If you can easily get the batteries to a place that can properly test them, that would be my first choice. If you have someone that can help you properly test the inverter/charger, then that could be first. Batteries: Take your batteries to a battery retailer and have them tested. There are dozens of truck repair centers in your area that can test your batteries. Probably could also get them tested at most decent auto supply houses. Napa would be my first choice if you have to choose blindly. My guess is that one or more of your batteries has crapped out and is causing the problem with them not taking a charge. One bad cell on one battery can mess up the whole battery bank. Same for your house batteries. They should hold a charge when not connected to anything. Have them tested. Until you get ALL the batteries tested or are certain they are good you really can't move forward. If a battery is bad, it's best to replace all the batteries on that battery bank (If one chassis battery is bad, replace both chassis batteries. Same for the house batteries.) IF the batteries all test good, then the next item to test would be the alternator since the chassis batteries are not charging with the engine running. It can be tested at the same truck repair places that tested the batteries. Inverter/Charger: If I remember, this thread started with a few 120v outlets that didn't work. If the batteries & alternator test good, then you've got something drawing down your batteries and/or not allowing them to charge. My first suspect would be the inverter/charger. A bad inverter/charger would certainly cause that. It could also be constantly discharging your house batteries trying to get the outlets powered, but in its malfunctioning state just can't do it. I'd also want to verify that the house and chassis batteries are not connected together when they shouldn't be. With the battery chargers off (all of them) if you disconnect the chassis batteries none of the chassis systems should be functioning and if you disconnect the house batteries none of the house systems should be functioning. If you disconnect one battery bank and items normally powered by that battery bank are still functioning then you have a cross connection. If your house and chassis batteries are connected together at all times, any problem with one side is going to draw down the other.

I'd avoid any complicated system. Just get a good dash cam for your RV plus one for the toad that has both front and rear cameras. Or, just get a separate front/rear camera for your toad plus one in the front of the RV. They each will record what they see, and with the wide angle lenses on these things nowadays the two cameras on the toad will record quite a bit of the road. Ours has a 170-degree field of vision. Front and rear like that in the toad will be almost 360.

Didn't the OP ask about towing on a dolly? If so, assuming that the car does not have a live rear axle, what would be the problem of towing on a dolly with the front wheels on the dolly?

Not sure what the privacy concern is here. It's your own camera and you're the one with the ability to turn it on or off. If someone else were recording I could understand, but the camera in my vehicle is for my own protection. I'm not worried about the GPS telling someone where I am, as the video itself will do that itself. It's not like someone sitting in a "GPS Central Office" is monitoring every GPS unit in the world - they are not two way devices that can be tracked. Now, if you're using a cell phone to provide GPS, then that's a different story, but I'm not at all worried about a dash cam invading my own privacy.

True - you can easily check that part of it with an Ohm meter. If your gauge is wired like I described with the sending unit supplying the ground to the gauge, you can also run some tests to see if the gauge is working by making/breaking the ground connection to the gauge on the terminal that goes to the sending unit.

Welcome to the forum. Glad to have you here. A couple of thoughts, although I am by no means a tire expert. First about the size issue. My gut tells me that it's best to stick with the manufacturer's recommended size. Lots of issues can crop up when changing size, even if the outside diameter stays the same. There are clearance issues with the fender and wheel well to consider as well as handling issues. If your manual doesn't list the new size as recommended, then I'd call the manufacturer to ask before changing size. Also would be necessary to find out if it was okay to run one size in front and another in the rear. Second, if you have excessive wear on the inner edge I'd recommend getting that taken care of before doing anything with new tires. Is there a steering or front end issue? Alignment issue? Tires should wear evenly, so if they are not then something is wrong. About the tires themselves, we've got Firestone on our bus and we're quite happy with them. Looks like they have one in the 275/70r22.5 size.

Two thoughts on this... First, to me the potential benefits far outweigh the potential risks. Second, if one is worried about getting caught speeding, the remedy is to not speed. Not trying to sound like anyone's father, just saying. I had a good friend ask about this when I first got the camera. He was actually a clergyman, so I was surprised at his question. He asked why do I want not only a camera but one that could implicate me if I was at fault. My answer was simple - if I'm at fault then I will need to put on my big boy pants and take responsibility. As a rule, I don't speed and do my best to follow the posted rules of the road. But here's the primary reason I chose a camera with the GPS chip when I bought the second one. During the roadside investigation after the head-on collision last fall, the trooper asked about our speed just prior to the accident. He was trying to determine if there were any factors from my side that contributed to the collision. Was I taking meds? Did I have enough sleep the night before? Was I distracted? How much experience driving a bus did I have? etc, etc. But he was really focused on our speed. Fortunately for us, I had just recently replaced our speedometer with one which was GPS based. At the moment of impact the speedometer froze in position, 53 mph. Don't know exactly why - perhaps it was the impact, perhaps it lost power, perhaps there was help from above. Regardless, the trooper took the 53 mph reading from the speedometer as corroboration of my statement and asked no further questions. Would have been much easier to have this recorded on the dash cam, so it was on my must-have list for the next one.

I guess I misstated that...It requires an inverter IF you wish to run it from the batteries. Then a 1000-watt inverter will run it. Otherwise it is designed to run from 120v AC. Since most of us will have to run the fridge from batteries at some point, even if it's just driving from one pedestal to the next, in my mind I consider the inverter a required piece of the equation. If there is already an inverter in the coach, then this would be a non-issue as you could just plug in and go.