Login

1

General Discussion / New Chassis

« on: November 28, 2017, 12:52:00 pm »

Folks:

Just read that in 2019 Feightliner will be offering a new front gas engine chassis for RV application (class A).  16,000-19,500 GVW, with a new 6..0L gas engine that will turn out approx. 310 HP with decent torque.   The new engine will get 15% better MPG compared to current RV based engines (Ford).  One must wonder if there might be a new Class C chassis in Feightliners future? 

2

General Discussion / Driving lights

« on: September 12, 2017, 09:38:18 am »

If any of you are looking for and exceptionally well made driving/fog light might I suggest that you take a look at the Rigid D-series set.  I recently installed them on my M2 and I must say I have never experienced a stronger beam pattern.  The LED's are very powerful and you can get any snap on color len you might want, life time guarantee and made in the USA!   Thanks, Ron G.

3

General Discussion / Freightliner

« on: May 08, 2017, 09:30:25 am »

Last week i was speaking with a person at Freightliner Custom Chassis and we go into a  discussion pertaining to the new SC-2 chassis that is is being manafactured in Gaffney, SC at the FCC plant now (the M-2's are made in Mexico but may be moved to Gaffney as well).  The SC-2RV's are much lighter duty compared to the M-2's, SC-2RV has the 3000 Allison (M-2 has the 3200 Allison)  and the SC-2RV has the  ISB Cummins (M-2 uses the ISL-9 Cummins) but what is nice is the chassis is completely RV buildout ready with many very nice features that the Phoenix Cruiser folks and other manafacturers will really like....It was eluded to that Freightliner is anticipating perhaps the expected exit from the market of the Ford E-series and they want to fill the vacume with this new option?  The SC-2RV would sure address the over weight issues that some E-450's are expieriencing these days.  I am sure Kermit is working his majic to utilize this new chassis!  Thanks, RG

4

General Discussion / Scan guage

« on: October 12, 2016, 12:22:40 pm »

I know a lot of you folks utilize a ScanGuage to monitor all engine functions and if you do not you should...unit gives you everything you can think of from MPG, averages everything, clears any codes that might come up, etc.  I have the unit (and two book instructions) that is calibrated for the E-450; I thought I could use it on my new diesel coach but of course the ports and units are completely different!  I made a bracket that slides into the coin holder on the dash and with Velcro the unit sits perfectly right in front of your eyes and looks OEM.  if anyone is interested please message me with a solid offer.   Thanks, Ron G.

5

General Discussion / Stuff needs a new good home

« on: September 28, 2016, 02:52:05 pm »

Have several items that I would love to find a new home for..
1.  Magna Shades for E-450.  Great looking black see thru but not in shades that affix to the windshield and side windows with extremely strong magnets, may have used them 3-4 times, perfect shape, ordered thru Phoenix ($500 new)
2.  Rubber backed carpet floor mat that covers the entire cab area of the E-450.  tan in color, a couple of stains but otherwise mint shape ($126.00 new)
3. 8 sets of USA made cabinet door latches (much stronger than the once you get from Phoenix) ($8.00@ off Amazon.
4. New replacement set of hinges for Norcold refrigerators found in PC's ($26.00 new). 

Please private message me thru this forum with offer for the entire lot plus shipping.

Thanks, Ron

6

General Discussion / Life changes

« on: September 22, 2016, 02:46:26 pm »

As my wife and I approach that magic age of 65 (15 months!) the pull to hit the road again (did the lower 48 25 years ago doing a different region of the country every summer for 1 month over  four years)  is getting strong again.  Having owned 7 different motor homes I can honestly say for the past 6 years the ownership of my two PC's (2551S and 3100S) has been a great run with next to zero issues with either coach.  I realize that many of you PC owners spend extended periods of time in your coaches but we made the decision some time ago that we simply needed more room in both the coach and cab areas to make extended travel work for us.  I have been doing extensive shopping for the right new coach (I tried everything to prod Kermit to make a new PC on the F series chassis to no avail) and I settled on a Super C (truck conversion).   My wife and I drove home from NJ yesterday in our new baby (very large baby to say the least!) a 2017 Renegade Verona 36 VSB, 350 Cummins,  in a custom color called sandstone.  Two slides, king bed, and all the whistles you could want.  I will miss all of you here on the forum but please know I will be checking in from time to time since I do have a soft spot for PC and other small manufacturers that are competing against the giants like Forrest River (yuck). Renegade owners are now organizing to start a new owners forum that will look and feel like PC's.  Until we meet somewhere please be safe in your travels!   Thanks, Ron G.

PS:  if anyone is looking for and absolute mint inside and out 2012 3100S with 15,000 miles check out Dylan's RV and salesman Jim

7

General Discussion / mercerator pump

« on: August 20, 2016, 08:04:57 pm »

A couple of weeks ago I had to replace a broken gray water gate valve and the connecting base on the pump housing.  I disconnected the two wires going to the pump not taking note of which wire went to which connector (black and white coming down and then red and black after the splices going to the pump).   I put everything back together and went out for a couple of weeks of travel.   I came home with a full tank and went to unload and found the macerator did not work!  Motor ran but nothing came out, heard weird sounds coming from the tank.  I discovered that there was suction at the hose end!  The light bulb came on at that time.....I had reversed the two wires resulting in the pump rotating in the wrong direction.  Lesson learned...take note of which colors goes where before disconnecting!  All is A-OK now.  Ron G.

8

General Discussion / Wireless toad lights

« on: June 28, 2016, 12:35:54 pm »

I have posted before about going the wireless toad lighting route and wanted to give a two year update.  I have a set of eTrailer.com LED wireless lights that I have now used a fair amount and I have to tell you they really are great.  I cut two 6" radius circle pieces of Diamond Shield and placed each on the roof just inside the roof rack rails on my Jeep Trailhawk so the light pads do not scratch the paint (they are suppose to be scratch less but I do not trust the felt material).  I just place the lights on the circles, very strong magnets hold them in place.  The remote transmitter plugs into the PC plug (will have to purchase a four plug to 7 round adapter), turn the light switch on that is on the base of one of the lights and away you go.   8 double A batteries last up to 10 hours of continuous operation.  Lights are up high, my bike rack does not block any lights and I do not have to cut into any Jeep electronics or deal with corrosion of splices , etc in a few years like I always have in other toads. Just my two cents.  Thanks, Ron G

9

Polls / Cab Noise

« on: June 27, 2016, 01:40:41 pm »

How would you rank the overall E-350/450 cab noise?  Utilize a scale with one (1) being least tolerable to five (5) completely tolerable? 

10

General Discussion / New speakers

« on: June 22, 2016, 08:43:08 am »

As I stated in my cab soundproofing post I installed new Infinity speakers when I had the door panels off.  I have now fine tuned the radio and I can tell you the sound quality has been significantly improved.  The Infinity speakers (model # 6832cf) are and exact match to the Ford OEM ones, they come with a build in adjustable tweeter and have great base sound.   Amazon sells them for $99.00 and I would suggest you get the little plug adapters for another $7.00 for the pair so you do not have to cut anything.  There is a super Youtube video that shows how to get the panels off and install the new speakers easily.  There are only 4 screws holding the door panel on and it then lifts up and out, I would suggest you might want to purchase a pry tool from a local automotive store ($7.00) for use on the  power window panel that utilizes those little fasteners, the tool just makes the job so much easier.   best of luck, it is worth the hour of labor for sure.   Ron G. 

11

General Discussion / Soundproofing the cab

« on: June 19, 2016, 06:46:20 pm »

I have never been overly pleased with what I consider to be excess noise in the E-450 cab so I decided to see what I could do to make the cab somewhat more enjoyable.  I insulated the hood with a great selfsticking product from DEI Engineering, their hood thermal acoustic lining looks nice installed and does in fact deaden the tinny sound of the hood.  Next I stripped the doors down and used a product from Eastwood industries, I used their heavy XMatt product that is suppose to reduce noise by approx. 18 decibels,  it sure made the doors closing sound far more solid.  While I was in the door panel I replaced the stock (weak) Ford speakers with  a set of Infinity's,  they sound superb and are exactly the same shape/size as the Ford speakers.  I then turned to the floor.....capt. seats came out, ripped out the  PC stuck down carpet, ordered a new piece of ready cut carpet from Carol at PC.  I ordered a great ready cut kit from QuietrideSolutions, the kit includes  floor insulation as well as  strips and squares of Dynamat material that are strategically placed on the floor as detailed in their instructions.  Ironically, the insulation had the Ford  logo on the packaging and a Ford part number. After putting the Dynamat down the foil sided (one side) insulation is spray glued in place over the Dynamat.  All seams and edges are sealed with tin foil stick tape.  The new carpet went down slick and I again glued it down in strategic  places so it will not move around at all.  The biggest pain was the dog house removal/putting back.  Once out of the vehicle you remove the Ford insulation.  I then installed another ready to install insulation package from Quietride Solutions, the three pieces are all pre cut and fit perfectly.   The new insulation is spray glued in place and then the Ford formed insulation goes back in place right over the newly installed insulation.  I can honestly say that I have reduced cab noise by approx. 45%, my wife, the hardest judge agrees with me.  Total job ran me  $516.00, not cheap, and two days of my labor but I am very pleased.  One has to wonder why PC does not offer a package of extra insulation from the factory?  Another project done!

12

General Discussion / Topper rattle

« on: April 19, 2016, 09:39:13 am »

Since nearly new I have had a significant rattle in my 2012 3100.  Despite my endless efforts I can not isolate it to anything but the slide topper.  The rattle is very loud and comes from the top section of the slide and when I close the drivers door I can hear the spring rattle so I am 90% sure that is where everything originates from, on rough roads it is really loud.  I called Kermit and he suggested I just hit the slide button (out) to hopefully place a little tension on the spring, no change.  I took the coach to a local dealer since I have noticed the slide  seems to be somewhat off center in the opening (can see like 1/2" more coach wall trim on the right side vs's left side when facing the slide from outside), I'm wondering if one side of the topper might be taking more of the load and the other side is getting looser as the slide walks to the left more over time?  Dealer claimed the slide was installed off center in the opening and he could not center it with out significant work that he was not willing to tackle. I have been told that there is not much adjustment on the topper spring in that if you tighten it to much you risk ripping the fabric when fully extended?  Planning to take to another dealer soon to see what if perhaps the topper spring is broken or can be adjusted some, rattle is driving me insane!   Would love to hear from anyone else who might have a rattling topper?  Does seem to be common if you look on the web...Thanks

13

General Discussion / New transmission

« on: December 04, 2015, 01:11:58 pm »

I have noticed that the new E-450/350 is now coming with a new 6 speed transmission.  Has anyone gotten a new PC that has this new upgrade?   Would love to know how the transmissions are working out and if there is any slight improvement in mileage?   With all of the movement of Ford truck production it does appear that the cutaway E-350-450 may in fact continue to be produced beyond what had been expected ( as long as demand continues to grow)with manufacturing happening in  OH.  That leads one to wonder if Ford will again begin to make improvements and additions to the chassis to keep it more up to date?   Time will tell I guess.   Thanks, Ron G.

14

General Discussion / New Jeep Cherokee

« on: November 23, 2015, 09:26:41 am »

There is a fair amount of discussion on the Jeep Cherokee (2014,2015) forums about the "death wobble" at low speeds on Cherokees being towed four down.  Evidently the electric power steering system when activated  (engine running) places a static load on the front wheels and that prevents the wheels from going into a wobble, with the key off (when being towed) that pressure is not there and that allows the wheels to go wild especially when one goes over  tracks, etc not at a right angle to the roadway.   Jeep is supposedly working frantically to come up with a fix that may mean some kind of damper mechanism.   I have yet to have any such issues with my Cherokee (really have not towed that much)  and wanted to know if any PC owners have had this problem?  If you have you should log your a complaint ASAP with Jeep so they are even more compelled to come up with a solution.   Thanks, Ron G.

15

Tips and Tricks / Roller skid wheels

« on: September 28, 2015, 03:57:14 pm »

I have noticed that the new PC's have the toad plug moved up and coming out of the fiberglass bottom skirting for a good reason I am sure.  While I very, very seldom tail drag with my 3100 I did drag once  and it damaged the  hitch mounted plug (mine is a 2012), cracked it all to heck.  I replaced the plug and should have moved it up at that time but I did not.  I have long contemplated getting the bolt on roller wheels but had heard that they may in fact put more stress on the coach compared to merely dragging on the hitch  (rationale does not make sense to me) and of course you do lose about 2.5" so there is more likely hood that you would drag more often.   I now see PC's coming thru with the rollers to protect the Sanicon box so I assume Kermit feels comfortable? .  I went ahead and ordered a set of the same wheels from Etrailer, I have them on but have yet to take the coach out.  Does anyone have any opinions?  Thanks, Ron G.