New to forum, and RV

[Merrie_and_Rob]

Hi, my name is Merrie, my husband and I just acquired our first RV but before I get into that let me give you a bit of a background of myself.
First I'm not afraid to get my hands greasy as I've helped him build a 2002 Ford Ranger 4X4 and have built a few garden tractors. I love to fish and camp, we have been doing some tent camping on state forest land up until we got visited by 4 black bears, where I must say my daughter and I grabbed up all the food and ran to the van and locked my husband out. Comical yes and glad he wasn't hurt.
Now onto the RV, I believe that what I am referring to is called a class "C" (please correct me if I'm wrong), it's a 1980 Dodge Sportsman Jamboree with a 318 c.i./ and I believe a 727 auto trans. We have already taken in boondocking and just loved it out where no one would bother us and just enjoying the scenery, we had all the electric that we need as my husband put 400 watts of solar panels up using an MPPT Windy Nation Trak Max charge controller, a Go Power 1500W pure sine wave inverter, and he upgraded most of the lights to 12 volt LED & fluorescent to save on power. To help keep the power down we have a 13.3 inch 12 volt TV with built in DvD player and for radio he has a radio that he stuck a 9V solar panel on to recharge the over sized batteries that again he added to the poor thing.
Well that's about it but look forward to reading many of your post,
here is a pic of the ole girl:
">1980 Dodge Jamboree

[Merrie_and_Rob]

Thanks everyone, the tires will be getting replaced soon as Rob found some dry rot cracks in them, we had to order the 16.5" tires as no one seems to carry them anymore. We are definitely going to enjoy the RV!!! We are running the 400W solar with the option of running all of them which total 640W, we use the 400W for all the heavy duty stuff like coffee pot, induction cook plate, etc. and at this time are using the 200W portable (my husband put a large hinge between two 100W panels)to charge the battery for the lights, furnace & fresh water pump... The 40W panel is used to charge two small solar boxes that he built which we run a bunch of stuff off from like a dremel, hot glue gun, solder iron, lights, I-Pod, built in stereo speakers etc.
The cowl was taken off in the pic as we had to fix the wiper motor arms, wasn't
easy finding bushings for them but we managed to get them.
I'm sure that I'll be reading a lot of great info on here as well as asking
an insane amount of questions...

So I'm off to start reading and getting some idea's for the RV,
HAPPY MOTORING!!!!!!

[fla-gypsy]

Welcome to the group. Sounds like you are off and running

[PghBob]

Hi Merrie and welcome. I would like to reinforce the point already made about your tires. Check the DOT Date on the tires. They should be replaced at about 6 years, no matter how good the tread looks. Also look for cracking on the side walls and if found, replace. You should also try to determine the Occupant and Cargo Carrying Capacity (OCCC) of your rig. This is the total wight of people and stuff you can carry without over-loading the chassis, axles, and tires. Best wishes and happy camping.

[Valkyriebush]

Welcome. I like your rig. Looks great for it's age.

[tenbear]

Good advice, but one thing they missed---

Welcome to RVing and to the forum.

[timmac]

I use to have a old dodge class c, mine had the 440 motor, always ran hot hear in the SW, if yours runs a little hot in the summer start with this cheap fix 1st, wished I did, take out the thermostat and drill a 1/4 inch hole in stat next to opening but not where the gasket fits, it works trust me, after redoing the radiator and fan with little luck the 1/4 inch extra hole in stat was the best.

[darsben]

How old are the tires on the rig?
RV tires fail LONG before they wear out. Usually by blowing out. Sometimes causing major damage.
Please find the DOT codes on the tires and then post again. ANy tires over 5 years old should be checked for signs of dry rot.
The problem with RV tires is that they are not driven and sit in the sun baking. The UV rays deteriorate the chemicals in the tires causing sidewall failure.
This is a very real phenomenon and can bite you at the least expected time.

[Golden_HVAC]

Merrie and Rob wrote:
Hi, my name is Merrie, my husband and I just acquired our first RV but before I get into that let me give you a bit of a background of myself.

First I'm not afraid to get my hands greasy as I've helped him build a 2002 Ford Ranger 4X4 and have built a few garden tractors. I love to fish and camp, we have been doing some tent camping on state forest land up until we got visited by 4 black bears, where I must say my daughter and I grabbed up all the food and ran to the van and locked my husband out. Comical yes and glad he wasn't hurt.

Now onto the RV, I believe that what I am referring to is called a class "C" (please correct me if I'm wrong), it's a 1980 Dodge Sportsman Jamboree with a 318 c.i./ and I believe a 727 auto trans.

We have already taken in boondocking and just loved it out where no one would bother us and just enjoying the scenery, we had all the electric that we need as my husband put 400 watts of solar panels up using an MPPT Windy Nation Trak Max charge controller, a Go Power 1500W pure sine wave inverter, and he upgraded most of the lights to 12 volt LED & fluorescent to save on power.

To help keep the power down we have a 13.3 inch 12 volt TV with built in DvD player and for radio he has a radio that he stuck a 9V solar panel on to recharge the over sized batteries that again he added to the poor thing.

Well that's about it but look forward to reading many of your post,
here is a pic of the ole girl:


">1980 Dodge Jamboree

Yes it is a class C.

All the solar and radio gear that you installed is probably worth as much as the coach. . .

Make sure to check for cracks on the roof caulking, and check each year. I am about to recoat my roof with a EPDM roof coating that is basically painted onto the existing roof material. It should make it trouble free for about 8 - 10 years.

Have fun camping!

Fred.