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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Motorhome rocks excessively while driving down the highway
My 32ft Winnebago Vista did the same until I performed the Cheap Handling Fix (google it). Note I only did the rear sway bar, not the front.
No more rocking. This only applies to the F53 Ford chassis.
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vjstangelo
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02/20/20 01:13pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New 7.3 vs old V-10
I guess define struggle. If you mean slows down on grades, you probably are going to do the same with the 7.3 so I wouldn’t necessarily blow $30-40 large on a new truck just to get the 7.3.
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vjstangelo
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02/20/20 03:53am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Were older travel trailers built better?
Chiming in here. When I was a kid in the 70’s we had an old Apache pop up. I don’t think there was any wood and that thing was a little tank made of nothing but steel, aluminum, and fiberglass.
As an adult with kids of my own we had a KZ 2003 model Frontier. Owned it for 12 years and it had its share of problems, worst being water leaks. But, we used the heck out of it and I was always playing Mr fix it. The issue to me is the wood and fiberglass construction being used as once water gets in through a seam, rot and mildew is inevitable. An older brand called Evergreen came up with a model that used no wood rather used Adzel which would not rot. Of course these units were a premium cost and I think that is what did them in.
Systems such as axles, fridges, ac units are the same throughout and all will fail at the same rate independent of the RV manufacturer and date made.
So in conclusion, I think the materials of construction (design) dictate the failure rate not necessarily the manufacturer.
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vjstangelo
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02/01/20 12:16pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Must see in Maine?
Head up to the town of Lubec, then cross over to Campobello Island. The Roosevelt homestead is fascinating. The drive up the coast is beautiful and not crowded as many folks jam into Bar Harbor and go no farther north.
This precisely why we skipped Bar Harbor.
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vjstangelo
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01/12/20 05:38pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Yellowstone Trip
We did that route 1 time. It is a steep, mountainous, twisting set of switchbacks going up and then down to Sheridan. I have never done it again because we nearly burned up the transmission on the climb (burning smell came through the ventilation and we quickly pulled over to cool off the rig).
It you have done this type of road and are comfortable doing it, it is doable with great care.
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vjstangelo
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01/12/20 05:10pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: 2nd to Wrangler what are the best toad options?
We tow a 2011 CRV with no problems. 30 MPG when driving mixed. The last year CRV towable was 2014. Plenty of low mileage CRV’s out there (try Carmax). Also available in AWD versions.
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vjstangelo
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12/23/19 08:32pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: 2018 Forest River Forester
Check out Forest River Forums, plenty of good information there on the FR Class C’s.
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vjstangelo
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12/23/19 08:26pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Windshield Replacement Recommendations
I wanted to sent out an update.
My insurance company settled and cut me a check to repair the windshield. I decided to use RV Glass Solutions as recommended by others. The shop doing the actual work is All Clear Glass out of Danville, VA.
It turns out every cloud has a silver lining. Upon removing the windshield All Clear identified extensive rust on the frame below the existing glass adhesive. There was no leaking but I'm sure that had this situation remained unidentified it would have resulted in big problems down the line.
Further, I was aware that old Winnebago Class A's had this problem, but thought they had fixed this problem with newer units (mine is a 2012). Wrong.
Anyway, the vendor wire brushed away the rust and applied a rust inhibitor which will hopefully slow down the process.
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vjstangelo
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11/04/19 12:46pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: RVs and California's Planned Power Outages
We keep our coach parked next to the house with a full tank of gas.
If power goes out for a long time I can fire up the generator and run an extension cord to the freezer and refrigerator inside our house.
75 gallons of gas would be good for about a week or so.
In the Loma Prieta earthquake we lived in Salinas and had no power for several days. Discovered you can't buy gas when power is off for days so now my vehicles never get below a half tank and my coach is always full when stored by the house.
Having a free standing generator could be a problem without a lot of gas stored at your home.
Ditto on using the Onan genset on our Class A feeding off of the 70 gal tank.
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vjstangelo
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10/31/19 06:12pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: BEST ROUTE WITH LEAST MOUNTAINS
GO north to I-90 then GO WEST
I-90 to HWY 287 South (After Bosseman/Belgrade Montana)
Hwy 287 S.....dead ends at HWY 191...go south 10/12 miles to west yellowstone
Agree. Been this route many a time. This will also take one past Earthquake Lake and Hebgen Lake which is a fascinating story (and sad for those who died) itself and worth seeing.
Also could try I80 across WY to SLC, then north to Idaho Falls, then US 20 to West Yellowstone.
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vjstangelo
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10/20/19 04:23pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: MH accident in gas station!
As many times as I have entered and exited fueling stations, I had my first oh sh!t incident last trip. The station was tight, so we creeped out looking carefully at the rear and front wheels, but we didnnt notice we got too close to an awning hanging low off the side of the building and hit it with the front windshield. Even though the awning didn’t extend past the curb, there was just enough moho overhang on the passenger top to extend over the curb even though the tire never hit the curb.
Lesson learned was to go even slower and watch the top as well as the bottom when entering and exiting. The service station could have had a low overhang warning since it was considerably lower than the 16 foot roof/awning over the pumps, but still it was my fault for not being careful enough.
I don’t think any additional training on driving an RV would’ve prevented my incident. I’m thinking that I will only frequent Pilots and Loves from here on since there is generally better ingress and egress for gassers to access the pumps.
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vjstangelo
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10/13/19 08:22am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Windshield Replacement Recommendations
I called RV Glass as suggested and in my area of Central VA they would subcontract out to a local auto glass company. I will wait to see what the Geico adjuster says since there is a bit of damage (cosmetic) to the passenger side rail. If it goes to a body shop then I will have to find out to whom they would subcontract.
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vjstangelo
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10/11/19 03:14pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Windshield Replacement Recommendations
I called Nationwide and in my area of Central VA they would subcontract out to a local auto glass company. I will wait to see what the Geico adjuster says since there is a bit of damage (cosmetic) to the passenger side rail. If it goes to a body shop then I will have to find out to whom they would subcontract.
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vjstangelo
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10/11/19 03:12pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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Windshield Replacement Recommendations
The front windshield (1 piece) on our 2012 Winnebago Vista was damaged and needs to be replaced. Insurance pays all but deductable.
Anyone who has had this done have recommendations on who would be the best for the job? Body shop? Rv Shop? Safelight?
Thanks
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vjstangelo
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10/11/19 01:08pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Ford 6.7L 1050 ft lbs TQ at 1,600 rpm, 475 HP at 2,800 rpm
I get a great laugh watching these diesels on the street. Except for those on rev.net, I’ll bet the most that 99% of these tow is a load of mulch on a utility trailer. Speculation is that many will never tow and just be a $75k daily driver. Ah well, to each his own. Isn’t that the beauty of America?
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vjstangelo
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10/07/19 03:52pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2011 Honda CR-V
I also have a 2011 CRV. Every morning I start the vehicle and let it run for a while to charge the battery. I then run through the start up routine before we hit the road.
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vjstangelo
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09/28/19 06:43pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Sometime we win...National Forests and Wildlife Refuge
National Forests are resources that are used for betterment of the country. That means multiple uses: grazing, homes, camping, agricultural (including managed logging). That is why the National Forests are managed by the Department of Agriculture.
National Parks are meant to preserve pristine/historical resources hence they are pretty much off limits to most of the above. They are managed by the Department of the Interior.
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vjstangelo
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09/15/19 08:29am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Transmission is Toast
I have a 2016 Focus. It also has the dry double clutch transmission. The suit deals with the device that actuates the clutch and selects the gears, and slippage in the clutch. Ford just recently extended the warranty on the clutch to 7 years and 100K miles. Some models also have an extended warranty on the device that actuates the clutch. You may still be under the 6 year, 60K factory power train warranty in which case the whole transmission will be covered.
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vjstangelo
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09/13/19 09:45pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: getting a tow vehicle
Hands down get a Honda CRV. The last year made that can be rigged for flat towing was the 2014 year. Plenty of low mileage cars out there. Ours has been our toad for 3 years and it has been the most trouble free vehicle we have ever owned.
We get about 30 mpg, and have a sunroof. There are AWD versions as well. A 2x2 hitch receiver can be easily mounted and that is where we attach the bike rack.
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vjstangelo
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09/01/19 06:15pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Help a Newbie, question about gas vs. diesel
OK in general I'd say that east of the Mississippi a gas engine is fine. Cheaper too. But once you hit the mountain states you will be sorry if you do not have a diesel. Diesels shine pulling loads up and down (engine brake) grades.
And as mentioned above do not buy a 3/4 ton, the one ton is slightly more money but it will pull much better. No different in the way they drive either.
I would recommend a newer 5 speed or 6+ speed transmission(s) if you go gas as the tow haul mode, while not a true Jake Brake, does very good using engine compression to manage steep down grades. FWIW we have a 22,000# GVWR Winnebago Class A on the F53 chassis with the 5R110 Torqshift 5 speed. A great combo.
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vjstangelo
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08/14/19 05:16pm |
Tow Vehicles
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