Sandia_Man
Explorer II
Joined 17 years ago
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Re: chassis battery charge ?
You can use something like this plug in voltmeter to keep track of battery voltage, plus it can come in handy if you need to charge devices via USB. Adding something like this battery maintainer will keep battery charged, trickle charges preventing overcharging chassis battery. Many motorhomes do come with the capability to charge both house and chassis batteries when plugged into shorepower, trickle chargers are a good alternative if a motorhome does not have this capability or if charging solenoid is faulty which can be an expensive repair. We use our motorhome throughout the year but on occasion it will sit unused for a few weeks, prior owners hardly used it last few years they owned it as they were in their 80s and dealing with health issues. We purchased it and other than changing tranny and engine oil along with a fresh set of tires as they were aged out, we put 25K miles over 3 years without any issues. No problem taking your rig out for a spin as you wish but motorhomes along with every type of RV class tend to sit unused for months although keeping batteries charged can be an issue.1.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Dump stations
Many private RV parks will offer use of dump station, as well as many truck stops for a fee. There are several gas stations in our area that have free dump stations, we can also use sanicon installed on our class A motorcoach to dump at home if all else fails. Whatever cost or extra effort it takes to keep my dear wife happy is a small price and/or inconvenience in the long run, happy wife, happy life, makes for happy RVing.812Views0likes0CommentsRe: Slide Out Issues
I hear you, I haven't had the best experiences from CW's service department, although we got some good deals from store side. Slide issues plague newer RVs as well, sometimes more so as they appear they are not as sturdily built, more than likely due to weight constraints from pressure for engineers to reduce overall weight on newer rigs. Info on type of slide-out mechanism, manufacturer, and what were the symptoms, lots of knowledgeable folk on this forum with similar rigs that have faced the same issues. These rigs are complicated and many RV service centers just don't have enough experienced staff, still charging for a couple of hours is uncalled for, although not surprising these days.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: How do you decide how much to spend on an RV
Your money your choice, the first 2 of the RVs we purchased of the 4 we have had over 3 decades of RVing were new, the drop in value was significant not to mention the hassle of dealing with getting the bugs worked out under warranty. Last couple of RVs including our current class A were well cared for, lightly and gently used rigs that felt like new without taking such a drastic depreciation hit. We are also near retirement age and feel going used made for a remorse free buying experience, several years later our rig can still be sold for what we have invested in it although we have no intention of selling. Have fun shopping, hope you get the RV you want at a price you can live with.841Views0likes0CommentsRe: thinking of buying a Motorhome....looking for tips/hints
After 3 decades of RVing in TTs, 5ers, and toyhaulers, primarily with our children, we went on a mission to get a class A motorhome best suited for couples and extended stays. Although we have learned so much about our favorite pastime over the many years, treading into class A waters there was still so much more to consider than just floorplan. We found choosing the right chassis/powertrain that works specifically for our needs to be the most vexing of all. Floorplans are important, but floorplans in towable RVs playout differently in class A rigs. We ended up with a layout on our class A coach that we have never considered having on any of the towable RVs we have owned. Being on RV related forums for the many years we have enjoyed this pastime I read aplenty, but never really queried the forums as most answers were biased to what the responders currently owned. As we still had an RV when we were searching for a class A motorcoach, we took our time and viewed and drove as many coaches as we could, even going to neighboring states for more availability. Similar to towable RVs, there are pros and cons to every version of class A coach on the market. Talking to friends, family, neighbors, and longtime mechanics will yield less biased answers. We did not want to rush to judgement, making the wrong call for your intended usage, along with future upkeep, maintenance, and needed repairs can cost tens of thousands on these rigs. We ended up going the private seller route as dealers tended to exaggerate the capabilities of the coaches we were interested in. Private sellers were able to give more rig specific info and pride of ownership undoubtedly showed on many of the coaches we viewed. We finally purchased a coach in Texas where owners where getting out of the game due to old age, he was 84, his wife was 79.1.2KViews1like0CommentsRe: Class A gas - fiberglass roof? Who uses them?
Watch AZ Expert on Youtube if you are looking at used Winnebago class A coaches, he was a Winnebago RV tech for a number of years and has dozens of videos detailing issues with their fiberglass roofs that he has had to rebuild. If buying new calling manufacturer directly should yield the best coach specific info making it easier to decide which manufacturer provides the roof material you desire. Our current class A coach has a metal (aluminum) roof, although it has well over a decade of heavy use and full exposure to the elements over its lifetime, it has never leaked and still looks pristine. We have had every type of roof material on the 4 RVs we have owned over 3+ decades of RVing, upkeep is paramount regardless of material used in roof construction. Have fun shopping, hope you have many great experiences RVing, although it can be challenging at times we just love getting on the road with our motorcoach.1.6KViews0likes0CommentsRe: supersteer-ss401-rear-trac-bar-for-ford-f53-
We added a rear trac bar to our 40' class A that has some serious overhang, no doubt there was a dramatic difference after I installed it. It is the best improvement we made thus far, now my wife loves to drive our coach, better handling is definitely noticeable on longer rigs. Overall, it was an easy DIY project that took an hour or so to complete.537Views0likes0CommentsRe: what is best way to get TV stations in RV
We do most of our RVing in the four corner states where our batwing has difficulty picking up ota tv stations reliably unless we happen to be near a major city. We have been RVing 3+ decades and started with Directv and manually set up our satellite antenna. We then switched to Dish network and HD content, still setting up our satellite antenna ourselves, takes just a few minutes and a compass to lock in all 3 satellites. Last few years we use automated satellite antenna domes and by the time we have our coach set up after arriving, our HDTVs have already downloaded satellite channels.642Views0likes0CommentsRe: Need new water pump 12 Volt
I have been carrying an extra Sureflo water pump just in case, but all our Sureflos just keep going, my vote is Sureflo. As for quiet I imagine they have a quiet model in their lineup or a dampening kit of some type that can be installed. Ours have never been too loud across the 4 RVs we have owned, plus I like being able to hear if it is running, even for a second or two that may indicate a possible small leak somewhere in the water supply system.352Views0likes0CommentsRe: Our next themed roadtrips
Yeah, my DW and I thoroughly enjoyed Longmire series as well. We are less than an hour from his cabin in the Valles Caldera National Preserve and within a couple hours from many of the locations used during the length of the series. Luckily we don't have to go out of state as we have done plenty of RVing in Eagle nest, Santa Fe, Red River, and Las Vegas, NM where the series was primarily shot. Growing up in AZ and living in NM last couple decades we are thoroughly entrenched in all things Western, Native, and Spain's colonization of western USA. Have fun our your western excursion, the regional cuisine is delightful albeit a bit spicy for some.532Views0likes0Comments
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