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RE: I did the "Cheap Handling Fix"!
Good description. Longer links would be better. I would consider buying them if available.
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ClassAGeek
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05/22/13 03:35pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Shhhh! Quiet that Motor - Ford F53
Does anyone have dbA sound level readings before and after?
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ClassAGeek
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05/22/13 12:19pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: I did the "Cheap Handling Fix"!
My 2008, F53 seems to handle just fine so either I know nothing about a nice ride or we own a fluke.
Please tell me exactly what is accomplished by doing the fix. What will be better than before.
Thank you.
The house doesn't sway as much on bumpy roads. With a little practice, I have found cross wind handling is improved too.
Can't find any related threads. Forum search seems a bit broken right now.
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ClassAGeek
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05/21/13 05:04pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: I did the "Cheap Handling Fix"!
I also moved the sway bar bolts a few weeks ago. I needed to use a floor jack to align one of the bolts. It worked very well.. Great return on investment given that the upgrade cost is zero.
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ClassAGeek
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05/21/13 04:51pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Shhhh! Quiet that Motor - Ford F53
Put two sleeping bags on the dog house next time. That will be better than any commercial foam solution. Then you will see how little it helps. Learning how to drive the F-53 quietly is much more productive. Easy on the gas pedal and keep the revs down where possible. And oh yeah, lower that @&$%* tire pressure to the lowest safe value and secure everything rattles. That will keep the motor from adding to chorus.
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ClassAGeek
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05/21/13 04:38pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Cleaning Fiberglass Roof
I find that I must use chlorine bleach to get rid of the black residue in roof seams.
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ClassAGeek
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05/21/13 04:31pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: WATER DAMAGE????????
I guess you need to look carefully at your coach s wiring. Wires under the floors will often get wet when driving in the rain, so flooding is not a big concern. On my MH, the only significant electrical components below the floor-line are the high current breakers in one of the storage compartments. Properly dried, I wouldn't worry about them much. And if any of these breakers fail, tracking down the problem is about as easy as it gets.
Inverters, UPC and power management devices are all above the floor level. Even so, they got damp in my bathroom flood. No permanent damage.
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ClassAGeek
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05/21/13 11:36am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: WATER DAMAGE????????
After having dealt with major floods recently in both my home and motorhome in the past 12 months, I'll offer some opinions for what they are worth.
Motorhomes appear far less impacted by water damage than houses. I am finding the leaky, plastic-infused walls and floors in an RV do not trap as much moisture as 2x4 covered drywall in a house. The only exception: the roof - where careful examination is very important. Not a big surprise, but I think there is a tendency to compare houses to motorhomes.
Bubbled floors and walls seem to be the biggest risk. Hidden damage? Careful inspection with a flashlight and moisture meter will make me happy. When purchasing my next MH, I'll look carefully for physical damage. I can then do a mold test if I think it is warranted. Test kits are under $20.
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ClassAGeek
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05/21/13 07:36am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flood! What now?
Check your insurance policy...
Good point. I have carefully reviewed and even confirmed with the insurance co. Water damage from leaks or a maintenance related issue is not covered. Damage due to stupidity is covered. I certainly met the criteria here :)
I have been working with an adjuster since Thursday. He is an RV owner and understands the issues. I has been upfront about what I think is reasonable: carpets, underpadding and accessible cushion flooring should be replaced. Slight water stains don't bother us. Neither does minimal bowing of one interior wall. The bathroom counter is warped and needs replacement and so does a cabinet door. Exterior insulation over storage compartments are wet but I allowed that it happens after rain anyways. By conceding that absolute perfection is not required with a 5 yr old MH, the adjuster has been receptive to doing the big things the way I want - like replacing all carpets and cushion floor with laminate.
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ClassAGeek
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05/11/13 10:32am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flood! What now?
The answer from the restoration company was: Run both. They use heaters and dehumidifiers.
One person said that heaters actually raise the humidity. That's absolutely correct! Heat increases the convection rate that turns water into vapor, which is the basic definition of humidity.
Dehumidifiers and A/Cs remove vapor from the air and turn it back into water, which you collect - or let run down the side of your RV.
If run just an A/C, you will collect as much water vapor as naturally convects from the water in the wet carpet. Increase the temperature and you generally create more water vapor for the A/C to remove and therefore get faster drying.
If you create heat but don't carry alway the moisture, the vapor eventually converts back to water when it touches a colder surface (condenses) - and hence the possibility of mould in the long term.
It was really pretty obvious :)
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ClassAGeek
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05/09/13 04:59am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flood! What now?
Amazing that it supposedly ran for 24 hours and no one shut off the water. I had a similar experience. The fellow camped next saw water gushing out of the water fill. I asked why didn't you shut off the water. His response was " I didn't think of that" Good luck on the clean and dry out.
Not really unusual. It's a nearby campground that will be opening this weekend. As a regular visitor, we simply set up early and left our MH there while we are at work during the week.
The leak was noticed by one of the staff who just happened to be driving by doing other things. It is unclear when during the 24 hr period leaks actually became visible from the outside and not just under the bathroom where the largest exit hole existed.
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ClassAGeek
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05/08/13 09:59am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flood! What now?
Do us a favor...when the resto guys get there, ask them if you should use heat or A/C...there seems to be two opinions as to which is correct. Ask the pros...let us know the outcome.....Dennis
Good one. I will ask.
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ClassAGeek
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05/08/13 09:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flood! What now?
I wasn't sure if I would make a claim because the damage doesn't look that bad. But after considering the advice from many of you, I filed my claim this evening. A local restoration company will be on site tomorrow with an adjuster to follow the day after.
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ClassAGeek
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05/07/13 08:26pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flood! What now?
I like the idea of making a claim and then seeing what the estimate will be. I can then see if it is worth it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Leaving all the windows open with the heat on likely removing more moisture than running the A/C or dehumidifier (think hair dryer outside). If we get rain as predicted tomorrow I will switch to a dehumidifier. Relative humidity inside right now is 40%. Not bad considering the damp carpets.
Further investigation reveals that much of the water exited directly below the sink where a large hole was cut for wiring. Water flowed through with relative ease. I thought something like this happened since the carpet was actually drier at the front and back of the coach. Some of the dampness can be attributed to capillary action.
Getting the wires under the sink wet is not a problem, since after passing through the hole, they run under the floor inside a split casing conduit. They are pretty much exposed to the elements.
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ClassAGeek
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05/07/13 03:38pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Flood! What now?
The consensus is to call my insurance co. Thanks for advice.
I have tested electrical and the slides. All are fine. There are no wires in the affected area.
I did one thing right: I always tip my coach ever so slighty to the left so the A/C drips on the driver's side and not on us. This meant that water poured out under the left slide more or less unobstructed.
I can see a possibility of some floor board bubbling. But I don't think water stood on the floor very long. It just flowed out the side (to the amazement of the CG staff who saw it). I have been meaning to replace the carpet with Allure. Now might be the time.
Oh yeah. I forgot to mention: My deductible is $1000.
Does that change anyone's opinion?
$1000 buys me new Allure flooring and I still have a couple of hundred left.
(and yes! I will remember to turn off the water from now on :( )
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ClassAGeek
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05/07/13 02:36pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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Flood! What now?
I got a call last night from the CG where we left our MH between weekends. The CG staff had just found water 'pouring for your MH in every direction'. They turned off the water and gave me a call. Water have been flooding our MH for about 24 hours.
When I got there this morning, I found a bathroom faucet had been left on. The result: water collected inside the bathroom and flowed out through the coach and then drained though the driver side compartments. All carpets were saturated. All left side storage compartments had standing water. No electrical and electronic equipment were visibly damaged.
Throughout the day I used a shop vac to remove about 5 gallons of water from the carpets. No other standing water remains. I have 2 fans and 2 heaters running with all windows open, to help speed drying.
What Now?
What would you do now? Other than never being this stupid again(!), what's a good next step?
Would you make an insurance claim? Is there hidden damage that isn't obvious?
Is there any way to get the carpets up? I can't see an easy way to do it. What if I don't lift the carpets? Will they get mouldy?
I would appreciate any advice you have.
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ClassAGeek
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05/07/13 12:46pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New tire psi question...
Good question. I have a F-53 spring loaded chassis, so using the minimum safe tire pressure is essential for a smooth ride.
Weight carrying capacity follows a relatively gentle performance curve near the low end of the scale. Being 1 psi over doesn't make you instantly safe, and 1 psi under is not suddenly dangerous. Many factors go into the weight rating. Know them and you will be safer than most.
Factor #1: Weight carrying capacity is speed related. Capacity increases greatly as you slow down. If a given tire can carry 8000 lb at 60 mph it will carry more than 16000 lbs at 20 mph and 32000 lbs at 10 mph.
Factor #2: Cold tire pressure ratings are given because tire manufacturers (and their lawyers) are worried that you might misuse the data ON THE HIGH end. Blow outs are far more common due to overinflation when the tire heats up and exceeds the rim / tire limits. Unlike the low end of the range, the Weight Carrying Capacity drops suddenly at the high limit.
Factor #3: Tires do not care if they are cold or hot. As you have noted, a tire feels cushy at 80 psi cold or hot. It feels harsh at 100 psi cold or hot.
How do I keep the lowest safe pressure? After measuring my coach on a CAT scale, I find 76 psi is correct for my rear tires and 80 psi is correct for the front according to tables provided by Michelin. (BTW: I ignore the insignificant differences between right and left. When moving, the distribution tends to equalize - so just pick the heavier side). Now here's my secret: I set my COLD pressure to 74 psi rear and 77 psi front and yet I am 100% safe. How is that?
I drive at less than 40 mph until my tires warm up and my TPMS shows that pressure has increased to my normal driving range of about 80 psi rear and 84 psi front which is well into the safe range specified by Michelin for 70 mph. It never takes more than 10 minutes - and I have the smoothest riding gasser you will ever drive.
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ClassAGeek
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04/29/13 07:29pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Yet Another TV Conversion
With a 32" you can use plywood with a side (not top) piano hinge.
Here is Our Install.
I took your advice and converted our 32" bedroom TV to a use a swinging door.
http://www.statchuk.com/images/Bus2TV0001.jpg
Unlike the 50" TV up front, there is plenty of room for a side mounted hinge. The original 4:3 CRT opening also leaves room for a clock and DVD player below.
http://www.statchuk.com/images/Bus2TV0002.jpg
I used 3 x 100° Euro hinges to make the door panel flush with the cabinets.
A pair of rare-earth magnets help the door snap closed with minimal effort. There is also a hidden latch at the bottom to lock everything securely when we are moving.
Most import are the horizontal supports near the bottom of the door. They allow the door to rest on the reinforced lower shelf when closed. This creates an unusually stiff mounting surface that doesn't shake or rattle.
Another bonus: the area behind the TV becomes hidden storage that is relatively hard to find.
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ClassAGeek
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04/28/13 06:38am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Yet Another TV Conversion
I have looked at some coaches designed since the arrival of flat screens - generally 2012 and up. Since there is no requirement to house a 24" deep CRT, the dashboards and front consoles are now shallower. Cupboard space is reduced but there is a bonus: up to a foot of useable floor space in the same length of coach. But even with newer coaches, I am not seeing any TVs over 40" in the front cabinet. Bigger is now pretty much an exclusive DIY option.
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ClassAGeek
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04/25/13 04:52pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Yet Another TV Conversion
I smell watcha stepping in...great job...feel free to convert my rig...beer n BBQ & a waxed coach for you buddy...cheers...
Well put. Be safe. Have fun.
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ClassAGeek
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04/25/13 04:49am |
Class A Motorhomes
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