| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: "Exercising" the diesel when not traveling
Could be nasty and trip the kill damper on the blower inlet (if it has one) and then stand around offering suggestions when it fails to start.
|
tony lee
|
01/27/12 02:50am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Interesting Black Tank Fix
Did you check how far into the tank the vent pipe is pushed.
Ah, yes you(they) found the problem.
Good, but why did they take so long to sort it out.
|
tony lee
|
01/26/12 10:02pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: "Exercising" the diesel when not traveling
That bloke is stupid. On the very rare occasions when I take my MC8 into a campground, I really cringe at the thought that I have to run it for a few minutes to get the air pressure up enough to release the brakes and drive quietly out (as much as a detroit 8V71 can be driven quietly).
Idling it for an hour would be asking for some violently rough justice delivered by every single resident of the RV park.
My 4 vehicles sit for up to 18 months waiting for me to get around to using them and so far they continue to start straight up as soon as the starter hits - even the MC8.
|
tony lee
|
01/26/12 09:58pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Less weight in RV, smoother ride?
Have you been back to the people who supplied your system to see what they have to say about it.
As for weight vs ride. Depends a lot on the suspension, but more on how much weight you are talking about relative to the total weight of the vehicle. Diesel pusher with auto ride-height adjustment on air bags isn't going to notice adding or subtracting a couple of hundred pounds especially if it is roughly in the middle of the wheel base so it is shared equally between all axles. Many motorhomes, especially bus conversions, are designed to allow for the huge variation in load between 30 or 40 passengers and their luggage getting on or off so the few pounds you can mess around with is just going to be minor tinkering and unlikely to be noticeable.
|
tony lee
|
01/26/12 09:51pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: increasing psi causing rough ride
It is interesting reading topics involving trying to improve ride/handling/comfort/performance over and above what the RV manufacturer has decided is a reasonable compromise between gains and increase in cost.
Despite the puffery of the aftermarket suppliers claims and the assumption that the results must surely be spectacular and very good value for money for every customer, it is pretty obvious that this doesn't add up given that a fairly high number of customers are reporting little of no improvement of their big problems.
Still, as long as RVers are prepared to keep throwing money at a problem that could often be solved with better maintenance, improved driving techniques, or just a basic understanding that large heavy vehicles ARE large heavy vehicles, I guess these topics will continue to appear regularly with the same mix of good and bad results
|
tony lee
|
01/26/12 09:42pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: increasing psi causing rough ride
You can assume that the temperature shown by an externally-mounted sensor is not going to bear more than a passing resemblance to the temperature of either the tyre or the air inside it - for much the same reason as an unheated room with a door open to a heated room is not going to get anywhere near the temperature of the heated room because there is almost no natural air interchange between the two. Open a window in the unheated room - analogous to the sensor whirling around in cooler ambient air - and the temperature difference will be even more extreme.
If you want to know the tyre temperature as an aid to determining correct inflation pressure, use an IR gun and be prepared to make large corrections depending on whether the tyre is in full sun or on the shady side, or how long you have been travelling and what the ambient temperature and road temperature is.
BTW, your tyres are an important part of the vehicle suspension system and provided you know the pitfalls and reasons why, you can use tyre pressure to get the best ride on any given road surface - BUT it may involve compromise. For instance - travel at high speed with normally-inflated tyres on heavily washboarded roads and you will either overheat the shock absorbers or the tyres or shake the rig to pieces. However, lower the tyre pressures to 60% AND REDUCE THE SPEED TO 50% and your rig will still be operating within the tyre manufacturers specifications and you and the rig will likely survive the experience without damage. Seems that many look at the tyre charts and miss supporting information about the part that driving speed plays in the figures.
Reported on a British forum that people ringing up for inflation pressures are being told to put the maximum sidewall pressure regardless of load - presumably on the basis that "most" motorhomes are overloaded anyway, and "most" owners can't be bothered treating their tyres correctly.
|
tony lee
|
01/26/12 08:58pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Greasing fan belt pulley
Easy enough to get at the grease point once the bed is raised and provided you have long arms.
I had to grind a small flat on the grease gun fitting so it would fit on the grease nipple.
|
tony lee
|
11/04/11 04:02pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Winterizing with Saltwater???
Could ring that company and check the facts. Might have been a misunderstanding by the salesman or the customer as to what was actually done and to what part of the system it was done to.
|
tony lee
|
11/01/11 03:34pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Montana LLC Purchase..?
If a MH is currently owned by a Montana LLC can a person buy that comany and its assets and continue operation of that company ? Has anyone here done this and know the ropes..?
Yes, easy transfer with one bit of paper for current and new owners to sign and costing a couple of hundred dollars in transfer fees. Can all be done from overseas if required and no need to ever set foot in Montana.
You can get one of the LLC brokers to do it or lodge the papers yourself.
|
tony lee
|
10/27/11 09:01am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: "Problem Class A" or is this normal?
..and that had nothing to do with the MOTORHOME.
As you can read some of these issues had nothing to do with Newmar. Appliances do fail as do all brands of chassis.
Ah, the usual excuse trotted out as if that somehow explains everything.
Last time I looked, my motorhome consisted of a chassis, couple of axles, a power plant, plus a box filled with all sorts of goodies ALL of which is specified and installed by the MOTORHOME manufacturer. Take any of these items out and it is no longer a motorhome - so everything that goes wrong IS to do with the motorhome.
A car manufacturer and dealer network can't pull the wool over the buyer's eyes by claiming this or that part was manufactured by another company so it is their fault and the customer should go and get the OEM to fix it - so why is is that buyers put up with this sort of buck-passing by motorhome builders.
The OP is correct. All of those faults were faults in his motorhome. If he has anything to be thankful for it is that the deaaler/factory did get it all right in the end. Maybe if customers had to be reimbursed for their time and expense in getting the repairs done, the factory would make a bit more effort to get things correct the first time.
|
tony lee
|
10/26/11 05:15am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Draining Air Tanks
Second, where is the air tank to drain located at. ??? I did look today as I was changing the filters.
also, I have a new Oil filter, but what kind of tool do I need to remove the oil and hydraulic filter with. ?
Thank You for your Help.
John
Yours might be different but all three tanks are right up the front just behind the front axle on mine. One lanyard is in the wheel arch and the other two in the front bin on the other side
If the filters are the spin-on cannister type, usually can be unscrewed by hand. Plenty of different tools available to do the job - or you can tie a loop in a yard of rope, wind the unlooped end clockwise around the cannister a few turns (looking from below) and then stick a long screwdriver through the loop while lightly holding tension on the other end and easily undo all but the tightest cannister.
When replacing, make sure the seat is clean and hasn't got the old gasket sticking to it, screw it up until it touches and then one more turn. Check for leaks after refilling oil and running for a while.
Hydraulic filter - don't know.
|
tony lee
|
10/15/11 07:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Hear Sparks - propane water heater not lighting
Make and model of the water heater - and a more accurate description of the click and spark sequence would help.
Other gas appliances working OK.
First trip for months or is vehicle in constant use
|
tony lee
|
10/11/11 12:41pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: Allison Runs in 5th at 52 MPH
Does your panel have an economy mode? That will give a shift slightly lower and maybe hold it in 6th a little longer - but otherwise your speeds sound normal
|
tony lee
|
10/08/11 10:27pm |
Tech Issues
|
|
RE: I-5 Weigh Station North of Olympia
Can we stop with this now? A motorcoach is a commercial bus not a MH or TT.
Hmmmmm! I think you need to read each individual sign carefully before making blanket statements.
On our recent trip from CA to AK, be passed one sign that clearly stated ALL VEHICLES OVER X0000 POUNDS MUST ENTER WEIGH STATION.
Perhaps it was in kg, I can't remember, but there was no "COMMERCIAL" on the sign.
We did as we were told and while we were waved through, it was a good chance to double check our axle loadings.
|
tony lee
|
10/03/11 11:21pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Alaska--Clockwise or Counter-Clockwise?
Far better to travel clockwise because you will travel less distance and so save fuel.
|
tony lee
|
10/03/11 06:57pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
|
|
RE: Air pressure while in storage
And from the same source of advice, if you store the vehicle on blocks with the tyres off the ground, reduce pressure to about 20% of normal
|
tony lee
|
10/03/11 06:44pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Top of the World Highway
Border agent told us that as soon as the first snowflake falls, they head out and the border is officially closed until the snow is gone and the ferry starts up again.
|
tony lee
|
10/02/11 11:20pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
|
|
RE: Cold water from hot water heater
I've been trying to devise a way of building a bypass (T on the hot line with a valve to divert water to the fresh holding tank), then use some sort of temperature sensor on the water line, shutting of the bypass, diverting the hot water to the tap and then using the sink.
Nothing worse than trying to get a few days boondocking and having to watch "gallons" of water running down the drain. I know because mine suffers the same problem.
I'm building a new camper box on the OKA that I use for desert trips back home and there water is a very major problem - lack of that is.
I'm doing what you suggest. Placing a 12V solenoid valve right at the back of the shower mixer and another one below the sink to divert water back to the tank .
Difference is that I will just have a manual pushbutton on the wall so before turning on the tap, we will just push the button for X seconds - determined from experience - and then release it and turn the tap on. I also save more water by having a water temperature tempering valve set to give the correct shower temperature and another one set for high enough for dish washing so there is no fiddling around getting the temperature correct.
Reason for not having the process automatic is to reduce complexity. If you don't want to manually start the process then you would have to add a flow switch as well. Just count to ten or whatever and let up on the button.
|
tony lee
|
10/02/11 11:14pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Battery Problem
Just curious.
Are the main positive and negative leads hooked to the battery that is good and is the one reading 8volts the one furtherest away from the battery that the main leads are hooked to?? (or is it the other way around)
If so, it may be that the connections between the first and second and second and third battery are a bit light and this is preventing the second and third batteries from getting a full charge (or resulting in the first battery being hammered when dragging heavy currents running a big inverter).
I know the effect should be only minor provided the leads are big enough but it could be a factor in your case.
It isn't possible to easily balance three batteries unless they are all connected to an external lug with identical cables, but a partial balance will be obtained by connecting the incoming positive lead to battery one and the main negative lead to battery three (with of course the normal paralleling cables connecting all three positives and all the negatives as usual.
|
tony lee
|
10/02/11 11:02pm |
Class A Motorhomes
|
|
RE: Travelling in Europe
Rig we have in Europe is a 6.5 metre long, 2.1 metre wide Class C diesel.
It also weighs less than 3.5 tonnes which is a fairly critical specification because anything bigger and you just won't get close to the centres of lots of interesting European villages. Anything longer and it won't fit in any parking space and anything wider and you will just have to stick to the freeways.
Yes, towing 4-down is technically illegal across most of the UE and while you may get away with it, you may not.
Height restriction barriers are also common, especially in England so that reduces parking opportunities even more.
England is not RV friendly, especially for those who want to boondock. Wildcamping is the equivalent term and much of it seems to take place in supermarket parking lots and council car parks. Further north you go in the UK the better but don't expect dump stations everywhere - or even anywhere for that matter.
France is one of the RV-friendliest places on earth - no need to boondock because free or low-cost aires are everywhere. Trouble is you won't be very popular if you turn up in a 35 footer expecting parking room. French RVers particularly abhor space between RVs and the general standard spacing is such that if you can open your door enough to edge out sideways, that is about right.
Fuel costs really aren't that important because the smaller vehicles and lower weights plus the greatly reduced distances you travel mean that fuel costs as a proportion of your other expenses really aren't all that excessive.
Diesel is available everywhere.
Caravans are much more common than Class A RVs in Europe
Guess it depends on where you go, but in my perception is that when driving around, motorhomes outnumber caravans by a big margin EXCEPT perhaps in caravan parks in the UK. Caravans are banned from village aires across France and are generally not fitted with the usual fixed water and waste tanks that motorhomes are.
|
tony lee
|
10/02/11 11:03am |
Class A Motorhomes
|
