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RE: Chevy van chassis specs -- help!
Just out of curiosity, were they willing to sell it, and if so didja get far enough to talk price? I drive past there a few times a week and see it sitting there, and sometimes wonder.
Jim, "It hurts to be on the cutting edge."
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11/21/08 07:52pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Chevy van chassis specs -- help!
The front brakes might need a good inspection if they live in or drove in mountain country and didn't downgear. There have been several complaints of 1-ton Express in the SRW full-body van warping rotors & having other brake problems in Class B's when the brakes were mildly abused. I'm not sure what year they went to 4-wheel disc brakes; it was about then, I think. That might cure the problem. AFAIK that's about the only weakness of the chassis. Certainly not a reason to shy away from it.
Jim, "My software never has bugs. It just develops random features."
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11/21/08 06:11pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Chevy van chassis specs -- help!
I test drove the Tiger factory demo (19' C on an '04 Chevy pickup chassis) with the 6.0. It had _plenty_ of power. Dunno how it's rear-end gearing would compare to what you're contemplating. I only wound up with the 8.1 because of availability & the Allison tranny. Unless you plan on heavy towing, I'd expect it'd be fine. And the Chevy Express chassis gets far fewer knocks here for cab comfort and driving / wind issues than the Ford... probably only partly because they're rarer.
Jim, "I tried to microwave instant coffee, and went back in time."
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11/21/08 08:21am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Changing Out The Onan 4000 In A Winnie 29B
Just FYI, the EV4010 is an old-tech 3600 RPM constant speed unit, not a quieter variable speed inverter unit like their more modern portables. What I've read here (no personal experience) is that it's not much quieter than a same-size Onan, and little-if-any more reliable long-term(water cooled = more parts to fail???). But as always, YMMV.
Jim, "Chicken Little only has to be right once."
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11/21/08 07:48am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: stiff steering
Front tire pressures?
Jim, "Every complex question has a simple, easy to understand, usually wrong answer."
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11/19/08 05:27pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Generator for new motorhome
......
Interesting. I'll need to check this out - if true, it seems to me we could simply put insulation just under the generator permanently. This might not work in all of our MHs depending upon configuration, of course.
Y'all be careful about putting permanent-mount insulation under there. The hole in the bottom of the pan where the exhaust pipe (and noise :() comes out is also where a lot of the cooling air exit on Micros. I _know_ it's true on the 2.8, and believe the 4.0 uses the same layout. If you restrict that exiting air flow, it may have dire consequences.
The eggcrate-foam-on-the-ground idea should work fine when and where it's convenient. It'd probably absorb some of this same sound before it gets reflected off the pavement or bare dirt. Not too practical for me, since I usually overnight in parking lots and rest areas.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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11/19/08 08:07am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Generator for new motorhome
.....If you have room to install some insulation around it will quiet it down a little. Also a very overlooked quieting procedure has to do with the size of the opening. See what your genset requires for airflow and measure your opening on the door......
Note that you'll find the required clearance for insulation and the dimensions for the cooling opening in the installation manual. It may have to be ordered, since I don't think it's generally included with the moho.
I'm sure the 4.0 requires a somewhat bigger opening but as a for instance, my 2.8 only requires a 24 sq in opening if it's in line with the cooling intake on the green box.
Adding insulation will typically help mostly with interior noise. Reducing the cooling opening to the required size will help with exterior noise.
Jim, "The length of a sleeping cat makes a pretty good thermometer."
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11/18/08 07:09pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Impressed with Chinook
The two units I looked at briefly at a dealer's 'big sale' in '05 were both _very_ posh. IIRC, they were around the 21'-22' range, no slide, and still the sale list price was 'way north of $100K. $125K sticks in my mind, but is probably just an approximation.
I think they're built with pretty much the same 'stuffings' as any other RV (reefer, furnace, generator, etc), so getting one serviced or repaired probably wouldn't be a problem. The thing I'd worry most about would be collision damage to the coach... dunno if you'd ever find replacement parts for that bodywork.
Jim, "You can't be careful on a skateboard."
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11/18/08 02:29pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Rental Car in Asheville, NC
Depending on your route into town and where you're staying, the airport is about 10 miles south of town in Arden, just off of I-26. I think there might be OH clearance problems (?) with pulling thru with a large unit to drop off or pick up a driver, but it may be worth a call to some of the rental agency offices there to confirm that. I know you could drop someone off at the road entrance, and they'd have to walk less than 100 yds. to get to the terminal, assuming one of the wives can rent and drive the car. They also may have the longest open hours of any place around town.
Airport offices:
Avis 828-684-7144; Enterprise 828-684-3607; Hertz 828-684-6455
Jim, "Never mistake tolerance for hospitality."
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11/18/08 02:16pm |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: North Carolina Ski Resorts
If you're willing to sit thru a brief Nissan commercial, here's a video interview form last night's local ABC snewz with a guy who's planning some serious development of one of the older NC ski areas.
http://www.wlos.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/wlos_vid_1675.shtml
Jim, "I'm not drunk! I'm Scottish!"
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11/18/08 07:41am |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: A great buy for RT owners
Drawing some hopefully correct inferences, I think the maybe-unclear issue in this is a carrier that works with the RT Chevy 170, 190, & 210's unique rear spare tire carrier. The upright that the spare mounts on is a distance behind the rear bumper, so it interferes with some carriers. Apparently this carrier clears that.
The one caution I'd mention is that the further back the platform is, the greater the effect of the weight, so best limit it to light, bulky stuff. Otherwise you might exceed the tongue weight of the hitch, overload the rear axle & tires, or even change the great driveability of the Chevy chassis.
(On edit, this'd likely have to be removed to access the spare or fold it down to allow opening the left rear door. Not a great thing to have to do on the roadside, but how likely is it you'll need to get the spare? I do have doubts about blocking the right rear door emergency exit with cargo, but that's an individual decision.)
Then again, maybe I'm misunderstanding the OP....
Jim, "Be the coffee!"
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11/18/08 05:59am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Touch up paint for Roadtrek
When the 80-mile-away dealer replaced the rear bumper cover on my '02 C190 due to cracking corners, they wanted my RT for at least a week to match the color on the new cover. I told them that wouldn't be possible, and absolved them of blame for any slight mismatch. They were able to match the blue just fine, so I have to think either RT supplied the paint, or the formula.
Jim, "Why don't they make mouse-flavored cat food?"
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11/16/08 06:42pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Savannah riverfront question.... 3 masted ship?
Thanks, folks! I was there very briefly at 4:30 AM, and there wasn't enough light to make out a name on the stern. It looks a bit overmasted to my novice eye, but the hull form and deckhouse shapes are flippin' beautiful!
Jim, "Is your computer possessed? Try exor.sys."
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11/16/08 06:28pm |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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Savannah riverfront question.... 3 masted ship?
Can anybody here tell me the name of this 3-masted ship / yacht that was moored on the Savannah riverfront near the riverboats this past week? I've tried Google, including the registration numbers, with no luck.
http://i34.tinypic.com/2vbwh29.jpg
Thanks.
Jim, "I am at one with my duality."
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11/16/08 02:37pm |
Campgrounds, Resorts and Attractions
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RE: Generator for new motorhome
..... The dealer said it would probably be a lot cheaper to get one installed aftermarket than what they could bring one in for. So we figured we would look around and see what was available.
.....
Thanks
Anne
Sounds like the dealer maybe told something of a fib to close the sale. They could probably have done it as cheaply as anybody, but it would have increased the selling price beyond what you were willing to pay at the time.
Yes, you _may_ find some small savings by buying off eBay (for instance), and having an independent RV shop install it. But it may have to be an Onan because the compartment may not accommodate another brand of the right wattage. Use all due caution in buying, and negotiate the installation price. Be aware that Onan sells things like the exhaust pipe as separate items, at considerable markup.
The cheaper portables take major re-engineering to run in a compartment and are of questionable safety even then. But they can be carried and run on a rear cargo carrier at the cost of convenience.
Personally, I wouldn't have an RV without a generator, but I 'tour' more than 'camp'. It's nice to be able to run the A/C, etc, wherever I am.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
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11/16/08 07:09am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 2009 Chevy Workhorse Class C
Dunno about the Chevy chassis under discussion, but AIUI in the Silverado, the 'new' 6.0 VVT (Variable Valve Timing) has replaced the 8.1. It's coupled with the new 6-speed Hydramatic (not Allison). I don't know how good it is, but the advertised HP & tq numbers come closer to my 8.1's than I'd have thought.
VVT works. That's a fact. The Germans have been using it for well over a decade. My '94 968 has a 3-liter VVT 4-banger that will do 0-60 in 6.1, and 156 mph, per the owners' manual. And it'll pull out from 25 mph in 6th gear. The only problem is that it burns high test, but it gets 28 mpg @ 65.
So if Chevy did the concept justice....:B
Jim, "Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a bannana."
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11/13/08 06:06pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Gulfstream 26' 4WD 6.5 turbo
You should definitely take it out on the 4-lane among fast-passing semis to see how it handles their wind wake. That's true for any RV, really, new or used, but moreso for an older one, and doubly moreso for a 4WD conversion.
Pay special attention to the leak issue. A 4WD is a lot more likely to have been twisted and racked in unusual ways, and this could start leaks from the roof or around the windows & seams.
Good luck with it!
Jim, "Be the coffee!"
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11/13/08 05:43am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Onan generator noisy
.... By the way - the 4KY (and probably most other Onans) have spark arresters built in.
I'm not using the SuperTrapp as a spark arrestor, just for the additional muffling. It doesn't do a whole lot of 'quieting', but to my ear, it takes the annoying single cylinder fast 'putt-putt-putt' note out of the exhaust and turns it into a steady 'rrrrrrrrr'. But dam', it was costy for what it is... over $200, IIRC.
Jim, "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
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11/12/08 08:38am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Onan generator noisy
To add a few things now that I've got more time.... I don't know how yours is mounted. Mine sits on steel bars under the couch. I got some .2" thick sturdy gasket rubber and cut big 'washers' out of it. Then I put these around the mounting bolts, between the Onan's bottom pan and the bars. I used Loctite on the bolts so I didn't have to tighten them enough to crush the rubber. That reduced the interior vibration and noise some.
I found that a lot of fan & mechanical noise was escaping thru a gap between the frame and the RV bodywork under the access door. But a smoke check with an incense stick showed no actual airflow there. So I blocked it with another strip of the same rubber. This was a noticable help in quieting the outside noise.
I'd be wary of using the silver bubble-wrap type insulation in the compartment. I don't know if it's fire rated or not. McMasters-Carr sells & ships mid-sized (2'x4'?) sheets of rigid 1" f'glass pretty reasonably.
Jim, "Be the coffee!"
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11/12/08 06:29am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Onan generator noisy
First, buy and install an Onan resonator for the exhaust. About $75, available from www.funroads.com or your local Cummins-Onan dealer. But be sure the exhaust has a little room to 'shake'; restricting its motion messes up the vibration isolation.
Next, if you're a DIY'er, get a copy of the Onan installation manual and look at your particular installation. My 2.8 had a much bigger door opening for cooling than was needed, letting noise out. I also found that I had clearance on most sides of the compartment for an inch of rigid f'glass insulation. That and some creative work really made a difference.
Down to here, we're legit with Onan.
I won't recommend this since the extra backpressure may cause mechanical problems, but I'm also running a 5" SuperTrapp spark arrestor / muffler. Pricey, but helps some more.
Mine now measures 55 - 56 db(A) at 21'. I've turned the 'green box of noise & angst' into a purring kittycat.
Jim, "Black holes are where the Universe divided by zero."
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11/11/08 04:22pm |
General RVing Issues
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