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RE: Can't pump fresh water tank dry - '02 Phaeton
Look under the coach to see the end of the drain tube, then look into the bay over the drain plug. Trace it back until you see the valve.
If the valve is open then shoot a little compressed air up the drain tube to free the clog.
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UltraKen
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05/20/12 04:35pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Coach Batteries
We have the Interstate U2200 batteries in our coach, BCI Grp# GC-2 Amp hrs.@ 20 hrs. 232 Reserve Capacity(min) 474@ 25amps 122@ 75amps Hrs @ Ampre load: 5amps-54.5 15amps-14.0 Dimensions(in): L-10-1/4, W-7-1/8, H-11-1/4
Hope this helps, good luck and safe travels
I have these and like them. Paid under $90 each from a local automotive electronics shop.
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UltraKen
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05/20/12 11:57am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Class A Tire Size Substitution
You need to calculate the load range needed and measure to find the correct or acceptable tire size.
See my note on replacing tires below in my signature.
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UltraKen
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04/22/12 07:29pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Just Priced New Tires ! OUCH!
There are several issues in selecting new tires.
First and most important is the weight of the coach. You really should do a 4 corner weighing to see what load capacity is needed at each axle.
Next you need to consider clearances if you are changing sizes from OEM. And you need to remember that not all coach manufacturers put the best choice tires on their coaches; in some cases the tires are over-loaded on an empty coach.
You might want to look at the notes on tires link in my signature below. I did a lot of research before selecting my tires for my coach. I'm no tire expert but I think I got this right.
I'd appreciate any suggestions from Topflite51 since he has real-life experience with tires...
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UltraKen
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04/21/12 06:38pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Finally, Scangauge D for Diesels
I need all that data constantly read out to me as badly as a 2lb box of 10 penny nails on the highway. I DRIVE my coach...I dont act like Im flying a jet liner
:B:B:B:B
I think you can manage to DRIVE your coach even with a lot of information available.
I like the speedometer on the VMSpc better than the coach gauge. It's nice to have the mpg available. The gauges I have for the most part are more accurate on the VMSpc than the dash gauges.
Just curious, do you ignore all of your gauges or just a few?
And before you ask, some of the gauges are there just for my amusement. It's kind of neat to see the engine load when you are going uphill and it's nice to keep a record of daily mileage, driving hours, miles, and mpg for each day, for the trip, and for the lifetime of the coach.
Your mileage may vary.
:b
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UltraKen
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04/21/12 03:39pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: water heater sacrificial anode
Just be sure you are turning the anode rod to the left to remove it...counter-clockwise.
Righty, Tighty; Lefty, Loosy
:b
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UltraKen
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04/18/12 09:50am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Finally, Scangauge D for Diesels
Sully
You just take the end of it, which has the proper connector to plug into your diognostic port, and plug it in, the power is supplied from the diogostic port.
The readout part of it you can mount anywhere visible to you on velcro.
The thin, 3/16 or so wire you just channel up anyway thats best, coil up whats not used under the dash. velcro and wire ties are ur best buddy.
Thats how I did the one on my Honda and they are identical.
I drive along and it gives my mpg 21mpg and I lift off the gas and it jumps to 80mpg for awhile as I coast.
Average for the tankful, average for the trip. coolant temp, etc, etc.
Its in digital readout, not big round gauges, and thats good, the numbers are constantly changing according to your driving.
Small amount of dash space taken, no big computer to deal with as in a silver leaf and half the price, plus you still have to buy a small computer to to operate a Silver leaf on, and it gives you the same data out of the same port .
I can see how this would appeal to some.
On the other hand I used an old laptop that was stored in a closet. WIN98. I like being able to design my own display with the VMSpc and use the gauges that I want.
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kwildman/v2a.jpg
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kwildman/v5a.jpg
To each his own.
:C
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UltraKen
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04/18/12 09:46am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: My New Throne .. .
Nice throne.......
Only one question.
Why did you put it in the closet?
There isn't enough room in there for me to turn around......I'd have to back in if I planned on sitting down :B
:B :B :B :B :B :B :B :B :B :B :B :B :B
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UltraKen
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04/18/12 09:36am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: tires
First. You can't just look at a coach and determine correct tire pressure. You need to do a 4 corner weighing and determine the correct pressure for each axle, based on the highes weight (left or right) for that axle.
Second, you should be sure that you have a tire that is adequate for those axle weights. Every tire manufacturer has wgt/load charts for each line and size of tire. Go to their website or call their support number.
Third, you need to pay attention to alignment and tire balancing on the front tires. You also need to be sure that you have either steering tires or all-position tires mounted on the front.
Finally, it might be useful to read my notes on tires in my sig line. I did a lot of research when I had to replace tires two years ago. I'm no expert but I think I got good information.
Good luck,
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UltraKen
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04/09/12 07:41am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2000 safari Zanzibar 39' diesel
Safari made high-quality coaches. Used solid wood cabinetry. With proper maintenance should be a good choice.
You should use a checklist, either the one in my signature or one googled. You also should have a mechanical inspection at a good diesel shop.
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UltraKen
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04/09/12 07:27am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Why is there a valve under the driver seat of my class A?
After burner fuel valve for when you feel the need for speed?
Seriously turn it. Let us know how it turns out.
:B
When my sons were little I used to reach up to the ceiling and yank on an imaginary handle while flooring the throttle to force a kick-down.
I think they figured it out by the time they were 10. Up until then they were deeply puzzled by Dad's "magic".
:W
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UltraKen
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03/23/12 06:22am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Towing a Honda Goldwing
That will work.
Me? My two-wheeled toad was a little more modest.
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kwildman/VesTrail.jpg
:B
I've towed it behind the Safari as well. :W
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UltraKen
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03/22/12 10:48am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Hook-up question
thanks - one more question...is there a rule-of-thumb regarding wind speed when not to drive?
What ever rocks your boat.
:B :B
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UltraKen
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03/22/12 10:42am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Update dw health
Great news!
Here's to a long and healthy life together.
I had a kidney removed around 1985, never bothered me except for an incisional hernia that makes me bulge a little on one side. No Man-thongs for me. :B
Just watch the bumps coming home. :C
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UltraKen
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03/18/12 07:57pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2 Week excursion
Hi everyone...If you had to start from Erie, PA on june 8th and you had 2weeks to travel where would you go? There is me & my wife, my 15 year old daughter and my 4 year old son all in a 2006 Forest River Charleston 400QS . We would prefer to go out west and are looking for all the stops in-between. My brother will be jointing us (2005 Fleetwood Discovery) either the first part or the last 2 weeks (he's going for a month) What are the MUST SEE stops?
Thanks in advance for your input!!
Joe
If you like Lobster as much as I do, then go to Maine - Mount Desert Island, south to Thurston's Lobster Pound in Tremont.
BTW, we stayed at Pirate's Cove in Southwest Harbor.
http://home.roadrunner.com/~kwildman/lobster.jpg
That guy was about 2.5 lbs. :B
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UltraKen
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03/03/12 11:42am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2 Week excursion
Double post.
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UltraKen
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03/03/12 11:40am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Smart Phone applications useful for RV'ers
I have found several applications for the Android to be very well done. Obviously the built-in navigation is excellent. We have the Garmin in the motorhome for end to end travel, but if we want a quick dash to a truck stop or grocery store, Android is used for that.
On my RV Home Page (on the phone):
GasBuddy - to find gas prices in the area
Places - wonderful for finding restaurants, groceries, truck stops, etc.
Raindar - weather radar centered on my location
Maps - for plotting side trips
Wikitude - in a new place, this virtual reality shows you what is around you
Weatherbug - when yuo just gotta know the weather
AlarmClock Plus - the best alarm clock, timer, application I've seen
c:geo - geocaching - a very well done application
Wifi Analyzer - Excellent for finding good wifi signals nearby
Total cost for all of these excellent applications = $0.00
I love the open source nature of Android!
I'd also add 3G Watchdog. It monitors your data/3G activity so that you can cut back if you approach your limit. Also free as I recall.
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UltraKen
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03/03/12 11:22am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: location of water pump
I have a 98 Safari Sahara 30ft diesel pusher , one slide out .
I would like to know where the 12 volt water pump is located . It does work but is so quiet I can't seem to find where Safari Motorcoach hid it .
Your replies are much appreciated .
In my '96 Safari it's all the way back at bay level on the driver's side. I had to cut the partition at the water bay to crawl back there - it's about 6 ft past the bay opening.
Quite a P.I.A to reach. :b
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UltraKen
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02/28/12 06:32am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Tires (Again)
Yes another tire question. My MH currently has Michelin XRV 255/80r 22.5 tires on it. They are original tires so are at least 9 years old since the chasis is a 2003 while the motorhome is a 2004. One tire developed a leak so instead of going and getting the leak fixed I decided I may as well replace all six since many seem to think five years is pushing it and I'm going on nine years. The tire dealer also thought I was pushing the outter envelope too, but they want to sell me new tires.
So the question, the same Michelin tires would be $4500 out the door. Six Toyo tires are just at $3000 out the door. The only issue is Toyo doesn't make that exact size. The size I ordered are 265/75r 22.5/14 M-154. Tire guy says he's put these on other Freightliner chasis and never had a problem. He tells me these tires are the exact same weight rating as the Michelin's and are only two tenths of an inch difference in diameter. They will be I think he said two tenths of an inch wider too. I have a big distance between the existing duals so two tenths of an inch won't make them touch.
I have ordered the Toyo's but it's not too late to cancel. Anybody see any issues with this?
In my signature below you'll find a link to some notes on tires. It might help you with sizing them.
I put the same tires you ordered on my Safari a year and a half ago and paid around $2400 otd, with mounting, balancing, and a front-end alignment. I did get a payment of around $100 for 4 of the old tires.
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UltraKen
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02/23/12 06:47pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How the heck do I drive this dang thang?
Here's some detailed suggestions I put together and posted on another forum (or perhaps here) some time ago.
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Several important steps to take.
1. You must know where you are in a lane. Your coach is wider than a car.
Go to a large parking lot as soon as you possibly can. Look for the double face-to-face parking slots away from other vehicles. Pull into one so that you take up just the first space leaving the end of the coach out of the space, AIMING to place yourself in the middle of the space.
Stop, set your parking brake, go to neutral, turn off your engine and go outside and look on both sides to make sure you are centered in the space on both sides. Correct if necessary by backing and pulling forward to get centered.
When you are satisfied that you are centered, sit behind the wheel and locate the parking space lines in the space in front of your space, and make a small mark on the lowest part of the windshield that you can see. A small dot of blue painter's tape works well, or a dot from a Magic Marker.
Next check your side mirrors to locate the lines alongside the coach.
You now have visual references for where you are in the parking space. Lanes on the road are wider, but with these marks you can always keep road lines ahead slightly outside the windshield dots. This works for narrow spaces at slow speeds.
2. For highway driving, aim for the center of the lane as far ahead as you can see.
When passing, or being passed by a semi - don't stare at the semi, concentrate on your lane markers on the windshield and your side mirror to stay as close to the off-side lane marker as possible. Left when passing, right when being passed.
3. I always use the rear-camera. When passing a vehicle I know I can pull back in lane when I can see their front grill. Obviously you don't want to pull in as soon as you see the grill, but in an emergency you will know you are clear.
4. Defensive driving rules for a car are to stay 3 seconds behind the vehicle your are following (doesn't work well in dense traffic). In a motor home you want to extend that to about 5 seconds.
It's easy to estimate. When the rear of the vehicle ahead passes some "landmark" such as a sign, start counting "one Mississippi, two Mississippi, etc. Stop counting when you cross that spot. Drop back or close up to maintain that 5 second gap. It gives you plenty of time to brake or take evasive action as traffic warrants.
5. For backing up, I have a small dot at the top of the rear camera monitor screen that shows me the exact aim point of the rear of the coach. Watch the rear camera AND the side mirrors, and use an outside spotter if possible to check for overhead obstacles, etc.
6. For turns, practice initially in that parking lot. Since the rear of the coach pivots around the rear wheels, anything beyond the rear wheels will swing out wider than the path of the wheels. Go slow, stop often and look to see where the front, side, and rear of your coach are located. When you get a feel for it trying turning past a light post. Do this VERY SLOWLY, watching the side mirror closest to the light pole. If you start getting close STOP. :)
A good series of short video clips on driving a coach:
http://www.betterrving.com/Article/RV_Tips/RV_Driving_Course_Adjusting_Mirrors
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Good luck
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UltraKen
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02/20/12 10:54am |
Class A Motorhomes
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