Redsky
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Joined 12 years ago
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Sources for RV repair information
I was looking for a RV service center with a good reputation and I used Yelp.com to learn of 4 terrible places in my local area and one exceptionally good service center. Normally I use Yelp.com to locate places at which to eat while traveling but in this situation it was a quite valuable resource to find a RV service center. Does anyone have other resources they use to check out RV service centers in advance?583Views0likes1CommentRe: California Hwy 1 from Ventura to Cresent City CA
Take the car and enjoy the drive. Big Sur is one of the most beautiful sections of coastline in the world and nearly as nice is the stretch of Hwy 1 through Sonoma county. Most of the places to pull over and enjoy the views are too small for a long RV. Plenty of B&B's and small hotels along this route and much nicer than the majority of places where you can park a large RV with hookups. The out of pocket cost will be the same either way so make it a fun trip and take the car and use the many resources like Tripadvisor.com and Yelp.com to find places to stay and to eat. Best time to go is right after Labor Day. Not commonly known but along the coast the warmest weather is usually in September and also the sunniest.526Views0likes0CommentsRe: satellite signal meter for dish setup
If the azimuth is correct all you have to do is rotate the dish to pick up the satellites. I put the DVR so it shows the signal strength and rotate the dish until I get a good signal. If you check the azimuth adjustment on home dishes you will see that it is fairly crude as precise adjustments are not needed to receive a satellite signal.652Views0likes0CommentsRe: GM standard bed vs Dodge standard bed pick-up
ChooChooMan74 wrote: It isn't the size of the bed. It is from where the hitch mounts to the back of the cab. If on the Ram Trucks (Formerly Dodge), the axle is the same distance from the back of the cab, then no difference. The 2" difference between both short beds may be on the tailgate side. You will have to measure. Also, in researching for a new Ram Truck purchase, I was looking at the B&W hitches for the pucks. They have numerous adjustment holes. Take a look at the manual. As for Regular vs Short Beds, my last real truck was before the short beds were even introduced in the 3/4 ton and up trucks (91 F350 DRW 7.3 IDI with Banks Turbo), so I am partial to the Standard 8' beds. The 6'6" beds are the Standard beds. The 8' beds are Long beds. With my GM going to a long bed would increase the turning radius by 4 feet and that is a price I am not willing to pay based on where I go with my truck.502Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2500hd hitch height and tire pressure?
Start with the air pressures specified by the truck manufacturer and on the plate inside the door jam. Do not assume that the tire manufacturer's load and pressure chart is correct for your truck - it is not! If you drive the truck for a few thousand miles the tread wear pattern will make it apparent if you should run with less air in the front or rear tires. Under inflating tires is a good way to reduce handling and increase odds for a blowout with the extra flexing of the sidewalls of the tires.914Views0likes0CommentsRe: softening the ride on a Doege 3500
Best solution is to add some weight to the back of the truck. I use a 200# fiberglass camper shell and it makes a big difference with my truck. With an empty bed I would add a couple hundred pounds of concrete. Another possible change is to go to adjustable air shocks or the Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks. They do not make a big difference but they may help with your truck. Anything you do to change the ride with the bed empty is going to affect how it handles and the safety of you and your passengers both when it is empty or with a full load.377Views0likes0CommentsRe: GM truck recall - yes another one
The people in charge of quality control at General Motors were ignored and two who then went to the feds were sidelined and their careers ended. GM had knowledge of defects like the Cobalt ignition switches that they allowed to continue in production and to be used in later models sold by GM. They did the same with fuel lines that would pop off and spray gasoline inside the engine compartment. People died but no one at GM will ever spend a day in jail. No different than with Ford when Iaccoca decided it was more profitable to not replace the Pinto gas caps or the Crown Vic gas tanks even though their owners were being burned alive in accidents. In the USA corporate executives get away with murder. It is the American way of business where all that matters is making money. My current truck is a GM but my next one will not.290Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2013 Subaru as Tow Vehicle
The Subaru models I have experience with were tow rated for up to 3500 lbs. with the appropriate hitch. But I would not tow a trailer that I could not stop in a reasonable amount of time and distance using the tow vehicles brakes alone. Before I bought a travel trailer I would get the hitch installed and rent a Uhaul trailer and load it up with as much weight as possible and then see how the tow vehicle performed. How well it was able to accelerate and safely merge with traffic, how well it was able to go up a 6% grade, how safe it felt going down a 6% grade, and how long it took to bring it from 60 MPH to a complete stop. None of these factors are given serious consideration by any of the car manufacturers. My Chevy Tahoe was rated for double the load that it could bring to a stop in less than a 300 feet from 60 MPH. With its rated load in tow it was not safe to drive.362Views0likes0CommentsRe: 10% biodiesel in Minnesota
And is Ryanw821 offering to pay your repair bills or the cost for an attorney to go to court to get Chrysler to reimburse you? If not he should shut up. GM starting in 2011 had a fuel heater and other modifications so that their engines could burn B20 fuel. But any problems caused from the use of B20 is not covered under the manufacturer's warranty for the engine. Above all else do not switch back and forth from biodiesel and regular diesel. Stick with one or the other. Per General Motors for their diesel engines: Owners who have very low fuel usage or who have vehicles stored for extended periods of time should avoid the use of biodiesel. Storage at hot ambient temperatures will accelerate biodiesel degradation. When vehicles will be stored for extended periods of time (greater than one month), they should be run out of biodiesel to below 1/4 tank, refueled with conventional Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel, and driven several miles before storage. Biodiesel gels sooner than conventional diesel fuel at cold temperature, and biodiesel fuel requires proper blending for winter time operation. Fuels improperly blended for cold temperature operation may result in restricted fuel filters and degraded vehicle performance. Your vehicle is equipped with a fuel heating system to provide a level of protection against filter plugging from gelling (waxing) of conventional diesel fuel and biodiesel blends. However, the system will not prevent all cases of plugged filters if the operating temperature is far below the temperature at which gelling or waxing of the fuel occurs (cloud point). Use of biodiesel blends greater than B5 (5% blend) should be avoided in cold temperatures. Vehicles operated for extended periods of time on conventional diesel fuel and then switched to biodiesel blends may experience premature fuel filter clogging and require more frequent fuel filter service. With long term use of conventional diesel fuel, gum and varnish may be deposited within the tank and fuel system. These deposits, while not problematic with the use of conventional diesel fuel, may become loosened with a sudden switch to biodiesel blends and cause fuel filter plugging. This vehicle is equipped with a fuel filter restriction monitoring system that will alert you if the fuel filter requires service, but it will not prevent damage caused by poor quality biodiesel. Avoid biodiesel as much as possible and make use of a fuel stabilizer for diesel if the truck is not going to be used for weeks at a time.347Views0likes0Comments
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