Took the marine duty to Pep Boys today, they load tested it and it was dead. I drove 50 miles to the dealer, he knew I was coming. He had said that he'd have to load test it and then send a request to Coachmen, which means I'd have to drive down again in a few days. (Gas/mileage/time; almost worth it to just buy a new one locally). Anyway, they called Coachmen and they agreed to give me a new Interstate Marine Duty on the spot, after looking at the Pep Boys load test failure printout. Which is great, because if I decide I want a 2nd battery I can get a matching one with the same cold cranking amps. The first one was some generic only sold in the mid-west.

I will have to look up the new Interstate's I got midway through last year. My travel trailer uses two of them, and they have great warranties. They were some new Marine/RV battery they had just started selling.

I haven't ever tried one of those things, but I do know my GFCI's work in my trailer. Could it be wired differntly due to the generator?

Bill

My RV has 3 batteries (granted its a tad older than yours). One for starting and two to supply the 12v system. They have a isolator between them so the starting battery is never drained from the two supplying the 12v. There is also a button to dump power from the 12v supply batteries into the starting system if needed. If I want 110v I have to fire up the generator.

You should look into putting a isolator between the batteries so your never left dead on the road.

Deleted, the mis wiring is in my house, not the unit. So nevermind.

FYI I got service in the middle of nowhere at 11PM calling the 800 number on the Ford Chassis book that came with mine.. Had a new tire mounted and on my way for a mere $700 and 4 hours wait time... Captive Audience what what?

I "think" my unit has that. It has a battery boost button on the dash to fire up the engine with the Marine Duty Battery as an override.

It doesn't quite fit
 

Backed it in over the weekend, it doesn't quite fit. I'm going to have a neighbor with a backhoe excavate out the area to the left rear of the unit, so I can get it further in. I'm also going to take the right side gate and move it about 2 feet uphill to maximize my use of the paved area. I rotated the basketball net 90 degrees to make sure we don't hit it. I don't shoot hoops anyway. It was there when I bought the house.

I figure a couple of yards of dirt. I called Waste Management and they want $700 for a 20 yard dumpster for dirt. So we'll dump it in the bed of my son's Tacoma and haul it out to the back 18 acres and dump it. In a moment of lucidness, I called DigAlert to cover my ass.

I think I'll offer my neighbor a C-note for his troubles, even though I'm sure he'd do it for free. Next step after that is to look into a stand alone awning type of thing to put over it. Six to eight posts in concrete with a canvas top and a front and rear camo curtain for sun protection and to make it less visible. I already shut off the lawn sprinklers where its going to sit its ass end.

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Wow! Thread the needle! (And do you have to mow that 45 degree grade?!)

Yeah tight. I have the hired help weed wack it in May. I have about 200' deep of that wild grass that gets wacked to a nub for about 1,000 feet of circumference around the developed part of the yard, the rest of the 18 acres I let grow wild. . I used to do it myself, now I pay someone a few hundred $ to do it. My property is canyons and hills with a few hundred Oak trees and Southern California brush. I insure the house for about $300/sq. ft. I am stupid for living where I live, but I love it. I get a brush fire that seriously threatens my house about once every five years.

They weed wack this stuff every May.

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Hope you compact that soil and spread some chipped stone. Better yet would be to buy some scrap steel plates for under your jacks.

The tires and jacks will be on the pavement. Eight feet of RV hangs over the back end into the grassy area. I want to keep the self leveling jacks "shiny" we it'll rest on the tires for now, with a monthly movement of a foot or so to keep the tires round. My old trailer I would jack up to keep the weight off of the tires with the scissors jacks.

A little backhoe work from a neighbor and it fits right in.

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Going to look into some free standing awning, with posts cemented into the ground next. Perhaps a camo front and rear curtain for privacy and to minimize sun damage.

Nice home for your UNIT there Hugh, well really a very nice home place for you too!
Love the back yard deck and pool area. Looks like a stream bed just behind those, does it flow in big rains? Really green for SoCal.

I'm wondering if you should check into metal skinned RV port. Would really stand up to the sun and protect the unit much better. Once you are up there replacing the canvas top you for the first and second time you will be wondering if you should have looked at a more lasting material. Don't ask me how I know.

Cheers Richard

Looks like you have a doghouse now, for when Mrs. Hugh has had just about enough of your shenanigans.

Thanks, yes Richard, its actually an engineered stream to control rain from the canyons behind me. It flows to a flood control basin near my house. I will look into a metal awning. That is a good idea.

Zeke, yes I will look into compacting and some chipped stone. I just wanted to see if it would fit after taking 2-3 cubic yards of dirt out.

So over the weekend I got inner and outer tire valve extenders for the rears so I could check the TP. I couldn't hardly get to the rear inner tire valves. I'm glad I did. I checked the TP of all six tires today and they were set at 100 PSI. The book says to weight the front and rear at a truck scale and adjust according to Goodyear's website spec. I haven't weighted it yet, but 82 PSI is the Mfgr's nominal PSI. So I adjusted all 6 to about 85 PSI (as a start, I can easily let more air out). And I drove it a few miles. What a difference in hardness of the ride. It now drives closer to a car.

Update:

Bought a Hi-Def wireless transmitter/receiver for the two TVs so I can watch my DISH TV on both TVs without running additional wiring.

Installed a Wi-Fi transmitter/receiver gizmo so it transmits TV sound to the House stereo system and house speakers without running additional wiring.

Bought a 30' 50 Amp extension cord and had a 50 Amp breaker installed at the panel so I can power the Beast from the driveway, not just from where I park it.

Figured out I had a sewer cleanout adjacent to the front garden hose which I can easily reach with the gray/black water dump tank hose, so no more trips on the way home to Camping World and sitting in line to use their dump station.

Been to Paso Robles, Half Moon Bay, Solvang, Carpenteria State Beach and this weekend going to Jalama Beach State Park.

Took it to a truck scales and weighted the front half, the whole thing and then the back half. Rearranged junk to try and get within a few hundred pounds on the front and rear axles. Adjusted the tire pressure to what Goodyear recommends for the tires; its starting to drive more like a van than a truck.

Haven't bought the tire pressure monitoring system, but I've taken my IR laser thermometer with me and aimed it at the tires when I stop to check for excess heat. Seems to work well.

I've had the wifey walk around and see what was rattling in the cupboards while I was driving and quiet them down with dish towels, etc.

Haven't stuffed it or scratched it YET. I think I get about 12 MPG, but haven't filled the 80 gallon gas tank yet.

Dammit Hugh.... you are making me want one more and more with every post!

Am seriously thinking of selling the house in a few years, buying what you have and traveling for a while.

Can you take that thing to DL Bliss State Park? It is very pretty there.

I'll have to look up that park. If RVs are allowed it should be compliant. We bought the RV so that it would fit in CA state parks (29 feet), I think the limit is 30.

What is the fuel mileage on that thing?

Can I borrow it?

I mean, when can I borrow it?

(a little negotiation lingo there)

Nice rig Hugh. I am a pretty big fan of 24-29 footers for extended traveling. We sold our last one 6 years ago as we weren't using it much but may get back in the saddle when work frees up a bit. Enjoy!

Thanks, older thread, but it is great, went to Carpenteria State Beach two weekends ago and going again this weekend. In a few weeks we're going to Refugio State Beach. In the last year, I figure I'm getting about 12 MPG based on about 3,000 miles of driving.

I silicone dry-lubed all the hinges and locks and I highly recommend that to anyone buying one (not WD-40). I also keep a small Phillips screwdriver handy as the occasional hinge, cabinet stop needs tightening.

I find a certain routine helps. Level the unit (auto leveling) , hook up utilities, then open up the sliders so you aren't bumping your head working on the hookups under the slide outs. I can set it up completely in about six minutes.

The biggest pain is not washing it, but drying/wiping it so I don't have water spots. I have a water softener and it still leaves lots of water spots.

Check the tire pressure every single time you take it out.

Had an interesting thing happen while sanitizing my water tank. I'm going to Rufugio State Beach for the weekend and they have "dry" camping, meaning no hookups, you bring your own power and water. I'm kind of new to the RV thing. I was filling my water tank and watching the water level indicator, I heard water running on the driveway and it was the overfill drain. It proceeded to siphon out my water tank! After about 30 gallons, and pondering this, I opened a faucet and broke the siphon and it stopped, and I then refilled the water tank. Weird...

The overfill should be a hose at the top of the tank. Mine seems to go deeper into the tank and caused the siphon. The owner's manual says there is no drain on the tank per se but to run the sinks/toilet until it empties using the water pump. I think I found a better way to drain the tank. Although at this point, I don't know for sure that it will drain the entire water tank.

Checking into emergency fuses/relays for the truck and the box, I find that it has a combined total of like 80 fuses and relays! Wow!

Hugh,

One RV trick I have learned through the years is instead of using the chemicals for the black water tank use TANG. Two tablespoons in the tank and no smell.

Dave

TANG? Now that is a great idea. didn't even know thay still made that stuff.

Yeah, it is still around. It works too.

Dave

I'll try that, the blue powdered chemical stuff is funky.

Effed up the RV last week
 

Up at Shaver Lake, CA for the week. Very early (dark) on Saturday we packed up to leave. Well from the pic can you guess what happened. There is a reason you can't lock open lower cabinets under sliders so the genius that I am, I made a prop to hold it open and didn't think to remove it before I closed the slider. The pic is a re-enactment of the accident scene. Fortunately, it only bent the aluminum door and surround, not the body in anyway. 10 screws and $150 and I get a new door from Coachmen in a few weeks, but it comes white, so I'll have to have it painted. Fortunately I got the paint codes for the Rig, and its been covered since I bought it new 18 months ago, so no expected blending of paint issues. Since I now have the four paint codes, I'll get some touch up paint for the odd bug/stone chip. "Stupid is, as stupid does."

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Ouch! A relatively inexpensive lesson though. Stuff happens and then we learn for next time.

In aviation, every pilot learns to perform a pre-flight check of their aircraft to make sure everything works and there are no chocks, blocks, or intake covers still in place to create nasty surprises in the air. Over many years of hauling boat trailers, I developed the "walkaround". Before we roll out and anytime we stop for gas or open a door or hatch I would do a visual inspection to make sure everything was tied down, hatches battened, and the wheels, bearings, and tires looked serviceable.

Sometimes my wife would get impatient and want to just go... in a minute sweetie. I discovered many potential oops that would have ended badly on the side of the road without these habitual walkarounds.

Agreed, and I deviated from my routine. No excuse that it was 5AM. My eff-up and mine alone.

I thought about it and did make an operational decision. In the first photo you see a two part prop that raises the door into the slider area. I threw away the short extension and now it can't physically impact the door. Sure I have to crouch a little lower. But what I normally do is make the water connections before opening the slider and then break them after pulling in the slider. The rub comes when I have to drain the grey and black water while RVing. I need to hold the access door open.

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looks like a lot of fun hugh. I hope you and your wife are able to make many great trips and memories!

pcb

A friend of mine recommended a 5 PSI gas strut that can be installed that won't open the panel enough to be in the way of the slider. $20. I think I'll look into it.

Hugh

Do you trailer a 911 behind it for driving around?

Did you ever do solar panels for your dry camping!

Used a friend's RV which is based on a Ford V-10 (F-550?) chassis. It was not fun to drive...as in large boat at a slow speed steering and similar braking but much worse acceleration. I kept hoping to get up on plane but it never seemed to happen.

Bob,

Not there yet on towing a Porsche. I've rented a rent-a-wreck for $20/day a few times as opposed to the $3,000 to set up the RV to tow a vehicle. Go dry camping once or twice a year so no solar yet.

Pavulon,

Yes, Ford V-10, 5.7 liter engine. Will get up to freeway speed on an on ramp. Sucks the gas 12-13 mpg. It's a big ass boat to steer, but you get sort of comfortable with driving it. Biggest thing is the swing of the ass end at gas stations so you don't take out a pump, or post when turning. I hang in the slow lane, and I have to deal with those merging onto the freeway, but at least I only have to deal with vehicles on my left side passing me. It has 4-wheel discs and they are massive. It won't stop like my 911, but it will haul down pretty fast. Nevertheless, you don't tailgate.

So the dash A/C was delivering 90 degree air on the way up the I-99 towards Bakersfield, at 110 outside. Stopped at Wallymart and got one of those R-134a charging kits, it cooled it down to around 60 at the vent. Took it into the extended warranty place ($100 deductible) they said if it cools by 20 degrees below ambient the warranty company won't cover it.

Fine, they did a vacuum test and then found a missing factory Viton "O" ring on one hose. Factory eff up. No recourse on my part, one year warranty from Coachmen, I've had it 18 months. I have to pay the $105 A/C service fee. I have a $100 deductible on the extended warranty. Whatever. The joys of RV ownership.

Hugh,

Bought a 6 year old diesel pusher with low miles in excellent shape 3 years ago. Was really pressured into buying an extended warranty and I upped the standard coverage to include tires and a lowered deductible. $2500-ish for 2 years.

Considering how long it took the dealer to fix all the things that did not work at delivery (8 weeks), and the fact that they did not fix them all, my buyers remorse at the extended warranty was subsiding.

3 years later, the warranty is history and I did not renew it. I actually successfully used it twice, for a total payout of $2600, plus my @200. deductibles each time.

I tried to use it for 6 tires over the warranty period, and the fine print let them escape each time. Both front tires had sidewall issues (axle weight was 11k pounds). The pro-rated claim was going to be $60. each, more or less, deductible ate that up.

2 Duals failed after a day-long run across the desert in 100+ ambient. They found a way out of that.

Long story short, the warranty let me sleep better for the first two years, but 30k miles later, I know my rig inside out, and sleep just fine.

Will probably not be back in California for a while, git tired of cleaning filters, faucets and valves of what passes for water out there. Am in Alabama again, lush green, almost too much water, and 25% of the cost to live down here.