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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: 83 and have hung up the keys
Over the years I have seen posts asking, when is it time to hang up the keys, well for this guy it is 82 years and 9 months. I suppose I could buy a "B" or "B +" and we could still do some traveling but it would only work for a year or two.
SNIPPED
I think the old saying about a boat owners two happiest days are buying and selling but in this case, about 02:00 am, I woke and almost cried, the memories came flooding back from our first camping trip with a borrowed tent and Coleman stove with a 4yo and a 5yo, to our last trip up to OR in Sept. in the Winnie.
I'll miss it and miss all of you, at least we did it till we just couldn't do it anymore. No more Pendleton Shirts smelling like a campfire, no more kids and grandkids giving gooey S'more kisses, no more sunrises at "Q"
To quote Bob Hope, "Thanks for the Memories".
David
David,
You have uncovered what those of us with sailboats and motorhomes know.
That two best days thing is a LIE.
A motorhome is more than just a house on a truck. A part of your life, it was home. Like sailing, you didn't just drive, you were in a perpetual participation in the travel.
I hope you have a pleasant life without the coach.
Matt_C - Sold the sailboat and wondering how soon for the coach
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Matt_Colie
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03/24/23 10:02am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Harbor Freight 1720 lb trailer
I have the 1195 version. Let me tell you that the folding capability, is not a trivial thing to take advantage of....
During assembly, they what you to bolt the folding section in places that are not all that accessible. I did it a different way.
Standing it up is at least a two person job. It can be done.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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03/23/23 10:27am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Atwood lp Stove Flame starts to die
Pmlevine.
It is pretty clear that the fuel pressure is dropping.
You can measure the pressure. All you need is a yardstick, some clear tubing and some elastic bands. Size the tuning so it can be pushed onto one of the burner jets. Use the rubber bands to hold the tubing to the yard stick. Put water in the tubing. You have just made a Manometer. A very common engineering tool.
Now, turn the gas on. The yardstick will make figuring the difference between the levels real simple. It should be 11". (Anybody that works with this will call that 11"WC - Water Column.)
Does it start out there? Yes is good.
Does it stay at that level with a burner going? No is bad.
Now you just need to find out why it isn't staying at 11". Crud in the regulator is a common issue, but seldom with anything so new. Regulators are typically not serviceable, but the are cheap to buy and replace.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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03/22/23 03:16pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: How big a toad?
Live,
I'm not sue why you are stuck on a small pick-up, but you should first talk to as many others as you can find and try to decide if you are going with a tow-dolly or a flat tow. Most of the little PU are RWD and so a dolly requires extra work to drop the drive shaft. Some that are 4WD have a T-case with a neural so can be flat towed.
I think a lot more research will be required before you lay out any cash.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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03/19/23 08:47am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Camping With Toddlers
One extra recommendation that has nothing to do with sleeping accommodations....
Put some kind of a look on the camper door that the kid can't reach or manipulate.
A friend's eldest decided to go for a midnight walk. Fortunately things were contained and there were no real issues except to the parent's nerves.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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03/14/23 06:19pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Windows Media Player problems
DD716TED,
You are talking about Windows11 here....
I is my duly considered opinion that all bets are off.
In my case a similar problem was caused by the system storing things other than where I told it to do so. In that case, when I went looking for the file (picture, song or cartoon) the system could not find it because it was not where it thought I should have put it. But NO, I put it where I wanted it and it got even with me by not wanting to even look there.
I don't love Windows. The offerings in Linux still have issues.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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02/21/23 02:51pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Has anyone camped at Willowtree RV Resort in SC?
Ruthless,
I suggest that you find out whatever RV Park Reviews is called now and get used to reading them. Some people (like me) put in the effort to write these reviews so you can have the good information.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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02/21/23 02:33pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Laser printer/scanner recommendation?
For about six years, what is now our RV was my office (and more). I have had a color laser in the home office all that time and loved it, but it is power hungry and huge. Admittedly, I always saved the big printing jobs for when I got home, but having the multi-function onboard was a terrific help.
Toner for the laser lasts a long time, but is also seriously expensive.
Ink for the little ink jet is also expensive, but this one has the print head as part of the cartridge. This is good and bad. That makes them expensive, but it also means that if a print head clogs, you can try cleaning it really fast (about a 50% success rate), or change it out to get on with the required printing.
Space and storeage in the coach are at a premium. The ink jet could stow its cables (it was not wireless), and it could run off the tiny inverter forever (we didn't have the big inverter then). It lived under the towels in the linnen cabinet when not in use. This was all in Michigan and I never had a cartridge dry out before it ran out.
You are going to have to do your own market research, because both of my printers are out of production.
Before you get too far along, look at your schedule C and remember that you can deduct the cost of the printer and supplies right up front.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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02/11/23 08:40am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Denver to Grand Rapids in February
Hedgehopper,
While I-70 is a pretty good choice for the run east, going north that close to the lake shore this time of year is always a risk. The truck under the TC may be 4WD, but that does not get you around the car that is stuck in front of you.
So, keep a close watch on the weather and maybe I-69 to Lansing is the choice, but you can save a lot of miles if the weather is nice and you go north farther west.
Best of luck
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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02/11/23 08:21am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: New here! 1986 Holiday Rambler Alternator
Evelyn,
Simple start of a diagnostic tree:
If it doesn't start after sitting, it is the batteries.
Charge the batteries.
If it still doesn't start, look for a bad connection to the starter.
If it started once and will not start 3~6 days later, you have a parasitic load killing the batteries.
If you take it somewhere and it doesn't want to start to come home, that can be the alternator.
If the lights get dim when running at night, that it the alternator.
Early in the game, buy a plug in the lighter volt meter. Running you should see 13.5~14.5 Volts. After sitting should be 12.5~12.6. After three days, it should still say ~12.5.
Cranking, the thing should stay over 10.0 Volts. If it drops below that, you have a problem that needs to be identified.
The year 454 should have a 27SI alternator. They come in lots of flavors. If it has a single sheave pulley, do not install a replacement that is over 100 amp because it can make short work of that single belt.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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02/05/23 04:09pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Windows license scam
At one time our house land line was my business phone. When a call comes in that is not marked as "Spam", I may answer it if I am at my desk. When I pick up the handset, I answer as if it is still the business line.
Often, there will be a long pause and then a "Boop". I am told that "Boop" is when the call get transferred from the dialing system to a person.
The person will often ask if they have me. At this time I sound very annoyed and tell the unfortunate that I had given my name when I picked up the phone and maybe they should listen. My next remark is "What are you selling?"
I too enjoy (when I have the time) stringing them along as much as I can with the hope that fewer people will be disturbed by them today.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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02/05/23 09:42am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Tough Week
We understand. There are seven empty places in our hearts. When we get another, that empty place remains but the new fuzzy makes it a little softer.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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02/03/23 10:54am |
RV Pet Stop
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RE: GMC Class A
Oh Hedgehopper,
Grab something and hold on tight.....
If you are literate and either are or willing to become a effective technician, a GMC (TZE) can be a real effective investment. If you are not willing to do at least the required regular maintenance, I have to suggest that you reconsider, they can get very expensive real fast - just like any big toy.
Of the nearly 13,000 built, about 8000 are still on the road after almost 50 years. A few years back, we did a 11,400 mile travel season and the only repair required enroute was a broke drawer slide.
We do have a line on the community that keeps proving true:
A reliable and ready to travel coach will cost you about 35K$us. That is all at once or as a kit. (What I always have to add is that sweat is credited at full shop rate.) Shop rate in most of the USA is over 100$/hr these days and nothing on a GMC is all that fast. If you don't have a good place to work on it yourself, that can be a hindrance. If you do the work yourself, it can get done right the first time and with that 100$/hr credit, you can afford the tools to do it. Oh, and all of the service documentation can be downloaded. Plus that, there are three really good companies that can supply any part you may need.
Truth be told, our coach is in my barn for the winter and I don't want to drive it over the salt or we could take off tomorrow without a worry. As we pull out of the drive next, the Odo will roll over 180K. She is a 73 23ft Glacier and largely original.
I do have two suggestions before you go too far:
Find and read the two GMC groups GMCnet and GMC Forum. You will find a lot of trip reports that include problems, but when you read those look at all the other names on the board and realize that there are a lot of us out there going a lot of miles that don't write about the problems we didn't have.
Next, under GMCMI, locate a local chapter (of the 16 in north America) and make contact with them and get to a rally so you can see working coaches in the flesh and talk to the owners.
What really makes those coaches so worth owning is for the class, but the community of helping and supportive people all over. They make doing what it takes all very worth your while.
One place to not count on for good help is Face Book. There are several groups there, but I have seen not just wrong, but dangerous answers to asked questions. This includes salvageable coaches that got sent to scrape because the owner took bad advice.
I could go on, but it is a long day and I am tired.
See the picture in the sigfile? That was 2000 miles from home and a marvelous excursion, but not our longest by any stretch.
Edit(Opps, that was not the picture I thought it was. That one was only about 600 miles. The picture was supposed to be us near Devil's tower.)
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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01/24/23 05:50pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: time to replace brakes?
Time,
Ignoring the fact that your conversion to fractions sucks, brake pads are cheap. Labor is expensive on the road. A brake failure is even more expensive. Makes it a simple choice to me.
Now, you measured a pad at 0.080? A 1/16 is 0.0625. That does not leave a lot of margin.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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01/19/23 01:30pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Roadtrip by car vs RV, a couple of thoughts...
Captain,
Thank you for the wonderful report with complete real cost breakdowns. While it substantially confirms what my numbers have told me, the thing you did not get into (which is a lot of our case) is that many of the places we have seen and enjoyed do not have any local accommodations.
As far as fly-drive, I have to admit that Hawai'i has a lock there.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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01/14/23 04:20pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Multiple access points?
If I am sure what you are asking, if you have multiple access points will something connected to those access point change to the one with the best signal without any intervention on the users part??
Simple answer is .... NO.
Devices using any type of access point all have to be configured to attach to a single access point. It may be that if the signal of a specific access point is lost, a good system might try to attach to another, but unless it was previously configured to use another access point it can't "free-lance"
WiFi systems can be configured for multiple access points, but none I have managed have ever gone off and selected the best signal. One may go looking if a signal is lost, but unless it was previously configured to "automatically connect to the access point that it does find, it will just stare at you and ask if you want to go there.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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01/12/23 02:49pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: generator fuel line
David,
Just like tires, rubber lines have a life of about 10~15 years.
This also goes for fuel, coolant and brake lines.
Matt - has had the same coach long enough to replace all of them.
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Matt_Colie
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01/11/23 10:00am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Park pet peeves, Park owner’s turn
As for some people not being suited to work with the public, spend enough hours doing it and I would bet everyone would have times they like to strangle a customer or two even knowing it was going to take a lot of time and effort to bury the bodies. The fact they don’t is a testament to their dedication to their job.
I just could not let this go by without a BTDT.
Matt - Worked in warranty with both Aftermarket and OE.
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Matt_Colie
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01/10/23 10:10am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: breaker 15 / 20
We are very fortunate that NEMA came up with the standard 1" breaker in the early 70's. Prior to that time panel makers had type exclusive breakers so that was what you were stuck with forever. That is, unless you replaced that panel with one that can accept the NEMA 1". I have done this in several places one was my barn that had a WhoKnows panel and no spare breakers were available.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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01/07/23 10:54am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Park pet peeves, Park owner’s turn
I am afraid that I have been on the parkowner's side of this more than a few times. He has very few tools at his disposal short of evicting the offender. He has mentioned the expected result there. I, very personally, had a situation occur that I confronted an offender literally in front of the sign that prohibited his activity. His "It's a Free Country" response was not appreciated. Fortunately, this man never came back. We can't always be so lucky.
Matt
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Matt_Colie
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01/07/23 10:36am |
General RVing Issues
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