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One thing all RVers have in common is the use of roads and associated infrastructure. You might argue that RV owners pay more taxes than the non-RVing public and therefore should have more clout when advocating for improved road surfaces, rest areas, safe overnight parking, and battery charging stations. Sales and use taxes alone can add up to $300 per month depending on individual circumstances. Add to that insurance at $100 per month and the impact can be seen right away. Consider also that a day’s journey consumes about 30-40 gals of fuel and uses enroute food and parking, plus attraction fees, the benefit to the providers of such services and taxes paid are not insignificant. The amount involved can easily total $300 or more per travel day, and $100 for stationary days. What is FMCA doing to advocate for the members when it comes to infrastructure at all levels of government?

Bought my '74 FMC in October, just moved. I called previous owner, she no longer has levelers underneath. So am facing uphill and need to raise the rear about 4 inches. Not sure of best way. I can get anderson type levelers, but getting six (rear dualies) would be costly. Can jack up rear (where is safe ?) And put to steel jacks in. Need guidance.

Hey, does anyone know about a mishap on I-20 south of Grand Prairie between Dallas and Fort Worth involving a Class A whose house came completely off? Apparently, the couple was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. A miracle, considering the photo below. I'm reminded of a Bounder mishap in which the house was shaken off the rig when it departed the highway. The paint scheme and number of slides seen in the news chopper footage reminds me of my 2005 Excursion, but the chassis seems more in the mid-30s lengthwise. An Airstream owner friend brought this to my attention, I wanted to do followup.

My wife and I are fairly new full time RVers and pull a CRV behind our 40 foot Phaeton. We are wondering what you all do with your RVs when you stop some where for a day to see the sights via driving the tow vehicle but are not staying in a RV park that night? Do you park it at a travel center (Pilot, Flying J, Loves), a parking lot ( Walmart, Costco, Mall) or some where else for a full day while you are away visiting the sights? If you leave your RV in parking lot, travel center, mall, etc, have you had issues with theft, safety or any other issues? I was wondering if you have had problems with theft, vandalism, break-ins while the RV was left alone in a parking lot or travel center for long periods of time?

Here is an excellent video on how to learn the various weight ratings for the truck (tow vehicle) and the trailer (travel or 5th wheel). Walter Cannon of RVSEF ( Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation ) or his crew are at many FMCA conventions and as a Tire Engineer, I strongly recommend attending one of his seminars. This video does not get down to the loading and inflation of the individual tires but if you are the average RV owner, there is a good chance you are exceeding one or more of your safety ratings. If you are you are also probably exceeding the safety rating on one or more of your tires. To learn more about tires you need to review the "Tires" part of this forum.

If you have a Kidde brand or fire extinguisher made by them and sold under another label you should check the info on THIS web page. I discovered I have one model so it is being replaced.

How's safety is going to Florida this winter. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ZIKA ????

http://hitthefrogandtoad.com/waiting-to-die/

I have a 1996 Beaver Patriot with a 40 gallon propane tank mounted just behind the front tires. It provides propane to the Onan generator and to the coach refrigerator, stove, furnace and hot water heater all of which work well and have been well maintained. I have noticed a very faint smell of propane when I first open the service door to the tank where the valves, regulator and gauge are located. The smell dissipates rapidly once the door is open and often I am the only one who can detect the odor. I have checked connections and used leak detector (bubble fluid) and can find no leak. A visible inspection of the tank reveals no problems though because of the undercarriage mount I can not clearly see every square inch. I have never detected any odor in the coach, basement or at any of the appliance outside connections. Since the generator is seldom used I keep the liquid valve which supplies it turned off. Is this normal or do I have a problem? Thanks for any insight. Tom Newbie in an older coach.

Recall information Koni North America (KONI) is recalling certain shock absorbers with model numbers: 8245-1146L 8245-1146R 8245-1201L 8245-1201R 8245-1203L 8245-1203R. These shock absorbers were manufactured January 2008 through April 2013. The affected absorbers were manufactured with an incorrectly welded bracket which may cause the shock absorber to bend and rest on the drive shaft. A bent shock absorber may compromise vehicle handling, increasing the risk of a crash. KONI will notify distributors and advise them to contact their customers of the recall. The shock absorbers will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on May 16, 2013. Customers may contact KONI at 1-800-209-3350. I tried to cross the numbers to there application(s), but could not find a cross reference from part number to application. Posted the information because many Coach owners also use them for other vehicles. Rich.

Having just upgraded to a tag-axle rig, I happily ordered a set of extra sensors from Daryl and Cheri at Lawrence Electronics Sales. They sell TireTraker TPMS for RVs. I've had great luck with the product; and, when I called to order a new sensor after a catastrophic dolly tire failure launched one into orbit (it faithfully transmitted the loss back to the receiver as it headed off on its one-way doomed flight), Daryl wouldn't hear of me paying. I protested, saying there was no way he in any way was responsible for an arbitrary tire failure, but he held firm (for the tires' manufacturer, Carlisle, it was a different matter). The icing on the cake: after submitting today's order, I held my breath as shipping and handling was calculated. Such is the fashion nowadays, with vendors gouging the dickens out of customers after they've already committed... Are you ready for this? USPS standard delivery, packed and shipped, for $2.95. Now, some two years after my initial purchase, I like my TireTraker system; but I LOVE Lawrence Electronics Sales. Kudos to Daryl and Cheri! Followup: I got a personal note from Daryl, in addition to my emailed receipt. It is SUNDAY. They have a customer for life.

Okay, this is one for the record books. My wife was on a ladder tonight, outside the coach, helping to reinstall a window we'd re-glazed and tinted. I was sitting in the driver's seat, leaned right to retrieve a cordless electric screwdriver from atop the dashboard. There was a familiar sound; it dawned that, outside, the large awning was extending! Indeed, some testing revealed that a person sitting in the driver's seat can extend the awning by placing all his/her weight on the right side of the seat. This could be awkward, rolling down the highway. Needless to say, all the electrical connectors under the driver's seat will be disconnected, reattached and secured tomorrow. We're poised to make a 400 mile Thanksgiving trip, and the last thing I'd like to leave alongside the highway en route is that big awning assembly. Meanwhile, has anyone out there experienced this?

TCi in Fort Worth was designated by the FMCA as my Michelin dealer, I'm glad they were. Superb service! The technician who installed my new front tires gave me the option of installing new valve stems, I asked for his input. "The rubber O-ring is the thing, we can't determine its condition without taking the stem apart; and, if we do that, we can't put it back together," he replied. The cost? Ten bucks. Of course, let's yank 'em off and install new ones, I said. It made sense; I mean, why seal old ones away for another five years? Well, the condition of the seven year old stem, once taken out, was not good. The chrome plating was coming off, the O-ring dried and brittle. "You won't believe the number of blowouts that start when that valve core yields," he says. Oh? It gave me chills to think I was on the verge of keeping the thing in place for a third set of tires... So, word to the wise: spend the $10 and have peace of mind.

Attention Owners Using Carlisle Tires on Dollies and Trailers I have just reported the second catastrophic failure in less than 3,000 miles of a Chinese-made Carlisle "Radial Trail" ST215/75R14 to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This latest incident occurred on a driver-side dolly tire inflated to DOT sidewall pressure operating on Interstate highway pavement at 57 mph. In both cases, the tire has appeared to wear normally, has accumulated less than 3,000 miles of service, maintained an operating temperature of under 130F during its brief life cycle. In both cases, the failure was violent enough to cause damage to the dolly structure. An initial glimpse at entries in various forums shows that dozens of owners have had this same kind of experience with low-mileage Carlisle tires. The record has clearly shown that Carlisle tires currently installed on Roadmaster and other dollies represent a hazard. Check your equipment. Followup information, 22 May 2012 Nancy from Roadmaster asserted that I'm the first to experience such a failure using their dollies. She referred me to Carlisle for warranty coverage. Just a few hours after establishing email contact with Carlisle, a customer svc rep contacted me. The rep has scheduled a UPS pickup of the second tire carcass for tomorrow morning, and is starting the claims process for me. A claims representative is to be in contact with me, next. After reading dozens of owner opinions, I opted for the Karrier Loadmaster tire at Northern Equipment. Their low price is counterbalanced by the fact their stock is 4 years old. Since my dolly is indoor-stored, I put the tires on, despite their age. In the photo: failed tire in background, with surviving Carlisle and new Karrier Loadstar.