FloridaKash
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Re: Roll Call Alaska 2016
Started our drive up to Alaska April 28 arrived in AK May 2. Ran into some flurries, but no freezing roads. Crossed at the border near Shelby, MT. Roads were in good shape. Only ran into gravel towards the border of Alaska. I have an Ultra-Guard mud flap on the back of our motorhome that loves to throw rocks at the toad (would like to replace it with a brush style flap.. but I do not like the look of them). Tons of rocks on the toad. Got a crack on the windshield now. Will get it replaced after we got back down this late summer. Mechanical Problems: Starter began going bad before we crossed the border but had a schedule to keep to. Just simply didn't turn off the coach until we were done driving for the day. Starter would have to be hit with a hammer to work when hot. Started fine after coach sat for more than 3 hours. Did pick up a new Starter is Edmonton so we had it on board if we needed it. Replaced it myself after getting to Fairbanks. Water pump died. Also picked up in Edmonton and replaced it in the parking lot of the RV Dealer we bought it from. Easy job. Road is pretty good overall (we took Alcan... not Cassiar. Cassiar is pretty but definitely a harder drive> Been there done that.) except from Destruction Bay to the boarder. That section is just rough. Go slow (40mph) and it will tick you off a lot less. About to leave Fairbanks and visit family in Anchorage for a month or so via Driveway surfing. Will hit the Peninsula, then start heading back up and out towards August. Last year we left in the first week of October due to some circumstances. Way, way too late in the year IMO. We got lucky and barely missed the snow.296Views0likes0CommentsRe: Gas vs Diesel
I have a gasser, I would prefer a diesel but it was out of budget for the type of florrplan we were looking for. + of Diesel Better MPG Quieter when driving More Cargo room Possibly Better Ride Onboard Air (you'd be surprised how inconvenient getting air in your tires can be) Much Larger Towing Capacity (larger selection of tow cars to pick from) - of Diesel Maintenance Costs - Glow Plug, Oil Changes, Etc. Cost of unit400Views0likes0CommentsRe: Is this completely ridiculous?
We are fulltiming, for a year in a class A with three kids. We are 5 months in. We love it, the kids love it too. It really depends on your family dynamics. I work 40+ hours a week from my computer in the RV. It works fine. So far, we have traveled 10,000 miles.540Views0likes0CommentsRe: Roll Call Alaska 2015
We are in Alaska for the summer. Ordinarily from here so we will be bouncing around from Fairbanks, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. Lucky for us, we have a friend with property in Anchorage that we can camp at, same with Fairbanks. Road from Haines Junction to Beaver Creek is aweful. Not looking forward to driving back across that stretch of road. Fair warning, Anchorage RV parks are not very nice. We stayed at The Rivers Edge park in Fairbanks before moving to stay with family. It was very nice and we will visit that park again. Hoping to be able to squeeze our rig into some of the US Forest/Alaska campgrounds on the peninsula. We'll be down there in a week or so. Likely stay at an RV park for a night or two and scout out some campgrounds/sites with the TOAD.394Views0likes0CommentsRe: Full Timing it? - 3 Kids, 2 Adults and a Chihuahuah
Just wanted to post a quick update. We left Florida on May 11 and are now in Alaska for the summer. The trip was good but we had a couple of snags along the way. Driver side slide wouldn't come in. Steps quit working. Vacuflush toilet wouldn't hold water in the bowl. Engine loves to burn oil. Called a mobile tech out in Phoenix for the slide and steps. The steps needed a new motor. He couldn't figure out the slide (I think I need the nylon blocks), but he did show me how I can use a crowbar to help lift the slide with just a little pressure to get it in. I replaced the seal and ball on the vacuflush toilet which fixed the leaky bowl, but it still makes noise on its own one in awhile. I don't know what is going on with that. Guessing duck bills need to be replaced but don't know where those are. I read the 8.1l is known for burning oil. It is due for an oil change. I think I'll check the spark plugs and see what shape they are in and put Mobil 1 synthetic in it. Also need to check the air filter but don't know where it is hiding. All in all the trip went well and we are looking on getting on the road again. We are currently parked at friends property, visiting friends and family.458Views0likes0CommentsRe: Full Timing it? - 3 Kids, 2 Adults and a Chihuahuah
Had the estate sale this weekend. Sold all of our stuff. We have a property management company that will be renting out our house and managing it. We're in super turbo mode to get a few things placed in storage, start loading up the RV and finishing the little items here and there to get the house ready to rent. We are planning on departing this coming weekend. Yes, we do plan on doing some filming. :)459Views0likes0CommentsRe: Full Timing it? - 3 Kids, 2 Adults and a Chihuahuah
Shakedown trip had its moment. We got brand new tires put on our rig when we bought it as part of the deal... and wouldn't you know it. That's what caused our challenge on the trip. We planned on staying at the campground Thursday night - Sunday Morning. By the time I got home Thursday night it was getting late and we still had some things to do. I didn't want to try and park this thing for the first time in the dark. Kids were uber bummed, so we figure we would head out Thursday night and stay overnight at a Walmart since we had Birthday shopping to do anyway. That was fun and the kids enjoyed it. Next morning we go to head out and I figure I'd lower the pressure in the tires from 112 to 95, since the rig floats all over the road and it is lightly loaded. When doing the front tires the valve on the tire stayed open and air came gushing out. I could not close the valve, so I screwed on the metal valve cap. I went to the other front tire to do the same and the same exact thing happened. I called a tire shop, told them what I was driving and asked if they could help. I get there and the parking lot is super tiny and they were not able to help. After calling a dozen tire shops I found a shop 20 miles back toward the house that does earth moving, dump trucks and commercial truck tires. They said they could help, so we limped along to them (metal valve covers did a great job keeping the air in the tires). The nice gentleman replaced the valve core and went to check the pressure and had the same thing happen to him. His partner at the shop said, 'balance powder'. I guess the tires have balance powder (I think it may be a liquid because I saw some liquidiy gooey brown stuff around the bead after picking up the rig). I guess this stuff can get behind the valve core and keep it open. So the guy told me about these pieces you screw on the valve stem to prevent this from happening. When I asked for the bill, they told us no money required and sent us on our way. This whole ordeal took about 3 hours. I will always go to that tire shop for our rig and am glad they are close to our house. 22.5" wheels are a pain! We finally got into the park 2 hours later. Backed in with the help of a park attendant the first time. Put down the self leveling jacks and the RV could not level itself. The ground was too soft, so I used some firewood and that did the trick (I need blocks next time, any suggestions). It appears the electric element of the water heater is out. I need to check the fuse and element. And the Vacu Flush toilet is annoying, especially when the bowl runs dry. Guessing the seal probably needs to be replaced. Sometimes water stays in the bowl. Sometimes it doesn't. Everything else worked out great. This week we worked like dogs getting the house ready to rent. Finally remodeled a bathroom that has been needed since we bought the place. Painted the ceiling. Now we just have some walls to paint, new roof to put on, new AC put in (maybe), get setup to work remote and we'll be on our way. I think we're looking at a late April, early May departure.458Views0likes0Comments
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