RE: Break Buddy
You might consider "Ready Brake". It's an alternative that many people are very happy with.
Scott
X 2!!!X3
You can get the towbar and braking system for less than $1k. I think it is a better system as it is passive and simple. Less to go wrong. It is also a "closed loop" system.
RE: Guidance on used RV to tow 10,000 race car trailer
Frame on a gasser is not going to be heavy enough to handle the weight. In that kind of budget, you may be able to find an older custom built Semi tractor with a custom camper on the back, but in that price range, you will have to look for a long time. I watch Ebay regularly and typically see about 2 or 3 a year that come up for sale in that price range. So if you are committed to that price range, you may need to look around for a while.
Of course you could just race the motorhome (for those who are TopGear fans)
RE: The old girl is back - where to start
When I first posted I didn't notice the awnings. I just re-did mine, and made new awnings from the main awning that was torn. I chose to wind mine much tighter than the originals, because I had a bus pass me on a windy day, and the vacuum ripped the awning open and off the coach. I lost the other 2 awnings in a microburst. I chose to wind them tighter so I would never have to worry about them being blown out from crosswinds. I also have heard the awnings bang the side of the coach if I turn quick. That doesn't happen any more.
RE: GPS vs Radar
Things change a LOT after 2013...
I have no idea how long it will take for personal GPS units to show up, but when they do GPS will get FAR better.Better at what:)? We all know the worst problems with GPS for consumers is not mistracking.
Could that ruin geocaching?
RE: The old girl is back - where to start
If you have soft floor, Menards sells some stuff called wood hardener that may help. I've not used it myself, but have heard good things about it.
On the tile, if you don't use a flexible grout, then go with Epoxy grout. It is much better and doesn't require maintenance. It is much better for mildew resistance.
RE: Parts from Car Quest
I was told by Carquest, that they made a change to start carrying heavier truck parts about 2 years ago. While they may carry the parts, that doesn't mean the people at the desk have any idea, but to their credit, my local Carquest has been pretty good. You experience may vary.
RE: Gas Motorhome Horsepower
Biggest thing is to be able to get air into the motor. Make sure you have good ducting from in front of the radiator. One other trick is that while the computer will compensate for altitude, it does not re-adjust compensation when your running WOT. In other words, if you run wide open for a few thousand feet up, it will still be using the baro reading from the point where you first hit full throttle. If you notice it seems to be loosing power on a long pull, you may want to let up on the throttle about a half inch and hold for 2 to 3 seconds, which will let the thing recalibrate. At full throttle the computer goes into power enrichment mode, which means it is no longer looking at the O2 sensor. It uses previous readings from when you were just slightly less than full throttle and then guesses what the mixture should be. This means on a long pull with a substantial change in altitude, it has no idea the altitude has changed and will run rich. Normally you don't change altitude that much on one run, but if you go up one of those passes up into the mountains, you may change altitude far enough that the computer needs to recalibrate. It only takes a second or 2 for it to learn and correct its self, but it can't do that if the peddle is on the floor.
RE: Diesel Tank Leaking
Once its on the ground, even gas is not all that flammable. I've had perpetual issues with fuel tank leaks, (its been welded 3 times). Yes, if you threw cup of gas on the ground and lit it, it would lite, but not explode. Once it soaks into the dirt, it disperses so much that it won't lite after e few minutes. I had a discolored area where my tank had been dripping. After moving the coach, I tried to lite it with my torch, it would not lite, even though fuel was dripping. The drip did not concentrate it fast enough to lite 30 seconds after moving the coach. Sure if there is a puddle it will lite, but not after it soaks into the dirt.
As pointed out, diesel is even less flammable than my experiences with gas. Yes, deal with it, drive around and use it up, but I'd not worry about the danger of it being on the ground.
RE: Water in the outside fridge compartment.
The attachment on the drain hose to the drain try is not the greatest on Dometic Fridges. I replaced the cooling unit in mine. In the process, I had to detach the hose. As I recall, it has putty around it, holding it secure. Its pretty easy for the putty oose and not hold the drain cup in place.
RE: water pours out side of MH
Could be what happened to mine when I first bought it. There are 2 fill tubes, one large and the other small. The previous owner evidently never blew out the large fill tube so it froze and sprung a leak. It never leaked under normal use, unless you stopped hard, so it was not obvious why it leaked.
RE: GPS vs Radar
Actually the case is not a very good one. The GPS reading was never challenged. I'm very surprised the parents contested it. The software they were using only records data every 30 seconds. In fact, when they compared the readings, based on the location of the car from one reading to the next, the kid had to have been speeding in order to have made it from one location to the next in 30 seconds. The GPS actually confirmed the kid was guilty. The "hook" of the title suggests that this case has legal ramifications on futures cases, but technically it means nothing.
I think to have a real case based on GPS, one would have to have much higher resolution data. This would give several readings of both location and speed vs time. I would think several points of data confirming location, one would be hard pressed to prove otherwise. GPS's can have glitches in data, but it would be unlikely that it would have multiple points of data that showed a consistent speed based on location that were all wrong. The other thing is that one would have to compare it to a certified standard immediately following the ticket, to certify its accuracy. GPS is valid and does stand up in court. The reason I know this is that I have received a ticket. On the ticket it stated the OFFICER used a GPS to clock my speed, so it is considered a legally valid method of speed measurement.
An even better set up would be a data monitor that uses both GPS data and OBDII output. There are devices that do both.
RE: What a waste of a good Winnie
You really need to watch all of the videos to understand what went wrong. Previous jumps were not particularly violent. Watch the video from the inside, there was hardly much impact. The real failure was 2 fold. First, they had a pickup pushing the RV - the guy driving the pick had no real perception of speed and how far the RV would coast. Secondly, the suspension had been beat already from several previous jumps, which is why it collapsed. More than likely, if they would have taken the first jump at that speed, the suspension would not have broken and the driver would not have been hurt.
RE: motorhome races
This is spoof on a race put on by Top Gear a few years ago. the video is stolen from them and will no doubt be removed, once they are notified of the copy infringement.
RE: RVS FROWNED UPON IF OLD AT SOME PARKS.
a lady came by and said well are you sure you have the right camp site we have alot of newer rv hereM'am, your not so young yourself, don't you belong in a nursing home?
RE: The old girl is back - where to start
Don't bother trying to find a tube camera. Modern CCD cameras are so much better. Their ability to handle low light or high contrast is much better than the old tube cameras. You want to look for a CCD camera, rather than a CMOS. CCD tends to be much sharper image and more accurate on color. I realize right now you are still using a tube monitor, but count on that failing sometime. You are trying to fix everything right, modernizing the design, no reason to not modernize the camera. The same case shouldn't matter as long as it looks factory.
RE: RVS FROWNED UPON IF OLD AT SOME PARKS.
Only wannabies are snobs. I would suggest to her that I have nothing to prove and am very comfortable with the choices I have made in my life.
You are always going to find people who are going to say weird inappropriate things. You just need to be prepared ahead of time. The other place you need to have a well thought out reply is at the gas pumps.
RE: Anothet !st timer
Most campgrounds have a place to pull off and unhook the toad before you get to your spot. Unload the wing and use it to pull the trailer to where ever it needs to be stored. I'd also be inclined to look for a trailer that is a double tandem tow dolly, that way you can tow a car and the bike at the same time, or just one or the other.
RE: air compressor psi for blowing out lines
I use around 40 PSI. One thing I have found is that you need to open and close the system several times to let the water puddle in the low spots. Only water that puddles will really get blown out. Start with the highest point first and work your way down to your low point valve.
BTW: I hate antifreeze. It seems to take several tanks of water to ever get rid of it.
RE: Replacement Engine 454
Dave, have you considered different heads on your 502?Yah, but I'm done spending money for a while. I'd go for Edelbrock if I were to change.
RE: 460 or 454
QUOTE "As for carb, there is nothing wrong with a carb, but at that age, they are usually worn out. Carbs run fine and technically mix the fuel better than TBI."
I do not feel this statement is based on any fact. I have owned both in trucks and RV's, the "TBI" set up much more reliable and gas mileage is much better.
DesertIt is a well established fact that a carborator will mix the fuel better than TBI. The intake manifold designs have to be the same, because you are running a "wet" manifold, so you can not improve the intake until you run a dry intake - ie port injection. If your experience resulted in poor mileage and performance, it was because the carb was either worn or not set up correctly. TBI was created strictly to satisfy emissions. They toggle the mixture rich/lean to feed the catalytic converter. It was introduced for no other reason. As a matter of fact, until the '94 to '95 ECM, the "fine tuning" computer adjustments were very broad and did not have much resolution to the control of the mixture.
I used to laugh at my brother who during the winter would get the same mileage on his TBI pick up as I got in my carborated motorhome. Of course now I can do a little better than he can if I keep my foot out of it.
