Grant_Lasson
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Joined 16 years ago
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Re: Flatbed towing
I made this switch recently. For the most part I'm happy with switch. My trailer is aluminum and has a tilt bed. It's easier and quicker to load and unload than four down. I'm surprised how often I back up now. I built a receiver hitch for the tongue and now taking bicycles is super easy. It tows very easily. I took a car this summer that couldn't be towed four down. I don't have the expense of setting up each vehicle to be towed. I'm not wearing out really expensive 35" tires on my jeep. Two main negatives: long pull through sites are not that common. I only unhooked once during my main summer trip. I didn't make any reservations this summer but I will in the future. Staff moved my trailer for me with their tow vehicle. It worked out very well but could have been more difficult; second, it is an additional thing to maintain and it takes up space to store.435Views0likes0CommentsRe: Filling Batteries
The Flo-Rite works very well. Before I got it, I had a hard time telling if there was too much water or not enough. There was no way to get my head in there and I would have had to disconnect the batteries to get them out. During the travel season I add water monthly. For what it is, it does cost too much. I still find it worthwhile because I don't have that much time to maintain the coach. Now I can get the watering done in 5 minutes and move on to something else. Grant269Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2002 tiffin zephyr
I have one and it has been really enjoyable. The Zephyr has a quality chassis--something that the "four slide" crowd isn't valuing. Great, powerful motor. Very good fuel economy. High volume side radiator. Independent front suspension. Great transmission. The main room slide is huge. You will have some expensive maintenance. I had the radiator re-cored three years ago and I replaced all the hoses, etc. at the same time. Your coach may have the infamous Parker-Chelsea PTO with the dry spline lubrication. Look into that. It cost me $6K when it went out. I have a friend with a similar Zephyr and his went out as well. Giant hassle to fix after it breaks. Country Coaches were infamous for this problem. I would like to think that my coach is worth $120k but I don't think that is practical. The Zephyr in Georgia is more realistic. Good luck.544Views0likes0CommentsRe: Body Block Shield (Summit Products)
I'm not sure if I have the same brande but a similar shield came stock on the early 2000's Tiffin Zephyr. Mine is in two parts so I can open the generator slide without a problem. Mine looks pretty good for 13 years old. It has done a good job protecting the front end. It is a hassle to clean behind. I don't have their quick release hardware--I may be looking into that. Grant312Views0likes0CommentsRe: Cummins CAC
...I was given a price of $1400 for a new one..?? Im here by myself and physically unable to do the work so even if they wanted $1500 an hour its still a bargain for me. It's all about the quality of the core and how long you intend to use your motorhome. I had my radiator re-cored to a much higher quality when it leaked. Prevost level. Since, I have had no cooling problems in some very hot environments. If you're near the end of your use then a standard quality core may be fine. Those $1400 CACs are built to a price point and will likely not have a really long life. That's why you're replacing one now.365Views0likes0CommentsRe: Cummins CAC
CAC's can be rebuilt. They saw off the end caps and replace the core. A good radiator shop can get you hooked up. A friend just got his done. He was able to choose a much higher end core than he could have justified in a new CAC and it cost less money. I think he told me it cost about $1.5k. He pulled and installed the CAC himself.365Views0likes0CommentsRe: How long can a DP sit until problems Set-In?
I bought a used DP that had sat around for three years while the original owner came to grips with the fact that his health would not allow him to RV any longer. My MH has the Freightliner Powerliner VCL chassis. It has some very nice features. Even so, I've had to replace quite a few things that I believe track back to sitting. If you've got the money and the patience you can be well rewarded by buying older. I'd budget $5-7K for repairs and about one year of fairly regular use before you considered it "reliable." For example, two wheel bearing seals on the "sunny side" of the parked coach leaked. Those were about $350 each. I paid $400 to have a varmint's nest removed from between the radiator and charge air cooler. I had to replace all 6 tires. I also had to go through the entire cooling system. That was several thousand dollars. All this for a coach on a very good chassis that only had 30K miles when I bought it. There's more but you get the idea. I've become happier over time. At first, I did not realize how expensive a motorhome was to operate. I thought they would be like my turbo diesel pickup--trouble free for many years. I would do it again but I would be more realistic about my expectations this time.339Views0likes0CommentsRe: Bridgestone/Firestone Tires
I've had R280 295 75/22.5 Bridgestones all around for the last four years. I went with them because they were recommended by the truck tire store (TDS) where I bought them. They said that Bridgestones had the best casing. I've enjoyed them very much. They ride really well. The tires look almost brand new. I do cover them when stopped and I do apply Aerospace 303 at least once at the beginning of the travel season. I use the TST tire pressure monitoring system. I find it very reassuring to constantly monitor tire pressures and internal air pressures. I've gotten very good fuel mileage. Grant624Views0likes0Comments
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