RE: Generator will not keep running
Robert, I hope it is one of these simple things the other posts are talking about, but I have a friend with a 2006 HR Endeavor and her bran new generator did exactly the same thing. It required a new circuit board.
What to use to seal the roof?
I have a 2007 SPORTSCOACH ELITE with a fiberglass roof. I was told by a dealer that the roof should be checked for cracks each spring, and sealed as needed.
I am not near a dealer and need to do this myself. What would you recommend to use and where to get it? I should have asked the dealer, but I didn't think of it at the time.
I believe my roof has some kind of coating over the fiberglass, presumeably paint. Most of it is white but a small part in the front and in the back are black. The seams were checked and sealed once already by the selling dealer.
Thanks for your input.
Wally
RE: Trip to Canada
You are probably wondering what a NJ guy knows about that area but I was born and raised there.
You can take a MH on the Seattle ferries, but why would you want to, just drive up I-5 from Seattle to Vancouver. The ferry ride is nice but it will cost you.
I don't know how many Good Sam CG's there are but there are lots of camp grounds out there.
HAPPY TRAILS
Wally
FOOD, I MEAN FUEL FOR THOUGHT
The laws of physics say the larger the engine the more fuel it will need.
Without getting into a whole bunch of criteria just take the average driver going, say, a 1000 miles through various terrain with typical wind or what ever.
Would a 350 HP DP, with possibly more throttle needed to maintain speed, get better milage than a 460 HP DP which would presumeably need less throttle, or could it be the other way around.
In other words, if a big engine is just idling down the road, could it use less fuel than a smaller engine that has to work much harder?
I think physics dictates that the smaller engine will be more fuel efficient, but I would like to hear what you RVers think. Some of you experts out there will know for sure.
HAPPY TRAILS,
Wally
RE: Bottled Water?
Water can grow bacteria and bugs and things from sitting in a tank. What difference does it make if it is a jug or a tank? Warm temperatures speed up the process. That's why you should put bleach in the tank once in awhile to kill those bugs.
If the water is filtered with a fine enough filter, it may be fine, but it certainly would be if you boiled it also, but what is the point? Water your plants with it and get some new water.
RE: What's a good size diesel engine?
Like Wallygater said, this will be real interesting before it is over, because there too many variables and you did not give any criteria. Hence any answer will be correct, and besides this is an individual thing.
An engineer friend of mine told me that a good rule of thumb is 10HP/foot of coach. I don't know where he got that rule but I think it is pretty accurate.
My 40' 2007 SPORTSCOACH ELITE weighs 32,000 lbs and has a turbo charged 350 HP Cat. which has enough power when loaded and pulling a dingy. It has slowed down to 55 MPH on a long steep hill, so 400 HP would probably be better but the 350 is adequate.
RE: A salseman said the Monaco chassis was...
If what the salesman said was true, I am sure I would have seen confermation of that on this web site and I have not seen it.
I have driven my friends 2006 HR Endeaver quite a bit and it handles just fine.
RE: Engine charging house batteries, what's the story?
My 2007 SPORTSCOACH ELITE has a home fridge in it. It works on 110-120 Volts AC, only. It is a huge inconvenience that it does not work on propane. If I use the inverter to keep the fridge running while traveling, the engine alternator will not keep the house batteries charged. The batteries will run down in about 4 or 5 hrs. So I either run the generator or turn the fridge off. If I leave the fridge closed up, it will stay cold for most of the day if not all day. I do use the generator for 2-5 hrs. while driving all day. I don't like to use the generator in the CG at night, because it is annoying to other people, but then I try to always pick CG's that have electric hook-up.
The COACHMEN engineers say most people do not use their generators nearly enough, and I think they have designed the coaches so we need to use the generators more.
If the house batteries are run down, it will take a whole day of driving to charge them back up with the engine alterator even if the fridge is turned off, so again, I will use the generator. The alternator will eventually charge the house batteries. It first charges the chassis batteries then the house batteries and back and forth until they are all charged up.
My control panel shows the amount of charge for both the chassis and the house batteries, but I can't see it while I am driving so I bought a DC voltmeter to put in the dash 12V socket so I can read it anytime.
It is evident from the posts that some of the older coaches would not charge the house batteries with the alternator while driving, and some of the newer coaches do not charge the chassis batteries while sitting at a CG while being plugged in to electric. My best friends 2006 HR must hav a battery minder on its chassis batteries or they will run down in about a week while plugged in.
HAPPY TRAILS,
Wally
RE: What Do you Carry
Don't forget food, water, coffee, clothes, and most importantly the Jack Daniels and money because the first half dozen times out you will forget a whole bunch of things.
These ideas listed will help you, but you will have to see what you need and what you have room for. Good sam has a very thorough list in the HIGHWAYS magazine I believe and probably on this web site. Your new coach manual will probably have a check list also.
Most people want to take everything they can fit in the coach to meet every possible contingency, but keep in mind, it all weighs up and you do have weight limits. Get your coach weighed when all the tanks are full and you have everything in it including passengers to determine the proper tire inflation.
HAPPY TRAILS,
Wally
RE: winnebago going out of business?
They are cutting back on production and having some lay offs, but I have not heard anything about going out of business.
A friend of mine just got a good deal on a bran new 40 footer. Good time to buy.
HAPPY TRAILS,
Wally
RE: tire air pressure 07 elite
Elmer,
You have the same tires that I have. I went on www.goodyear.com and tried to find the correct pressure for the weights you gave, but could not find for the rear wheels.
I did notice that I was wrong about the 90-95 PSI being too low. The chart even went down to 85 PSI for that tire, but that was for very low weights. I suspect my tires would look a little flat if they had only 85 PSI in them.
I have a chart that was sent to me by Good Year. If I can find it I will get back to you, but the weights you gave were way off the chart I saw in the web site. I don't know if that is because I don't know how to read it or what.
Are you supposed to divide those rear weights you gave by two because you have dual wheels in the rear?
Happy Trails,
Wally
RE: Is anyone slowing down to get better mileage
You have plenty of replies, but yes. I don't like to slow down below 60-65 due to lack of patience, but it is simple physics, one does save money by slowing down, and I don't have much of that to spare right now. I think it helps make the roads safer too.
Happy Trails,
Wally
RE: some advise needed.. please
Karren,
This may be too late, but I would be very hesitant to buy a 30 year old rig. There are so many hidden things that could be wrong with it, (expensive things).
An Ozone generator will take the smoke smell right out.
In any case don't take the owners word for anything they say. So many people are dishonest now a days, especially when it comes to selling RV's. Like one fella said, this is a buyers market. If you miss out on this questionable deal so what. There are hundreds of thousands of RV's for sale right now, and you can even get some pretty good deals with RV dealers right now. Don't rush into this. It sounds like you have not looked around enough.
Happy Trails,
Wally
RE: Common Courtesy
I agree with the courtesy thing, it does not hurt, it even feels good!
I find that most truckers know exactly where there trailer ends as they are way more experienced than I, but occassionally one will cut in within a couple feet of me. That bothers me a little. They of course don't wait to see your lights flash. I try to speed up, slow down, switch lanes, do what ever I can to stay out of others way. I aint in that big a hurray that I can't be a little helpful.
My rig has a button on the steering wheel for flashing truckers, but I don't see this done much anymore. I don't know if truckers appreciate it and I don't want to do it just to show off.
Happy Trails,
Wally
RE: After the tanks are dumped..
I always try to dump with the black water tank at least 2/3 full. If it is not that full, I put more water in while hooked up to the city water. I can easily do this by connecting a dedicated black water hose with check valve, directly to the black water tank. This way it gushes out fast and takes most of the solid stuff out with the water, other wise a lot of the solid will stay in the tank, and if you do not add water it will dry out and become difficult to impossible to get out. I then refill the black water tank to at least 2/3 full and drain it again. While filling the tank, there is a sprayer inside the tank that is supposed to clean the inside of the tank. I do this part without a pressure reducer on the hose for maximum pressure.
I also have a clear plastic section in the hose at the exit of the tank so I can see when there is no more solid or toilet paper coming out. After the 1st dump and then the rinse, it is always coming out clear. Then I dump the grey water tank to clean out the hose.
Right away after that, I put the aqua chem in the toilet and flush it 2 or 3 times to keep what ever might be left in the tank soft and to keep the inside oder free. I have not added soap or a lot of water and it has worked for me.
One other idea I read somewhere is worth repeating. Most RVers hook a hose from city water to the black water tank to fill it for rinsing. There should always be a check valve to prevent any bad stuff from getting back to the city water faucet, (most if not all tanks have a check valve built in), but I always carry a spray bottle filled with bleach and water mixture (guess at ratio and intentionally make it strong) to disinfect anything that could possibly get back to the city water faucet, before I hook up.
If you have watched other campers like I have, you undoubtedly have seen some of them get very sloppy with their procedures. I have seen sewage dumped all over the camp site. Not a nice thing to happen. Good idea to make sure your 4" hoses are well connect together, or that much water gushing out at once can blow two hoses apart. I've seen it happen to other many times. I try to be smart enough to learn from others mistakes instead of my own.
Happy Trails,
Wally
RE: Hooked up to water; none coming into RV!
I doubt you have a leak or you would have had to open the door by now to let the water out.
Pressure regulators (often referred to incorrectly as flow regulators) are pressure regulators, they reduce the pressure to around 45 PSI so the city water pressure won't burst your water pipes. They go bad quite frequently. When they do, the flow usually goes to nothing.
I always keep a spare one in the coach just in case. I hope you find a simple fix.
Happy Trails,
Wally
RE: Torque Question
That is a lot of torque and it will do it fine, but just about any diesel will do it, you may have to slow down a little more. They all shift down. It depends on how fast you want to get up the hill. If you are one of those guys that never go below 75MPH you might want to go for a 525 HP CAT. OR LARGER.
I have a 32,000 pound 40' coach with a 350 HP Cat. C7 with a Saturn Wagon Dingy and it does fine in mountainous country, but it will slow down to as low as 55 MPH sometimes.
Remember, it was not very long ago that a lot of tractor trailors were down around 275 HP. I believe some still are.
Happy Trails
Wally
RE: Where to stop along I-5 in California
I am not real familiar with that area however there are several ways to find out where to get fuel, lodging & food.
First, I believe the Good Sam Club mapping program can do that for you. AAA can also do it if you belong to them.
We make great use of "The Next Exit" booklet that has all that stuff. You can get the booklet off the internet from possibly Good Sam, but I am sure you can get it from Amazon.com and probably Camping World.
The only problem with the booklet is that it does not tell you the ease or difficulty you might have getting a big rig into or out of, particularly, restaraunts. Like the signs on the highway, you are taking a big risk regarding convenience, in which case, you are better off listening to these other guys who know from experience.
Happy Trails
Wally
Best diesel additive ?
I have been wondering if I used the right diesel additive before I put my coach away for the winter. I don't remember the brand, it came in a black gallon container from NAPA Auto Parts. Then I realized, what better place to find out than right here on this forum.
I used Stay-Bil with the class C gasser and it worked great, but I kinda doubt that is the right stuff for diesel. I need the kind of stuff that keeps diesel stable, gum and micro organism free. Not just to clean the injectors, but that is great too.
I see in Motor Home Magazine, Feb. 2008 issue page 88 that a guy from Fort Mohave, Arizona really like the Lucas fuel and gasoline treatment that he got from Flying J. It cleared his missing diesel right up. Is this stuff good or do you recommend something better.
I appreciate your taking the time to share your wisdom, THANKS.
Happy Trails
Wally
RE: To Club, or not to Club
I belong to a non brand group and we have a local outing once every month (May thru October) and we meet at some restaraunt each month in the winter. It is amazing how much you can learn from other campers regarding things about your rig and places to go.
To me, the fellowship is the best. We quickly made a whole bunch of new friends, and they will help you more than most of our other friends as we seem to have a lot more in common. It is wonderful to travel together. It does not matter if they have the same kind of rig or not. We also belong to a COACHMEN group of which I am President, and they are great also.
Happy Trails
