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General Discussion / Re: How do you Boon dock?

« on: December 24, 2011, 10:25:30 am »

If you want to boon dock for free then some Walmarts, casinos, Flying J, rest stops, ramps off major interstates are available for pulling over.  We have never pulled over to camp on private land although it looks tempting. Finding an owner to request permission to pull over could be a challenge given the miles and miles of ranch land here in the SW and not a house in sight.  State maps usually point out public and private lands but not every public location encourages camping because of the problem of squatting. A growing issue is the large number of homeless people and families who have moved their campers onto public lands and in some cases camp in vast private lands. After a particularly long trip we pulled over in Navajo County and got a knock on our door from the Tribal Police telling us to move on.  He directed us to a beautiful park that was empty.  We boon docked there, free, for days.  Given this, we have chosen not to venture off the beaten track and be awakened in the middle of the night by the state police.  I have camped enough in the SW to have gotten used to Border Patrol agents regularly driving through every campground I have been in and also seeing them or State Police knock on camper doors parked on the side of roads.  So, we tend to stick to State/ Forest Service/BLM/Corp of Engineer campgrounds. We have also stumbled on wonderful town, county and regional parks and happily boon dock there. Those campgrounds vary in term of cost, amenities, location, size, etc. but for the most part I have found them to be in stunning locations, some have hosts, and the amenities are fine if rudimentary in some cases.  We have found we can boon dock about five days with careful use of electricity, propane and water.  Happy Holidays and Happy Camping!

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General Discussion / Re: Cold weather camping

« on: November 03, 2011, 12:09:50 pm »

We have camped in sustained 10-15 degree night time temps with 28-30 day time temps. We didn't plan it that way but last winter was bitter cold and we hit some of it returning from sunny CA to frigid NM.  We did turn on the tank heat strips but were not worried about a tank freeze because we dumped everyday after a hot shower leaving plenty of space for expansion.  We also poured some antifreeze into the tanks and traps. Other obvious solutions to cold weather camping:  Open the cabinets up so heat flows to the plumbing; take in the hoses.  Or, there is this nifty hose: http://www.pirithose.com/  We changed out the vents for ones we can open and close so we could distribute hot air evenly throughout the coach. The nights we got stuck in 8 degree weather we parked the rv so the sun rose on the sewer side and set on the hot water heater side.  For cold weather camping we carry a thick wool blanket which we stretch across the entire cab and block out the cold coming through the front.  It doesn't read like you are going to face anything as cold as we have experienced but some of these tips could help if you run into 20 degree nights.  If we weren't selling the PC I would consider buying a catalytic converter -- very toasty and silent.  Have fun in Florida!

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General Discussion / Dash 110V

« on: December 06, 2010, 10:48:40 am »

Are the two 110V outlets on my E450 dash hooked to the coach battery or the engine battery on my 2010 2551S?  Also, the 110V outlet in the storage space over the passenger side -- coach battery or engine battery?   And what do people use that for up there?  Thanks so much.

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General Discussion / Re: Fridge door fell off

« on: November 05, 2010, 05:03:24 pm »

When the door fell off it was one day before we were heading out on a two week trip.  I think I mentioned above that we "fused" the door with JB Weld and a screw.  It worked through the entire trip.  In fact, it is on there so well it might never fall off again.  But the new door is here and we will put that one on and save the "fused" door in case this happens again.

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General Discussion / 2551 Twin bed mod

« on: November 05, 2010, 05:01:16 pm »

I got this idea from Bob Andersen but others here may have done it, as well.  I have not liked the fact that the twin bed mattresses overlap the frame the mattresses rest upon.  I also found it difficult to undo the entire frame under the longer bed to get at the pump.  Further, the frames are resting on flimsy supports.  So, new frames of higher grade material and 2 and a quarter inch wider with rounded edges.  Also made separate hinged opening in the long bed frame to get at the pump without having to take the whole thing off.  Some adjustment had to be made so the new wider frame did not bump into the "closet" on the end of the shorter bed when flipping the bed up. Redid the supports and made them firmer. Last, we opened a panel beneath the short bed and made a door out of the existing wood so we could store dirty clothes in there until we found a laundromat.  .   

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General Discussion / Re: Making a good coach better

« on: November 03, 2010, 01:16:15 pm »

Good mods!  I have just installed additional weatherstripping on the driver side door to reduce the very loud wind noise rushing through there.  I used 3M EDPM 08651.  Checkers has it. 

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General Discussion / Re: Switch question

« on: November 03, 2010, 09:35:19 am »

Thank you, Ron!

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General Discussion / Switch question

« on: November 02, 2010, 12:12:29 pm »

Can someone tell me what the switch on the drivers side post above the outside mirror controls is?  Can't find it in the Ford manual.  Thanks.

Paula

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General Discussion / Re: Driver's seat - SWIVEL???

« on: October 19, 2010, 08:52:22 am »

A driver's side swivel on my PC would be impossible because the brake handle is integrated into the plastic shell of the seat.  Other motor homes have different seat/hand brake configurations making it easy to adapt the driver's seat to a swivel.  I wonder if the Sprinter based PC driver's seat can be adapted for a swivel.  Most Sprinter based motor homes have swivels on both sides because the hand brake is free standing.  

Paula
2010 2551S

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General Discussion / Re: Anyone Weigh Their Loaded PC?

« on: October 18, 2010, 07:47:52 pm »

Alright, Tom.  I'll bite, as it were.  A 124 pound dog!  A Rottie?  Have you ever noticed that the biggest dogs are in the smaller motor homes and the little yappers are in the Class A diesel pushers? 

On to weighing.  This is a good site regarding weighing:  http://www.rvsafety.com/ 

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General Discussion / Re: Fridge door fell off

« on: October 18, 2010, 10:44:02 am »

Ron, the break occurred on the mount the bottom hinge fits into.  The hinge itself is fine but when the plastic mount the hinge sits in cracked the door fell straight down.  The mount protrudes from the black strip on the bottom of the fridge.  That small piece is what we fused with JB Weld and a bolt through it.   I would post a picture but am stumped about how to do that on this site.

No, the customer service rep at Norcold did not ask me to return the door.  It was a very smooth no questions asked transaction: serial # of fridge; VIN #; date of purchase; address.   I wish I had asked what model # has the reinforced hinges.  Some here may already have that door.  I'm happy to post it once I get back from our trip.

Paula
2010 2551S

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General Discussion / Norcold came through

« on: October 18, 2010, 09:41:04 am »

Tom, I just talked to a very helpful rep at Norcold.  (The model # for the folks with Norcold fridges is N621L).  We are still under warranty and a new door ships tomorrow.  The rep acknowledged the broken hinge mount problem on these doors and said the new door has "reinforced hinges."

We are leaving for the TX Hill Country tomorrow.  Last night we drilled a hole through the mount hinge and filled the broken plastic (which is hollow -- no wonder it broke) with JB Weld then put a long screw and nut through the hole we drilled.  In other words, we fused the broken joint.  It is a temporary fix which I hope lasts the two weeks we are away but it might not last getting out of our driveway.  Taking a cooler with dry ice as a backup.

Paula
2010 2551S

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General Discussion / Fridge door fell off

« on: October 17, 2010, 06:26:27 pm »

As I was getting ready today for a two week trip to the Texas Hill Country my refrigerator door fell off.  The plastic bottom mount hinge broke.  I immediately went on various rv sites on the internet and found that it is not uncommon for this tiny plastic hinge to collapse under the weight of a wood panel door and food items on the inside of the door.  I had not even put anything into the fridge though!  I opened the door and it fell on the floor.  So, out came the JB Weld and duct tape for a quick fixer upper so we can at least get on the road Tuesday morning.  A cooler with dry ice is the backup.  I will call  Kermit tomorrow regarding a new door under warranty but assuming a new door will have the same flimsy plastic hinges I am wondering how to stabilize it in such a way that this does not happen again.  Thoughts?

Paula
2010 2551S

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General Discussion / The Best Slide

« on: October 14, 2010, 05:45:11 pm »

I'm here to eat crow.

Many here have read my posts about the slide on our 2010 2551S and the fact that it leaves gouges in the vinyl in front of the fridge and a deep discolored indentation in the carpet in front of the couch.  And then there were the wood bits coming out from under the fridge when we opened the slide.  And then there were the scratch marks on the wall next to the fridge that were visible when we opened the slide.  Ok, after talking to Kermit we took the motor home to a highly rated independent shop in Albuquerque and they went over the thing and pronounced it one of the quote best slides unquote they had ever seen and they have seen a lot of slides. The wood bits under the fridge were from a contractor type pencil under there being chewed up every time we opened the slide.  The scratches on the wall are because that very thin piece of material bows.  The indentations are the cost of doing business with the slide roller.  There will be some minor mods I will now make that I learned from Bob Andersen and then no more on the the slide!

Paula
Santa Fe

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General Discussion / Re: SOME ONE WITH A NEW 2551 DID ALOT OF CHANGES, VALANCE USIDE DOWN BY DOOR FOR LIG

« on: October 14, 2010, 05:23:32 pm »

Hi Ron, we have single pane windows.  We are at 7000' here in Santa Fe where we have 300 days of sunshine and no pollution -- the result is that the heat in a closed auto or rv can soar.  Then the temp will drop 20-30 degrees at night.  Hence, I keep the windows in the rv covered when I am not on the road.  Our house has double paned windows and the south facing side needs roll down sun screens to drop the internal temperature lower so basically I am covering the windows in the rv and my car the same way I cover windows in our house.   

The name of the manufacturer of our cab window sunscreen is:  Eclipse Sun Screen and they have a custom fit for the E450, online only. I think it was $45.00.  None for the side windows yet. 

Paula
Santa Fe