CatchinBluegill
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Re: Chevrolet Based Class C *UPDATED AGAIN*
Very interesting that Navistar will be doing the Chevy cutaways. While the article says that they will be built using all-GM parts, this raises the intriguing possibility of someday seeing them with a Navistar diesel, maybe the one Tiffin uses in the Allegro Breeze? I ultimately went with a class A gasser and the only way for me from here is a diesel pusher (maybe next year?) but back when class C was still something I was considering, I liked the Chevy platform a lot better than the Ford platform.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
Just got back from a 2.5 week trip with my ex-El Monte MH (it's a Class A, not a C, but... :-) We covered over 3,000 miles from San Diego to the Black Hills, Little Big Horn Battlefield, Yellowstone, places in Utah, and Vegas on the way back, towing my 2009 Odyssey behind. Apart from some drawer catches failing, and a tire valve stem problem (my new TPMS really saved my bacon!), everything went very well. Even with something as heavy as an Odyssey on the back, it did well on our big western grades. I only fell below 50 MPH a few times on hills, and that was only in the worst parts. Even then, I never got below 45. It would have been a rocket without the toad, but I was sure glad to have a toad. It made sightseeing life so much easier :-) I plan to put a 5 Star tune on it, can't wait to see how it tackles grades after that. Everything is currently stock except for a Banks Ram Air system I put on just before the trip. That seems to help the engine breathe better; it's much more free-flowing than the stock unit, and it sounded different right after I put it on. A Banks cat-back exhaust is likely in its future, too. I'd never been on more than a day trip with it before. Was happy then, still happy with it. The only problem I tended to encounter was the generator shutting down due to heat (most likely, since it happened most from Vegas to San Diego, and air temps were over 100). Even though they'd be heavy, I'd be thrilled if motorhomes had water-cooled generators. We run the genny pretty much all the time to run the roof air for passengers in the back.561Views0likes0CommentsFlexsteel Fold-and-Tumble Question
I'm looking to replace the hide-a-bed sofa in my Bounder with something that is both more comfortable and a little shorter, so that a person can pass between the barrel chair and the foot of the bed to the cab, rather than have to climb over the bed. I like the trifold sofas from Lippert, and the Flexsteel Fold-and-Tumble is also on my radar because it's the same size as my existing sofa (68"), which means I could keep my end table. However, I'm not really a fan of air mattresses. If you have, or have seen, a Fold-and-Tumble, do you know of anything that would stop me from using a regular mattress on it, such as a 5" memory foam type? I couldn't fold it into the bed, clearly, but I'm OK with schlepping it to the bedroom and storing it on top of the queen bed there during travel. Or, if any of you have a Winnebago Rest Easy for sale, let me know... :-) Thanks!1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
kirbymurphy wrote: I had a bad experience with high mileage oil. My van ran very low only two weeks after the oil change. Never lost any oil before while using regular 10W40 and none after. I'd read that it helps improve seals but another article mentioned the problem I had with the oil disappearing. Don't know what to believe. :? That also happened to me. It took longer than 2 weeks, but was well short of what the oil change interval should have been for a full synthetic, either by time or mileage, and it was on a fairly low mileage (less than 50K) Odyssey. I've had zero problems with oil consumption on this vehicle, so I changed out the synthetic and went back to regular oil. There are many Hondas out there with 200K+ miles on them using regular oil, so I'm going to stick with regular oil from now on. At my 7-year average annual mileage, it'll take me over 20 years to get to 200K and who knows? I could die before then LOL403Views0likes0CommentsRe: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
I find that tow/haul does a better job of maintaining speed on steep downgrades. Seems to hunt for gears less and, like you said, downshift sooner on upgrades. On flat ground, I don't use it. However, I plan to tow my minivan this summer, so will experiment with which works best with 4500 pounds hanging on the back of my MH.430Views0likes0CommentsRe: Sofa from shop4seats.com?
Thanks for the input. I don't think their prices are really out of line by RV furniture standards (yeah, that means they aren't cheap, but...). Also looking at tri-folds at rvfurniturecenter.com. They have a couple that unfold into a short queen (60 x 75) sleeping area without sticking out into the aisle as far as the current 51 x 72 hide-a-bed does (it goes all the way up to the opposite barrel chair, and the distance from slide wall to that chair is 91"). Before I bought this Bounder, the first runner-up was an Itasca Suncruiser 35U, and it did have one thing where it clearly beat the Bounder: the Rest Easy recliner sofa, that would lay flat and form a queen (short, I think) bed. One sold on eBay just a few weeks ago, and it would have fit in my 35H. I'd find some way to get power to it, if I could get one of those. I really liked it. Unlikely to find such a rare item before summer travel season and that hide-a-bed's just gotta go, so will live with either a jack knife or a tri-fold, I think.268Views0likes0CommentsSofa from shop4seats.com?
Has anyone ever bought/installed one of these sofas? http://shop4seats.com/rv-furniture/sofa-beds/jack-knife-sofa-beds.html If so, what did you think? Looking to replace the sofa sleeper in my Bounder with either a tri-fold or maybe one of the ones from shop4seats. Requirements: bolt to floor, be able to install seat belts, really sleep two. Thanks for any input you might have!2.2KViews0likes6CommentsTransplant Rest Easy Sofa into Bounder?
Last fall, I bought a used Bounder 35H, which was the winner among three finalists, the others being a Bounder 35E and an Itasca Suncruiser 35U. The others had their strengths, but the 35H met our needs the best. One thing I really liked about the Suncruiser was the Rest Easy sofa. Electric. Reclining. Went totally flat into a (IIRC short) queen-sized bed. I've done what I can to make the sleeper sofa more comfortable, but it clearly has to do. Has anyone ever transplanted a Rest Easy into a Bounder or other Fleetwood MH, and if so, how difficult was it and where did you go for the 12-volt power it needs? Oh, and I don't suppose any of you are selling one? I just missed one on eBay, and it was even semi-local to me so I could have picked it up in person :p If a Rest Easy is too difficult to install or to difficult to get, I think the next best choice is a tri-fold. Does anybody have a favorite (or ones to avoid) to recommend in tri-folds? My existing sofa is 68" long, but if I take out the end table, I have a 79" space to deal with, so could cram up to a 78" sofa in there. Thanks!979Views0likes0CommentsRe: Buying a Former Rental Class C. How many of us out there?
socal77 wrote: Mocoondo wrote: socal77 wrote: rebuild with new fuel pump, etc. Quoted a price of $950. He said he could just do a tune-up but that the generator would not perform at peak condition. I'd appreciate feedback. $950 seems high... I'm not sure about the price, but I'm not sure it needs a fuel pump at those hours, unless fuel pressure or fuel flow were tested and found to be low. The Onan Marquis Gold 5500 in my former El Monte has over 3300 hours on it. From the El Monte service record, it appears to have had the fuel pump replaced at 3062 hours: GEN-ENG-PUMP-O-GENERA,PUMP FUEL 5.5 HGJAB GENERATOR,1,177.96 I'm not sure what the first part means (could be an oil pump), the second is clearly fuel pump, and no idea about HGJAB, either. The number at the end is the price billed to the fleet department by the service department. It also had that same major service when it was almost new (65 hours), so it sounds like the thing blew up when it was brand new. It also had a lot of diagnostics done at 94 hours. From then until 3062, it had only routine scheduled maintenance (and was well cared for). That major service was probably earlier in the year I bought it (they go by hours/miles, not calendar date), so I expect it to have a long and healthy life. I run it at least once a month, per the manual. It doesn't mention having had the carb rebuilt, but it starts easily and runs well, so it may have been done at some point.686Views0likes0Comments
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