| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Ford transmissions
First day out today. Drove about 400 miles. The RPM sets at about 2250 at 60 MPH. On most hills, even small ones, it will shift down one gear and hold 60 MPH at about 3200 RPM. On one particularly steep hill I had to shift down one more gear. The Workhorse W22 with the five speed Allison seemed to pull a lot of the hills in highest gear but the Ford will downshift much earlier on most hills. My overall impression is the Ford V10 doesn't have quite as much power as the 8.1 L GM engine in the Workhorse. However, I am not used to this engine yet and it does get me to the top of the hills. Another neat feature I noticed is when you have the cruise control on and start down a hill, as the speed increases the transmission will usually shift down a gear on its own to help hold the speed down as you coast down the hill. At the bottom of the hill the transmission will shift up one gear and continue on down the road. Tomorrow I will play with the tow/haul button to see what effect that has on towing the Saturn VUE. Seems like we spent most of the day pulling hills and the MPG is about 7 to 7.2. On flat ground I would think it would get into the 8 plus area.
|
ghamblen
|
09/21/08 06:20pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Ford transmissions
We are hitting the road for an extended trip to Yuma, AZ and then on to Illinois to help with the fall farm harvest. When did Ford come out with the five speed? Our motorhome is a 2006 but I don't know if the chassis is 2006 or 2005. What are the approximate shift points with the five speed? This is my first experience with the Ford V10 and the five speed on a extended trip. Driving around on flat terrain for a short test drive doesn't give you much of a feel for the overall driving experience with the motorhome. Our previous motorhome was on a Workhorse W22 with the 8.1 liter GM engine and the Allison five speed.
|
ghamblen
|
09/20/08 07:54pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Long Dually Valves not just extentions!
I put the Borg tire stems on our motorhome and could not get the wheel liners back on because the valve stems on the outer duals were not bent sharp enough to avoid hitting the holes in the wheel liners. Borg sent me another set of outer dual stems with a sharper bend in them and they worked just fine with the wheel liners. I had metal valve stems installed in the front rims and they were too short to allow the PressurePro sensors to be installed. I used inch and a quarter extenders with the sensors and that worked. However the wheel liners were pushing on the sensors when I installed them. I had to make the valve stem slot in the wheel liners about one quarter inch longer to allow the sensors enough room.
|
ghamblen
|
09/20/08 07:43pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Installing a permanent surge guard
I would suggest installing the surge guard between the output of the automatic transfer switch and the motorhome power distribution panel. This provides surge protection from the generator or the shore power.
|
ghamblen
|
09/17/08 12:02pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: bouncy refrigerator
The refers I have dealt with are mounted from the front into a hole sized for the refer. In one motorhome we had to remove the windshield to remove the old refer and bring the new one in. The weight of the refer is supported by the bottom shelf of the hole that is sized for the refer. It sounds like the support structure for the bottom shelf that your refer rests on is either weak or broken. If you have access to the area below the refer check the support structure below the refer. Also make sure the refer is physically attached to the bottom shelf with screws that are usually installed in the refer rails at the back of the refer. If the support structure is OK then you may have to remove the refer and check the structure above the refer to make sure it is not collapsing on to the top of the refer.
|
ghamblen
|
09/17/08 08:06am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: New batteries (Ooooppss)
Most motorhomes with a generator also have a ATS (automatic transfer switch). The ATS has two inputs, one from the generator and one from the shore power. For most units the generator has priority, if the generator is running the ATS automatically switches to the generator input. The output of the ATS feeds your motorhome power distribution panel. The converter/battery charger receives its power from the power panel. If your batteries are charging when the generator is running then the circuit from the generator through the ATS to the power panel is working. If the batteries are not charging when connected to shore power then there is a break somewhere between the shore power and the power panel. What I am about to tell you can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. In fact it can kill you. If you are unsure about troubleshooting electicity then have a qualified service tech do it for you. I would first test the voltage at the shore power input to the ATS. This will require removing the ATS cover to get access to the terminals. If you have voltage at the shore power input to the ATS then the cable between shore power and the ATS input is working. Next check the voltage at the ATS output. If there is no voltage, the ATS is not recognizing the shore power or the ATS contacts are burned open or not making contact. Since the generator input to the ATS is working, the ATS output to the power panel is OK. When you are plugged into shore power your 120V appliances should work. Try the microwave when plugged into shore power. If it doesn't work, I would say the problem is somewhere between the shore power connection and the ATS output. If the microwaves does work the problem gets a little messy. You would have to determine where the converter/battery charging is getting its 120 V power. If the power is not supplied by the power panel then you would have to trace the input(s) to determine where they are coming from and troubleshoot for a open circuit. Again, if you are unsure about troubleshooting electricity get qualified help.
|
ghamblen
|
09/16/08 11:07am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: New batteries (Ooooppss)
First of all, how do you know the batteries are not charging when plugged into the house power versus the generator? When you are plugged into house power do all the 120V appliances like the microwave work? If not, you may have fried a wire somewhere between the house plug in and the MH power panel.
|
ghamblen
|
09/15/08 02:19pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Ipod interface
I tried removing the radio using the special DIN removal tools from Walmart but the radio would not come completely out of the dash. Taking the suggestion by Scrib I removed the engine cover and was able to get the adapter cable connected to the back of the radio. The Ipod shuffle works like a champ. Thanks to all for the quick replies and suggestions. Our trip to Illinois in about a week will be much more enjoyable now with music that we are used to playing through the radio. Thanks again.
|
ghamblen
|
09/15/08 09:48am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Ipod interface
Thanks alpenliter. I forgot about Ebay. Those pictures were exactly what I was looking for. Now all I have to do is chase down a RCA jacks to Ipod adapter and we are in business. By the way, we used to have a fifth wheel trailer exactly like yours, same year, model, etc. We traveled all over the USA, Canada and Alaska with that trailer. We pulled it around until 2004 when we traded for a class A motorhome. We just recently downsized to a class C motorhome. With any luck at all I will continue to enjoy the itchy feet routine until I drop dead.
|
ghamblen
|
09/14/08 08:49am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
Ipod interface
We recently downsized to a 2006 Gulfstream Ultra class C on a Ford E450 chassis. The radio in the dash is a Voyager VR180. The radio manual says there is a AUX input and I am able to select it. However, I don't know where the AUX input is located on the radio. It's not on the front panel and we would like to hook up an Ipod to listen to some music while cruising this great country of ours.
|
ghamblen
|
09/13/08 10:16pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: jayco Greyhawk 31ss
I mounted a 19 inch LCD TV to a shelf in the bedroom. Similar to yus140, I drilled two holes in the base and the shelf and used bolts to hold it tight on the shelf. The framing in the walls of most RVs is only 1x2s and I don't think I would trust mounting a expensive LCD TV on the wall with only 1x2s to hold it. On rough roads it will probably bounce around and tear out of the wall with results that can't be good.
|
ghamblen
|
09/09/08 07:15pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
Downsizing
Just down sized to a 2006 Gulfstream Ultra LE 6316 class C from a 37 foot class A. Spent the last 5 days adding amenities that we are used to having on board. I was quite surprised that almost everything we had in the class A has found a new home in the class C. Should get new tires on Saturday. Hope to leave for Illinois for the fall harvest season somewhere around Sept. 15. Anxious to get going to see what kind of gas mileage we get. We down sized so we can visit more state and federal parks where the parking sites are usually space limited. We are still in the game and pushing on.
|
ghamblen
|
09/04/08 09:19pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
Ford transmissions
We are downsizing to a 2006 Gulfstream Ultra 6316 on the Ford E450 chassis. Which Ford transmission would be used in this chassis, the 4-speed or 5-speed automatic? Thanks in advance for your responses.
|
ghamblen
|
08/28/08 02:26pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Scissors Jacks
Thanks to all for your suggestions. I was leaning toward carrying a bottle jack and you have made up my mind. It seemed to me that there would be a lot of stress on those two small tabs that are used to bolt the scissors jacks to the frame.
|
ghamblen
|
08/26/08 05:50pm |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
Scissors Jacks
We are in the process of downsizing to a class C from a class A. I plan on installing scissors jacks on the class C. They are rated at 7500 lbs. per jack. If I install them right behind the rear wheels (Ford E450) can they safely be used to jack up the motorhome to change a rear tire?
|
ghamblen
|
08/26/08 07:54am |
Class C Motorhomes
|
|
RE: 2005 forest river georgetown 375xl windshields cracking
We have a Windsong made by Forest River. The windshield is very large and therefore each windshield piece is very heavy. We had the problem of the glass pieces trying to pop out at the bottom outside corners. I found a glass company in Yuma, AZ that had encountered this problem many times in the past. They removed each piece one at a time for the fix. They scraped all the old adhesive off the glass and the window opening in the fiberglass front cap. Then they applied a primer on those surfaces and each channel in the rubber seal. Then they applied new adhesive on all surfaces and reinstalled the piece of glass. I let the motorhome parked for 24 hours before moving it. This procedure was done two and a half years ago and the problem has not reappeared. They now stay in place with no hint of the pieces of glass trying to pop out of the rubber seal. The cost was $300 per piece. After watching three guys perform the procedure, they earned their money.
|
ghamblen
|
08/22/08 11:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Fan Relay Switch or thermo Chevy Workhorse
Check the viscous fan clutch. Sounds like it isn't working. Mine comes on intermittently when the outside temp is 95 degrees or above. It's on for a minute or two and then goes off. It sometimes comes on when we slow down or get into city traffic. You know when it comes on because you can hear a change in the noise level from the engine compartment.
|
ghamblen
|
07/14/08 06:17pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Gravel Guard ?????
We have a rear full width mud flap type gravel guard. It is pretty much worthless. Then we purchased the Protect-A-Tow gravel guard that attaches to the rear of the motorhome and the front of the toad under the tow bar. I think Blue OX has a version called the UnderSkirt. We have had zero damage since we switched to the Protect-A-Tow. I highly recommend it.
|
ghamblen
|
06/18/08 01:15pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: is anyone slingboxing?
I have the Slingbox and just love it. If I'm in a campground with no cable and can't get satellite but they have Wi-Fi I just turn on the laptop and connect using the slingbox. To be honest I don't worry about taking bandwidth from someone else, not when I'm paying big bucks for using the Wi-Fi. If the Wi-Fi is free than that's a different story, I just won't use it. I also have it on my cell phone and use that a lot also. I also have a friend that lives in Montana and only has three channels on her TV, I have sent her the software to install on her laptop computer so she can watch TV. The only problem is if I'm watching TV she has to watch what I am watching.
It doesn't matter if you are paying for the Wi-Fi or not, you are using a lot of the available campground bandwidth for the slingbox. That means all the other campers in the campground must share what is left if any. Seems you could just do a little email, etc. without streaming video for a night or two so others can do email, etc. to stay in touch with their friends also.
|
ghamblen
|
06/16/08 03:43pm |
Technology Corner
|
|
RE: Total electrical failure in DutchStar
Exact same thing happened to us but our coach is a Workhorse W22 gas. Turned out to be loose connection where the fusible link from the battery is attached to the fuse block. Tightened the connection and put a second nut on it. No problem since.
|
ghamblen
|
06/11/08 05:17pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
