RE: Attitude Towads a New Member’s Questions…
My 57 two door post had a 283 bored to 301 ci, 11.5 pistons, 62 FI heads, and the 30-30 7500 rpm cam. It pulled hard to 7800. I cannot reveal more here, except to say I never was slow enough to get a ticket.
So far as the OP goes, I have been full-timing for ten years and figure I am still a newbie, because every day is a new ball game. I have asked dumb questions on this forum, and got some good answers. Every once in awhile, I can answer someone else's "dumb" question. :)
RE: Lubricating DP driveshaft
When the rig is up on jacks to allow you access under it, it opens the joint so it can take a LOT of grease. When you drop it down the excess will come out that small hole in the end, and the shaft will sling it around when turning. I don't know any way of preventing this, but at least you know there's grease in there.
John
Right, and grease just about everywhere else. Places where grease may not be real necessary.
RE: running 2 airconditioners at same time
If you have 30 amp service you do not have the capacity to run two AC units at the same time. If your shore power cord has three prongs (two flat and and one round) you have 30 amp and cannot run both. You can get a device to alternate between the two AC units.
Nonsense. Just not always true. I have run 2 airs at once on 30 amps for 10 years. Plus the fridge and TV. At the same time. In very hot weather. And this is done without my power management system cutting off any other circuits, except the hot water heater element if that stealth user happens to cut in. All rigs are a bit different in usage, being equipped differently, so what one user experiences may not always be what another user experiences.
RE: Lubricating DP driveshaft
Yes, three hands would be handy, and once you fill the slip joint cavity, finger on the hole, until grease comes out the seal, and lower the suspension down to traveling height, next time you crawl under, excess grease has sprayed everywhere. This system is crude, to say the least. The grease fitting should have been on the spline itself, if that was the object of lubrication. Wish I had a clue how to properly lube the spline, because I do not think Freightliner knows.
RE: Towing 4 Wheels Down
Had to unhook a couple of times in ten years full-timing, which includes 4 coast to coast trips, a S FL to Newfoundland trip, and more; and like a poster above, was once forced unhook in NS due to poor signage that led me down a dead end.
What I ask myself is: How many times would I have had to hassle with the diabolical tow dolly during my travels? I do know that there have been scores of situations where that clumsy piece of ironmongery would have been hard to deal with without a ray gun to dematerialize it.
RE: License requirements - who are you subject to?
Well ain't life grand. I can drive from one state to another fine regardless of what I am driving, so long it is legal in my home state, but along the way, I won't know whether I am married or not...
RE: Wuold You Buy A Full Wall Slideout Model?
Been full-timing for ten years, gas and DP, and prefer modest sewer slides, no patio slides, no slide-out storage bins that eliminate storage pass-throughs. Depends on whether you like to stick your 40 footer in anywhere, even in a "30 foot site" or whether you have to travel with a "big rig" RV park book. Some folks like the flexibility of fetching up anywhere; others want big amps and big sites. User pays. :)
RE: Question about gas inverter generator for RV
DPs have watercooled diesel generators. Generally, watercooled internal combustion engines are quieter than aircooled engines no matter what they power. Water jackets generally insulate sound better than air cooled cylinders with fins, like early VW Beetles vs later ones, or water cooled bikes vs air cooled bikes.
RE: Stability
Our motorhome doesn't move with the jacks down.
Nor mine. On level ground I just barely plant each jack down for stability with air bags deflated, not for the DW, but for the roof satellite dish. If the dish feels on solid ground, we do too. :)
RE: Prospective RV'er
You pay one way or another -- buy it cheap and bleed repairs and maintenance bucks evermore; or, spend more initially for low miles and excellent condition, then more than likely, spend less going forward. No free lunch. Sorry.
RE: Maine Legislation Update
My two cents: If we spent less time micro-managing others' harmless choices -- whether we embrace them or not -- and more time cherishing and defending all our hard won freedoms, we'll all be better off now and in the future. Every regulation out of self interest discriminates against someone else's interests, and we must be wary, lest someday in our zeal to regulate willy-nilly, all our interests are hobbled.
RE: battery watering device
I bought a battery watering container from Auto-zone for $11.00. It's black plastic and holds about a quart. Has a snout on the tip that when you insert it into the "water hole" and press down the water seeks it's own level and doesn't over flow the battery. No guessing! Takes about 2 minutes to water up 4 batteries.
Have a similar one -- and it works great.
RE: HDTV Upgrade Question
The new TVs have all the inputs hardwired and controlled directly by the menu system. Switch boxes have become largely irrelevant.
RE: Another inverter question
My 2.5 kw MSW inverter has worked fine for my LCD HD TV, DVD, surround sound, VCR, Sat box, computer and cell charging, etc., for years. For the microwave, toaster, electric water heater, we fire up the Onan.
RE: My paint job is going bad
I am a former boat builder and I can attest that regular gelcoat finishes break down and go chalky in 4-6 years on boats, RV's, whatever. Short of a total refinish with more advanced (and pricey) finish systems, temporary solutions will be only temporary. You get what you pay for up front, or you pay later. Sorry.
RE: Cummins 330HP to 350HP question
On a long pull up a mountain road, pure hp is sometimes less important than the cooling system's ability to shed heat during sustained high output. My 330 is as good as most in an uphill battle against gravity. I would not spend the money to "chip" more hp, because I'd have to take my foot out after awhile anyway to keep the cool.
PS When coolant heat rises due to prolonged high output, oil pressure drops. No chip can fix that.
RE: Locked Out!
Funny story, thank you for sharing. We have a Class C but if we got a Class A I would want a driver's door for just such an occasion.
I wish I had had a driver's door, believe me, but my DP and most others don't. And yes, as we learned, struggling through a window or an emergency exit can present some, ah, anatomical issues.
Locked Out!
After touring the Columbia River Gorge last Saturday, my wife and I returned to Camping World at Wood Village where we were overnighting to find that the door key turned to the unlocked position like always – except the internal mechanism remained steadfastly locked. Tried twisting the key fast, slow, hard, easy, to no avail. Tried another key. No luck – we were dispossessed!
Of course, the CW “techies” had already left for the day and wouldn't be back until Monday, and a locksmith would not help us either because we had the key and it turned. In desperation, in cahoots with an enterprising RV salesperson, we set about a B&E caper. Fortunately, I had left my bays unlocked and we had access to tools and a ladder.
Unfortunately, all windows were locked securely. No help there. Tried gently prying at the door but it remained solidly latched and I did not want to ruin it. What to do? Go buy a toothbrush and check into to a motel until Monday?
Eventually, once we had investigated all possible means of forced entry, we managed with certain ordinary tools to get a standard RV double pane sliding window unlatched from the outside without damage (I won't say how in a public forum) and I crawled in. Got the DW in through the emergency exit over the bed, as the door did not want to open from the inside, either.
Later, with the aid of a scotch or two and endless tweaking, I got the door to open from the inside. Field stripped it to discover a small broken spring. Slept that night with the door roped shut but not latched. Replaced the spring in the morning and we were back in business.
Lesson: Even though you have a spare key hidden outside, you can still be locked out. If this happens out in the boonies, you could be in a heck of a predicament or be forced to do serious damage to get in. Having learned this the hard way, I now have a secret method through a window. And I hid a basement key outside as well as door keys, so I can get at my tools, food, drinks, etc.
