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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Dash fans Are they still used?
Squeakkos is right. Cleaning and a little oil (not WD40) will put new life into most motors. I've taken a lot of motorize alppliances from trash bens cleaned & oiled them and they've run fine for many years thereafter.
Dave
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dbates
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01/31/12 07:00am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: air for tires
I got mine at Lowes for $99 & the hose reel at Harbor Freight but Sears has them now & then for about the same prce. It's mounted in one of my bays & plugs into the outside 120 outlet.
Dave
http://dbates.datapitstop.us/UPLOADS/FLD00003/00005387/Compressor%20%26%20hose%20reel%2Ejpg
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dbates
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01/28/12 08:33pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Old fashion lawn chairs
I've found 5 of them (one is a rocker) in a scrap metal year 35+ years ago. The webbing was shot but the frames were A-OK. I had to replace the webbing at the time & you can still buy the webbing. If you take care of them they last a very long time.
Dave
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dbates
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01/28/12 06:41am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Insurance Dilemma
Apparently policy coverage with any one insurance company can very from state to state. My Progressive policy has raised less than $17 per year in the past 4 years and my policy covers the stated “agreed value” for my 1998 Winnebago. I’m reading that policy right now and there is no exclusion regarding the “agreed value” or age of the “covered vehicle” if there is a “total loss” as determined by them.
Dave
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dbates
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01/25/12 07:24am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Guages not reading accurately
As Miles said we need to know what type of gauges you have but as brirene said they are notoriously inaccurate. From personal experience the GEO Method does work quite well to clean the tanks.
Although they are a bit expensive but easy to install I changed my system to SeeLevel gauges several years ago and have been well please with their performance.
Dave
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dbates
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01/25/12 06:58am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: small computer printers
Last June I bought an Epson Stylus N-11 printer at Sam’s for $19.98 plus tax. It included a low volume set of ink cartridges that would have cost about half of the purchase prince and don’t last very long. At home I use it only when I need to print pictures or desire colored documents but it is small enough to take with me in the MH.
It is slow to start and not very fast at printing but it does a fine job on pictures (dye not water based ink), not bad on plain paper and with Staples awards (purchase & cartridge return) the higher capacity ink is not too expensive. It is relatively easy to replace the cartridges.
The cheapest Google prince I could find today was $44.95 (with free shipping).
Dave
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dbates
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01/19/12 06:31am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Dolly towing
Lee's advise is well put. I'd also check with the dolly manufacturer to confirm that the dolly will properly handle your toad as some here have complained that in tight turns their dolly wheels damage the toad.
As far as lighting is concerned that varies from state to state and what is OK in your state may not be in another. With that said Indiana does not require toad lighting if the dolly is well lit and in 40,800 miles I’ve never had a problem traveling without lights on the toad but it’s rare that I travel at night. When I do I attach the magnetic lights (with added license plate light) and the dual adapter shown below.
Dave
https://dbates.datapitstop.us/UPLOADS/FLD00003/00005387/Mag%20Lights.JPG https://dbates.datapitstop.us/UPLOADS/FLD00003/00005387/Maglight%20hook%20up.JPG
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dbates
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01/17/12 07:43am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Battery voltage during charging?
My Schumacher fully automatic battery charger runs in the 13 to 13.5 volt range when charging. I think I would contact Schumacher and ask about a replacement.
Dave
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dbates
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01/14/12 04:44pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: GPS that allows you to pick EXACTLY what roads you want
Streets & Trip can do all you ask. Just input the stops you want and it will run the shortest or fastest or preferred route (your choice) then you can drag-n-drop whatever changes you prefer. After the route is established it will not change unless you get off of the route then it will redirect you back to the route. My Garmin will self change the route as you travel which I don’t like.
You can also ask it to find points of interest along the route at your pre-determined maximum distance from the route. The only problem is that they only sort and list those points of interest in either alphabetical or shortest to longest distance from the established route (I wish it listed them in trip sequence). You can also add other POIs. It’s a program for PC (less than $60), has a GPS puck that works quite well and provides voice directions as you travel.
It does an over all very nice job if you have space on your dash for a PC where you can see it or if you have a navigator that can use otherwise you might check on CoPilot.
Dave
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dbates
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01/14/12 04:39pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Motorhome Insurance?
We have our house and toad with State Farm for many years and have been well please. Initially we had our MH with them but when I really reviewed their MH policy I found that it was just an auto policy and not designed for MHs. The agent had to agree with me and understood why I changed companies. I switched to Progressive and have been VERY pleased as their policy is specifically designed for MHs. We’ve been with them for 4 years, they’ve paid for two windshields in a prompt efficient manner and my premiums have gone up very little.
Dave
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dbates
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01/12/12 07:34am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Uh oh, noticed an antenna missing after recent trip. Help?
Is it missing or just folded down and you can't see it from the ground. That's what happens to mine every once in a while. On my 98 Itasca that antenna is for the exterior radio that is in an outside compartment below the antenna.
Dave
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dbates
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01/12/12 07:10am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: tire covers
This won’t work on all MH but I use ½” Styrofoam construction sheeting (in place of plywood) between the tires and MH body and vinyl wheel covers snapped on to the MH body (see picture below). They are now almost 7 years old and I’ve had no problems with them. I only use the Styrofoam at home when the MH is parked for extended periods. The Styrofoam insulates the tires from the sun’s direct heat, is cheaper than plywood and easier to work with.
Dave
http://dbates.datapitstop.us/UPLOADS/FLD00003/00005387/Wheel%2DCover%2Ejpg
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dbates
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01/10/12 01:23pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS Locator, ?
I’ve been using S&T for many years to plan long, short trips and delivery routes. It has its problems just like all GPS software have but for trip planning and route modifications it’s better than my Garmin 705. Initially I tried to use it on the road but as a driver using a laptop there was too much glare on the monitor for me to safely see the screen and my DW will not touch a computer let alone navigate with one. For Christmas my kids got me the Garmin for on the road use. It’s good, not perfect and does not have low clearance info.
The S&T software does not come with low clearance but click HERE & you can upload that data to your S&T.
If I could find and afford a small monitor that could be mounted like my GPS with a feed from my computer using S&T I’d really be happy.
Dave
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dbates
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01/09/12 07:02am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Surge Protection?
Click HERE for Progressive's website and read their specifications. For a 30 amp unit they are better than any other. For a 50 amp unit they are about equal with SurgeGuard but usually are $100 cheaper. They also have one of the best customer service records in this forum.
Then Google for the model you want to find the best price. Tweedy is usually the lowest & carries both brands.
Dave
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dbates
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01/08/12 03:17pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Tow Dolly Experiences/Recommendations
I can’t speak for the others but in the 40,800 miles that I’ve pulled mine I’ve been very well pleased with my Demco KarKaddy dolly. It’s fully and heavily galvanized so you’ll never have to worry about rust. The surge brakes work fine in the mountains. If you’re limited on home storage space the fact that the tongue folds back and the ramps fold up to reduce storage by almost 50% is very nice. The wheel bearings are sealed and permanently lubed. It’s heavy duty and will haul most all vehicles and their customer service is GREAT.
Do a google search and you'll find them as low as $2,479 with free shipping.
Dave
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dbates
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01/08/12 03:00pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Tow Dolly or hitch for toad???
I’ve towed with a Demco KarKaddy for the past 7 years because the toad I had could not be towed 4 down and have been well pleased. But as kalynzoo says when it becomes hard to get on all 4s to strap up, the dolly is a bit of a problem. Loading & unloading by myself takes less than 7 minutes, is faster and provides no DW conflicts. We’ve never had a real problem storing the dolly in a CG and if the straps are hooked up properly you’ll never have a problem with them coming loose. The KarKaddy is a little expensive, will haul most toads, is totally galvanized plus its tongue folds back and ramps fold up to reduce storage space by almost 50%.
If you plan to keep your toads for a long time, 4 down is better and not that much more expensive. If you expect to trade toads frequently 4 down can be expensive.
Dave
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dbates
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01/03/12 06:26am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: RV sales people?
Good luck on finding a "salesperson" that knows the product they are trying to sell, especially in the RV & computer industry. My son talked with a Dell company salesperson and they assured him that Dell could provide what he needed. When they ordered it the tech people advised it was never available.
My grandson went to work for sales company and their head salesman told him if he didn’t know the answer to a customer’s question lie. He took the high road by studying the product, didn’t lie and within two months was outselling the head salesman.
Dave
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dbates
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12/30/11 06:36am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Opinions of the Triton V10
I have a 1998 Winnebago over a 1999 Ford F53 V-10 with 94,000 miles on it, of which I’ve driven it 40,800 miles. It has served me very well with very little more that routine maintenance. Some time back there was a post asking for people who actually had plug or head bolt problems to respond; few did so fortytwo’s lightening response appears to be appropriate considering the number of V-10 on the road.
As you can see by the map below we’ve been over quite a few mountains. Although it does reeve up and going gets a little slow at times it has always gotten us over the hump.
Checking maintenance records is a very good idea but if you or your bother are not mechanically inclined I’d suggest that you have someone that is knowledgeable check the unit out.
Dave
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dbates
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12/30/11 06:05am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Tow Glass Protector
Yes it will work with a dolly. The only problem is that the conventional Protect-a-tow is a little short (I think they now have a longer one available) so I put an attachment ring on the dolly next to the outside of each toad wheel and used two short bungee cords to connect to the protect-a-tow. You have to run it over the dolly tongue. See picture below.
Dave
https://dbates.datapitstop.us/UPLOADS/FLD00003/00005387/Prot-A-Tow.JPG
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dbates
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12/28/11 07:41am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Just my luck
Retired from banking after 40 years and one of the biggest problems banks and credit unions have is people never reconciling their checking accounts let alone monthly as they are supposed to. People working in banks and credit unions are human therefore can make mistakes just as depositors can, so monthly reconciling is imperative to be sure that neither have made a mistake.
I've also never heard of a bank or credit union not sending past due notice within 5 or 10 days after the due date. If they didn’t send you a timely notice I’d press them to clear your credit record. The fact that they repoed your RV will be detrimental to your credit score.
Dave
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dbates
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12/27/11 01:18pm |
General RVing Issues
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