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1

General Discussion / Re: What tires are ya'll buying?

« on: November 18, 2012, 11:00:36 am »

I think the reason that tires dry rot more while sitting long periods is that the sidewalls on the part touching the ground are constantly distorted outward from the weight while sitting.  Push down and out on the bottom part too long and it will start to crack.  New old-stock tires aren't being deformed in the same manner.
Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Need suggestions for "test" camping in an RV

« on: November 18, 2012, 10:56:43 am »

If you want to go really south in Florida, I've camped at Bahia Honda State Park which is like the last island you get to on the long causeway before Key West.  Hookup sites are available there and you are right in the middle of bird nesting areas.  We laughed our butts off watching the less than graceful pelicans diving down to the water to grab fish.  I have no idea how hard it is to get in there in January and whether or not you want to drive that far.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Winegard

« on: November 12, 2012, 09:34:13 am »

As far as I know the Winegard antennas have had signal amps as an option for years.  My 2006 PC 2551 has one as did my two previous RVs.  As mentioned before, you have an on/off button on your antenna  hookup panel and a red light to see when it's on.  Should you have one without amplification, I found this statement in the manual on the Winegard internet site:

ADDING OPTIONAL AMPLIFIED WALLPLATE TO
NON-AMPLIFIED RV/TV INSTALLATION
Model RA-7596 solid state TV signal amplifier works
with any non-amplified RV/TV antenna. Improves
picture quality. Uses +12 VDC; has on/off switch,
indicator light, set 2 output, cable input and +12 VDC
receptacle

Jerry

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Adventure Anywhere / Re: Big Bend National Park

« on: November 03, 2012, 09:40:09 pm »

I have been to Big Bend NP on a car trip about 10 years ago and loved it.  We stayed in the Chisos Mountain Lodge which is up at 5000 ft. and has a nice restaurant.  In the evening we were visited by two deer who came around the loop in the motel area hoping for a handout followed by a pair of javelinas on the same search.  Let me say that it is a long, lonely drive down there, much of which is in no cellular service areas.  It's pretty, but it is high desert.  Let's say that it is not as spectacular as the Canadian Rockies.  My wife is from the Rio Grande Valley and the people she knows who are still down there are nervous about how safe it is near the border these days.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Rather be camping?

« on: November 01, 2012, 05:12:55 pm »

Just a couple of observations.  Banff is sort of the Gatlinburg of the Canadian Rockies.  Blocks of overpriced stores and restaurants and FULL of traffic in the summer.  I strongly advise the Kannaskis Country about 40 miles south of there.  The RV Park at Mt. Kidd is fabulous.  Large wooded sites, full hookups if desired, clean bath faciliteis, a river behind it and a mountain overlooking it.  Best thing in my opinion, NO BINGO.  On the other hand, the Rapid City area is great.  Two areas just south of Rapid City that shouldn't be missed are Custer State Park (drive right through a buffalo herd) and Mammouth Hot Springs, where you walk on catwalks over a mammouth and cave bear burial ground in a former sinkhole around a watering hole.  Beautiful area.

Jerry

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Adventure Anywhere / Re: Where are all the Phoenix Cruisers?

« on: November 01, 2012, 05:01:19 pm »

If the Mirage was, as it appears, one of the many minimotorhomes based on the Toyota pickup chassis, there's a reason why you don't see many.  They were notorious for breaking their rear axles because of being overloaded.  Really cute, but not brawny enough for an RV.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Rather be camping?

« on: October 24, 2012, 11:59:38 am »

I enjoy RV camping and travel, particularly to Alberta and British Columbia,  but spend much more time on package land tours or cruises.  I would heartily recommend this to all of you.  Two of the most popular are Canadian cruises out of NY or Boston to Nova Scotia, PEI, Quebec, and Montreal and Alaska cruise/land tours out of Seattle or Vancouver.  Another trip I really enjoyed this past April was a coast to coast rail tour from Vancouver to Halifax - 4200 miles - with overnights in several cities.  Since we're coming to enjoy overseas air flights less and less, we're booked for October 2013 on a 42 night cruise from/to Fort Lauderdale that goes to the Canary Islands, Morrocco, Spain, Italy, and assorted islands.  These are surprisingly reasonable in price.  Just some more ways to fill your long, leisurely days in retirement.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Rather be camping?

« on: October 21, 2012, 03:07:44 pm »

I worked for a large energy company that had great retirement benefits, but a fairly high stress level working environment.  Most of the engineers retired between 55 and 58 years old; I retired two weeks before my 57th birthday.  Retirement is NOT overrated.  What made it possible for me and the other workers there was that you could continue with your health coverage including prescriptions and dental at the same cost to you as if you were still working.  At 65 you went on Medicare and your company insurance converted to a low cost Medicare supplement policy.  It will be interesting to see if more people will retire early if they have Obamacare rather than company insurance, as they would sse no difference in cost.  I have continued until the last couple of years (I'm now 70) to occasionally consult or teach courses for the company I retired from, but never regretted retiring early.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: (outside) water drain "faucet," etc.

« on: October 18, 2012, 06:00:41 pm »

The spigots are available at most RV parts stores.  Mine broke and I had my mechanic replace it.  They break because of exposure to the sun and oxidation.  I looked everywhere and talked to several shops and nobody apparently makes metal ones.  Looks like an opportunity for you entrepreneurs out there.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Pet Issue

« on: September 18, 2012, 07:18:38 am »

Thanks for a good reminder.  This is especially true if you plan to cross over into Canada.  They will ask to see the papers at most entry points, so don't ruin your trip by not having them.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: No power to HWH levelers

« on: September 14, 2012, 05:20:48 pm »

One of the greatest problems with RV ownership is that motorhomes are neither fish nor fowl.  They're not just a truck or not just a vacation cabin.  It would be nice to always go to the experts, but they are not always nearby or even recognizeable.  I think the best thing any RVer can do is search for the best RV mechanic or dealership he/she can find where they live and cultivate a good relationship with them.  We're in the process of moving from Arkansas to Kingwood, TX, and that's one of the challenges.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Dead starter battery

« on: September 03, 2012, 03:33:29 pm »

I have no idea if he is right or not, but my RV mechanic swears that some of the electronic gear in the vicinity of the instrument panel periodically runs routines that will slowly run the battery down over time (not a day or two).   Accordingly, he recommends installing a battery disconnect switch on one terminal of the battery.  I have one and use it when we park the RV in our storage unit after the camping trip.  This seems to have solved any problems we had.  Of course, when your're travelling and either using the engine or plugging in it's no problem anyway.

Jerry

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Adventure Anywhere / Re: Parkways in New York

« on: August 23, 2012, 10:44:36 pm »

I utilize Good Sam for my road service and extended warranty, as well as discounts on campgrounds and Camping World.  However, I have the same complaint about Good Sam that I did about AARP that eventually ended up in my letting my AARP membership lapse.  They both changed from a limited organization with limited goals and functions into sales megafirms trying to sell you every kind of merchandise in the world.  I am constantly getting crap from both of them trying to sell me all kinds of insurance packages. I am a USAA member and don't need this and get tired of throwing away 90% of my mail as soon as I take it out of the mailbox.  It reminds me of when I was a kid and J.C. Whitney, the car accessory people, went through bankruptcy with the printer of their frequently mailed catalogues as their major creditor. No wonder the USPS is going belly up with the sweetheart deals they give mailers of bulk garbage like thiis.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Re: Pedal Extenders

« on: August 21, 2012, 01:15:05 pm »

Yes, I do have the power seat.  I was talking to my wife who is out camping for 10 days with a girlfriend of hers and she was complaining about the pedal reach.  I will look it over with her the next time I have a chance and see if she's missing something on the adjustment.  I think part of the problem is that she has had a knee replacement done on her left leg and would like to be able to stretch it out while still reaching the pedals with her right foot.  If I can put together some easily removeable pedal extenders, that may be the best answer.

Jerry

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General Discussion / Pedal Extenders

« on: August 21, 2012, 12:03:01 pm »

My wife uses our PC 2551 on a E 350 chassis more than I do and complains about back pains from trying to reach the pedals.  She is not the tallest person in the world.  Has anyone ever looked into putting pedal extenders on their motorhome?  If so, were they easily removeable?  Any ideas??

Jerry