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RE: Carrying golf cart and towing
I posted my thoughts a couple of days ago and no one acknowledged using the proposed system. I'm still thinking this is the way I will go:
"When I had my truck as a toad I loaded my motorcycle in the truck bed. No longer have the truck but a smaller SUV. Considering a swivel trailer not connected to the motorhome but to the SUV to carry the m/c. My wife needs the toad and I need the m/c! I know there is debate whether or not this is a legal tow but the consensus appears to be it is legal. I would just fit under the legal towing limit with this arrangement (well, at least it is close). Has anyone used the swivel trailer attached to the toad for motorcycle (or golf cart/ATV) transport?"
bgholson,
The very first thing I'd do is, see if that unit you're planning on "towing" behind your SUV is classified as a "trailer". (The sell those at Quartzsite each January). If so, then while the opinions of folks here might be helpful in decisions for how to get your M/C and toad along with your coach, the only real opinion that's of legal consequence is a Law enforcement officer for your state or, a book on rules and regulations regarding what you're intending on doing. Because you see, in my opinion, again for what it's worth, is that you are towing "TWO" TRAILERS and that is allowed in some states but not all.
We've seen situations like that in CO, UT and a few others. But, in CA it ain't happening unless you've got a "Class A" licence. So, hope this helps some.
Scott
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02/09/12 09:40pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Rubber roof repair
cdking1,
You're certainly welcome. I thought I had pics of before we started the process. The roof was almost completely black due to the fact that it had lost almost all of it's white coating. Now, Dicor, or EDPM, I can't remember which, says that condition is just fine. They say there's really no need to re-coat the roof. But, if one is going to do it, then use the Dicor components.
I will say, that we kept the Bounder as nice looking as possible at all times. But, in using the prep, the cleaner/sealer, it basically washed off all the wax that was on the coach. And, as my son and I were up on the roof with a pressure washer(recommended by Dicor), the wife was down below with a hose, rinsing the runoff, off the sides of the coach. But, it didn't help that much. We had to was the rig again. NO biggie. Just follow the instructions to the letter and you'll have a bangup job that will last for a long time.
Scott
P.S. The hotter the weather during the process, the better the job will turn out. When we did it, it was 90 and low humidity. A lot of sweating but, the components dried proficiently which allowed for continuation of the next application so that the entire process can be done in one day.
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02/09/12 08:04am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Carrying golf cart and towing
corgidad,
I don't know if you've seen my posts on carrying my Honda Goldwing. I set our '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the 330 CAT up with a lift called "Hydralift". I did a bit of research on it and others and found the Hydralift was the lightest, and the most capable and, the least complicated in terms of total mechanism.
If you go to the companies website, Hydraliftusa.com you'll see a whole gallery of coaches that have been set up to carry just about anything. There's some with regular heavy cruisers like the Wing and full dress Harleys, some with off road quads, some with Golf carts and more. Of course you'll have to determine the qualifications for your coach to accept the additional weight of not only the Golf Cart but, also the lift itself. It weighs in at just around 280 lbs.
I enjoyed installing mine. It was a bit of a challenge, some serious welding but, in the end, I'd do it again in a heart beat. There was advice on here that the back of the coach was going to fall off, the rig would do wheelies going down the road, our first born was going to die, and much more. Absolutely nothing happened. The rig motors straight down the road, no adverse handling effects what so ever.
The lift comes with its own hitch. So, yes you can tow and carry your cart. We do. So far, we've carried the bike and towed our Jeep Rubicon all over 5 or 6 western states and had a ball. But, we've since sold the Jeep and have a new Honda CRV so, we'll see if there's any difference, I don't think there will be. But anyway, here's a couple of pics. Oh, by the way, on the last one where you just see the lift, click on it to see it in action. If you'd like to know more, certainly pm me and I'd be glad to answer whatever questions you may have.
Scott
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr159/FIRE-UP1/IMG_0234.jpg
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr159/FIRE-UP1/IMG_0236.jpg
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr159/FIRE-UP1/th_MVI_0132.jpg
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02/08/12 03:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Rubber roof repair
cdking1,
We did it about two years ago. Most rubber roofs on these coaches are EDPM or another chemical make up for which I can't remember. But, Dicor, a company that makes the coating you need, is one of the best if not the actual BEST for your rig. The process is a bit tedious but, well worth it in the end. You'll need enough product to do at least 2 full coats and, the "primer-surfacer" that preps the roof prior to application of the Dicor product. When we did it, my son and I, it took us about 8 hours, on a real warm day.
That's the correct weather you need for it to make sure it will take and not come off later. The roof MUST be completely dry of the primer-surfacer before application of the first coating of the coating. But, you'll be way happy with yourself if you do it this way. Hope this helps some.
Scott
P.S, Here is ours right after the job. Way better than when we started.
http://i479.photobucket.com/albums/rr159/FIRE-UP1/coatedroof.jpg
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02/08/12 11:24am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: map light
Mike,
Since you say "Map light", I'm assuming it's possibly the one in a move-able socket above your head, is that true? Do you have a picture of it or model number? If it's a factory installed LED, you're right, that's the shortest life of any LED I've ever heard of. Of all the LEDs that I've installed, I've only had one go bad. That was the one in the little round light, below the steps to light up the step area. I can't figure out why it went bad in such a short time.
But as for yours, that's certainly odd too. The company I do business with online is: www.superbrightleds.com.
They're a very reputable,knowledgeable and helpful company and have LEDs that co-inside with just about every light in and outside your coach. I purchased one that I put in my map light and really like it. It's a "Cool white" version and is considerably brighter in color than the hot, stock, power consuming bulb that was in that socket from the factory. All quality LEDs will cost a bit but, in my opinion, it's been well worth the initial cost.
I can have a ton of lights on in my coach and it has almost ZERO effect on the house batteries. Hope you get this fixed.
Scott
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02/07/12 10:35pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Mobile windshield repair charleston sc
CathieAl,
First off, when you get a chance, check out my thread, "Costly mistake, I should have fixed it"
We had a nice chip. It was there for about 3 weeks. I procrastinated fixing or, getting it fixed because of various reasons. Well, the morning I was going to go and get a repair kit, I went out to the coach and yep, about a 13" crack had ran from that chip. As it turned out, I got it semi-repaired, stop drilled and semi-sealed so it won't travel. But, the point is, GET IT FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Now, I've read on several parts of the net, you can do it yourself. Quality repair kits are sold everywhere at name brand auto parts stores, Walmarts etc.
The reviews from folks like yourselves have been really great. The kits are in the neighborhood of $15.00-$20.00.
Just a suggestion here. But, if you don't feel you want to tackle it, you can look up repairs for windshields in the area you will be visiting.
Scott
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02/05/12 06:32pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How long?
Well,
This is all a matter of what makes you feel comfortable. Some would say, get the biggest you can. Some, almost on the other end. It's simply a choice of what you're comfortable with. 36'-38' is a very good size limit to use for what you intend. Some will argue you can't get those size coaches into certain parks, well, I've proved that theory wrong each and every time we've traveled.
That length is not all that hard to manipulate in tight situations. And, even with a toad, it's fairly easy. Yet, that length limit will enable you to be separated enough to be at ease. There's lots of coaches out there in that range so you've got plenty to pick from.
Scott
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02/05/12 02:53pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Looking for new motorhome frustration! Ugh
horizon 451,
I'm not sure how serious you are about that statement but, believe me, there are some very nice, CLEAN, and attractive motor homes out there. Yep, there are a few that are not so good, clean etc. but, there are way more nice ones than are being led to believe here. Sure, sometimes some travel is warranted and sometimes you get just lucky. We've traveled to three different states for purchase of vehicles and our motor home.
It's not something we've proud of, it's just that, that's what it took for us to get what we want. I've purchased things (autos, motorcycles, motor homes, and much, much more) with the intent that if it/they needed some work to bring it up to my level of acceptance, well so be it. But, I don't do that anymore. I'm done refurbishing other peoples junk. If they don't care about their equipment, then they can KEEP IT. I'll (We'll) go through the effort it takes to expand a search, for what ever, (listed above) to make us happy. They're out there, Just be patient.
Scott
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02/05/12 02:48pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Looking for new motorhome frustration! Ugh
Flowergirl,
Well, as you've noticed and, lots of other folks have noticed, that people are people. That is, it's very difficult to trust the unknown. And that includes people. You'd like to think that people are honest, truthful, and sympathetic. You'd like to think that people who knew you were driving a long distance to see their rig would let you know the honest truth.
But, honesty and truthfulness is sometimes put by the wayside in order achieve a sale. Obviously there are lots of stories for this situation. I'll give you one more. We live in Ramona CA, close to San Diego and had been in contact with a couple in Cedar Park Texas who had a coach, with all the EXACT parameters we were looking for. I won't go into the details but, surface to say, it was presented as PERFECT, and we determined it was perfect.
We emailed the couple several times and requested more and more pictures of every angle of everything we could. In all honesty, they were more than willing to accommodate our wishes. Based on several conversations and at least 30-40 pictures, we negotiated a deal over the phone and we booked a flight to Austin Texas airport. Upon landing, they met us and whisked us away to the coach.
We began our inspection and the first thing I noticed was the tires were 7 years old. So, I made a comment on them and kept on with the inspection. As we moved around to the front end of the coach, it was then that my jaw dropped. The 3M mask, that many "full body paint" rigs have, was completely CRACKED severely, entirely, throughout the entire front end of the coach. It was hideous. It looked like chickens had danced on the front end of that coach.
Well, it was everything I could to from taking that guy out. I was so P.O.d that I could almost not even talk. After an $800.00 flight, and no way home, we both were livid. His comment, "IT'S NO BIG DEAL, IT'S ONLY COSMETIC". So, we booked another set of $400.00 tickets and flew back home by 09:00, San Diego time the next day.
So, you see, it happens to many folks. We then booked another flight to Reno NV, and picked up a sister coach to that one that WAS, AND IS PERFECT!!!!! We drove her home and have been happy ever since. Good luck. Take your time, and get as good of pictures from the seller as you can. Demand information. You'll get what you're looking for.
Scott
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02/04/12 09:53pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Learn Something New Every Day...
Bluegypsy,
I too am always in the market for learning things on these beasts. To me, it's still fun, even tinkering with that kind of stuff. I've NEVER been one for spraying ANYTHING on my battery posts. I simply take care of my batteries. No matter where or what they're in.
I take a look every now and then, clean whatever needs to be cleaned, wash off what needs to be washed and put things away dry and clean with no goop what so ever on anything, the posts, connections, etc. If you do that about once every couple of weeks, you should never see any need for all that stuff. Just an opinion here. Nice catch.
Scott
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02/04/12 02:57pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: RV PARK CLOSEST TO VEGAS STRIP
We've stayed in Circus Circus a few times and some of the sites are a bit better than others. Kind of more civilized like, grass, trees etc. The rates have soared like just about everything else in this economy. I think the last time we stayed there, and picked a nice spot, semi-close to the pool and hotel, lots of shade and on an end, it was $70.00 for the night.
The last time we stayed at the Oasis, it was fairly loud 'cause we were placed fairly close to the freeway. That was years ago and we've not stayed there since. But, apparently some are happy with it.
We checked out another one a year or so ago that was on the eastern side of the strip and when we were placed in our spot, it was near some "live ins" that had clothes lines, broken pots with plants that were dead etc. We left there within about 6 minutes of being placed in our spot.
So, if you're just there for a night, not sure what's the cheapest, nicest, Cirus Circus is close to all, which, is about the best benny of it.
Scott
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02/02/12 07:06pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Interstate U2200 6V Golf cart batteries discontinued
They're creeping up to Trojan prices, Costco ones for me @ $90.00 ea.
Scott
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02/02/12 10:43am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Like to know the holding tanks size on my new 91 Pace Arrow
Checked the bedroom closet door and found a lot of valuable information but not the tank capacities so will be doing a fill test thanks ED
Well Sir,
That's too bad. I'd have thought for sure that the info would have been there. You know, it's really not all that important to know what size they are, only that you know that they, combined, are able to contain your full amount of fresh water. But, I certainly understand you inquisitiveness. I'd most likely do the same thing and figure out what I've' got. Good luck.
Scott
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02/01/12 11:33pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New Regulations Affecting RV Travel?
There is legislation on the table to eliminate the ability to claim the interest on RV's. Currently this works much like second homes and boats. They are talking of doing away with it.
Well Sir,
They've talked about that a few zillion times before. But, the issue is, it will elmininate the deduction for ALL OF THEM TOO! That is, if they have M/Hs, Yachts, and the like, and they're writing off the interest, I and a few zillion other folks in the U.S. don't think they'll elminate their ability to deduct it.
Scott
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02/01/12 07:35pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Thinking About Calling It Quits
Gang,
Ever see the TV show "American Pickers"? Well, I want to go on the same roads they do. I want to see the same things they see. I want to experience different parts of this country. I'm a born and raised So Cal person with some time spent in the service in TX, WA and IL. But, in my career, I saw it all, the hardest stuff one could imagine, and I did it for over 35 years.
Well, gas and diesel is going to cost whatever it's going to cost. I'm not fond of putting oil execs great grand kids through college so they can become lawyers and then go to work for their dads oil company and defend high oil prices. So, I skimp here and there, make do with this and that, have done my own work, construction, maintenance, fabrication, alterations for my whole life so, I've saved money for things I have no control over, GAS AND DIESEL PRICES!!!
So, in our quest to go on American Pickers roads, I'll pay what it takes to get there, see those places and feel those experiences. When I can no longer afford to do that, then, and only then I'll hang up the keys. I get upset at paying such high diesel prices when each and everyone of us know that it's way cheaper to produce diesel than it is to produce gasoline but, again, NO CONTROL.
Got to go out and get the M/H ready for a trip. Happy trails folks.
Scott
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02/01/12 03:37pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Like to know the holding tanks size on my new 91 Pace Arrow
Ed9824V,
Quite a bit of the time, the manufacturers post all that information of fresh water tank size (gallons), holding tank sizes, propane tank and fuel tank size, GVWR and much more on a full size sheet of paper and glue it to a cabinet wall or door. Most of the time, at least in many rigs I've been in, it's been in the back or master bed room closet, on the inside of one of the closet doors. If it's not there, then look up archives of the model, and find possible brochures for that model and year.
Getting exact tank sizes and measurements for calculating gallon-age is sometimes fairly difficult due to the tanks being partially hidden, obscured by many obstacles, and, many that I've seen also have diminishing measurements or, they taper off due to the angle of mounting and where they dump into a dump valve. That makes for difficult and inaccurate calculations.
But, even when it's all said and done, if you've calculated that the fresh water tank is 80 gallons, by law, the two holding tanks MUST be able to contain all that gallon-age COMBINED! So, that means at the very least, you'd have two 40 gallon holding tanks. But, that's kind of rare. Much of the time, the manufacturer makes one just a bit larger than the other like in your case, one would be say, 38 gallons and the other, 42 gallons. Logically, the larger one would be the gray water because obviously, you'd use more of your fresh water for gray water accessories and less for potty use. But, that's not always the case. Sometimes the manufacturer does it opposite and makes the black water tank a bit bigger.
That's done due to various reasons like, convenience in location of the tanks etc or maybe even due to special order by the purchasing customer. Hope this helps some.
Scott
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02/01/12 12:10am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Smog Testing
Well Gang,
I must have been lucky on the last two gas rigs we've owned. The first was an '89 Class C with the 460 Ford that we owned for 11 years and the one we just sold about 10 months ago, a '99 Bounder with the V-10 and BANKS unit that we owned for almost 8 years. Neither one ever had any trouble passing smog. I never jumped through any hoops, did all the so called stuff to get them to pass. The only thing I EVER did was simply get both of them up to temp.
And, all that consisted of was simply driving it at normal speeds and throttle for about 10 minutes before pulling into the smog testers bay which, was by appointment so, they were ready for me when I showed up, each time. Of all the tests, and all the years we owned those two rigs, about 18 years between the two of them, we only had one time when the earlier one did not pass. The reason, a bad gas cap. They wanted $19.00 for a gas cap and I told them, "ain't happening" and drove the rig to an Auto Zone and picked one up for $6.00 and drove it back, they were not too happy 'cause I didn't buy one from them but, it made the rig pass smog.
There may be some engines out there that are close to "Gross polluters" but, those two of mine weren't in that class.
Scott
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01/31/12 11:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: new 6 volt coach batteries
How about using two 12V Marine Group 27DCs from Walmart. They are 125 AH each and run about $82 per. They do list a CCA tho meaning they are dual use?
Jerry,
The 6V G/C batts are almost all rated at 225 AHs ea. That's considerably more than the 125 for the 12V Marine deep cycle. As I understand it, the G/C plates are thicker, more dence, and more of them to be able to withstand the "true" deep cycling of the discharging and charging they recieve when in Golf Carts. I just installed 4 of them in a change over from the 12V Interstate SRM 29 Deep cycles. I'm not the only one who's had trouble with Interstate batteries lately so, out the went and in went the Costco ones.
We just did 6 days at Quartzite, camping in BLM land, no hook ups, and the genny running once in a while for various purposes and they're working flawlessly. I'd do it again in a heart beat.
Scott
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01/31/12 06:49pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Huge, COSTLY mistake, I should have fixed it!
Don,
Our deductible for EVERYTHING is $1000.00. Yes, I can and most likely WILL change it in the near future but, the crack/chip has already been reported to the insurance and is logged in, so, they have it on record and, have issued us options for places to get it replaced with the PRESENT deductible. There is no way around that deductible.
It appears that based on the answers given here on this post, that insurance companies operate differently all over the U.S. As far as State Farm, with us, Comprehensive, is comprehensive, period. There is no special rider, or sub policy for "Glass or Windshield only". It doesn't matter if you destroy the rear bumper or the front windshield, it's still comprehensive. If many of you folk's insurance companies "segregate" portions of the coach/cars etc with different deductibles, well you've got it nice but, ours doesn't do that.
It won't do us any good to try and change deductible amount right now to try and get this particular fix to come in at a lower amount, it's already documented. Yes, a $1000.00 replacement cost, out of pocket, for a single side of a front windshield is a hard hit for us and, we accept that by paying lower premiums. It surely doesn't mean we like it but, we accept it. To us, insurance is basically to protect us from the other guy and, after the $1000.00 deductible is reached, then they take over.
I'm not sure 'cause the wife takes care of all the billing but, it's my assumption that we save around $250-$300 a year by paying lower premiums and, having that high deductible. Well, over the years, that amounts to a few thousand in savings. It just stings us a bit when something like this windshield replacement hit. We've not put in a claim for as long as I can remember.
So, for the time being, the crack has been semi-fixed (stopped and sealed) so, when the time comes, the deductible will be changed, and if, we recieve another chip in the same windshield, we'll deal with it then. Thanks for the help.
Scott
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01/31/12 11:03am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Huge, COSTLY mistake, I should have fixed it!
Well Gang,
I'll report what I already knew. Out SF insurance has a $1000.00 deductible on EVERYTHING! So, after the wife got off the phone with the agent, we had a list of about 3 companies that might, just might give us a break on the replacement of that windshield. In the mean time, I'd made a call to "Crack repair Doctor" for windshields. Based on one of you folks replies, I made an appointment to have this "crack" repaired.
Well, long story short, he stop-drilled the end of the crack, dremeled out the original chip, and dremeled out the entire crack. He then placed three of the suction units on it in a row, the crack at this was 13.5" long. Well, he worked his magic, added all the components and, as of now, that crack is almost all but GONE! The original chip only has a very tiny dot as evidence it was ever there.
I'm incredibly satisfied with his work. It cost us $105.00 for the job. It was up $10.00 because he had to travel from down town San Diego to our home in Ramona (about 32 miles) to do the job and back again. That's cheaper than it would be in diesel fuel to bring it to him just about and, way easier.
Oh, I almost forgot, I called RV Glass Solutions, one of the few suppliers of RV windshields in the U.S. and, they quoted me $11.00 shy of my guess for the replacement, $989.00, installed. I told him that as we were speaking on the phone, the crack was being repaired so, we'll be doing the replacement if, this crack, which, is warranted for life by the repair man to not travel. So, at this time, it's way less visible than it was, I saved $900.00 and we're both happy. I might just order up a TPMS for the coach now.
Thanks again for all your helpful comments. We think that we might just lower the deductible for comprehensive in the near future, just in case this happens again.
Scott
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01/30/12 08:29pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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