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RE: Combination smoke/CO detectors?
That sounds backwards. I thought CO detectors should be mid height and propane down low as propane is heavier than air. CO as a byproduct of combustion will be warmer than ambient and want to initially rise.
That's what I think, too. I'll go with a combo unit, mounted on the ceiling as the originals were. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and opinions. Much appreciated.
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jakedaddy
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01/25/10 08:44pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Combination smoke/CO detectors?
The CO detector should be near floor level? This is news to me. I've never seen one near floor level, either in a home or RV; in most cases where I've noticed them at all, they've been high on a wall or even on the ceiling. And it would seem that this is what the manufacturers recommend in most cases, based on my reading.
Jayco installed our original detectors on the ceiling about midway from the cabover entertainment center to the cabinets over the dinette, and I doubt they're more than 3' from each other side-to-side.
I've not decided which I'll go with yet, but I wanted to know what others thought.
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jakedaddy
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01/25/10 01:03am |
Class C Motorhomes
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Combination smoke/CO detectors?
I've decided to retire the original smoke and CO detectors in our rig, and in the process of shopping, the combination smoke/CO detectors caught my eye.
The one I'm really interested in is a First Alert model which not only has the tone alert, but also a voice warning.
Does anyone have any thoughts on these? Should I stick with separate models or go with a combo???
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jakedaddy
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01/24/10 06:35pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Ford Transmission - Help
I'm not sure there is a way to keep it in 4th gear, to be honest. Our '00 with the 4-speed has an "Overdrive OFF" button on the end of the shifter, but I'm fairly sure that was replaced on the later models by the tow/haul button.
Here's what the owner's manual has to say regarding the tow/haul mode and its use:
"Tow/Haul delays upshifts to reduce frequency of transmission shifting. Tow/Haul also provides engine braking in all forward gears when the transmission is in the D (Overdrive) position; this engine braking will slow the vehicle and assist the driver in controlling the vehicle when descending a grade.
"Depending on driving conditions and load conditions, the transmission may downshift, slow the vehicle and control the vehicle speed when descending a hill, without the accelerator pedal being pressed. The amount of downshift braking provided will vary based upon the amount the brake pedal is depressed."
Hope this helps ...
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jakedaddy
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01/19/10 12:15pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Jayco Class C Quality
We've had our 2000 Designer since August and know its entire history from new. As long as it's been well maintained, I think you'll really enjoy it. I know we have!
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jakedaddy
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01/19/10 11:57am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Hey Illinois travelers....... No more 55MPH limit
I'm honestly surprised they didn't have portable scales that they could've used right where you were. I know Indiana's Motor Carrier Division has them, and I'm pretty sure Kentucky Vehicle Enforcement has them as well. Would've saved you the time and trouble of going to the scale.
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jakedaddy
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01/03/10 03:53pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Hey Illinois travelers....... No more 55MPH limit
Indiana's law is 65 for trucks (or anything else over 13 tons GVW); 70 for lighter vehicles. For those of us with Class Cs, I think that we would be legally OK to run 70, but for my part, I usually run no more than 60-62 MPH. That's the most comfortable speed for me, and probably where I get my best MPG (our rig gets about 8 MPG regardless).
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jakedaddy
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01/02/10 09:58pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Cleaning out heating vents?
I've just unscrewed the register covers and vacuumed out as much as I could reach -- as far as I could reach -- with the hose.
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jakedaddy
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12/13/09 04:10pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Seneca Baby Seat question...
Our youngest daughter -- age three -- rides in a booster seat at the dinette in a seat belt.
Prior to that, I always put her full-height child seat in the swivel chair behind the passenger's (cab) seat, mainly for the benefit of having the higher seat back which gave the child seat more support.
If the recliner can be swiveled to face either forward or rearward, I personally think that's the safest option.
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jakedaddy
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11/13/09 01:00am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: carry electric wheelchair or scooter behind Class C
I have a Shoprider Echo 3 scooter. It fits in one of our basement compartments and the heaviest part (the frame/handlebar assembly) is 29 pounds. It weighs 70 pounds overall.
Even with upgrading the seat to a Walmart boat seat ($38), it still fits beautifully.
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jakedaddy
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11/05/09 07:54pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 2002 greyhawk 31RB
This will be quite a change for us. We like to "go places" near where we camp. Like local attractions (and groceries). Without a toad that means breaking camp. We are talking about the wife following me in her car (too big to tow) to the campsite just to have transportation. We are thinking we may eventually get a small truck or something. Where do you live? We spend a lot of time in KY. Mostly Corbin area (Grove campground). It's easy to hit after the wife gets off on Fridays.
Same here. Our minivan is too heavy to tow (although my older one would have worked ... :R) so my wife drives ours when we travel locally. I'm honestly considering renting a car the next time we travel any kind of distance because I have yet to find a suitable toad. Enterprise delivers to many campgrounds, so that's another option you might look at, at least on a temporary basis while you shop for something.
We're in Owensboro, which is about an hour (give or take) north of Bowling Green. Pretty fair trip from Corbin. I used to get over that way quite often when I was still driving for my former employer, and I had relatives over in the London area too.
Hope to see y'all along the road next year!
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jakedaddy
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11/01/09 10:04am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 2002 greyhawk 31RB
jakedaddy,
There is a gravel yard about 2 miles from me that has a set of scales. I figured I'd take it over there. We had been talking about getting a class C for a couple of years, mostly the wife. I resisted. Then one day she says "I just wanted you to know, when you die I'm using your life insurance to buy a motorhome". Later that year I developed a bad cough from a medicine I was taking and she was shopping on craigslist! The rest is history, or it will be when we pick it up. It has already been winterized but we will probably do a dry run (pardon the pun) at a local state park just to check out the systems.
I honestly wasn't too much for the idea of a Class C myself. I wanted this nice TT I had my eye on, but when my wife's grandmother made this one available to us, I told my wife we'd be dumber than dirt if we didn't go for it. I actually had to talk HER into it! It is a bit of a climb for me (I have a spinal condition that hinders my walking ability somewhat), but even that is worth it because our kids think it's the best thing we ever did. Truth be told, they're right -- it is!
I wish we had a good scale locally. The closest scale I could use is about 15 miles away and is a real pain in the butt. The closest GOOD scale is a 50-mile drive away, but I plan to buy new tires next spring from a friend's shop which is close to that scale, so I can kill two birds with one stone on that trip.
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jakedaddy
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10/31/09 09:28pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 2002 greyhawk 31RB
Thanks. I looked in the link before I asked. Couldn't find anything. I just went back and found it. I missed the spec tab. I guess it dosen't matter what it weighs, I own it. We will be picking it up next week. We have to make arrangments to transfer title between his bank and my bank so the current owner and my wife will likely miss some work. I've been on the phone all morning with insurance companies getting quotes. 11'4" is up there. My trailer is 10'1" and it made me nervous sometimes. I might be asking more questions. The generator has something like 40 hours on it but it won't start. Probably from lack of use. It may just need a spark plug.
P.S. Thank you very much. You have been very helpful.
Congrats on the new rig! We recently got a 2000 Designer 27' and LOVE it!
Look around in the cabinets for the weight label (it should be in a cabinet; if not, get in touch with Jayco and they'll send you one) and that will give you an idea of what it weighs unloaded, plus the cargo carrying capacity. You'll still want to have it weighed on all four wheels with the stuff you'll normally carry on-board. Better safe than sorry!
The air conditioner is what makes the rig 11'4" tall. The rest of the roof will be down around 10', maybe a little more. I've not measured our 2000. You'll get used to it very quickly. I had a 600-mile "trial by fire" from Oklahoma to Kentucky to get used to ours! Truth be told, after 5-10 minutes, you'll know its height, but it won't bother you as long as you drive carefully and are aware of your surroundings.
When you change the spark plug in the generator, change the oil too. My gen hadn't been run since 2001 because of a problem it mysteriously developed, and I got it going without too much trouble this fall. Works great now. I think my wife's grandmother (who we got the rig from) got sabotaged by someone, somewhere along the line.
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jakedaddy
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10/30/09 08:17pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Older/Lower Miles vs. Newer/Higher Miles
Coming to this topic as someone who just recently got a low-mileage older Jayco (a 2000 model with 11K miles on it), I can say I'm not sorry we made the investment.
Of course, I know its entire history (it belonged to my wife's grandmother) and was able to fix the two problems it had (generator and water pump). The only chassis mechanical issue we've faced was the front brake calipers froze up on our way from Oklahoma to Kentucky, literally 15 miles from where we picked up the rig.
Take both rigs' overall condition into account. Go over them with a fine-toothed comb and if you are unsure or uneasy about anything, there is no harm in walking away.
I gotta tell you, though ... we LOVE our Jayco and I cannot imagine owning anything else. It may not be as flashy and fancy as some of the newest rigs, but it's just fine for our purposes.
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jakedaddy
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10/28/09 03:40am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Follow-up to the new-to-us 2000 Jayco Designer
Hope your wife heals well and comfortably.
The surgeon released her today and she goes back to work tomorrow. She's looking forward to going back and I have to admit that, while I love her dearly, it'll be nice having my TV back during the day while I work here at home. I'm disabled due to a degenerative spinal condition, but I have a part-time job covering/critiquing local TV and radio for the newspaper. Keeps my mind sharp.
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jakedaddy
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10/27/09 03:37pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Follow-up to the new-to-us 2000 Jayco Designer
Glad to hear you got your rig in great shape. But you don't have to put it away yet! It's been a great fall and We're still going to Gatlinburg in November. We put some antifreeze in the pipes for now, but it's no big deal to flush it out and hit the road. We'll put in away and cover it for the winter when we get back in early December. We love our Designer!
I would have kept it out and ready to run, but the DW has been laid up because of an injury at work that required surgery. Without her income (she's going back to work later this week, we hope!), we just didn't have the funds to take another trip this year -- although we'd originally planned to do so. "The best laid plans" and all that, you know.
I went ahead and got the winterizing done today. I have to admit I was a little nervous about doing that because of the water pump repair and not having tested it extensively (as I did the generator), but the pump worked great and I got the job done in almost no time.
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jakedaddy
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10/26/09 08:48pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Follow-up to the new-to-us 2000 Jayco Designer
We were in Kentucky at Land between the Lakes a few weeks ago, it's hard for me, as a die hard Floridian, to realize how cold it is there now. Kentucky is beautiful and we want to get back there but it certainly will have to be over 50 degrees for me too!
I love LBL! We were down there over the 4th of July weekend this year with my in-laws. It never got above 72 degrees and rained or stormed (with tornado warnings!) most of the weekend, but we still made many memories. That was our last outing prior to getting the RV.
Kentucky winters can be rough. Last one was really bad. Some of the campgrounds in the lakes area were late to open because of extensive damage from the January ice storm. Took months to get things open; it'll be years before everything is back to what it used to be.
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jakedaddy
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10/25/09 07:48pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Follow-up to the new-to-us 2000 Jayco Designer
Well, the two older girls are getting to the age when they won't want to go places with Mom & Dad (oh, the horror!!!), so it won't be snug forever. I figure we might as well enjoy it now!
I hope it's a short winter too ... every time it gets above 50 degrees I'm gonna want to hit the road!!!
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jakedaddy
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10/25/09 08:52am |
Class C Motorhomes
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Follow-up to the new-to-us 2000 Jayco Designer
OK, everybody, instead of adding to a thread that hasn't seen action in two months (it's here if you're interested), I thought I'd catch everyone up on the 2000 Jayco Designer 2730W we got from my wife's grandmother. We've had it here at home for two months now (and have used it several times), and I am proud to report that we LOVE IT!!!
GENERAL CONDITION: The rig came to us in fine overall shape, and as I figured she would, Grandma had all of the fluids and filters changed before we got there. It runs as well as I could have expected, and, since it only has 11K miles on it, it should!
BRAKES: We made it about 15 miles before the front calipers froze up, I presume from having been used so seldom. We had to wait three hours for the shop to replace them (mainly a matter of getting the parts; we lucked out in that someone else canceled and they squeezed us in), but a thorough inspection of the remainder of the system indicates everything else is A-OK.
ACCOMMODATIONS: For the six of us (myself, DW, 3 DDs and a DS) it's snug, but it works. My two older DDs share the dinette bed. My DS immediately claimed the slide-out bed that comes out of the cab-over entertainment center, and the youngest DD shares the queen bed with the wife and I.
KNOWN PROBLEMS: I knew going in that the generator and the coach water pump didn't work. I spent about an hour with the water pump in my workshop and finally diagnosed the problem as a stuck switch. Once I worked it a few times, it worked fine. Winterizing will now be a breeze!
The generator took more time and effort. My dad, who used to work on generators and other small engines, provided me with the necessary manuals and experience to help me out. It turns out that the last time it was in the shop in Tulsa (not with Grandma's usual repairman closer to home), someone overfilled it with oil (WAY overfilled!)and misadjusted the governor. I can't be sure, but I think it may have been intentional. However, once we rectified those two problems, in the words of Johnny Cash, "we had it runnin' just like a song!" It now starts quickly and runs very smoothly.
I guess the best part of the whole quest to fix those two problems is that it cost me absolutely nothing but my time, and I work for free.
This past week, I took care of washing and waxing it and the next job (most likely next weekend) will be to winterize it. We've yet to see our first freeze here in western Kentucky, which is why I've held off, although I did go ahead and blow out the water lines.
Once spring comes around again, I plan to replace the tires. I see no sense in doing so now, since it's just going to sit all winter. The ones that are on it have held up this long, they're covered, and I think they'll hold it up just fine.
Well, this ended up being pretty lengthy, so I hope I didn't put anyone to sleep. Thanks to one and all for your suggestions, and we'll see you along the road next spring!
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jakedaddy
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10/24/09 07:17pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: When Kodiak and Top Kick are gone
Agreed on the diesel furnace. I think EarthRoamer (which makes a smaller high-dollar rig based on the Ford F-550 chassis cab) uses something similar, but man, are those things expensive!!!
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jakedaddy
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10/24/09 04:58pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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