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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: When the Snowbirds are Gone
We were at Gulf Waters in Fort Myers Beach last week and couldn't believe how 'dead' it is. There might have been 10 occupied sites in the park (excluding the ones that simply close up their rv but leave it on the site year round). We were told that there's might be about half a dozen people that stay there year round (out of 319 sites).
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michelb
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05/21/13 07:28am |
Snowbirds
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RE: Canadians buying RV lots in Florida
Dealing with US banks is almost impossible for a Canadian unless you are living and working in the US. Some of the 'US branches' of Canadian banks do offer US mortgages to Canadians but even that's not easy (you still need a very significant downpayment (40% or more) and they are very selective on the type of property they will finance (I've heard even condos can be very difficult so I'm not surprised they won't finance just a lot) so in most cases, the most common way for Canadians to finance US real estate purchases is to use a line of credit in Canada to get the money and then use that money to do a cash purchase in the US.
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michelb
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05/21/13 07:23am |
Snowbirds
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RE: Costco vs Sams Club 6V Golf Cart Batteries
http://s24.postimg.org/9xningz1h/Costco_GC_Battery.jpg
windows 7 screen shot
http://s22.postimg.org/of2svvdqp/Costco_GC_Battery_Tag.jpg
windows 7 screen shot
Here are the 232aH GC batteries currently at my local Costco. I will be relieving them of a couple of them in a week or two. The dates on them are current, so I hope to find some 4/13 ones there by the time I purchase mine.
FWIW, I purchased this model (517990) of battery from Costco in Orlando last week. They were $89.xx (+ $9 core) and had a date of 4/13 but the sign there has them as 208 Ah. They do appear to be idential to the Interstate U2200 (232Ah) that are currently in the mh.
If I can get around to it, I'll try to weigh them before installing them (didn't have a scale when I bought them).
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michelb
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05/21/13 07:05am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Newmar Ventana 3942 Bunk - Pros/cons/advice/regrets?
We modified our bath and a half to put bunks in the back. Love having that entirely separate room for the kids.
This is something we're considering as we have three kids. Is there more information on your mod anywhere? Do you have any pictures you could share?
Pm me your email I'll send you some pictures.
I'd be really curious to see it to if you can post some pics
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michelb
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05/21/13 06:38am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: WATER DAMAGE????????
It really depends on your comfort level and the price and obviously the actual damage. Our motor home was a shallow fresh water flood (the person who had the accident said it reached the bottom of the entry door in the front and the rear wasn't in the water (the motor home was sold at auction by the insurance company, I just manage to track down the previous owner to ask him some questions. There was no incentive for him to hide anything)).
There are some minor issues although none of it seems to be from the water itself (it was also crashed through a guardrail before it got to the water and that caused some damage) but for me, the price was worth it (I paid about 1/4 of low retail but it does have a salvage title). There is some rust on the frame but it really isn't nearly as bad as our previous mh that wasn't a flood. I don't actually see any issues on ours that are actually from the flooding.
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michelb
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05/21/13 06:36am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: LP vs Gas vs Diesel Generator
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Yet a diesel is typically noisier than a gas engine.
...
FWIW, I've had 2 coaches with Onan QD gens (one 7500, one 8000) and they were both much quieter than our previous gassers with Onan Marquis gas gens (one 5500 and one 7000)
Personally, given the choice I'd take diesel first, then LP second (even though I hate having to fill LP) and gas in third for a fixed generator on a motor home. If I wanted something portable, I'd probably get a Honda gas gen.
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michelb
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05/08/13 08:54am |
Tech Issues
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Small (5W) solar panel does work to keep batteries okay
FYI, in case anyone is curious, just wanted to let you know that the 5W solar panel on our 98 PaceArrow was able to keep the batteries charged for 5 months during the winter in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Where we do get short days in the winter and a fair amount of snow so I'm not sure how often the panel was covered. What's even more surprising is the panel is probably around 15 yrs old and cloudy so probably not even generating 5W peak. Our coach has 1 chassis and 3 house batteries.
I parked it in early December and took it out in early May and was able to start it up without any issues (In the past I've left it in storage for extended periods and never had any problems but never for 5 months and never where there's snow).
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michelb
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05/08/13 08:48am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Syracuse NY to Tampa FL
I've driven by myself a few times over long distances like that where the objective was 'just to get to my destination' and what I'd do is pretty much be on the road 24 hrs but I'd stop at Wal-Mart or rest areas every few hours for food and rest and during the night catch 2 or 3 hours of sleep before getting on the road.
Everyone is different but this works well for me and I can probably drive a good 16 hours / day like that. If I try to drive non-stop and then stop for the night, I don't think I can do much more than 10-12hrs / day.
As far as 95 vs 77, my vote is for 77. We decided to do 95 at XMas because we were worried about snow in the mountains along the 77 and really regretted it when stuck in heavy traffic on the 95.
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michelb
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05/08/13 08:35am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: San Carlos RV Park in Ft. Myers ??
I'd also be curious to hear from people that have been there. We've driven by a bunch of times and it looked like it was pretty tight in there but I've never actually gone in.
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michelb
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05/03/13 06:11pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: My wife can't decide, Please Help
IMO, the table and chairs are certainly easier to get in and out of and convenient to be able to move around as desired and probably more comfortable (although for watching TV or using the laptop, etc, I like the booth as it's a much larger seat) but I want the storage of the dinette, like having extra seats with seatbelts, like having the convenience of an extra bed if we need it and I hate travelling with loose chairs so dinette is an easy choice for us (our new-to-us mh come with a table and chairs and the first thing I did was find a used dinette to install).
FWIW, when we eat at restaurants, we often request a booth if it's available.
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michelb
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05/02/13 05:09am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Newer entry level DP bunkhouses?
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One floorplan aspect I can never get past with DP motorhomes, regardless of price or any other issue, that really rules it out for us: We really, really like having a window on the back wall of the bedroom. I've yet to ever see ANY diesel pusher model that offers that. I guess it has something to do with the engine being back there, and the air intake being inside that back wall? I dunno, but it pretty much means we'll always own a gasser MH of some form.
Will
That's not only on DPs; most modern gas class As do not have rear windows.
Just looking real quick at floorplans by various manufacturers:
Fleetwood: only some models of Storm have it. The rest (Southwind, Bounder, Bounder Classic, Terra) don't
Tiffin: none have it
Newmar: none have it
Winnebago : one Sightseer has it, one Vista has it, one Adventurer has it but the rest don't (i.e. about 90% of their floorplans don't have it)
Forest River: most models have it
Thor: most models have it
Monaco: some LaPalmas and some Monarchs have it.
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michelb
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05/01/13 05:08am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Towing... what is the cost????
I haven't towed enough with our gasser to really tell the affect on mileage but my initial observation was that we lost a good 0.5 to 1 mpg when we were pulling a toad in our 98 PA 36B with a Chev 454.
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michelb
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04/30/13 05:26am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: campground near Manhattan NY?
Not as close but we'll be staying in a county park on Long Island this summer and taking the train into Manhattan for the day. Really depends on what you are looking for (for us, the kids are going to love the train ride into the city so it's part of the trip)
I believe Liberty Harbor is easily the closest one but it's pretty much just a parking lot. Also it's not cheap, at 34' plus your tow vehicle, you'll be over the 45' site length so it will cost your $100/night.
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michelb
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04/29/13 05:26am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Newer entry level DP bunkhouses?
There are actually a fair number of bunk models out there. For slightly more than you are looking at spending right now, you can get a brand new Berkshire 390bh. You can get a used unit in the pre 2011 range for well within your budget. Other brands that have bunks also include Thor, Coachmen, Tiffin, and I believe Fleetwood has a bunk model. There is even a tag axle unit available in the Charleston, which is another Forest River product.
The OP said he'd like to stay close to his current length (30') maybe a bit bigger but no more than 35'. I believe all the ones you've listed are around 40'
Fleetwood does have a 35' Bounder Classic Diesel but it's a FRED not a DP.
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michelb
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04/29/13 05:18am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New tire psi question...
Recommended tire pressures are tire pressurse at cold and can go up a lot when driving on warm pavement.
To get the proper pressure, you really need to weigh your coach and use a pressure chart for your tire. I believe the posted tire pressure is for the coach at GVWR so if you aren't running fully loaded, you might very well be overinflated for your weight.
All that being said, running at a lower tire pressure often does give a softer, nicer ride but that doesn't mean it's better (or safe). Your rims / tires migh have a minimum pressure level that you have to keep even if it makes them feel overly hard.
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michelb
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04/29/13 05:12am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Newer entry level DP bunkhouses?
Offhand, I can't think of any other DP with bunks around 35' so I think that the Palazzo might be your only choice.
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michelb
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04/28/13 06:01pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Panellas Trail
Several years ago, my sister (mid-30s at the time) was told by local police that the south-easternmost part of the trail isn't as nice and not as safe as the rest and should be avoided.
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michelb
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04/28/13 09:39am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: alpine coaches
One positive with Alpines is that some (all?) their DPs use hydraulic brakes instead of air which is arguably a better technology and according to test drives, Alpines with hydraulic brakes were suppose to have the best braking of any DP.
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michelb
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04/28/13 09:19am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Towing a FWD Highlander with a Chatau 28A E350 chassis
Looks like the FWD Highlander is a bit over 4000lbs.
As Ron said, you really have to check your hitch rating (if it's 3500 lbs it's not enough, if it's 5000lbs, you're probably okay). You also need to check the GCWR on your chassis and ideally get your vehicle weighed or otherwise compare it to your GVWR (as long as you're not overloaded - most mhs usually have the hitch rating equal to GCWR - GVWR).
Hope this helps
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michelb
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04/28/13 09:08am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 4 night minimum normal?
Most of the times I've stayed at State Parks, it's been as a walk-up so I'm not sure how many have minimum length but we have made reservations a few times in Suffolk County in Long Island and they have a 4 night minimum for ALL weekends during the summer.
The closest thing to a State park we regularly do reservations at is Ontario Provincial Parks and I don't believe they have a minimum (although I don't think we ever reserve for less than 3 nights anyway and I usually do it for 4 just so we don't have to leave early).
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michelb
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04/26/13 04:40am |
Beginning RVing
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