First trip, some advice wanted

Glad things went well and thanks for the pics.

Doug

Great pictures. I always like to see someone pictures from the trip.
Glad you had a good time, many more!

Great story and pics!

Just got back from the trip and it went well, with just a few hiccups. Thanks to the advice I received I did get new tires, all of the other mechanicals on the RV were up to date and I had a large stack of service receipts from the previous owner to verify.

Everything in the Jayco worked great - good heat, hot water, cold fridge, good plumbing, etc. We did bring a small space heater and just used the propane when sleeping, the combo kept us plenty warm, temps overnight ranged from 9 to 37 degrees. Not a lot of condensation buildup overnight. We kept the fresh water tank full and just used that instead of a city water connection. It was just me and my 13 year old son and we both had a blast.

Eastern Oregon is very remote, we spent the first night in Prineville, the 2nd in Frenchglen and the 3rd in John Day. One puzzling thing was my mileage, only SIX mpg! I had a feeling something was up with that and sure enough on the 2nd day I found out what it was. Were were outside Frenchglen (population 12) and lost power when climbing a 14 degree grade. I pulled over and checked the ATF and fuel filter and they were both fine. We managed to limp into the one street town and were lucky to find a local who let us park overnight and even ran out a power cord to us.

That night I did some research online and found that many Ford 460's had a problem with plugged catalytic converters. The symptoms were exactly like mine. The next morning our local host and I cut out the cat and sure enough it had chunks of broken honeycomb plugging it up. We used a 4 foot spike to clear out the content and re-installed. What are the odds of meeting someone way out in the middle of nowhere with an acetylene torch and stick welder? I felt VERY fortunate. 2 hours later we were back on the road. Mileage improved to 10 mpg. Now we're back home and I have an appointment at the muffler shop tomorrow. Some pics:

You might consider making your driveway your first overnight. Make sure the previous owners didn't stretch the truth. Then to the most local FHU CG near you to test the rest of the systems, and make a list of what you took and probably don't need and a second list of what you needed and didn't take. That one's more important.

wanether wrote:
After a 2 month search I finally found a good RV, a 1989 Jayco Designer 26' Class C with 75K miles. The previous owners maintained it very well, all systems are functioning, it has no leaks and is in good original condition.

Temps overnight are forecast to be in the 20's, but I figure that I'll be plugged in at the park and can run the furnace fan overnight without worrying about battery drain. My question is whether it's ok to operate the furnace while we're actually out driving on the road, I've heard different opinions on whether it's alright to have the LP on while driving.

Any advice here is appreciated, as well as any tips that might be useful to this first timer. Thanks!

Just another 2 cents but we have always had the LP on while driving. I know people say not to (some) but 6 + years and now a new MH it is a yes for us.

At night in cold weather sometimes it's a good idea to open the cabinet doors that have water lines running through them to keep them warm. Disconnect the water hose at night and drain it and use your freshwater tank in the MH for water. If your drain pipes are in a compartment a 30 watt light bulb in a drop cord light should keep them from freezing,

While we don't turn off our propane either, you shouldn't need to run the furnace while your camping and like someone above said, you really want to conserve your propane as much as possible. At night we have a little electric heater running,we sleep under a feather bed, but as soon as we get up, I switch to to the propane furnace, and disconnect the electric so I can make coffee. (For some reason we can't run both without popping the switch.)
Another thing to consider is at night your hose bringing in water, might freeze so we remove and drain it before going to bed at night.
That is a really good suggestion to check your tires, 5 years is just about their limit. We had a blowout and the tires looked brand new.
Your first trip should be a blast. Happy travels

The question of using propane on the road will probably go on forever. I believe that most people do use their propane on the road.

I have never turned off my propane while driving. The refrig stays on, unless I an getting gas. I have never gone thru a tunnel that required turning off the gas.

I will continue to drive with the propane turned on. As far as using the furnace while driving, I don't see anything wrong with that but I have never seen the need to.

Let's back up for a minute. You have an '89 with 75k on the odometer.

It's 24 years old. Just for good measure I would likely also power flush the cooling system and transmission (new screen as well). flush and replace the brake fluid. Service the differential. Replace the fuel filter. check hoses and belts for cracking and replace as needed. Skip any service the previous did within the past year.

How long has it sat undriven? What are the date codes on the tires? If the tires are 5 to 7 years old you should seriously consider replacing them, regardless of their outward appearance. Others here will tell you this as well.

If you haven't had this done then have an RV tech inspect the coach (and the roof). Have them exercise the appliances (fridge, furnace, water heater, AC, microwave), water pump, and test the converter - on propane, shore power, and generator. Cold weather camping is not the time to find out your new-to-you motorhome has no heat or hot water. The RV tech can tell you if the water lines run inside the coach (good to know for cold weather camping). Did the previous owner add heating pads to the grey and black water holding tanks? Does the water heater also have electric? Is the compartment where the water pump is located heated with ducted air from the furnace? Is the fresh water tank inboard or against an outside wall?

What are the cold weather camping recommendations of the park that you are going to? Where I am in Sequim, WA the park is responsible to the end of the water spigot and the you are responsible from the spigot to your RV. Does your park recommend heat tape on the water hose? It is mild enough where I am that I use a 10 foot water hose inside foam pipe insulation, taped with duct tape every foot or so. It can get down to about 28 F here. In this park we leave the valve on the grey water tank open and on the freezing nights we run the kitchen faucet at a slow trickle. Water running through the water hose keeps it from freezing here. Some folks here use heat tape. Ask the park's office what they recommend.

Get a space heater. If you rely solely on the furnace you go through a lot of propane very quickly. Ask the park if the pedestals are 50/30/20 amps or 50/30 amps or 30/20 amps. If they have the 50 or 20 in addition to the 30 amp service for your coach, ask the park office if there is an electrical surcharge for using the 50 amp or 20 amp outlets for a 2nd space heater. 20 amp = 110v outlets. Regardless, you should buy a 50 amp to 30 amp dogbone and a 30 amp to 20 amp dogbone. you can connect both dogbones together to go from 50 amp to 20 amp.

Get really warmer slippers to wear in the coach. A 1989 motorhome will likely have cold floors. Can you use the furnace while underway? Yes. I'm not a fan of the practice.

Edit: propane furnaces AND just plain breathing generates humidity. Your windows will get fogged with moisture. Moisture is not your MH's friend. Consider bringing along a dehumidifier. I have one and it's on the kitchen counter, draining into the sink - because the grey tank's valve is open and I don't feel like dealing with empty it.

My below Class C is not winterized. The holding tanks are not heated. I have a Stay-A-While adapter on the propane tank that lets me use an external propane tank. West of the Cascades it is relatively easy to winter camp. I have no winter camping experience east of the Cascades. I have no idea what you can expect.

Travel Inn Resort in Elma, WA January 19, 2012 (it completely melted within a week)