rossboyer

Yes, I am chairman of the Policy and Procedure committee. Probably my last year. I am getting tired of the NAVP’s doing what is best for themselves or their area. They have lost sight of the bigger picture to do what is best for FMCA There still is the dealer program to give free memberships to their customers. Only a couple do anything with it. Lazy Days does. Most are interested in closing the deal, not giving FMCA memberships.

I think you will find ads in the back of your magazine. But almost any glass repair company will do it at no cost because your insurance company will pay it. They don’t want to replace your whole windshield.

FMCA has reduced staff in the past month. Digital magazine would have to be much better than the current one. Poor on my iPhone. Better on my laptop. Only the Governing Board can change the dues other than special promotions approved be the Executive Board.

I have checked with my towed auto manufacturer, and I received a printed and expanded document stating the manufacturers specified towing limits and requirements.

Economists state that an organization like FMCA should have 2 times the annual operations expense in reserves. While getting closer to that goal, we are not and with current conditions slipping away from that goal. Most members do not know that most deposits for conventions are not refundable. Usually, entertainers will not return anything. We have had some site deposits held over to another year or partially. A couple of entertainers have agreed to come back with some adjustments. Too many members think that the rally registration covers the cost for them to attend. Not true. The vendors and coach displays pay the greatest share. Several years ago, the magazine income from advertising covered many other expenses, but the magazine is loosing about $300,000 plus per year. Look how many manufacturers there were ten or so years ago. Many are gone or have merged with other brands. With fewer manufacturers, the result is fewer advertisers which is a loss of income to the magazine. I could go on, but hopefully those members that do not understand the large scope of our operatIon will read and learn. i think you can find a copy of a proposed budget in the Governing Board book each year. Your National Director should be sharing that information. Also, the minutes of the Governing Board meeting will have the final, revised budget. If you are a National Director and are not getting that information or if you are not a member of a chapter, request the information from your National Area Vice President.

Roadmaster does the same, but you are to take it to their repair truck. Onetime I could not remove my tow bar from the receiver. One of their technicians came to my motor home and removed it, repaired, returned it and installed all at no charge.

Without getting into a debate, I like Roadmaster products. Check online to their authorized dealers for parts price, but I installed everything in my 2019 Chevrolet Equinox. I had to remove 64 screws to get to the mounting locations for the baseplates and crossbar. I moved my Air Force 1 braking system from old auto to new. Wired the Bright Light module and wiring from motor home to rear of towed. It took me a week, but I could only work on it but a few hours each day. I had the tow bar, so no cost there. The directions that came with the baseplates from Roadmaster were excellent. Specific instructions and pictures of installing on you auto. Frankly running the wire from the motor home to the rear of the towed is the hardest task. Installation is not for the faint of heart. Would I do it again? Absolutely! But you do need average skills and the tools to do the job.

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The same warehouse parts department for REV also has Fleetwood parts. I have gotten a couple of small parts without any problem. As with any manufacturer, price is higher than other sources if you can find the part.

Additionally, it would be very difficult to issue refunds for Tucson, since the funds for registrations received have been spent as indicated in our President’s message to the membership. Lincoln on the other hand is different, because minimal (compared to Tucson) funds have been spent; therefore, refunds are being made. Chapters are prudently working on canceling their rally schedule. Possibly, August, September and October rallies may be viable. August might not work, but it is a lot easier to schedule a rally for 20-40 attendees than a national convention. What could FMCA done differently? If FMCA had followed some airlines and travel reservations where nothing or 20-25% refunds were made, I think FMCA has been fair. We were registered for both conventions. One voucher and one refund. I probably will use the voucher for Gillette in 2021.

I think you will find that all Area rallies through the end of the year will be canceled. They just can not afford high losses either.

The investment of capital to prepare for a convention is considerable as indicated by the loss projected for Tucson. The commitments required and time line necessary to secure the resources required to provide a quality convention cannot be done with 40/60 days additional delay. The very low figures of registration indicates that the action of the Executive Board was more than justified and a prudent business decision.

Happy Trails RV Resort in Surprise, AZ closed all facilities Monday at 7:00am. We spent the day packing up and left early Tuesday morning. Beat bad weather in Flagstaff by a day. Had we waited until Wednesday to leave, we would have had to wait until Friday to leave. We will be in central Indiana by Friday evening. So far, fuel has been available and lower cost. Stoped at a McDonald’s for lunch and coffee. Got it, but had to be take out. A restaurant we usually stop at in Missouri is closed, so we will bypass that and have an easier last day of travel home except for probable rain.

When I purchased a set if tires last year, I had them install 10 inch long valve stems on the inside duals, and they replaced all of the other valve stems with about 3 inch long ones. The charge was included in install and disposal charge.

Happy Trails RV Resort, 17200 W Bell Rd, Suprise, AZ 85374

Most big box stores, Walmart, Auto Parts stores and even Harbor Freight. Just be sure that it has tapering rate of charge. That means as the battery approaches full charge the rate of charge decreases. You can charge a whole bank of batteries setup to provide 12 volts at one time, but you may have a bad cell that you will not find for a long time. Charging each individual battery may possibly be more effective, but if you have 6 volt batteries in series, the charger you purchase will need to have a selection for 6 volt and 12 volt. Some will have a very high boost charge to be able to start a vehicle while probably OK to start an auto it isn't enough to start a motor home and can be hard on a battery. I think the charger I have charge rate starts at 18 amps drops to 10 amps and then 2 amps. Buy a good one, not always the cheapest or the most expensive either.

You will have to be plugged in for serval hours if not s couple of days to charge the batteries. Plugged into 50 will not provide enough amps to start. It takes the batteries to do that. After a day check both the chassis and coach batteries to see if they are charging. Don’t forget to have both Salesman Switches on to be able to charge. If not charging, you may have a shorted cell in one of the batteries which will require replacement at least one if not all of the batteries in that set.

Red, green, blue & yellow.

Big Bands of the 40’s, 50’s, and Western

We stay was similar to elkhartjim’s above. We had a 30amp site with sewer. We probably had water, but I don’t remember for sure. We had about 150 yard walk to their restaurant which was good. We really liked being able to go into either park. Also, if you can take the float trip on the Snake River in the Tetons. You have a guide to pilot. They are rubber rafts that have about 2 foot high sides to sit on to enjoy the trip. The last one in the day is best for wildlife viewing. I like the north end trip best, but both are good. We have done both twice.

I used these diodes on three previous towed’s, but for my 2019 Chevrolet Equinox I installed the LED lights as recommended and stated above.

While I am not a fan of adding another bulb for each of the functions, our local RV dealer, Roadmaster and Chevrolet dealer state that wiring into the original lighting should not be done. Therefore, I added Roadmaster’s LED lights and their module to provide full voltage to them. All are equally bright. The module mounted in the rear takes the signal from the towing vehicle and uses power from a #12 wire that connects directly to the towed’s battery to operate the LED lights. No drop in voltage. I do have a charge line from RV to towed to maintain the towed’s battery.

Mine is electric and up to 1650 lbs.

I use one a few times a year to clean my radiator from the rear besides my annual from the front cleaning. Be careful too much pressure could bend the radiator core fins. I spray about a 10” fan from about 2 feet away. Mine is electric with pressure if 1,650 pounds. Bought at big box store on sale for $60. Good to clean wheels, too.

You will probably find that the body of the valve for an RV water heater is shorter than the ones for residential use. The residential one usually will not allow the door to close completely.