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RE: Hwy 550 from Durango to Ouray, Colorado
We are heading to Ouray for a week in August. I am way excited. The last two times we were there were for one night as we were passing through. This time we are taking the Jeep and the Harleys to do some off-roading and riding around that beautiful area.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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05/23/12 07:20am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Mountain driving
Actually, radiator life is a LOT longer if coolant is changes as it should be, only distilled water and coolant used AND core kept clean.
"Core kept clean" on a DP means cleaning the FRONT of the CAC annually!
and how exactly is that done,(cleaning the front of the cac annually) if you don't mind.
Keeping the front of the radiator clean and free of debris, dirt and road grime equates to efficient transfer of heat. This is complicated with the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) due to its placement in front of the radiator. Cleaning regularly is much more beneficial than neglecting it and then trying to clean it once every several years. I generally pull my side grill and flush three to four times per year. Mine is also a side radiator which is a little more forgiving than a rear radiator in that respect. For a rear radiator I would strongly recommend at least once a year minimum. Personally I would clean more frequently but once a year minimum.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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05/10/12 08:45am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Mountain driving
They called and said there was a significant temperature differential between the top of the rad and the bottom and they recommended a rod and core as there appeared to be a restriction inside the rad.
This seems like flawed logic. If the radiator is dissipating heat correctly, shouldn't the coolant temperature decline as it flows from top to bottom? Thus the radiator its self will be significantly cooler on the bottom.
Richard
If the temperature differential (Delta T) is too much this is an indication that the flow through the radiator is insufficient to cool properly. Usually a temperature differential of around 15-25 degrees is an indication that you have good flow through the radiator and the radiator and coolant are expelling heat correctly.
When the flow is insufficient through the radiator it backs up the heat into the engine and an overheating condition occurs.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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05/10/12 08:41am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: West Yellowstone question
There is one a few miles north of town on Hebgen Lake called The Yellowstone Holiday Resort
Yellowstone Holiday
jimR
A friend from work and his wife stayed here last year and they said it was really nice and would stay there again.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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05/07/12 07:59am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Slide Awning Replacement Help
Bryce, you have several options. You can either replace just the fabric or the entire topper assembly. The older style such as on your 2002 does not have the cover that surrounds the material and provides an easier opportunity for the material to billow while driving. As far as material, there are several places that offer replacement fabric and some in a heavier thickness as well as enforced stitching which is usually the point of failure.
Here is a link to a popular replacement fabric and replacing the fabric is fairly straing forward. Lock the spring/roller assembly and remove the awning fabric from both the coach and the roller assembly. Reinstall in reverse order. There are online manuals for each manufacturer and model of slide topper.
http://www.shadepro.net/category/Replacement_Slideout_Canopies.html
If you wish to upgrade to the newer style that has the anti-billowing enclosures then they are just as simple to replace only a little more awkward and may need some assistance to avoid scratching the side of the coach. I opted to replace the entire slide toppers and window awnings when I replaced ours last spring because I wanted the anti-billowing covers as well as to somewhat upgrade the overall appearance of the toppers to the newer style.
Mike.
Here are a few pictures of ours on our Dynasty with the new style Carefree Sideout Kover III and SL Window Awnings.
http://i49.tinypic.com/24lug5f.jpg
http://i46.tinypic.com/33dd2ts.jpg
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zmotorsports
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05/07/12 07:55am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: West Yellowstone question
I resent the comment about Grizzly RV being populat for the older people. My wife and I love Grizzly RV and end up there two to three times a year.:B
Anyway, I would highly recommend Grizzly RV Park but I also know they fill up with reservations very fast. Depending on when you want to go they may not have any available sites at this time.
The KOA is alright but personally that particular one is not the same as it was 10 years ago. This is why we started going to Grizzly.
If you want to head south of West Yellowstone about a half hour there is a really nice campground called Red Rock RV Park just at the south side of Island Park. It is located about five miles off of highway 191 and is a very nice park off the beaten path. The owners are fantastic and very accomodating people. I would give them a try.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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05/04/12 11:10am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Engine Brake
I would say it depends on how you use it. The exhaust brake itself will not use any fuel per say as it is not fueling when the throttle is released. However, many times engaging it unnecessarily and not allowing the coach to "coast" can use more energy (fuel) than really needed to get it going again. I like to use my "coast" gear as much as possible. This involves looking quite a distance ahead and timing stops/starts as efficiently as possible and not slowing too soon or too abruptly just to have to get all of that weight moving again.
Hope that makes sense.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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05/04/12 10:58am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: West Wendover Nevada/Utah
would like to take the coach out on the salt flats...:E:E:E,..any help would be appreciated......Dennis
Are you going to try to set a land speed record with your coach?:B
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/30/12 06:24am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: norcold failures vs. slideouts
Does anyone have any info. on any failure mode of the 1200 series frig. being in or out in a slideout. I ask this because a frig in a slideout will not have a roof vent.
This is the number one reason I did NOT want a refrigerator in a slide when we were looking for our current coach. My wife and I looked at quite a few over the nine month period and I didn't even look inside of several because I saw the two exterior vents on a slide and knew that was the refrigerator.
Several salesmen thought I was being overly paranoid, which I probably was, but I thought it was my money and if is not what I want I am not spending money on it. Simple logic told me that it would be harder to expel the heat out from behind the refrigerator if it couldn't flow out naturally without the assistance of the fans.
That said, I do know several people who have refrigerators in their slides and say there is no issues but I personally will still not have one. Just my opinion.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/26/12 06:02am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: towing a 5200# jeep with a gas motorhome; 8.1 l wrkhrs
I towed our Grand Cherokee behind a carbureted 454 P32 chassis for six years. It did it great but could have used a little more power. Your 8.1 will handle it fine. My BIL has a 33' Winnebago with the 8.1/4L80E and it does great, if you have the Allison that is just an added bonus. I fabricated a completely new hitch for mine as I did not like how the coach manufacturer had attached it and I beefed the hitch on my BIL's a little but it was probably ok to begin with, I just thought it should have had a little more gusseting.
Make sure to have a supplemental braking system as most gas chassis coaches' braking systems are adequate at best in my opinion. If you have to make an emergency stop you want a little more than just what the coach has to offer as far as braking.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/26/12 05:57am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Diesel or Gas, why is this a big thing for me?
I really have not noticed any shortage of fuel stations that sell diesel. We are not familiar with the easter states/Canada as we have mostly traveled western U.S., Alberta and British Columbia.
Think of it this way, all of those semi trucks that transport goods have to fill up somewhere also.
As far as trading in, I can only speculate to one of two theories, either they are afraid of the price of diesel and trading in for a gas or they bought their first diesel pusher and loved it so much they are upgrading/upsizing. I am sure there are other reason but those two come immediately to mind.
I would find one that has the floorplan that you like, get it and enjoy it.
Good traveling.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/23/12 05:51am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Allison Transynd fluid/filter change
Like others already mentioned, its not a hard job but may be a little intimidating at first. Two very important steps to ensure a trouble free service are one, make sure to use the correct gaskets. If yours had o-rings then make sure you put o-rings back on the flange/cover. If it has gaskets, same thing. The filter kits will come with both sytles. There are also to different lenght of filters, make sure you use the correct one. They are determined by the sump depth.
Second, make sure to torque the fasteners to the proper torque value on the filter covers. These are fairly easy to strip out if not paying attention. I have had to repair the threads in one of a friend after a botched service from a local dealer. Which leads me to my point of why I do my own service/repairs. No one else will perform the repairs the way I want them done and to the same degree of attention.
If the dealer spilled oil all over the place, my guess would be they are not very familiar with performing this task. You really shouldn't spill much with the correct catch pans. It is actually one of the easier transmissions to service as the drains and filter covers are right on the bottom so fluid doesn't need to run down the side to drain.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/20/12 06:02am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Aqua Hot needing service? *RESOLUTION*
Thanks to help from Roger Berke, my Aqua Hot is working AMAZING!
I replaced the fuel nozzle, the electrodes, fuel filter, and the photo disc. It wasn't too bad to work on.
It runs very smooth, and the exhaust is clean. If you stuck an emissions tester in the Aqua Hot exhaust, it would PASS! :B
I am convinced that if your Aqua Hot is running properly, there should be no diesel stink from the exhaust pipe.
I did make a modification to my Aqua Hot. I converted the 3 zones in to 1. It was very EASY! On the terminal block, remove the two wires on the Aqua Hot side for the bedroom and bathroom thermostat and place them with the main area thermostat. BINGO! Now I use one thermostat to heat my entire coach. :)
Glad to hear all is running well. I think there are quite a few out there that should be tuned up by all of the negative responses any Aqua-Hot threads drum up on the forum. That or there are just a lot of Aqua-Hot haters out there.
Can I ask why you didn't like the three individual zones? I personally like the ability to keep the bedroom at a different temperature than the front of the coach.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/18/12 10:14am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 36' Class A
Wow, that Foretravel is sweet! Sorta out of my price range though. Saw several Monaco's that I liked but a lot of the adds don't show horsepower and/or torque. But with the new info provided here I can search more. I'll have to come up with a way to estimate what the trailer and toys would weigh. Also it's hard to find a rating for what you can tow. Any ideas on how to find that?
Thanks again
Dwight
Most diesel pushers have a towing capacity of 5k pounds with a few having 10k towing capacity. Recent years are having more and more with towing capacities of 10k pounds and a select few even have 15-18k pound capacities.
Best thing to do is go to the manfuacturers website as many have an archive that you can check previous models and years.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/17/12 12:36pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 36' Class A
As above is already mentioned there are quite a few in the Monaco line that have the 400 ISL in the 36' on up but also Country Coach put the ISL400 in a few 32' and 34' Allures.
I like the list you threw up in your post as they will also have a fiberglass roof which I personally prefer to many of the TPO type materials.
Look at the post on HP vs. weight and torque. I generally like to stay well under the 100 pounds per horsepower and under 45 pounds per foot/pound of torque. We have a friend that has a 34' Winnebago Journey which is a well built coach and he tows a 26' Pace enclosed trailer. It is equiped with the CAT 330 C7 engine and the coach pulls the trailer great with six ATVs inside.
Ours with the ISL400 does a great job as well, although we are quite a bit heavier with both the coach and the trailer as he is. He can slightly pull away from us on some of the steeper grades but not by much. I would say he is right at 30k pounds coach and trailer combined where we are just over 46k coach and trailer with the sand toys, about 48k with Jeep and Harley in the trailer.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/17/12 05:55am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: West Yellowstone North To I90 With Toad?
We have done both hwy191 and 89 through the park. Hwy 191 North out of West Yellowstone is absolutely beautiful. It follows the Galatin River up to Bozeman area. Definately quicker than through the park but they both offer amazing views and scenery. We generally do one up and the other back and then next time change it up so we get to see both. It depends on if we are in a hurry to get somewhere or are dragging our feet getting home.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/11/12 02:07pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Monaco dynasty. Anything i should know
Post up some pics and description. We would love to see it.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/11/12 05:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Monaco dynasty. Anything i should know
Thanks for all the great feedback. We looked at the unit and it was pretty beat up, as we're most at PPL. I can't believe how bad some of these units looked.
We did see an American Eagle with a mid-entry that looked pretty good.
Jake
Wow, PPL says the unit is in 'very good' condition and the pictures look really nice. So, it's a shame that they cannot label the condition correctly. :h
I'm not a fan of the sink being in the bedroom as I want to close the bedroom off while someone is getting ready. But, that plan might work for you as others have it and like it.
MM.
Mark, there are actually two sinks, one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. I wasn't sure how I would like it at first either but I did want one with the toilet. Many we looked at had the sink away from the toilet and only had one sink which I wasn't fond of.
Now after having it for a while I don't know if I would want it any other way.
Mike.
The only little glitch is if you can't put the slides out, the bedroom sink will be tight or not usable. Also, I prefer the washer and dryer being in the bath area and not in the rear area as the one shown in the pic the one the OP was viewing. If the slides can't go out, you can still do laundry if the units are located in the bathroom hallway.
We had the unfortunate experience where our hydraulic slides would not go out because the computer board that controls them had a connection problem (probably from 50,000 miles of road vibration). The RV service center re-spliced the connector on the computer board and all is good now. But, I had to use the coach with the slides in for several days. One bedroom slide would operate as it's electric so I could get to the closet, etc. Our bathroom, including both sink areas and the laundry area, are never effected by the slides as they are in the center of the coach.
It was amazing how many floor plan choices Monaco offered for the Dynasty back in '07-'08 when we were looking. They had 10 to pick from with 5 cabinet color choices.
MM.
I can see your point about the washer/dryer but the only time we use ours is when the bedroom slide is out and staying for an extended stay anyways. The bedroom slide is electric actuated and the front two slides are hydraulic on ours.
The bedroom sink is still accessible with the bedroom slide retracted. This is one of the necessities for us was being able to use the coach with the slides in as when we snowmobiled we never put the slides out. There was the dresser drawers in the bedroom and there was a cupboard in the kitchen is all that was not accessible when the slides are in.
I was not keen on triple slides when we were first looking as I wanted to be able to use the coach with the slides in but after seeing how Monaco designed and built the Baroness, I was impressed how much I like the floorplan.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/10/12 09:28am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Monaco dynasty. Anything i should know
Thanks for all the great feedback. We looked at the unit and it was pretty beat up, as we're most at PPL. I can't believe how bad some of these units looked.
We did see an American Eagle with a mid-entry that looked pretty good.
Jake
Wow, PPL says the unit is in 'very good' condition and the pictures look really nice. So, it's a shame that they cannot label the condition correctly. :h
I'm not a fan of the sink being in the bedroom as I want to close the bedroom off while someone is getting ready. But, that plan might work for you as others have it and like it.
MM.
Mark, there are actually two sinks, one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. I wasn't sure how I would like it at first either but I did want one with the toilet. Many we looked at had the sink away from the toilet and only had one sink which I wasn't fond of.
Now after having it for a while I don't know if I would want it any other way.
Mike.
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zmotorsports
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04/10/12 05:55am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New 32" for the old 27" TV
Vacuumbed, here is a link to how I mounted ours in our Dynasty. I did not want ours to swing out but removable in case I needed to get behind it.
Mike.
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/25804114.cfm
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zmotorsports
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04/10/12 05:50am |
Class A Motorhomes
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