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31

Tips and Tricks / Re: To tow or not to tow. That is the question.

« on: July 22, 2013, 06:47:39 am »

We just bought a Honda Fit to tow. As a matter of fact, George is hooking it up now for our trip West. First time towing this vehicle.

We bought a bra for the front to try to prevent dings and one of those rock shield things for the rear of the PC

Now that we have the 2910, we can set up and tour areas without unhooking the PC from the site. We also are using it to store a couple of chairs, an additional cooler and other "stuff".

We did not tow with the 2350--towed a Tracker with the 2551--and now the Fit.

Judi

We looked pretty close at the Fit but decided we needed a little more room to stow stuff. Thanks for your input.

Alan

32

Tips and Tricks / Re: To tow or not to tow. That is the question.

« on: July 22, 2013, 06:45:20 am »

We tow a 4x4 with our 2350 to be more adventurous taking primitive roads and for improved mobility in crowded national parks.  But if you manage well without towing, then don't go there.  If you think you'd like to tow on a trip to Alaska, don't.  Alaska is a trip on the move.  You won't be setting up base camp for days at a time which is where a tow vehicle comes in handy.  Then there are the ferry charges...by the inch.  You'll regret towing up there unless you tow an off road vehicle with plans for true adventure.

Ron, I would never have thought to not tow a car up there. I had plans of parking in a place for a few nights while exploring the NP and the local area. I have heard some horror stories of getting there and how bad the roads are but then I have heard others it is not so bad. I don't know what to believe anymore. My wife was not disappointed you said to not tow as she doesn't even want to drive it. She would rather fly up, rent a car and get a private tour package for a few weeks and then catch a cruise or a rail adventure back to the states to fly back home. Winter in Mexico sounds great to me as I hate snow and cold. I know I live in it and have all my life but doesn't stop me from liking the warmth. Thanks for your input and pictures and information on your set up.

Alan

33

Tips and Tricks / Re: To tow or not to tow. That is the question.

« on: July 21, 2013, 08:58:21 pm »

I think this is the second US Gear brake system mentioned if I remember right. I will do some serious looking at them. I do prefer something seamless like mentioned earlier and that really interests me alot. I don't want any more stuff to do or keep track of than needed and the sound of setting up a brake system every time I break camp just doesn't trip my trigger.

34

Tips and Tricks / Re: To tow or not to tow. That is the question.

« on: July 21, 2013, 05:59:04 pm »

It sounds like everyone prefers the type of brake that is permanent and hidden rather than the type with the removable unit that sits on the floor of the toad. I am in no hurry to get everything set up yet and we purchased the tow bar, with DW's permission of course so I think we are going the right direction. It has been used very little so I am very happy to have gone and looked at it. The guy had just purchased a rather high dollar MH and was downsized a year later so it was not used but a couple trips. I have gotten way more information here than on another RV site. Thanks to everyone for sharing all your input, knowledge and experience and helping us decide what we should do.

Alan

35

Tips and Tricks / Re: To tow or not to tow. That is the question.

« on: July 20, 2013, 10:43:04 pm »

Ron, if I were a younger man I would probably attack the install myself. I no longer have the big shed to work in and the knees hurt just thinking of rolling around on the concrete.  I will do things that don't take a lot of getting up and down on concrete.

Soooo what is everyone's preference in brake controllers? I have read about the ones that sit on the floor and push the pedal in the car but that sounds like a pita. I have also heard of some that are somewhat permanent and you never see it. i think that is what i want. I have had another guy on IRV2 that has given me a lot of heads up on tow bars as well as setting up my crv for towing. I am always open for suggestions and improvements.

Btw Ron, I have added the suspension upgrades to my 2400 as well. The rear stabilizer made a big difference in the handling. Mine is close to needing new tires so if we keep it I plan to do the line up on the front to help some of the wandering it still has. I believe it was you that lined your MH up and it corrected that problem.

Thanks again everyone!

Alan

36

Tips and Tricks / Re: To tow or not to tow. That is the question.

« on: July 20, 2013, 10:02:38 pm »

Wow! I am so happy to get so many great responses! I would never have dreamed that Alaska would not be a good place to bring a toad like ours. All the replies were totally the reasons I want a toad so tomorrow I /we are going to buy the tow bar as I think it is a good buy no matter if I use it or not. I believe I will be using it.

So DW and I had some dealer stuff put on the crv today and when we finished we decided to go MH shopping. Her opinion was that if I am buying a tow bar then we are getting a bigger MH. We looked at big class A gassers, even bigger DP, some smaller MB and an Itasca or two. We didn't find anything better than what we have and I didn't spend $100k. I think we will use our PC and set the crv up to be towed and use for all the reasons you guys have named. There are times we won't take it if we are just getting from point A to B. No matter what I will have a tow bar and a toad whether I need to use it or want to use it I will have it.

Thank you all for your really great responses.

Alan

37

Tips and Tricks / To tow or not to tow. That is the question.

« on: July 20, 2013, 06:37:34 am »

I am wanting to buy a tow bar for the new Honda CR V we bought last weekend. I am getting a lot of pushback from DW.She is not relishing the thought of dragging that much money across the country behind a MH to possibly come unhooked, chipped up by rocks and basically costing several thousand more to get set up for towing. We have a PC 2400 which is really small enough to drive and sightsee by itself.  We have done just that since we got it five years ago. I anticipate buying a larger MH in the future so I was making some plans for that now. Example: I have my eye on a Roadmaster Sterling tow bar that has less than 2,000 miles of use for less than half the cost of a new one. It includes some extras that do not come with the tow bar that are needed but are bought separately. I want to go ahead and get it whether we tow this year or, most likely, next. She prefers to wait and see if we really even want to tow because we like this PC so much and it is so handy. Soooo, my question; is it worth the cost to set up a toad and does it have an adverse effect on the performance of your MH? I have installed a tune on the engine from Brazels RV which really made a big difference in the performance and drivability of the MH, especially the transmission. Currently we do not travel that much but I/we want to travel a lot in the next few years. Coast to coast and border to border and then some Mexico and Alaska. (My reasoning for buying a bigger MH) Let me know your thoughts, good or bad.

38

General Discussion / Re: Maserator doesn't work

« on: March 16, 2013, 05:19:06 pm »

I had to replace my pump last year and the most economical place I found to buy it was PC factory. Repairs and kits were crazy expensive.  I am somewhat mechanical and after taking it apart I found mine had a screw cap that had obviously come off and gone through the pump. It was irrepairable and they do not sell components separately and as mine does not have the option to dump any other way I started looking for a replacement. This is how I found out that PC is the most economical place to buy. How much did I give? I don't remember.  I just know that I spent three hours looking everywhere else but PC thinking the dealer just HAD to be the most expensive place to get it.  I now call them first on everything. I even took my cruiser over to Indiana last year to get some things fixed that I broke and a couple the grandkids broke and the factory fixed them all in about four hours. No Charge! I always check the factory first now.

39

General Discussion / Re: Sofa bed & air mattresses in 2400 PC

« on: February 21, 2013, 04:41:35 pm »

Jack...

PC has evidently had the electric model of sofa for a while as I have one that is a 2006 with one in it. I don't relly know their history that well but that is the sofa that I want to refurbish. I talked to Kermit about what it would take to do that and they have a guy that can rebuild it for us. $$ The other option was to have a new one purchased and installed but my fear in that is the new one might be good the first 50 nights and then maybe go down hill from there. I want to know and control how it is built so that I know what is under the material, so to speak.

40

General Discussion / Re: Sofa bed & air mattresses in 2400 PC

« on: February 20, 2013, 06:55:43 am »

I will try to respond again. For some reason it works and works on trying to post my comments and then tells me there is no response from the server. It then makes me start over completely. From the begining! So this will be short.

I am doing just as Ron says I am doing. It seems foolish to spend $80k difference to buy a unit that is a few feet longer and I still have to put $$ in to get what I have now. I will spend $5k now and add to what i have and what I know amd put $80k towards my next trip. Think where I can go with that!

Anyone refurbishing their jackknife bed let me know how it works out. I know I can buy a new one with the latest and greatest upgrades but I am thinking I want changes of my own and more on a custom pad and re-upholstry job.

41

General Discussion / Re: F-550

« on: February 03, 2013, 07:32:09 pm »

We prefer to stay off the interstates also. I spend enough time going crazy fast at work, I don't need to do it on my time off too. Besides, I like to stop and smell the clover.

42

General Discussion / Re: F-550

« on: February 03, 2013, 06:23:29 am »

Ron, That is not as bad as I thought it might have been. Thanks!

43

General Discussion / Re: F-550

« on: February 02, 2013, 06:55:51 pm »

Ron/Tom, Thanks for the information. I wondered how the walls were built and if they are built offsite there isn't many options available. I still might ask because you just never know. Ours does have the thermal window panes and that is nice. I never gave a thought to the dash needing to be in the off or recurculate positon. Thanks for that little nugget!  We have been considering strongly on buying one without a slidout. We don't like staying where it is cold either, Ron. Its just we LIVE where its cold and we have to drive through it to go where its warm and drive back in it when we come back home. We got caught on the gulf when it was really cold and windy. Man, what a night that was! We just got back from an RV show and we looked and poked around in all the motor homes we were interested in and DW and I both came to the conclusion that we still like what we have. I could easily give them my 2400 and $100k and get a big MH that I would still have to spend more money on to get it the way I want with the stuff I already have on the PC. We have decided to take our PC back to Indiana and Kermit recover our couch, replace the carpet on the floor and replace the barrel chairs with euro chairs. Next problem with a big MH would be that it just wouldn't be easy to stop just anywhere I want and I would have to pull a car to go site seeing.

BTW Ron, I know this is off topic but you pulled a car with your PC and I am curious what kind of mileage hit did you take on fuel towing? I am also considering strongly about having Brazels send me a super tune for the V10 for the economy. Jon tells me they typically see a 2-3 MPG increase as well as more HP and torque. Sorry for the change in subject.

44

General Discussion / Re: F-550

« on: February 02, 2013, 06:08:53 am »

The wife and I like pretty much everything about our 2400 but I have thought about upgrading to a new one. Has anyone had any experience with adding more insulation, or different insulation, to withstand heat/cold areas better? Our 2400 has dealt with those little issues pretty well in the past but I would like to know if anyone has been able to make improvements. Ours has the slide and I am thinking that is the biggest culprit for cold air infiltration. Every time we have been caught in really cold weather with a strong wind it is difficult to keep as warm as I would like when we are sleeping. You don't always get to choose what direction you park. The inverse is that in the blazing heat we end up running the air conditioner and we aren't to crazy about the noise it makes. I think more insulation might help in all cases. I might go slide-less next time. I know Kermit will build one however I want but it would be nice to know if it has been tried before and if it has, how successful was it. In fact I would like to hear of any custom improvements and how they worked out. You never know what you might learn.

45

General Discussion / Re: Sofa bed & air mattresses in 2400 PC

« on: February 01, 2013, 08:19:38 pm »

We have not been happy with our bed in our 2400 but I think that is the good and bad of the 2400. We have plans to replace the barrel chairs and have the bed redone with new foam and covering. We tried the new couch but didn't like it that well either. The air mattress resides in the basement after only two nights on it. We just didn't like it. We really like our 2400 and, like Ron, we plan to keep it and make what is good even better. We currently have memory foam we put on the bed every night but that gets to be a real drag getting it out and putting it back every day. It will be awhile before we have time to do it but I hope to let you know how it works.