Arch_Stanton
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Joined 12 years ago
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Re: Taste of retirement
Utah is stunning. If your family is into boating at all you need to do a houseboat vacation on Lake Powell.We did it about 8 years ago and are planning to go again. It is simply amazing, out of this world. When we left we came down the Moki Dugway sp(?) and through the Monument Valley, towing the Ski boat behind us down to Kingman then across the Hoover Dam int Vegas and north to home. Once the wife retires, (I pulled it off) we will return to that area with the 5er.357Views0likes0CommentsRe: Quality control problems - rant
"Anyone with experience in how Eclipse is doing quality-wise during this "boon to business" time? My target is an Attitude or Iconic 28-32-foot 5th wheel." Sir, My wife and I have owned an RV of one type or another for close to 40 years. In 2014 we bought a brand new Eclipse Attitude 32Ak 5th wheel from a dealer in Sacramento. It has been the worst RV experience of our lives. The quality control on these units is abhorrent. I bought an extended warranty and since the problems were, "manufacturing defects" they bowed out. Problems include a window installed in a hole cut improperly, causing premature failure of the window seals, unsealed and covered exposed plywood edges the entire length of both sides of the coach, improperly installed cabinet hanger rods, Coax run throughout the trailer not connected to anything I can find, the list goes on. I had the dealer install a second battery and an underbelly seal. Before I had 10 miles on the road the underbelly seal was falling off. it was screwed to air...no backing. The second battery was attached to the first via romex. Based on this there was no way I was going to allow them to tackle the window repairs and fixing the subsequent delamination. The convertible sofa on the side wall is screwed into the aluminum studs via #10 sheet metal screws. They fell out within two months. I would up putting 1/4-20 nut-serts into the studs and using grade bolts to fix the problem. I had a local RV repair facility that has a reputation for outstanding work take pictures of the problems and write up an estimate for repairs. The estimate came in at $2500. I sent all of this to Eclipse, via Email. They wouldn't cover it. They wanted me to bring the coach to their facility in Riverside, Ca. This is about 700 miles one way, plus my time, $, etc. Ultimately we agreed to have one of their drivers take the coach down, then they notified me they would not warranty the repairs they were going to perform... In the meantime, I heard from another Eclipse product owner that this was a classic ploy, get your coach down there, open it up, claim the problem was not their fault, and demand payment for repair to put the RV back together. I wound up paying out of pocket.. to my local tech, who warrants his work. I asked Eclipse that they please send me the decals that would be necessary to match up after the repairs were made. 3 months later they sent the wrong "bigger" decal, and when I told them that they said it "was the best they could do, and o by the way, the second smaller decal was "unavailable". Mind you, this coach was less than 16 months off the lot, and had been towed less than 500 miles. Last spring I walked into the coach and found the convertible sofa on the wall laying on the floor. The only weight ever on that couch was our 40 lb. dog. The sofa is attached to the side wall via screws into the aluminum studs using #10 sheet metal screws. I would up putting 1/4-20 nut-serts into the studs and using grade 8 bolts to fix the problem. There is my Eclipse Story. I have all the pictures, all of the emails, and will save them forever. I've been tempted mightily to buy two large decals of a Lemon, and put them on the ramp door and the nose cap...but the wife says no.359Views0likes0CommentsRe: newbie who would appreciate some advice
You've been given some good advice already, let me add to it a bit. If you can find a used rig that meets your needs you can potential save a big chunk of money. If you are not well-versed in RV's and want to look at used ones take someone who IS well versed with you when you go looking, even if you have to pay a tech to go with you. It'll be money well spent. What are you planning to haul? ATV's, a side-by-side? You need to know that whatever you want to haul will fit, and think about what you might haul down the road...will that fit?. Is there a chance of others going with you? Will you need space for other people and their stuff, or will it always just be you and the wife? Personally, I am not a Forest rive fan, but that is just me, many people are happy with them. Of the two you listed I'd go with the Road Warrior. Best of luck, toyhaulers are a lot of fun and make for good times out in the boonies...150Views0likes0CommentsRe: Generator or not??
If you use the toyhauler to haul off-road style toys or a small fishing boat into the unimproved campgrounds where power isn't available then having a generator is a asset. If you do not have a stout solar system then I think it moves up to a requirement. We use our toyhauler as described above, just as we have used every other RV we've owned over the past 3 decades.The generator has driven everything from a small 120vac wire-feed welder, to the AC to a small TV with a VHS player in it. (kids thought they were in high cotton). We have a 4k Onan onboard and also take a EU2000 Honda with us. The Honda will handle most needs and serve as a back up and the Onan will take care of the rest. In the evening, if we are just running a battery charge to get topped off for the furnace to run all night we will run the quiet little Honda on eco-throttle and it is very quiet. If you are not using your toy hauler like we do,you could do without the built in generator. Different strokes for different folks, but in my circle of friends I cannot imagine any of us not having a generator on board. As time passes I do plan to do a substantial solar system for a number of reasons, but I still won't be without a generator. Redundancy is a wonderful thing.340Views0likes0CommentsRe: Attitude 32GSG
Go with the 5'er, you won't regret it. I have a 2014 32AKLG Attitude, which is measures out to 35'6 overall. We love it. Owned a lot of different RV's over the years, I really think this is the last one we will ever buy.Kids are gone, we take the grandkids with us now and then. No slides, we don't miss them. We haul our '14 XP1000 2 seater, with room to spare. Ours was on a lot, but I am not surprised they can't keep up with demands. They need to fix that for sure, but they build a decent quality unit at a fair price, I hope they can ramp up production without screwing that up.528Views0likes0CommentsRe: Opinions??
I must agree with the above poster, there is just no way I would buy an RV, especially a used one, sight unseen from a dealer on the opposite coast. There are simply too many things that can go wrong/be wrong. Find one closer to you that you can go put your own eyeballs on, and examine with a fine tooth comb. If you buy from a local dealer at least you will have someone you can go back to for service should the need arise. If you are not familiar with RV's take someone who is when you have found a coach that you are serious about. Please...really think this through before pulling the trigger.319Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2014 Glamis Dunes Land Take Over
This is proof of what we can do when we: -Are united in purpose and are willing to go the distance. -Are willing to put our money where it needs to be. -Are focused on THE TRUTH, real science, and the scientists willing to speak it. -Are willing to fight the court battles, from beginning to end. This isn't the beginning of the end, it is merely the end of the beginning. This is a template for changing the trend that has had junk science and litigious anti-access groups steamrolling lawsuits through the courts. I hope the folks fighting these battles all over the country all take notice, take a moment to celebrate, and then put their noses to the grindstones and keep the faith. Glamis isn't over, not by a longshot. But we won, this battle in the never ending war, and perhaps even more importantly we can now show people that we know how to win...lets keep it up.186Views0likes0CommentsRe: ATV riders stand up BLM in Utah
It won't trigger them opening anything, I am afraid. However, it is clear that a growing number of citizens are reaching the point where they believe the BLM needs to be refocused, and their mission re-evaluated, in a very big way. This growing number of citizens, if they unite and get their act together, can trigger a revolution at the ballot box, which can change things...if it goes far enough, and they stay the course, pressuring their representatives at every level to get this bureaucracy under control. I understand their frustration. I spent several years involved in the "working with BLM" game, trying to deal with the absurdities of recreation area management plans, etc. In the end the people lost. The truth, as I experienced it, is that (with few exceptions, the recent victory in Glamis being the biggest of those) there is a culture in the BLM that transcends administrations, and that culture is not one that supports mechanized recreation. In fact, it doesn't support recreation at all. I once heard a highly placed BLM official tell me to my face that, "closing and gating land is much easier than managing it for public access". In general that culture supports gaining control of and then closing as much land as possible. The culture is aligned with the anti-access crowd, and they really don't try to hide it. It is the culture that needs to be changed. Land grabs continue. Look at what is afoot at Veil Lake in Southern California. Anyway, it is nice to see the people starting to get involved in the process. We have a long road ahead of us, but getting involved and getting organized is a great start.52Views0likes0Comments
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