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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Camping World for paint & body work?
I usually try to find the OEM paint code on the coach. If you cannot find it call the manufacturer with the VIN number and get the paint code and brand of paint information. Take that information to a paint supply store and have a pint mixed. Worse case scenario on a coach a few years ago is there were no codes and manufacturer didn't have records going back that far due to a bankruptcy/buyout (Beaver) I had my local paint supply store run a profile on the paint with a digital scanner that scans the paint in a 360 degree range and spits out the formula. It was a pretty close match and I think most paint stores have this capability nowdays. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/18/08 06:38am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Booth Dinette vs Table & Chairs??
We have had both and we prefer the table/chairs. In our first motorhome with the booth we didn't use it much because we were not in the motorhome a lot. With our current rig we cook a lot meals in the coach and dine in quite a bit. It must be a matter of having the room and galley to do so with this one. I have only had a chair fall over once on an emergency stop but I don't secure them while traveling. The only time it may be different is when the in-laws stop by and play cards it can sometimes be a little tight but that is not that big of an issue. It would probably be the same with the booth. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/14/08 07:04am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Motorhome mufflers
Brian, I had a 1984 30' Travelcraft on a P-30 chassis several years ago and put Doug Thorley tri-y headers on it along with Gear Vendors and many other performance items over the years. Unfortunately the 454 Chev engine is very difficult to design headers and exhaust for due to the harmonics and frequency of the cylinder scavenging. I ran 2 1/2" from the collectors to a Allied muffler with twin 2 1/2" inlets and a 3" outlet and turned it out in front of the left rear drive tires. From the collectors it ran straigth back parallet with the frame rails far enough to give me access to the trans. and Gear Vendors unit then the right side turned to the left and into the muffler then down and out a small mandrel bent piece to a chrome 3" tip. It was not annoying at all and had a nice deep throaty sound at idle. Running down the road it was barely audible. I was very pleased with the results. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/12/08 01:27pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Grand Canyon in mid-May . . . . . bad idea???
May could go either way as far as weather. We were there two years ago last week of April and it was beautiful with temps in the mid-60's during the day (South Rim) and upper 30's-low 40's at night. The week after we were there they had snow. The north rim doesn't open until first to middle of May. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/12/08 07:18am |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: effects of the economy
Couple of weeks ago in Ceder City, Utah there were a lot more people than last year same time and last weekend in Moab, UT we didn't make any reservations becasue I didn't think it would be that busy. The campground was more full than I though it would be and many more than last year same weekend. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/12/08 07:14am |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: Cold Weather Boondocking
When we boondocked while snowmobiling in our 30' Travelcraft (two battery setup) we would run the generator until just ready to turn in and have the temp set up around 68 degrees. When we would turn in for the night we would set the temp around 58-60 degrees and would be fine until morning. In the morning we would start the generator and charge everything up while having coffee/breakfast and getting ready and turn the hear back up where comfortable. One thing I might mention is that I had our motorhome set up with a small battery charger and plugged into an outlet so it would charge the batteries at a higher amperage (usually around 25-40 amps) whereas the converter will not actually charge the batteries because you will be using power while lights, furnace, etc. are on. If you are lucky enough to have a multi-stage charger on your outfit you would not need to worry about this, however, on your rig I don't think you do. Other than that you should be fine unless the outside temps get much below freezing. Good luck and enjoy the trip, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/12/08 06:59am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Class A "Information"
It depends on the size and model of what you are looking for whether it would have the engine compression (Jake) brake or an exhaust brake. I think you can get them on the Camelot but they are standard on the Dynasty and the Contessa I believe has the engine compression brake. I like the engine compression brake compared to the exhaust brake but the exhaust brakes work well also. As far as air vs. hydraulic I prefer the air on pretty much any coach over about 26K pounds. There are a few times when hyd. also would be nice just for the little extra stability on hard ground. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/12/08 06:39am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Has anyone regretted going bigger?
Wow, so many great posts today! (I keep checking in while working, but didn't have time to post!).
We are looking for more stability when traveling. I am a poor passenger (even in a car) and hate the swaying that is inevitable with a big box traveling down the highway. I usually lie in the bed in the back, which is the reason that we are considering the tag axle. I was thinking of posting another thread to find out if a tag axle coach is actually more stable than a single rear axle?
As to purchasing out of state, Calif. has changed the law that requires that the rv be out of state from 90 days to one year (effective on purchases after Sept. 30, 2008). We have not ruled that option out, but if we finance, we've been told that we need driver's licenses in the state we claim residency. I have not verified that yet. I have tried searching for out state purchasing threads, but many of them say that it's been discussed many times...
We tried to purchase our final coach the first time.....We started looking at $80K entry level gassers and thought this entry level dp would be just great, which it has been. Being first time rv owners, we thought the shorter length would be good and we did feel it rode better than the gassers we tested. Actually, we were not even sure we'd like it being rv owners, which was another reason we didn't want to purchase a more expensive coach.
However, now after 3 years of ownership, we are thinking of upgrading to get a better ride, opposing love seat for guests and that rear bathroom.
The questions are, if we go to 42', should we just as well go 45'. I am afraid if we go 38' or 40', we will want to upgrade again in a few years.
Is the tag axle going to give us a better ride?
We do like to purchase new, all our cars, horse trailer, rv, truck, etc. have been new when we got them. I realize that buying used sometimes makes more $$ sense, but we do prefer new.
I am going to reread all the responses and thank everyone that has contributed their experiences and thoughts.
Joyce
To answer your first question, no, we don't regret going bigger. We went from a 30' gasser to a 38' DP now to a 40' DP and have enjoyed each one we had. We had the first two for approx. 6 years and 7 years respectively.
To answer your other questions, if looking at a 42' you wouldn't be that much different in ride and/or handling and turning radious to go to a 45'. That is more of a floor plan and length of camping spot options question.
The tag axle may give you a better ride depending on the chassis you go with and what your idea of a better ride is. We noticed a little firmer ride going from the Gillig chassis to the Roadmaster. It did take most of the porpoising out of the ride going to the tag, especially when towing the trailer and the CCC it provides is well worth it.
I would like to add one thing that you didn't ask but may be a concern is storage room. When we went from a 38' DP to our 40' DP w/tag we lost outside storage. We new that going into it but just be prepared the tag axle does take up room that could otherwise be usefull. But there again with a limited amount of CCC without a tag it is a trade-off. We wanted to stay with a 40' because the length of trailer we tow we barely fit in a couple of campgrounds that we like to go to and didn't want to give them up. We have had to give up a few going from the 30' then to the 38' but didn't want to give up any more. Good luck with the decision, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/12/08 05:52am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: RV or Not RV - That is the question
I tell people that I like the Journey as much as the Destination. If they ask more than that they wouldn't understand. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/11/08 06:15am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Anyone feel guilty?
I have thought about that as I drive our MH down the road. There has always been a divide between the "haves" and "have nots." The key is not to flaunt what you have or envy others. No matter where you are on the economic scale there are always those below you and above you. Also, if you are on this forum I suspect that you have "sacrifaced" something else to consider a MH. My personal cars are a 1991 and a 2003. I live in a house we built in 1989. DO NOT FEEL GUILTY. ENJOY YOUR MH AND CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS COMMUNITY!
I agree one should not flaunt about what they have and should be humble about their good fortune. I think people should feel guilty about flaunting to those who don't have big toys. I always feel I am fortunate to have what I have. I have an 8 year old rig that I try to keep clean and in good repair. I bought it used. Some people can only afford tents. Some people have ugly looking rv's that they are happy with. Some people on here have much nicer, much newer and much more expensive rigs than I. I feel envious but at the same time I know that most of them worked hard for that big rig; no reason to feel guilty about working hard
I like both these. I agree we shouldn't shove what we have down others throats, however, I am very proud of what we have and what we have been able to accomplish at such a young age. My neighbors have no idea how hard my wife and I work or what we have been through with medical bills for my wife and our son. Most have moved into the neighborhood within the last 5-8 years and built a new home (which they have stepped up from their previous) and have a new car and truck in the driveway plus a boat and/or trailer. They don't know that my wife and I both work full-time plus run our small shop to provide a certain lifestyle. They don't know that we have lived in the same house that we bought after getting married and have worked our tail ends off to pay it off early and live within our means. More importantly people really don't care, they are so caught up in their own lives they really don't care about their neighbor's lives other than what they see when they drive by. I don't hate those with money because I look at it that they were willing to take chances that I wouldn't and I don't feel sorry for those who sit around and say 'look at what they have'. Sorry for my ramble but this is a sore issue because some comments made to my wife by neighbors who have no idea who we are or how hard we work. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/11/08 06:06am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Coach Weight Distribution
Don, I would recommend taking it for a test drive to a scale and get a printout of the weight to be certain. Look at the CCC and make sure it is going to have enough for your type of cargo. As far as the refrigerator/galley being together many times these items are offset by water heater, furnace, freshwater, hydraulic pumps, etc. I would weigh it and make sure. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/11/08 05:45am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Mt. Rushmore
We have stayed at the Hill City KOA several times and really like it. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/10/08 09:04am |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: Are there any DP made that don't have air brakes since 2000
Beaver Patriot on down had air/hydrualic until about 03 or 04 then they went to air. The Marquis had air throughout the years. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/10/08 08:18am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Winnebago Journey 32T
Some good friends of ours bought a new 2003 34' Journey in 2004 and love it. They looked at both the 32' and the 34' but liked the ride a little better on the 34'. He said the the 32 seemed to porpoise a bit more than the 34'. They have had very few problems with it and overall I think they have been very happy with it. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/10/08 06:50am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Repainting a exterior of calss A
I have re-painted sections on both our last coaches. 30' Travelcraft both end caps to match sides and changed color on bottom section. 1991 38 1/2' Beaver Contessa front end cap due to rock chips and bottom section to repair some damage from previous owner and top caps to replace clearcoat peeling (common on older Beavers). It is not a job for the weak hearted. By the time the body work is done, primered and blocked a couple of times and then wet sanded then masked your ready to be done and the color hasn't even been layed down yet. After the color and clear then comes the fun part of color-sanding and buffing. It is definately time consuming to say the least. It is very well worth the time when the end result is what you have pictured in your head but it is an extreme amount of work. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/10/08 06:39am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: air bags on roadmaster chassis
No problems here with air bags/placement. The wife and I stopped a couple of months ago on a sand dune trip to help a family that had a blowout on their Diplomat and I was pleased to see that with all the debris and shredded tire that the air bags weren't damaged. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/07/08 05:45am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Sum up your Season
Johny, sounds like you were all over the country. We had a great season but seeing as how my wife and I still work full-time we don't get the extended trips too frequently. We were able to hit a lot of place in Utah and Idaho and made our first trip to Cortez and Durango, Colorado. Even though we had a couple of added expenses with the coach this year from repairs and the price of fuel we still had a great season and wouldn't have changed it. We are looking forward to next season. Ours usually starts around late January when we get the coach out to start using it for weekend snowmobiling trips and runs through Thanksgiving. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/07/08 05:42am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Aqua-Hot Maintenance
I recommend reading through the service manual and make sure to have the parts on hand. The job only takes about 1-2 hours depending on you mechanical aptitude. A couple of things I would like to stress are make sure when loosening the eyebolts make sure to back them off enough to give yourself enough 'wiggle room' when it comes time to reassemble. When replacing the fuel nozzle tighten with two wrenches against each other and do not use only a 9/16" and tighten against the casting. Once tightened back off about 1/4 turn and retighten fuel nozzle. This ensures a proper seal on the fuel nozzles taper. When reassembling the blower casting ensure it is 'fully' engaged into the alignment notches and DO NOT over-torque the eyebolts(I am not looking at a service manual at the moment to tell you the torque but it is not very much) as damage to the blower casting could result. Good luck, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/05/08 06:36am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Opinions on Elite Motorhomes
I had a Gillig chassis under our 1991 Beaver Contessa and loved it. When we bought it we actually looked at a 1988 36' Elite and the 1991 38 1/2' Beaver Contessa and decided on the Beaver mainly because of floorplan. The Elite was very good quality and the two had identical chassis both with the CAT 3208 engine. I had the coach for 7 years and put about 45K miles on it without any problems. I was religious about the maintenance and upkeep and the only drawback was it only had a 4-speed Allison tranmission. This chassis/coach combination should still have many more years and miles left in it. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/03/08 10:52am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: welding on RV
Charlie, I just finished a major job on our coach and just disconnected the batteries (both house and chassis) and unplug the Allison transmission control module as per Allison's recommendations as well as Monaco's and make sure you have a good ground connection and place the ground as close to the point you are welding as possible. Make sure you are not going through any axles, bearings, bushings or any other pivot point or arcing will damage those components. Don't be nervous coaches are welded on every day in this manner, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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11/03/08 05:39am |
Class A Motorhomes
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