Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?

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Topic: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 09/26/15 10:15pm

toedtoes wrote:

Unlike Daisy, this one will need to be smogged in California.

I've brought several old trucks back up to passing IM (smog) tests, mostly undoing what previous owners had done or doing neglected maintenance. In Alaska, vehicles only had to pass IM if you're going to use them in the winter, otherwise you can get a seasonal sticker that is good for summer use only.

The local IM office is required by law to have and provide all the detailed information needed to pass IM, consisting primarily of copies of pages from the manufacturers' repair manuals that are expensive and often only provided to dealerships.

These pages are provide free of charge and are specific to each and every year, make, model, engine, and so forth. (Meaning you don't have to sort through information to determine what applies to your vehicle.) The information the IM office is required to provide includes all applicable OEM part numbers, which make it easy to find the correct parts by using parts stores' cross-reference searches.

They look up and provide the information based on your VIN, so it is specific to your vehicle. However, in the case of motorhomes, you need the chassis VIN if it differed from the registration VIN. (Finding correct parts for your motorhome is the main reason why I harp on determining the chassis VIN.)

Passing IM was a bit of a hassle but I miss the local IM office since it closed when the Fairbanks North Star borough opted out of the IM program. It was a very handy source of the detailed information I needed to keep vehicles tuned up and running in top condition. Now, I have to contact the Anchorage office, where the program is still in effect. Unfortunately, the extent of their computer "expertise" is limited to knowing which buttons to push so I'm forced to having a friend pick up and mail the copies whenever I need them.

Assuming the California program is run the same way as Alaska's program, you should be able to get all the information you need to pass the tests from the government office(s).

1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A

Posted By: 76lindy on 10/01/15 04:31am

Hello there,

I have a 19 inch Dodge B300 Lindy sportsman 360 engine motorhome. I am looking for towing capacity... I don't know if anyone othere with the same type of motorhome has towed a small car? or maybe do you know the exact number of up to how much could I pull with my motorhome without damaging it.

Regards

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/01/15 02:27pm

76lindy wrote:

Off the top of my head, I'd say you have the same towing capacity as a 1-ton Dodge van or pickup. Taking into account the weight of the coach, I wouldn't exceed much more than 3/4 of that amount.

I can't be sure but I think towing a toad might be pushing what your motorhome is capable of. You might be okay on flat land but could experience difficulty in hilly and mountainous areas.

Dodge technicians, via the internet (not the local dealer), may be able to help you. Likewise, one of the manufacturers of towing equipment may be able to guide you.

If you do try this, you'll definitely want to make sure you change your tranny fluid and filter at least yearly. You might also want to install a transmission temp gauge and keep an eye on it. Depending on what the gauge says, and where you travel, you may also want to install a secondary tranny fluid cooler, to supplement the one in the radiator.

Also, keeping the engine tuned up and regular oil/filter changes, based on severe service schedules, will help alleviate the effects of the strain on the engine.

You will want to change the engine oil and filter at least every 6 months and, preferably, every three months. (Ignore oil change frequency based on mileage and rely solely on the calendar for frequency.) You could extend the time between oil changes ONLY if you haven't been using it and the oil was changed within three months of the last use.

Note: The engine in my daily driver van has over 500,000 miles on it and is still running strong, largely due to following the above oil change plan.

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/01/15 02:37pm

Everybody -

I've been off the air for three days due to a large winter snow storm dumping over a foot of snow on us and taking out electricity, internet, and phone service (both landline and cell service).

This is the second big snow storm in a week, which is unusual this time of year. Based on long range weather forecast, most of snow should melt off in a roughly a week, so I should be able to get back to work on the house. We probably won't get a winter-long base of snow until Halloween or later.

Haven't been able to do anything for last several days, other than using up a tablet of paper doing things I usually do on the computer.

Posted By: Ballenxj on 10/01/15 03:43pm

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Stay warm, stay dry, and above all, stay safe. See ya when you can.

Downsizing ">

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/01/15 04:34pm

Ballenxj wrote:

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Stay warm, stay dry, and above all, stay safe. See ya when you can.

Obviously, I'm back on the air, based on the fact I'm posting here.

Staying warm isn't a problem. The 16'x16' we're living in is (fairly) well insulated and was originally outfitted for off-grid use, with electrical service installed quite a few years after we moved in. We still have the (too large) wood stove, one propane light, and a propane heater that takes in outside air and vents fumes outside through the wall. (We did, eventually, replace the propane refrigerator with an electric.) Unfortunately, we haven't yet gotten around to refilling the propane tanks so we made do with the wood stove, flashlights, candles, and oil lamps.

Just like old times, with a bit less of the sex we used for entertainment back then.

The lack of landline and cell phone service worried my wife because I had a heart attack over a decade ago and shoveling snow often leads to heart attacks for people in my situation. (Yes, I did shovel snow but paced myself to avoid over-exertion.)

My next task on the house involves using the table saw and those things don't cut worth a **** without electricity. (I seriously considered making the cuts with my Japanese pull-saw, just to give myself something productive to do ... besides harassing the wife.)

Outdoor temperatures are hovering around freezing right now and expected to climb back into the high 30s and low- to mid-40s in a few days. Most Alaskans consider anything above zero to be perfectly fine outdoor weather and even, to varying degrees. include subzero temperatures.

Lack of internet was most frustrating because we weren't able to find out if Congress had shut down the government or not. So, I didn't know if I'd get my military retirement pay and VA disability compensation. With, as far as we knew, only $115 left in the checking account, we weren't sure if we'd be able to buy our usual monthly supply of food.

The continuing resolution just postpones the uncertainty about receiving pay I earned and compensation I'm entitled to until the Christmas and New Year's season. (I would wish the members of Congress a Merry Christmas, taking into account theirs will definitely be better than ours.)

* This post was edited 10/01/15 04:40pm by Griff in Fairbanks *

Posted By: Ballenxj on 10/01/15 05:05pm

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Ballenxj wrote:

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Stay warm, stay dry, and above all, stay safe. See ya when you can.

And you're sticking to that story of shoveling snow causing a heart attack?

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

My next task on the house involves using the table saw and those things don't cut worth a **** without electricity.

Break out the squirrel cage, squirrels, and V belt. I'll bet you can come up with something.
About the good folks in Congress, please don't get me started, as I for one think all professional politicians should serve two terms. One in office, and one in prison.

Posted By: Griff in Fairbanks on 10/01/15 07:12pm

Ballenxj wrote:

And you're sticking to that story of shoveling snow causing a heart attack?

Only in terms of other people. The cardiologist (best in the north Pacific) couldn't find any physical reason for the heart attack. After an in-depth discussion with me, he determined it was due primarily to excess stress.

To be perfectly honest and up front, the heart attack was a suicide attempt. Due to my mental condition and things happening in my life at the time, I deliberately let stress build up to the point where it triggered the heart attack.

I knew what was happening at the time and deliberately didn't anything to reduce the internal stress I was experiencing. I was aware, for several hours, that I was experiencing a heart attack that was steadily growing in intensity and ignored it. When it reached the point where I was experiencing severe pain in my limbs, I spent quite a bit of time debating whether I should get help or just let it happen. At that time, I was in the Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI) dormitory and the fact my body might be discovered by one of the young people attending RAHI is the only thing that caused me to get help. (I was serving as a volunteer tutor for RAHI.)

I have been suffering from chronic depression and fighting suicidal urges since my early teens. It started when my first girlfriend's parents made her break up with me. Unlike many teen breakups, it wasn't puppy love ... I honestly and genuinely loved her because our relationship was based on close friendship. (The physical aspect of our relationship never progress pass kissing, although she expressed in interest in taking things further.)

Several weeks following that breakup, I received word that my father was missing and presumed drowned. (He was on a moose=hunting trip in Ontario at the time.) It was over three long, traumatic weeks before his body was found and recovered.

Those two back-to-back events, combined with what I experienced as a six-year-old when my younger brother died, caused one of my mental heath therapists to determine a form of PTSD is a significant part of my chronic depression.

It's worth noting that many people are surprised to learn I am suffering from, and receiving treatment for, chronic depression. This is because I've learned to do a very good job of concealing my condition. Concealment is not unusual among people suffering from depression, primarily because they don't want to let their condition affect those around them and because they want avoid the stigma attached to adverse mental health conditions. This is why many cases of suicide are such a shock to people around them when they happen.

The cardiologist did perform angioplasty and installed two cardiac stents. However, an extended period of mental health therapy is the reason I haven't suffered a recurrence in the decade and a half since that first heart attack. Frequent counseling sessions are the primary reason I've been able to get my condition under control and manage its ongoing effects. I have also been taking medication but it has a much smaller, less effective role in my therapy.

I tend to be very up front about my condition, in the right settings, to tell people what they're experiencing is not uncommon, is nothing to be ashamed of, and to demonstrate that they should seek treatment instead of quietly suffering from its effects.

The fact that various events during my military career aggravated my depression is why the VA "granted" me a rating of 30% service-connected disability for chronic depression. This rating is based on the presumption that, on average, three out of every ten days are shot to hell due to my condition.

The VA is required, by law, to provide treatment for recognized service-connected disabilities. Unfortunately, their "treatment" has been mostly limited to prescribing medications, which has proven to be only marginally effective, mostly serving only to limit the symptoms rather than actually treating the condition. For real treatment, I've had to rely primarily on the much more effective mental health counseling provide by non-profit organizations not connected to the VA.

Equally unfortunate is the fact actions by VA bureaucrats and pencil-pushers have actually seriously aggravated my condition, far in excess of the marginal treatment the VA has begrudged me.

Likewise, VA disability compensation, in my case, is a joke. The amount of compensation I supposedly receive for service-connected disabilities is taken, dollar for dollar, out of my military retirement pay. To the annoyance of many people, I refer to this as the "Military Retirees Disability Penalty clause" because I feel like I'm being penalized for expecting compensation for disabilities incurred or aggravated while serving in the military.

Enough depressing information ...

I have pointed out to my wife that sex is a well-known means of relieving stress and would go a long ways towards preventing another heart attack. She doesn't buy it. So, I have to resort to old fashion means, such as cuddling, to encourage her participation. (In spite of over 38 years of marriage to an often impossible spouse, she's not adverse to intimacy ... she just doesn't buy the stress relief justification.)

Ballenxj wrote:

Break out the squirrel cage, squirrels, and V belt. I'll bet you can come up with something.

If I was really concerned about power outages, I'd get the 4.8 kilowatt generator I have sitting in the yard running again. Instead, I just find some other productive activity, that doesn't involve electricity, to keep me busy until power comes back on.

Ballenxj wrote:

About the good folks in Congress, please don't get me started, as I for one think all professional politicians should serve two terms. One in office, and one in prison.

Sorry, I cannot agree with term limits, although I do appreciate your suggestion for a second term for some of the people serving in Congress.

Assume you're the owner or manager of a business. Would you consider firing someone who's been doing good (or, arguably, excellent) work just because they'd been with the company for a certain period? It wouldn't make very good business sense.

We, the voters, hire and employ the people in Congress. We need to retain the productive ones and get rid of (vote out of the office) the dead-weights and obstructionists, without consideration for how long they've been in office. On this basis, I have to believe term limits could very well be more detrimental than productive.

Posted By: Ballenxj on 10/01/15 07:35pm

Sorry to hear about your Father, and the lost love. Some folks just don't get the fact that a lost love can be akin to the death of a loved one. [emoticon]

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:

Now we are really mixing productive and non productive. [emoticon]

I guess one of the things that really irks me is the fact that most politicians get a Golden parachute, that they voted for themselves by the way, while vets such as yourself that have served this once great country, but have to sweat it from pay check to pay check.
About that squirrel cage, I think it would be a whole lot quieter than the gas fed one. [emoticon]

Posted By: Phantom59 on 10/01/15 08:09pm

76lindy wrote:

Not sure what you're toad weights but I have been towing a trailer behind my 20' honey class C for years that weighs well over 3500# with no problems. The original 360 has been warmed up a bit but I have never had a problem. It will actually pull Mounteagle at 60 if I push it hard.

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