WrongWayRandall
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Re: How long do you keep your truck?
We've got a truck that we bought new (Ford Ranger, manual trans) with 250,000 miles on it. Runs great, burns no oil at all, has good compression still, but it's not up to stop and go pulling on I-75 where the traffic backs up on a steep grade (just there where the truck lane and added lane both end within 1/2 of each other - great highway planning!) Because of that we picked up a F150 automatic to pull the camper. That said, I never get rid of any vehicle before 250,000 miles unless they have severe mechanical problems, which is very unusual for me. The Ranger is vehicle #4 that I've gotten to 250,000 or better. - R387Views0likes0CommentsRe: Newbie ~ electrical problem
Without knowing more, I'd suggest that you take it back in and have the dealership check it out from end to end. This sounds like an electrical issue, which should not happen on a new camper. Sometimes there are things that are missed by the manufacturer and the dealer, and if you've found one of those you need to have them fix it properly while you still are under warranty or it could cause problems down the road that you have to pay for yourself. More importantly, you obviously have an electrical issue and that mean potential fire - a very dangerous thing, and nothing to be trifled with. If this were my camper I would take it back as soon as possible and have the dealer first check everything and then do another walk-through with me so that I knew that I had all of the details right on how to use everything. I'd also take note for future reference, just in case. In the pouring rain, at night, in an unfamiliar campground is no place to be wondering how to finish setting up for the first time :) - R404Views0likes0CommentsRe: Eastern KY to Williamsburg VA - MOUNTAINS?
flguppie wrote: Should I start the decent in a lower gear by manually shifting it to 3 or 2nd before starting the decent and having tow haul turned on? Keeping it in 3 or 2nd gear all the way down (and if so, which is best) Or will leaving it in D (drive) and not starting out fast and relying on the tow haul to keep it geared down? Does yours have the lock-out capability? We have the same truck from 2011 and it allows me, using a small toggle on the shift arm, to lock-out gears as needed or to put it in "manual auto" and select which gear I want to be in. When descending hills there is no one gear that works best, you just have to go by the feel of the vehicle and gear down as needed. You can use the brakes, but do not ride them - brake firmly to slow about 10mph, then if you find that you are accelerating too quickly, brake firmly again to drop 10mph and down shift to allow the transmission to work a bit more to control your speed. Keep an eye on your transmission temperature too. If you just can't control your speed without braking a lot and the transmission temp is getting high you need to drive slower in general - stay in the right lane, put your blinkers on if needed, and keep your speed down. Don't worry about the posted speed limit. Most people don't know (or perhaps care) that there are two speed limits on highways - an upper and a lower, and just because the upper is posted at 65 or 70 does not mean that all traffic on the road must drive at least that speed. Stick to the right lane and let people with 15b shoes worry about what's going on in the show-off lane. There are quite a few threads on how to control speed on steep grades, and many of them go into more detail that I posted here. You might want to read a bit on that, and also review your owners manual (you can read them online if you no longer have yours) on how to use the tow/haul features, manual gear selection, etc. There is a lot of good info in the manual and the best part is that it's specific to your vehicle ;) It's not all that bad, honestly, just pay attention and don't make sudden or severe corrections. I've logged 1.4 million miles driving all manner of large vehicles and if I can mange the old US-60 route at night in heavy rain, you can deal with I-64 in a modern truck without earning any new grey hairs! - R460Views0likes0CommentsRe: Anyone ever been to the Pisgah forrest in NC?
What type of experience are you looking for and what amenities do you need/want? Assuming that something similar to Linville is going to be OK with you, I might suggest Curtis Creek. We are strongly considering staying there later this year sometime - it's not far from Asheville, there are places very nearby to get supplies, and the park looks really nice. We camp in a popup, or in tents, so we don't pay a lot of attention to spot size, but since Curtis Creek is an old CCC campground you may want to check to be sure you'll fit, but the online reviews and pictures make it sound like a really nice place to stay in that area. - R405Views0likes0CommentsRe: Smoky Mountain Campgrounds
As the others have stated, there are a lot of threads about that area, although many are related to the other end of the comfort spectrum :) If you stay in the park itself the experience is far more rustic than many of the commercial places around the periphery. We're staying in Cades Cove around that same time, but we booked months ago so I don't know what the availability looks like right now. Try recreation.gov for available spots around that time - it will show you all of the park campgrounds in the various parts of the park. Just be aware of the limited amenities (power, individual water, etc.) in the park campgrounds (which I assume is OK since you mentioned rustic, but just to be sure...) - R297Views0likes0CommentsRe: Canceling SiriusXM
FrankShore wrote: Maybe because I didn't call with an attitude to begin with Interesting idea, but I'm am more polite than the average person you'll encounter these days and I found them quite unfriendly. Perhaps an alternate hypothesis that does not presume rudeness would be that it all depends to the person who answers your call at the Sirius end of things... - R265Views0likes0CommentsRe: Orlando area ??
TragedyTrousers wrote: 2nd on Bok Tower. Really nice place to visit. Third that! It is quite popular with older folks, and there is a cafe right there in the entrance as well as multiple bathrooms. The grounds are nice all year round - very clean with lots and lots of flowers, fruit trees, and all manner of plants. The tower is amazing and the carillon is a treat, especially if you have never hear one in person before. - R208Views0likes0CommentsRe: Canceling SiriusXM
dvitale300 wrote: They are ruthless when you try to cancel! That was my experience as well, not a good customer experience at all. As the others have stated, check to see what kind of a deal they can give you and setup an online account if possible - it's a lot easier to cancel than it is when you call them on the phone (they are were exceptionally high pressure when I cancelled on the phone.) - R264Views0likes0Comments
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