let me start by saying Hi! and a little back ground info, a couple yrs ago my mom got a bug about gettind a Rv, she and her husband never had one and never even camped, but they just had to have one , I tried to talk them into just renting one for a week of camping and go from there, they didn't, they did an impulse buy(which drives me nuts) and bought a 99 Winnibago Cheiftain 35' , they went and drove it around the parking lot and bought it, uggg, well they drove it 5 1/2 hrs to our house and got out of it and HATED it, they were spooked by the size, needless to say they returned a few months later because the shore power did not work. And left it with me, they dont want it , and i am a tinkerer by nature ( i work on commercial jets for the last 24 yrs),. I really hate to see anything go to waste so I talked to them about future plans with it , they told me to do what i thought was best,I thought well let me go thru it and see how it looks and so far i found it had no hook up stuff( hoses, dump stuff) so I purchased that stuff, talked to my better half and the wheels started spinning, I said "you know we got 4 little kids ( 8yo - 7 yo - 4 yo - 3yo)this might turn out to be a blessing in disguies with some work and a little(more) money" we agreed and started going thru the rv fixing and improving things and even scheduled 3 trips to some state parks within 3 hrs of our house this summer, so far i replaced the power switching unit - that fixed the shore power problem, and went thru tightning loose screws/ bolts, being its age it had a few loose ones ,upgraded some vent fans,inverter, but over all it was in OK shape( except where my moms husband clipped the rear bumper with the tail swing,got some cracks in the skirt, I still would have never paid what they paid for it, Im am trying to make something good out of a bad decision and i think we can make it work. The biggest set back was when i looked/researched the tires, looked at the code and "my o my" that thing is still on the original tires with 46k on them and what 14 yo, that is going in monday to have a new set of tires put on ASAP. So my mom is very interested in what i am doing and her husband could give a rip he would rather sit inside and watch tv( no offence intended if thats your bag) but we are trying to get it road ready and head to Edisto Island SC in a couple weeks and trying to convince my mom to come on the trip and hang out with us and especially with the grandkids( they LOVE their Nana), My wife and i have been working our tails off for the last several years, aka never taking ANY vacation! well our kids are too quickly growing up and time is really starting to slip by and my wife had a close call on an emergency medical issue a couple months ago, we had a long discussion about how we have been running the rat race and darnit it is time to let some of that stuff go and start building memories, money/life issues will be there weather we are working ourselfs to death or making memories with each other and our wonderful children , so we are choosing memories and i / we beleive that this RV is gonna be the vehicle that takes us some/ if not most of the way, we are starting to get excited about the family times ahead, I think its gonna work out great for our situation, shoot with 4 kids hotels / condos really seem expensive now a days, not that there is no cost with RV's but there is a lot to be said about sleeping in YOUR bed and using your OWN bathroom, the one question i had was with all the people I have in the rv and with the little ones quickly growing, Is the seperate mobile black water tank a good thing to have? like the old addage " better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it"

Congrats on the new 'inherited' RV, it sounds like you have a good plan going on!Safe Travels!MM.

Welcome to the RV world and this forum. It seems like you are getting everything under control. Your experience working on jets will be of great value. There is an immense amount of information available on these forums and some true experts on just about every subject hanging around to offer help. And a search function to look around with on just about any subject.I'll offer a couple of suggestions up front. Check for water leaks. Get up on that roof and inspect all the caulking. Poke at it a bit to be sure it's actually sealing. Check your window frames, etc.Then some day when you have lots of time get underneath that chassis and spend lots of time looking around. Inspect everything very carefully. Look for rubbing fluid lines and any wiring showing problems. You will probably find lots of things that need to be corrected.Regarding a separate black tank. That does not seem to be very common at all, but then you will have to pretty quickly learn to conserve, conserve, conserve, water. It's an art to be leaned when not camping with full hookups.But for now go have some fun.

Normally it's the gray water that accumulates quickly and may have to be dumped daily. This can be handled by a 20 or 30 gallon tank on wheels that can be pulled to the dump station, usually by a car. It's a lot of weight to do it by hand, but can be done especially if the tank has four wheels.The black water tank usually lasts a number of days before needing to be emptied. It is normally emptied by driving the rig to the dump station or, if available, having a mobile service do it.For maximum convenience, choose a site with full hookups.Have fun with your new hobby. It is the best family memory-maker on wheels.

We have had an RV for over 20 years. Our kids were camping with us at 4 weeks old. Oldest now 21 and youngest 16. They have learned how to respect the land. Seen far more than any of their friends and know more about how RVs work than many adults.I expect them to continue to camp for the rest of their lives. Nothing but good can come from spending this quality time with your kids.Many of our friends joined in after seeing us enjoy ourselves so much, but it took them 10 years and their kids were half grown.Good luck to you and you will never regret your decision.Pogoil.

More To See wrote:Regarding a separate black tank. That does not seem to be very common at all, but then you will have to pretty quickly learn to conserve, conserve, conserve, water. It's an art to be leaned when not camping with full hookups.But for now go have some fun.The last RV I had without a seperate black tank was my '69 Layton TT. A seperate black tank is standard on modern RVs. Along with the tires I would recommend a complete flush of the brake fluid. Brake fluid will accumulate moisturre. That is one of the biggest rerasons for brakie faillure. Moisture (water) can boil when hot and you can compress a vapor but not a fluid. The moisture will also permit corrosion on the internal brake parts. At that age I would also check the rubber brake lines. Enjoy with the family. We took our 3 children with us and some of the Grandchildren.

newby sorry long winded | Good Sam Community

KarenS144
Explorer
May 31, 2013
Congrats! You are so right about making memories with your kids. My parents camped across country in a tent dragging 3 kids and sometimes a grandma. We upgraded to a pop up and did it a couple of more times as well as camped in parks through out Kentucky. Ohhh...the memories! Dad is gone now but I'm pretty sure he sits around the campfires with us when we're camping.

It sounds like you've got things pretty well under control and can fix most things (which is an essential skill when RVing!) Replacing the tires is so very important so it's good that you're getting that done before putting your family in it.

Are you planning on towing a 2nd vehicle? We did a year w/o a toad and while we managed, there were times when we really wished we had another vehicle. It's a real PITA to have to unhook and pack stuff away just to run to the store to get what you forgot....and we don't have skin-kids!

Grey water tanks fill quickly! Conserve...conserve...and CONSERVE. Black tanks usually fill a lot slower but with kids, you're still going to have to be careful. Remember water is the black tank's friend so you really shouldn't cut back on the amount of water used when the toilet is flushed. Sometimes, I use a dishpan to wash dishes in then dump the soapy water down the toilet.

What I would suggest before you take off for a weekend, is to camp in the RV in your drive. Pretend you're 3 hours away and see how you get along. Keep a list of how many times you have to go to the house to get something you forgot.

Have fun!
KazooTom
Explorer
May 31, 2013
It sounds like you have your situation well in hand, and ready to create some wonderful lasting memories for your family. How about posting some pictures for us?

If you have a chance you might go to the winnebago web site (www.winnebagoind.com) and check out the resources section. There you will find all sorts of information available for your unit. Wiring diagrams, plumbing etc. You can even get older brochures with the original specs for your motorhome. There is even an area where you can input your VIN and get a file listing every part (down to the last nut and bolt) that was used to build your unit. There is also another forum site (www.irv2.com) that has a Winnebago specific forum and several for the chassis.

If you haven't already committed to a tire deal, you may want to check out the Michelin Advantage plan offered by FMCA for pricing. You can view sample pricing on www.fmca.com without being a member. To use the plan you must join. I just replaced 6 tires under the plan and saved roughly $600, far above the cost of membership.

For now, go out and enjoy!!!
spritz_55423
Explorer
May 31, 2013
Po-Jo
Just a little history:
We joined a car club years ago with the hopes of finding a old car and last summer I found one that was all redone one of the guys in the car club had it but never saw him drive it at any of the shows. We went to look at it and it was a beauty. 1964 Deville Covert. In the guys driveway was a 1984 Pace Arrow 30ft,454 4bbl all dirty and looking rough the guy had had a stoke a few years ago and was selling some of his toys, anyhow we bought the caddie and drove it home. A month had gone by all the while I was thinking about that MH so I called him again asked him if was for sale and he said yes. We drove back out there and test drove it and there was some exhaust noise and the more I looked at it I thought it sure would look nice after a buff job so I bought it. It took a week of pressure washing and rubbing compound and then a coat of wax.
It turned out better than I had thought. The interior just needed a good cleaning and that was a breeze compared to the buffing. Got the exhaust fixed and a few other little items.
We put almost 4000 miles on it last summer and only had one little mishap and that was a clogged fuel filter. I can't wait to go this season. I just wish the snow would go away but hey its got a furnace and it works great. So maybe I'll push ahead a week or too who knows.
Tim.
ps I think the MH got drove more than the caddie did!!!! No now I know the MH got driven more than the caddie and so far this season the MH is still getting driven more. Just wish I could find a trailer that the caddie fit in, its 19 feet long:h Welcome and have fun.
wannavolunteerF
Explorer
May 31, 2013
before you invest in a portable waste tank, go to a few parks with full hookups. Most private parks in GA have sewer connections and some of the state parks do. with your little ones you are likely to fill your gray tanks very quickly unless you use park showers and teach the kids water conservation. all the GA state parks I have been to have acceptable showers.. and they generally have larger water heaters so I can take longer. I have used my tank once in several years of camping. that was in state park with no sewer connections. Using my shower instead of campground and a friend was staying with me who had never RV'ed before. Not sure where you are, but there are several GA Power parks around that are quite nice too. There are also a few local parks that are nice little known places to visit. As my profile says I am in SWGA, feel free to PM me for park suggestions or questions about places to go.
Matt_Colie
Explorer II
May 31, 2013
Po-Jo,

The first and most important lesson I think you may have already learned....
-When You find your life being run by the rat race, Let the Rats Win.

I have been traveling (mostly by boat) all my life and dragged the family along for a lot of it. The kids (now have kids) and still tell the stories.

When it comes to dealing with old stuff (see the sig) note that anything rubber or plastic can just age out on its own. So, be ready to replace all the belts, hoses and seals.

So far this year, we have put about 5k miles on our old coach with one unscheduled stop for minor repair and and other to make adjustments. We have another 10k scheduled and we haven't finished making plans. 14 is not old, but if you take care of it and do the required maintenance, it might get to be old and problem free.

Matt
PastorCharlie
Explorer
May 31, 2013
If the tires had been neglected for 14 years you can consider all other maintenance has also been neglected, i.e. tune up, oil changes, filters, belts, cooling system, trans fluid change, etc.

It is recommended to buy a MH insurance policy...it is highly recommended to have ERS insurance for those times when something happens away from home and leaves you sitting along the roadside.

I have found the Good Sam ERS to be very good and great people to deal with.
Daveinet
Explorer
May 31, 2013
One huge word of caution. Once your kids travel in an RV, you can never go back, regardless of what the future brings. You are training them at a young age to travel by RV. Once that happens, you are stuck. Watching TV, not stopping for potty breaks, playing video games, eating while rolling. They will not ever be willing to give that up. So realize your first trip will be a major commitment to long term RVing. Your RV is smaller than your house, so everyone needs to adjust to the space, and give room for each other. Hopefully you have figured out your long term sleeping arrangements. Right now while they are young, it doesn't matter, but in a few years, it will.
As everyone says, the black water tank probably has plenty of capacity. We only have 23 gallons for black water. For 4 of us, it has never been a problem. Grey water was 27, which was way small. I replaced it with a 40, which is not bad. For us, we will go about 4 days. Having to break camp once in a single week long trip to empty is not all that bad. I would not bother with a portable tank. Washing dishes uses more water than anything else - plan to use disposable kitchenware.
fla-gypsy
Explorer
May 31, 2013
Thanks for rescuing an old RV. A seperate waste tank is more important for gray water collection than black water but is relevant to on board tank sizes. There is some great camping available down here in Florida as well as SC. Have fun with it.
Nomadac
Explorer
May 31, 2013
Po-Jo wrote:
let me start by saying Hi! and a little back ground info, a couple yrs ago my mom got a bug about gettind a Rv, she and her husband never had one and never even camped, but they just had to have one , I tried to talk them into just renting one for a week of camping and go from there, they didn't, they did an impulse buy(which drives me nuts) and bought a 99 Winnibago Cheiftain 35' , they went and drove it around the parking lot and bought it, uggg, well they drove it 5 1/2 hrs to our house and got out of it and HATED it, they were spooked by the size, needless to say they returned a few months later because the shore power did not work. And left it with me, they dont want it , and i am a tinkerer by nature ( i work on commercial jets for the last 24 yrs),. I really hate to see anything go to waste so I talked to them about future plans with it , they told me to do what i thought was best,I thought well let me go thru it and see how it looks and so far i found it had no hook up stuff( hoses, dump stuff) so I purchased that stuff, talked to my better half and the wheels started spinning, I said "you know we got 4 little kids ( 8yo - 7 yo - 4 yo - 3yo)this might turn out to be a blessing in disguies with some work and a little(more) money" we agreed and started going thru the rv fixing and improving things and even scheduled 3 trips to some state parks within 3 hrs of our house this summer, so far i replaced the power switching unit - that fixed the shore power problem, and went thru tightning loose screws/ bolts, being its age it had a few loose ones ,upgraded some vent fans,inverter, but over all it was in OK shape( except where my moms husband clipped the rear bumper with the tail swing,got some cracks in the skirt, I still would have never paid what they paid for it, Im am trying to make something good out of a bad decision and i think we can make it work. The biggest set back was when i looked/researched the tires, looked at the code and "my o my" that thing is still on the original tires with 46k on them and what 14 yo, that is going in monday to have a new set of tires put on ASAP. So my mom is very interested in what i am doing and her husband could give a rip he would rather sit inside and watch tv( no offence intended if thats your bag) but we are trying to get it road ready and head to Edisto Island SC in a couple weeks and trying to convince my mom to come on the trip and hang out with us and especially with the grandkids( they LOVE their Nana), My wife and i have been working our tails off for the last several years, aka never taking ANY vacation! well our kids are too quickly growing up and time is really starting to slip by and my wife had a close call on an emergency medical issue a couple months ago, we had a long discussion about how we have been running the rat race and darnit it is time to let some of that stuff go and start building memories, money/life issues will be there weather we are working ourselfs to death or making memories with each other and our wonderful children , so we are choosing memories and i / we beleive that this RV is gonna be the vehicle that takes us some/ if not most of the way, we are starting to get excited about the family times ahead, I think its gonna work out great for our situation, shoot with 4 kids hotels / condos really seem expensive now a days, not that there is no cost with RV's but there is a lot to be said about sleeping in YOUR bed and using your OWN bathroom, the one question i had was with all the people I have in the rv and with the little ones quickly growing, Is the seperate mobile black water tank a good thing to have? like the old addage " better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it"

I recommend in future posts you use short paragraphs for easier reading. Not to be critical, but I hope you work on Commercial Jets is better than your writing skills. JMO
KarenS144
Explorer
May 31, 2013
Nomadac wrote:

I recommend in future posts you use short paragraphs for easier reading. Not to be critical, but I hope you work on Commercial Jets is better than your writing skills. JMO

Really?

I'mgonnahaftawriteyournamedownandseehowmanypostbeforeyoufindsomethingtocriticize. i'mguessingyoubelongtotheoldgeezerclub. Incaseyoucan'treadjthati'lltranslate:

I'm going to have to write your name down and see how many posts to a thread before you find something to criticize. I'm guessing you belong to the old geezer club. In case you can't read that, I'll translate.

WTG, Nomadac. Great way to make the newbies feel welcome.

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