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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Propane verses electric
At 18 cents per KwHr, propane would be cheaper as long as propane cost less than $4.86 per gallon. As the cost of electricity declines, the breakeven point for the price of propane declines. If electricity was $0.14 per KwHr, propane would be cheaper at long as propane was less than $3.78 a gallon.
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Fulltimingman
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09/21/09 12:18pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Traveling with generator on
My RV launch sequence consists in part to disconnect shore power and then walk into RV and start generator. It stays on the entire trip. Use for A/C, Microwave - whatever. Same here except I start the generator first, let its speed stabilize, then turn off the power at the park's breaker and unplug.
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Fulltimingman
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09/21/09 12:10pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: RV satellite DVRs
I have an old Datron satellite dish on my coach. To use it, I have to fire up the old RCA DirectTV receiver with the serial port low speed data connection and let the system find the satellite. I then use a coax switch box to change the input from the antenna back to feed my current DirecTV DVR unit. This would be a pain other than it is actually a back up unit. I typically use the DirecTV LNB attached to my MotoSat DataStorm Internet Satellite Dish to feed my DirecTV DVR unit. The old RCA DirecTV receiver does not need an active card to find the satellite. It just sends a signal strength indication back to the dish for locating the satellite.
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Fulltimingman
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09/16/09 12:17pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Questions About Diesel MH
Tim,
Congratulations on your new motorhome.
1) Not all engine/exhaust brakes activate the brake lights however, many do.
2) Some transmissions are not rated to handle the full torque of the engine in 1st gear and use electronics to back off the power in 1st gear.
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Fulltimingman
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08/28/09 05:58pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How important is the wheelbase-to-length-ratio?
Excellent point Jim. A coach with the front wheels almost at the front bumper and a large rear overhang is likely to have significantly different handling characteristics than a coach with an identical wheelbase/overall length ratio that has the overhang more evenly balanced between the front and the back. Focusing on just one number can be deceiving.
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Fulltimingman
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08/25/09 08:29pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Observation at recent RV show
Quality construction with quality care by the manufacture will NOT be destroyed by folks going through it. Will knobs get removed by 'treasure hunters'? Maybe. Will valences fall off the wall, will doors fall off the tracks? Shouldn't happen!! If a coach can't make it through a several day show why would I expect it to last if I use it day in and day out?
I have inspected new units that have completed one cross-country trip to the dealer from the factory and had severe damage on the inside (closet doors off the tracks, valences pulled out of the wall, cabinet doors hanging with screws pulled out). I would NEVER buy a unit that would fall apart just driving (or towing) it a couple thousand miles.
I realize that every buyer and manufacturer has their price point, but for crying out loud, if a unit can't hold up to folks walking through a unit when it is stationary for a few days (excluding intentionally theft of knobs, etc), how can you expect it to hold up to you using it for several years driving thousands, or tens of thousands, of miles.
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Fulltimingman
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08/22/09 12:52am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: To Bus or to not Bus, that is the question...
Excellent chockwald! I appreciate the info, I didn't mean to imply they were actually Fiberglass, just the fact that they are not a bus chassis. I understand about the customization factor, being they can build basically whatever floor plan you want, but who warranties the chassis stuff when I'm on the road?? I know the warranty period and availability of Prevost shops, what about Newell shops? I'm just thinkinh out loud here of course. Sounds like your Newell is awesome and what the heck...104 ain't so bad! Heck ol' Hillary looks that old already!!!!!While the actual frame for a Newell is constructed by Newell using welded steel bridge-truss construction techniques, the frame will likely NEVER need any work. The chassis components are from major manufacturers such as Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar, Cummins, Allison, or ZF depending on the year and the specific desires of the person who originally ordered the coach. The engine can be serviced by anyone who services the specific engine in the coach. The same for the transmission. If you need work, a quick call to Newell will get you the name of a nearby service center that can provide the needed service. Newell provides excellent technical support and provides emergency support 24 hours/day, 365 days/year.
My coach has 155,000 miles on it and is a 1992. I have put on about 36,000 of those miles during the 3+ years I have owned it. I have a Detroit Diesel engine and an Allison transmission. I have experienced no problem finding companies that will service my coach. There are Newells out there with over 500,000 miles on them, although not many because most owners just don't put that kind of mileage on a motorhome.
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Fulltimingman
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08/20/09 04:29pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How's it made
One common source of leaks is where the outside mirrors attach to the body. With time the vibration can break the seal and water will slowly leak in. The seam between the front cap and the roof is another good place for a leak.
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Fulltimingman
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08/17/09 10:07pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Generator question
Most generator manufacturers recommend that you run the generator under load for about an hour a month. Since it is best to run the coach also, I take advantage of the drive in the coach to exercise the generator. Of course, I use my generator quite a bit anyway. I have over 3500 hours on my 12.5kw diesel generator. I change the oil, oil filter, and fuel filter every 150 hours or 1 year (typically the hours roll up well before the year) and I check my air filter every 1 year and replace as needed.
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Fulltimingman
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08/16/09 03:52pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Airing Up tires
I run 120 psi front, 110 psi drive, 100 psi tag. I use the on-board air system with an SMC pressure booster regulator. The system air pressure is too low to successfully inflate a tire that carries over about 105-110 psi. The system pressure will drop to about 110 or so before the engine driven air compressor kicks in and my axillary 120 volt air compressor cycles in at 75 psi. The pressure-multiplier connects between the air connection on your coach and your dual-foot air nozzle. It almost doubles the pressure so even if the pressure drops to 75 psi, you can still provide air at a pressure high enough to fill a 120 psi tire. They are somewhat pricey but they are very small.
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Fulltimingman
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08/16/09 02:10pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 50' Maximum Length in Oregon?
I think the cops have more fish to fry then to hassle someone in a MH who may be overlenght.Not in California.
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Fulltimingman
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08/15/09 11:37am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: On demand hot water system
Glad they found the manufacturer, which is PrecisionTemp at http://www.precisiontemp.com.
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Fulltimingman
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08/14/09 12:03pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Radiators in Diesel Pushers; Side vs Rear, and MPG
There is no reason to 'hate' either a side or rear mounted radiator. There are pros and cons to each as have been discussed already. According to Caterpillar, a C7 or C9 running at 1800 rpm will use about 20 HP turning the rear mounted fan. A C13 or C15 running at 1800 rpm will use about 50 HP to run the hydraulic fan.
It is doubtful that there is a noticeable fuel economy difference between comparable size, weight, geared and horsepowered motorhomes with the only difference being rear versus side radiators.
The side mounted radiators are somewhat easier to maintain and the rear mounted radiators are less expensive to manufacture and purchase. Mechanical fans, whether used with rear mounted radiators or some side mounted radiators do remove one potential source of fires due to failed fan hydraulic seals or burst hydraulic lines feeding the hydraulic fan.
While I might personally 'prefer' a side-mounted radiator, I would not make a decision based on that reason alone.
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Fulltimingman
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08/11/09 11:03am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Newell Owners..What say you..?
As Jim said, come on over to NewellClassic. Newell builds a quality coach. I think you will be pleased with what you see. We have had ours for three and a half years and average about 10,000 pleasurable miles per year. One of our newer members just purchased a 1971 Newell that, with a little TLC as it has been sitting for a couple of years, will be a fine coach. The factory sponsors a couple of rallies each year and the members of NewellClassic have just finished their second, non-factory sponsored rally. The first was in Austin, TX and the one last week was in Creede, CO.
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Fulltimingman
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08/11/09 10:32am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: OTR Truckers: Cockpit height?
That is actually a wise decision. A good chassis with an appropriated sized engine and a quality suspension will make a good motorhome. Trying to modify/fix a poor suspension or undersized engine is rarely successful.
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Fulltimingman
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08/09/09 12:03am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: OTR Truckers: Cockpit height?
Your comment may be too generic. I look truck driver's in the eye from my driver's seat position.
Too answer your question, I find that the height above the ground is not nearly as important to lateral body roll as the characteristics of the suspension. The body on many OTR trucks is on separate air bags from the chassis. If that movement is not well controlled, it can certainly add an interesting ride characteristic.
Typically, the floor height in a motorhome is based on the size of the tires and the design bay height rather than based on the effect of lateral roll.
Incidentally, I love my air ride seat.
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Fulltimingman
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08/08/09 10:55am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Verizon air card won't send emails.
Verizon is eliminating their pop/smtp servers in a cost cutting effort. I received a letter from them last week 'reminding' me that I needed to find another pop/smtp server to use beginning 8/29/09. Since it is still 'supposed' to be available you may have another problem but this is an excellent time to find a new server to use before Verizon's goes dark in a couple of weeks.
Previous posts are spot on. Many ISP's will not allow relay services.
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Fulltimingman
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08/07/09 09:12pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: 2008 Buick Lucerne Toad
Remco's website shows that a lube pump will work with your 2008 Lucerne.
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Fulltimingman
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07/23/09 09:40am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Have YOU ever boondocked with residential fridge?
I wonder, given all the trouble with residential fridges and the very large RV fridges now available, why would manufacturers of high-end coaches still use them? What is their intrinsic advantage over an RV fridge that justifies these worries?
Thanks!Many folks rarely boondock so the lack of electricity is seldom an issue. While RV (ammonia) refrigerators are getting larger, most RV's with residential refrigerators use 21+ cubic foot models and that is larger than available in ammonia operated refrigerators. Some folks prefer to not carry propane on board for safety reasons. Many high end coaches have large battery banks and generators that will provide more amperage than a standard 50 amp campground circuit. In conjunction with inverter/chargers with higher amperage chargers, the battery bank can be fully recharged running the generator for a couple of hours twice a day. Additionally, compressor type refrigerators cool better than ammonia type refrigerators in hot weather.
The major issue arises when a manufacturer tries to skimp on the size of batteries/chargers/generators when installing a residential refrigerator.
Why do high-end coaches use residential refrigerators: more like home (true residential refrigerator and cooktop), one less system to maintain (no propane), larger capacity refrigerator that will cool better in very hot weather, capability to boondock for extended periods by running generator twice a day, and the additional cost of larger batteries, inverters, chargers and generators is not typically an issue.
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Fulltimingman
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07/09/09 09:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Smaller Coaches with Three Air Conditioners?
I have 4 basement AC units. It is currently 99 degrees and the interior is 75 degrees (where I have my thermostats). The various units cycle off and on as needed. At this time, 2 of the 4 AC units are actually running so they are quite capable of dropping the temperature lower if desired. I have 50 amp service and a 12.5kw generator.
My AC's draw about 16 amps each so 32 amps per leg (64 amps total at 120 volts) when they are all on at the same time leaving me 18 amps per leg for other electrical usage.
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Fulltimingman
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07/04/09 07:08pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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