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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Water Pressure Regulator
I've had a Valterra adjustable regulator for at least 15 years. I had to rebuild it once. Rebuild kits are readily available.
Valterra Regulator
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JoeH
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05/18/22 04:53am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Vacation Home Buying Fizzling. RV's too?
Technically can't access or read the article - either link. But I can tell you I live in a resort area on the coast and homes don't stay on the market for more than a few days. And all of them are multi bids way over asking price. 2 houses in our neighborhood just sold in under a day and the numbers are about $200-300k over what the owners paid 2 years ago. Rentals are the same way.
Same in Fl.... houses in our neighborhood are typically sold first day or 2 at way over listing price and way over past sales price. A number of them are going to investors who set them up as AirBNB.
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JoeH
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05/05/22 05:25am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Key west
"Before I 75 was put in, I used to drive Tampa to Key West all the way on US 41."
..... except for that stretch of US-1 for the last 3 hours of the trip, eh?
Yep -- 41 thru tampa, gibsonton, ruskin,sarasota,punta gorda,etc all the way to Krome Ave, then to US 1
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JoeH
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05/03/22 05:37am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Key west
I travel from Tampa to Key West several times a year. I take I 75 to exit 101, Naples, go about 6 miles on 951 to US 41.( North of this area, US 41 is a very urban road.) Go 82 miles and turn right on Krome Ave ( 997) for 22 miles and it'll put you right on US 1
41 is , to me , a much more pleasant drive than Alligator Alley ( I 75) and taking the route I do, you avoid all the crazy Miami area traffic.
Before I 75 was put in, I used to drive Tampa to Key West all the way on US 41.
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JoeH
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05/02/22 05:31am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Monaco Class A - 1983 - project
1- depends on the parts.... if it's chassis parts, check with the chassis manufacturer and auto parts places like Autozone or NAPA For appliance parts, figure out what you need and the manufacturer and google it. For Body parts, you are sort of on your own, but if you search for RV salvage yards, there are about a half dozen large ones that may be able to help
2 - As the previous post said, add solar.... there are lots of experienced solar people on this forum... I'm not one of them
3 - I' not familiar with CA. motor vehicle rules... check with the local office
Good luck on your project.
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JoeH
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05/02/22 05:22am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Travel through Atlanta
It's roll the dice with that. Be patient is all and hope for the best. I refuse to go through ATL any more. I go around on 441. Yes. it's slower and through small towns but so much less stressful.
Same here-- 441
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JoeH
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04/24/22 04:26am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Parking permits in the GSMNP
I agree JoeH ... that's why the park will likely gain little if any funds from a charge for parking. It will probably cost more to enforce it than it generates.
And, what about those with ATB passes? Do those count as a parking pass? And, if we leave the pass on the dash, how do we use it in the park? I have no clue, but generating a parking fee becomes a lot more complex than just 'charge a parking fee', I think.
I agree too.... while the concept is OK with me ( I don't mind to pay to park if it helps support the park) , with the openness of the park and multitude of entrances/roads and no kiosks/entry gates, it'll be a bear to enforce. We go there at least once a year and stop for a week or so on our way north ( and sometimes on the way back to FL) and do a lot of hiking so we do use parking at the areas around trailheads.
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JoeH
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04/10/22 05:50am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Parking permits in the GSMNP
...and then I think who will be enforcing the parking if they go to permits ?
Rangers are few and far between in the park.
NPS will use the parking money to pay a couple of vendor employees to enforce the parking stickers and cite the cars without one. IF any money is left after payroll, federal taxes, and benefits, the park might get it for parking lot maintenance.
With 800 sq miles and over 400 miles of roads within the park, it's going to be a huge effort to enforce and educate.
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JoeH
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04/09/22 05:29am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Parking permits in the GSMNP
...and then I think who will be enforcing the parking if they go to permits ?
Rangers are few and far between in the park.
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JoeH
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04/08/22 05:55am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Roadside Assistance
... as a follow-up to my post about my experience with unknowledgeable tow truck drivers and poor service from my road side assistance provider, I wanted to show you what might happen if you don't know how your RV is supposed to be towed and you leave it up to the tow truck driver. Before you have your RV towed, call the manufacturer and get their recommended procedure/technique.... I'm glad I did, otherwise I would have been in the same situation as the people in this story.
Couple stranded after tow truck rips off front end of Motorhome
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JoeH
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04/07/22 05:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Ford V10 Triton
My Chieftain was on the original v 10 and had no problem with spark plugs blowing out, etc. the problem I had was the motor sucking in ground water due to air pickup location and got a "snorkle" from Ford for that. talked to a fella at a campground who had a newer model and was sort of gloating about that until we compared gas mileage and his smirk disappeared.
bumpy
Same here... I had a first year ( 1999) V-10 and it gave us great service in our 36' Pace Arrow Vision. Well over 130,000 miles when I sold it without any issues other than the serpentine belt idler pully bearing and the starter relay failed... but both of those were in the first couple of years and covered by warranty. I did change the air intake as Bumpy mentioned. I wish my other vehicles had such reliable engines !
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JoeH
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03/22/22 05:23am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Storage facility question
OP here. The storage facility is actually very good. Well lit, paved, wrought iron 6 foot fence, not chain link, and 24/7 entry with your own code. Just out of curiosity what do you think is the average width of any given space at any facility? 10 feet? 12 feet? I don’t know as I’ve never asked anyone before.
I am going to see if they have wider spots.
The lot I store at has spaces that are 12 ft wide.
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JoeH
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03/17/22 05:36am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Yellowstone second thoughts.
Go- since you have a site at fishing Bridge, you are in a great spot to get out and about whenever you want and don't have to deal with the entrance gate except when you first arrive. I've never had to wait more than a few minutes at most to get into teh park, but we generally enter pretty early.
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JoeH
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03/15/22 05:46am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Happy Campers no longer available in CA?
I refuse to get into an argument regarding choice of chemicals, GEO method, or just water. I NEVER said that I have any smells coming from my tanks; there is nothing wrong with my tanks/vents/lines/traps, etc., however, there IS the occasional "whiff" while dumping; anyone who claims otherwise is simply not being honest. And to you wonderful people who's s--t doesn't stink, both black and grey, I challenge you to dump a bit into a bucket and take a good deep whiff.
Finally, I asked if anyone knew why it was no longer available in CA, NOT why your method was so much better than mine (BTW, I'm always amused that somehow people think that Dawn and Calgon are NOT chemicals:R). I've been RVing for 45 years and tried many things, I'm perfectly satisfied with the method that I use. You do you, I'll do me, thank you.
When I dump, no solids ever come through the hose (clear fittings at both ends); Happy Campers breaks it all down into liquid better than any other method I've tried, which facilitates more thorough emptying of the tanks. It also reduces any odors when dumping. I did email the company, but haven't received a response. It appears that IAMICHABOD and StarkNaked gave the correct answer; SB-317. Thanks.
I agree with you... your seemingly simple question about CA regulatory issues morphed into the good/bad/ugly about the process of storing and dumping . BTW, when I use a tank additive, it is Happy Camper.... works great.
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JoeH
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03/15/22 05:36am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Bar Harbor, Me
We've been staying at Narrows Too the past 13 years for the month of July. All sites are FHU, some waterfront. 3 lobster pounds within a couple minute walk. Easy 6 mile drive to Acadia NP and 12 miles to Bar Harbor.
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JoeH
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03/13/22 06:12am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: 50 > 30 > 20 amp
Yes-- but, on my inverter, you need to change the setting to tell it's at 15 or 20 amp otherwise it may trip the breaker.
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JoeH
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03/03/22 05:13am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Bradenton, Florida
Buttonwood in Cortez is nice plus it's only a walk across the bridge to the beach
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JoeH
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03/02/22 04:58am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: RVing With A Ninja Foodi XL
Since we went to an all electric coach back in 2013, I've accumulated many electric gizmos for preparing food. I have an electric grill, 2 induction cookers, an air fryer, crock pot, rice cooker,griddle,instant pot. I built a folding table with adequate shelve space to have all these out and made a sunbrella cover for it to keep the appliances out of the weather when not in use. If it rains, I put out the awning for cook time.
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JoeH
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03/01/22 05:18am |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: Roadside Assistance
This is a post I made several weeks ago......
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I have been a coachnet subscriber for over 20 years and had to use them in early December. What a horrible experience. After I got home, I wrote the CEO and never got a response. Then I wrote the VP of marketing who had a staff member call me. I got lip service and a commitment to follow-up with me in a few days. Well, more than a few days passed and no follow-up. Just what I expected.... below is my letter to the CEO outlining the poor service we received. Make your decision on your provider carefully.... your safety depends on it !
Mr. Ostlund,
Yes, we were on the side of the road for 29 hours and this was no rural country road. It was US 1 in Maimi-Dade county Florida with cars and trucks whizzing by at 60-80 mph literally a few feet from the side of our motorhome. To say I'm disappointed in the service and response from Coach-Net would be an understatement.
On Friday December 3rd we left our home in Apollo Beach, Fl to spend a few nights at Key Largo before going to Key West. At about 14:00 my coolant temperature rapidly rose and the alarm went off. I moved to the side of the road. This was at Mile Marker 122 on US1 south of Homestead, FL. The infamous 18 mile stretch. The road here is a narrow 2 lane highway with the lanes separated by Jersey barriers. The shoulder is very narrow and in many places not even wide enough for a car, fortunately I was able to find a spot that we could actually get out of the travel lane by about 5 feet without sinking into the mud .
After assessing the situation and finding a catastrophic water pump failure, I call Coach-Net at 14:30 for assistance.
The first person I spoke to asked a few questions and then passed me to a technical staff member. We discussed the situation and he said he would get a tow truck to the scene. I was told it would be about an hour before the truck would arrive. Well, that wasn't even close. At 19:30, a full 5 hours later, a truck shows up, the driver looks at the situation and says he isn't able to tow a motorhome due to the configuration of his truck.
I call back Coach-Net and after some discussion they start to try to find another tow truck. After a few more hours, they decide that it would be good to inform the Florida Highway Patrol of our situation. A trooper comes by and provides visibility to the oncoming traffic with his emergency lights. Another tow company was finally dispatched and when they got to the scene the driver said he could not tow from the front, but would tow from the rear by raising the coach by the trailer hitch. I told him and pointed out the label on the hitch, that the hitch was rated at 1000 lbs tongue weight capacity and that the coach weighs 42000 lbs and that there was no way I was going to allow him to even attempt to do that. If I hadn't stopped him, I'm sure there would have been tens of thousands of dollars damage. He left and soon afterwards, the trooper had to leave . It was now after 03:00 Saturday...over 12 hours since I called in the issue.
I called Coach-Net again. They decided there was nothing to do at this late hour and would resume their (feeble) efforts in the morning. I was told I'd be contacted at 07:00 .
07:00 comes and goes and a little after 08:00 I get a call and they are going to resume trying to find a wrecker. I was promised call backs on status, but never received them. I had to call back myself to find out what was going on. Finally at 16:30 Saturday a couple of guys show up and said they had it under control. These guys were super professional, efficient and demonstrated outstanding team work. After a short period of time, during which they showed me what they were doing, they had us all hooked up and ready to go. But, as we were staring to pull out, one of their airbags on the rear axle failed and in interest of safety, they decided to unhook and drive back to the shop to get another truck.
They returned with a different truck and reattached the motorhome and we were finally off the side of the road at 19:30 Saturday. A full 29 hours after the time I called in for assistance.
When we got to the repair shop they backed us into position and unhooked. As I was thanking them for their outstanding service , I asked why they hadn't been called earlier. They told me that they were not on Coach-Net's vendor list and were called in only in dire situations. These guys were by far the best. You should have them at the top of the list for towing large RV's. They are Edwin and Kevin from American Eagle Towing. The other companies that showed up should be removed from your vendor list.
The reason I am sending this letter to you is to make sure you are aware of how poorly this call for emergency assistance was handled and that hopefully you will take corrective actions to prevent this from happening to someone else.
Some thoughts to consider :
- make sure the vendor you dispatch understands what is being towed and make sure they have the equipment to do so.
- the second tow operator obviously had no experience in towing a motorhome and if he had tried to tow from the trailer hitch as he had wanted to do, he would have caused extensive damage. It is likely that if it had been another person in my situation they might have taken him for his word and their motorhome would have been destroyed. You need to thoroughly vet your vendors to help prevent unnecessary damage.
- we were in a potentially very dangerous situation on a heavily traveled road. Police notification by your team should not have taken over 10 hours.
- When your staff says they are going to call back in a certain period of time, they need to do so. Other than a couple times when they did call back as promised, in general, I had to call back and wait on hold to get status.
- Scrub your vendor list. You obviously have incompetent service providers that are wasting your time, my time and their time and at the same time destroying your reputation as a quality service provider.
- A 29 hour wait to get EMERGENCY service is not acceptable under any circumstances.
Try to put yourself in the situation that we were in and see what your reactions would have been.
I look forward to your response.
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JoeH
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02/27/22 05:22am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Gettysburg CGs and Sat TV reception
As you stated, the sites at Artillary Ridge on the hill are satellite friendly as are the ones at Gettysburg CG that are on Stewart Circle....at least the one we were on and the ones near us had clear shots
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JoeH
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02/26/22 05:56am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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