ClassAGeek
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Re: tire pressure
With all due respect to those who are trying to help, I wish people would do some more research before adding their comments. The manufacturer's PSI numbers print inside your MH are MAXIMUM values. They are pressures required for a fully loaded coach using the OEM tires. Use different tires or (hopefully) drive at less than 100% loading or tow a toad and you can use lower PSI. LOWER PSI = SMooTHER RIDE. I have a F-53 spring loaded chassis, so using the minimum safe tire pressure is essential for a smooth ride. Weight carrying capacity follows a relatively gentle performance curve near the low end of the scale. Being 1 psi over doesn't make you instantly safe, and 1 psi under is not suddenly dangerous. Many factors go into the weight rating. Know them and you will be safer than most. Factor #1: Weight carrying capacity is speed related. Capacity increases greatly as you slow down. If a given tire can carry 8000 lb at 60 mph it will carry more than 16000 lbs at 20 mph and 32000 lbs at 10 mph. Factor #2: Cold tire pressure ratings are given because tire manufacturers (and their lawyers) are worried that you might misuse the data ON THE HIGH end. Blow outs are far more common due to overinflation when the tire heats up and exceeds the rim / tire limits. Unlike the low end of the range, the Weight Carrying Capacity drops suddenly at the high limit. Factor #3: Tires do not care if they are cold or hot. As I hop you have notice, a tire feels cushy at 80 psi cold or hot. It feels harsh at 100 psi cold or hot. How do I keep the lowest safe pressure? After measuring my coach on a CAT scale, I find 76 psi is correct for my rear tires and 80 psi is correct for the front according to tables provided by Michelin. (BTW: I ignore the insignificant differences between right and left. When moving, the distribution tends to equalize - so just pick the heavier side). Now here's my secret: I set my COLD pressure to 74 psi rear and 77 psi front and yet I am 100% safe. How is that? I drive at less than 40 mph until my tires warm up and my TPMS shows that pressure has increased to my normal driving range of about 80 psi rear and 84 psi front which is well into the safe range specified by Michelin for 70 mph. It never takes more than 10 minutes - and I have the smoothest riding gasser you will ever drive.507Views0likes0CommentsRe: How Important is Double Pane Windows? (Precept 3UL & others)
Meh. We have single pane windows in a used coach that saved us 10's of thousands of dollars when we bought it six years ago. We have camped in the 100's °F but more often in 30's °F. We just do weekend camping trips. We don't have any plans to live in our MH. Are double pane windows essential? Hardly. The high number number of air leaks and 1" thick foam insulation (or less) in many locations around and under the MH contribute much more heat and cooling loss than the windows. Double pane windows would be nice but I am happy because I didn't pay for them. Your demands may be different.300Views0likes0CommentsRe: Resale Diesel or Gas
I think age is a bigger factor than MH type. MHs lose the most in the first few years and then level off. I see $1,000,000 Prevosts going for 1/2 price in less than 10 years. Same for garden variety DPs and gassers. They all lose about the same percentage - give or take a few points. In terms of real dollars, gassers lose the least in the first few years (50% of $100K is only $50K), then DPs (50% of $250K is $125K) and then luxury coaches lose the most (50% of $1M is $500K). Just get comfortable with the losses before you buy. Then remember: Your losses are hypothetical until you sell. Then they are REAL.412Views0likes0CommentsRe: Can an ML350 be towed 4 down ?
For what it is worth: manuals can be wrong. The owner's manual for my Ford Fusion says NO even with the manual transmission I bought expressly for towing. The Ford website says NO. Even the dealer says NO. All are wrong. The owner documentation was not updated when this model got a new standard transmission on 2009. This car is perfectly safe to tow 4 wheels down. Do your research - and use your head.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: concerns about atlantic provinces
Just a few clarifications... PASSPORTS Passports are not mandatory. When traveling by land, an enhanced drivers license (EDL) is permitted. The list of states issuing EDLs is growing all the time. http://www.dhs.gov/enhanced-drivers-licenses-what-are-they CREDIT and DEBIT CARDS I don't use cash in Canada. Canadians have the highest adoption of debit cards in the world. With very few exceptions, debit is the way to go.439Views0likes0CommentsRe: Brake Buddy
Put the BB in the passenger seat footwell. Then go for a drive in your toad. You will know if anything is a wrong after approaching a few stop signs. Take your remote and validate that it showing brake activations properly. Now plug in the break-away wire. Drive some more. Is it causing false actuations? Not much to it. BB debugging is simple.414Views0likes0CommentsRe: Replace CRT TV
I put a 50" LCD TV in the place of a 23" CRT. Took me three tries to get it the way I wanted. I kept using TVs that were too small. They failed to completely cover the original hole. Here's a summary of the mounting method I used: Yet Another TV Conversion Later in the thread, I tried some of the suggested hinge ideas and converted the rear TV too. Good luck.534Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ford gas mileage
The Ford V-10 gets about 15 mpg when used in an F-450 pickup. The same pickup gets about 10 mpg when pulling a fifth wheel. Weight, and more importantly, aerodynamics cut the mileage by about a third. When the V-10 is used in a Class B or modern Class C, you can see 15 mpg. For class A's 10 mpg is possible for a small 18K Class A with good aerodynamics. For everyone else driving around in a box shaped Class A, 7-8 mpg is normal. Once again, weight and aerodynamics are the culprit.328Views0likes0Comments
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