RE: How are you and your RV during these times?
So far…
The Oregon coast… twice. Yellowstone nat’l park and a Montana ghost town tour, various trips here and there including a family reunion near Mill City Oregon. Weekend before last was the Potholes state park. This weekend, we’re taking Thursday & Friday off to make for a longer weekend at Lake Chelan.
I swear as soon as the coach rolled into the driveway, diesel fuel quadrupled in price. :M
Then again, the rig gets only a little less economy than the previous Ford F-350 and 30’ TT combo, so a 10% lower fuel mileage makes little difference in a trip overall. The coach as of now costs about 65 cents a mile to operate. It still beats out hotel/motel rooms and restaurants hands down, so it ain’t gonna’ be parked quite yet. :B
The reality is we spend more in gift shops on trips than we do fuel. It’s always been that way, and still is, despite higher fuel costs. This time, we found a Tiffany lamp at an antique shop… there went a couple of tanks of diesel! :B :B
RE: Remote Storage
Get a good universal remote and program all your stuff in it. Put all the other remotes in a box and leave them in the basement.
Been there, done that. There's always ONE item that the universal remote doesn't recognize. And you sometimes lose certain functions such as extended info for the current program (satellite) or other obscure items. I wish someone could make an all-for-one remote that actually WORKS.
And... in my case, the satellite receiver is in the basement and controlled by an RF remote. I don't think ANY universal remote is capable of RF.
RE: Remote Storage
I hang all five (Yeah, I KNOW... FIVE remotes!! :B) with Velcro on the side of the cabinet by the chair. They're handy to grab and replace.
They're: TV set, Satellite receiver, home theater, DVD/VCR, and stereo system.
RE: Street Legal Motorcycle to use with RV
Something to consider about what to get:
Unless you stay only in RV parks within town, you’ll just about always have to deal with a highway to go see anything. A lot of RV parks, state parks, parks on the ocean, etc. are out of town, even if only a couple of miles.
Do you want to try to make it to town or to a side road on an underpowered scooter that can barely make the minimum speed limit? Even a place such as Arch View RV park near Arches N.P. in Utah means about three miles on the highway until you get to the park entrance.
I wouldn’t have any problem on the Yamaha, but I’d be scared out of my wits spitless on a 150cc scooter.
RE: RV overheating
The terms ‘intercooler’ and ‘aftercooler’ get thrown around a lot. Their function: to cool the charge air coming from or going to the turbocharger compressor. Like any air compressor, a turbocharger heats up the air going thru it. In the turbo’s case, it’s a centrifugal compressor that runs at high speed. (50k to 70k RPM) The word ‘turbocharger’ comes from it’s being a supercharger directly driven by a turbine. (An exhaust driven turbine)
Although the terms are interchanged, an aftercooler, which most diesel RV’s have, means the charge air is cooled after the turbo. Look at the routing… the pipes lead out of the turbo’s outlet, thru the aftercooler, then into the intake manifold.
An intercooler cools the air before the turbo’s compressor inlet. It can also refer to an air-to-air radiator between stages of multi-turbo engines.
So… just about all inter/aftercoolers are mounted as the FIRST thing in the air flow. The heat from the radiator, oil cooler, A/C condenser, transmission cooler, etc. should be BEHIND the aftercooler. There will be NO thermo transfer when air is blowing over it as the first item of a stack O’ radiators.
But, if that stack is soiled by dirty oily gum, then air is blocked from them ALL. The radiator will not get enough air as well as extra heat from a partially blocked aftercooler, so everything starts becoming a ‘‘thermal runaway’’ because heat cannot be dissipated properly.
RE: RV overheating
What Brett says is true: be CAREFUL when cleaning the radiator and aftercooler. The fins are all too easily bent over. A pressure washer will lay fins over like nobody's business. They can be straightened with a special tool, but it's a major PITA.
If this helps: Here's a picture of my ''kitty cat'' under the rear bed. (Please pardon the dirt) The Safari has a rear queen bed running lengthwise to the coach. It raises up from the foot of the bed. The cover is held down by rubber ''Jeep'' latches. There's four... two on the end, one on each side. Note: you should use broomsticks or the like to prop up the bed so it doesn't come down on you. Most are held up with lift cylinders, but they don't always work that great.
If your bed is on a slide room and sitting sideways, the engine is likely under a large hatch. Look for access there. A lot of those type rigs have a raised bed floor. That's the engine hood.
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1160325/DSCF3507_resize.JPG
RE: Radio
Take it from a radio tech:
AM = Amplitude Modulation
FM = Frequency Modulation
A bad or lacking antenna will cause an AM station to fade away in volume. The same problem will show up on an FM station as 'static' since the receiver has trouble remaining 'locked' on it. The antenna may be semi-bad, but there are enough FM stations close by to mask the problem.
Try holding onto the antenna and see if the volume increases. If no change, you’ll have to see what’s wrong. It may be unplugged, the coax is bad, etc. There should be SOME change when you ‘help’ the signal by adding to the antenna with your body.
Quite a few stereos have a 'null tuning' control on the back panel. It's to eliminate the whistling problem on AM stations. That may need reset. What robatthelake says may well be true too, as AM radio seem to be relegated to talk radio and sports stations anymore, and the AM band is slowly becoming obsolete.
RE: Searching for a stolen generator
Thieves can be pretty stupid at that.
My second favorite is an idiot who stole a Motorola Mocom 70 control head from a parked Benton County patrol car. This was about 20 years ago, back when radios were a ‘Samsonite suitcase’ in the trunk, and a ‘control head’ on the dashboard. The fool was too stupid to think that maybe the 35 ~ 40 wires in the cable he cut with a knife just MIGHT lead somewhere important. And, by the way, the cable can be easily UNPLUGGED from the control head.
Later, he pawns the control head, complete with the cut cable dangling from the back of it. (Telling the pawn broker it was a ‘’C. B. radio’’) The pawn broker’s IQ was a ‘tad higher’ and knew what he was looking at, so he hit his button under the counter while the guy tried pawning other items. When the cops searched his car, the trunk was full of stolen items… cameras, VCR’s, etc. etc. etc.
My favorite is the vandals/thieves that broke into a building on Inspiration Point. (A site that’s gated also) They managed to get into the very building that houses the repeater and remote base radios for the local police and sheriff’s depts. The building’s alarm system sends signals out right over the air to dispatch. (Nothing in the site indicates the alarm’s active) They didn’t even hear the plethora of cops drive up during their rummaging around inside the concrete block structure. Boy, were they SURPRISED when they walked outside!! :B A search of their house revealed a pile of stolen items from burglaries all over the area.
The stolen generator reminds me of the City of Kennewick. They were running a survey with a remote differential GPS transmitter unit set up at a water tower. Suddenly, the guys in the field couldn’t work anymore because the signal from the DGPS abruptly quit. Since we work on their systems, they called us to run out and check it. (They were miles away) We went up to the water tower and there was nothing there except footprints and dents in the ground where the tripod stood. As far as I know, the $10,000 unit was never recovered.
RE: Slow Learne, or poorly written manual
It depends on the programming. Mine is 0.5 MPH increments. It’s handy when pacing trucks to maintain the distance. (Except for cotton pickin’ cars that squeeze into the gap! :M)
About the only thing that’s always bugged me is that it seems backwards. Flipping the switch forward is DEcelerate, and backwards is ACCelerate. It seems to me that pushing it forward should go faster, backwards, slower. I guess that’s just me. :)
Speaking of documentation lack and other stupid things, I’ll never figure out why Allison had a ‘’Microsoft moment’’ and hacked out the monitor digit for a few years. Everyone must’ve complained, because the new ones are double digits again. (The shiftpad has both a Select and monitor digit)
RE: Allison Transmission
The ‘use the same gear as you used to climb the hill’ rule was because most (if not just about all) mountain pass roads are as steep and winding on the way down as they are up. If you climbed up in 3rd range with 30 MPH corners etc., then you’ll be going at about the same speed on the way down for the same reasons. (Barring having a really gutless engine on the up climb, that is. :B) You wouldn’t want to let it hit top gear, because when you couldn’t safely take the sharp corners on the way UP, you certainly don’t want more speed on the way DOWN.
That rule was started back in the days of double clutching big rig manual transmissions. If you missed a gear on a downshift, you might NEVER get it reengaged when the truck picks up speed, and engine braking then becomes a moot point.
A modern Allison automatic will downshift regardless, so there’s no missed gear problem. But, it will up-shift if the engine RPM exceeds safe limits. Starting out from the top in 3rd or 4th range will tend to keep it in that same range all the way down, and control your speed.
Also bear this in mind for climbing and downhill runs: the Allison transmissions are in overdrive for ranges 5th and 6th. 4th range is direct, so there’s no clutch packs, bands, planetary gears, or hydraulic slippage going on, so things will run cooler.
RE: What gassers support a motorcycle carrier
A problem of gassers isn’t just a lighter duty frame, it’s because of their long overhang. Notice the typical gas coach… the rear axle is at or slightly behind the CENTER of the coach body. You don’t want another 800 lbs. levering the back end down when there’s 20 feet of rear overhang.
RE: Street Legal Motorcycle to use with RV
I have a Honda Trail 90, they don't make them anymore but lots of them around in very good condition on Ebay etc. for between $1,000 - $2,000 depending on age, condition, mileage etc. They get 100mpg + and are street legal. Honda also made a Trail 110. Both will carry two folks. Great bikes.
Went back and read the posts. Those old trail 90's were great because they had a nifty little feature... a low/high range lever underneath the transmission. Top speed in low range is about 20 MPH, but it'll climb straight up. :B
And, yes, avoid the Chinese scooters. They also make the small 'road' bikes too. (Large outdoor chain stores carry them) Replacement parts will be a problem, and I've noticed that their speedometers are marked in red on anything past 40 MPH. That' a big clue as to how well it'll do in traffic. (not)
RE: Street Legal Motorcycle to use with RV
I didn't read all the posts, but I'm very happy with my Yamaha WR250 (Mine's a 2008 model, and I've had it since late July)
It's easy to ride, goes ANYWHERE offroad, rides nice with lots of suspension travel, and only weighs about 295 lbs. That's pretty light for most any hitch rack. I bought this one which is a lightweight aluminum rack.
I now have 1,200 miles on it, and average the high 60's to low 70's for fuel mileage. I ride it to work just about every day. The 250cc is anything but gutless too, and I weigh over 300 lbs. :B
On edit: I should mention the WR250 tops out at about 80 MPH. (Runs out of gears and/or RPM) Most scooters max at 40 to 60 MPH. That can get you in trouble on the highway because your top speed is JUST enough for traffic.
RE: Ladder Capacity
You could be like me... 6' 6'' and 320 lbs. If I even try to climb a light duty aluminum RV ladder, I don't even leave the ground... the ladder just pulls down to me! :B :B :B
I just pack a telescoping extension ladder. That works.
RE: Aquahot Reservoir
It does lose a little over time, but we're talking years.
I'd cycle it a few times while adding fluid and see if it was just low and needed to be replaced. (From lack of maintenance) It’s just like a car radiator – the pressure cap will pull in the antifreeze as the engine cools and creates a vacuum. Eventually, it reaches equilibrium and you’re good to go.
And, you can use the ‘global’ type antifreeze, which will mix with any type. It’s good to carry with you since you can use it in the generator also, which has the ‘green’ type instead of the ‘orange’ type fluid.
If the fluid is still disappearing after a couple of cycles, start looking for leaks. Pull the front cover and check the pump connections, check each heater core, check the engine’s supply lines.
RE: Brake caliper tempature monitor idea
Nice job on the monitor setup, Dale. Not that any money would be saved, but you could also get off the shelf hi-temp panel mount displays and T-couples from W.W. Grainger.
If you're handy with electronics, you could build a timer/cycler with a 555 timer chip. Also, use a 740 series comparator chip to just have a go no-go over temp alarm, although actually seeing the temps would be the best.
If you can find cheap meat thermometers with an alarm, you could build a power adaptor for each one (to avoid constant button battery swap-outs) and feed each alarm output out and up to the dashboard. You’ll have the biggest problem weather sealing the things since they’ll be mounted underneath. That idea could have a panel made with a graphic of the coach, and LED’s on each alarm output so you can see which wheel position is frying.
One thing about Dale’s setup, you can’t easily kill a thermocouple unless it seriously overheats. Not an issue since you’ll be running for your life from a burning RV by then anyway. :B
RE: You'll never guess what I saw !!
We were waiting to dump at Jasper NP in Canada behind a rental class C. The guy finished dumping, took the hose off, then came out with the white potable water hose and shoved it up in the sewer tank drain to wash it out, I guess. THEN--- he pulled forward and used the same hose to fill the water tank! If I had ever been inclined toward renting an RV, that would certainly stop me forever.
GAAAAKK!!! :E :S Now, THAT is DISGUSTING!! One thing's for sure, if they offer you a glass of water... REFUSE IT!! :B
I know they were not from California because 1) they were not carrying surf boards; 2) although they were not wearing gloves, they were wearing baseball type caps and the bills were pointed forward; and 3) they did not use the words "Dude" or "For-Sure" at all !
And that's FUNNY. :B :B :B
One does see all kinds at dump stations. I once sat for 20 minutes behind a guy with a bass boat. No RV, just a boat. He was washing fish guts out with the hose. The dirty, oily water was running out the bilge plug port onto the tarmac. I gave him 2.6 Brownie points for at least washing the mess down into the drain hole. :B
RE: A lifespan of 40,000 miles for Bilsteins?
I went to their website and saw the lifetime warranty mentioned everywhere. I called the Bilstein warranty line a few minutes ago. He said to send in the shocks, and they’ll put them on a machine to test their parameters, then they'll rebuild or replace them as needed. It’s as simple as that. I guess I’ll be unbolting them tonight, and stuffing a box for tomorrow’s UPS.
I also talked to a couple of truck shops and a heavy parts supply. It’s very possible the shocks are shot. A heavy truck has STIFF suspension, hence the driver’s air seat to keep the trucker from getting beat to death. A motorcoach is built to provide a cushy ride, so the suspension is working MUCH MORE than a truck, so the shocks get double or triple duty. So, it’s possible for a Kenworth to go 200,000 miles between shocks, but a bus or coach will be a fraction of that. Makes sense to me.
RE: Pacbrake PRXB upgrade. (Here goes!!)
Sounds like the ticket to me. Now, it heads for 2nd. 4th would be more like it, and 4th is direct too. (5th and 6th are overdrives)
A manual downshift from there would be fine, and it's real easy to do. As it is now, if I don't turn of the EB, it'll 'slam down' into 3rd and lose even more speed.
Besides, I wasn't all that excited about running wires from the back end for a hack of a manual override button. :)
