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RE: Newbie: Battery Question
I think you may have a shorted cell in that first battery. The problems is in a multi-battery setup all the batteries are constantly trying to equalize between one another as well as provide the needed power for the coach. A bad batter will always pull the others down and shorten their life as well. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/05/08 08:04am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Cold-weather package?
Depending on make and model of what you are looking at it may/may not be standard equipment. Some manufacturers have an archive feature on their websites for previous year(s) models and standard/options for that particular model. If you know the VIN number for the unit you could have the dealer search by that number and possibly even pull a build sheet for the particular unit. Many more manufacturers are producing mid-upper level units that are all season coaches due to the growing interest in year round usage.
As far as things to look for, most have already listed them, dual-pane/thermal windows, insulated service bay with heat, heated or ducted heat to fresh/holding tanks, higher R-value insulation in walls/floors/ceiling. Even a coach w/out a winter package can have some of the items addressed individually to be acceptable for winter use, however, if looking for a new or newer unit and winter use is in your future it is much easier to purchase one set up for extreme weather use right from the get go. We have modified several items on our first two coaches so they could be used in the winter but our current coach is set up from the factory as a all-weather coach and is much nicer and comfortable for winter use. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/05/08 07:51am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 04 Beaver Marquis, Monaco dynasty or CC Allure vs 07 Camelot
Steve pretty much says it all. Excellent synopsis of the line-up. Just for S&G's drive a Camelot and then a Dynasty. The difference will be apparent almost insantly. Not saying there is anything wrong with the Camelot, it is a very nice coach for the money, but there is a difference. My aunt and uncle have a Beaver Marquis and my cousin has a Monaco Signature and running down the road we are prety much equal traveling at about 68 MPH, we keep an even distance and that is where everyone feels theirs handles/rides the best. When we get to the grades(6-7%) they don't seem to drop off quite as soon as we do because they will pull slightly away until my road speed drops enough to allow me to downshift to fourth. As soon as I get into fourth gear (approx 1900-2000 RPM) we are consistant, they can't pull away and I can't pull up on them. The Beaver has the C12(455HP CAT) and the Sig has ISM(500HP Cummins), weights are about the same with our Dynasty and the Beaver (36K lbs.) and the Sig is slightly heavier (37500 lbs.) due to being 42' vs. my 40' Dynasty. My point is the gear ratios of the Beaver and the Sig. are 4.30:1 and mine is 4.78:1, so they downshift to fifth a little sooner and and keep their RPM's higher and pull better up the first part of the grade. They do have more HP/Torque than our Dynasty but I think Monanco did an excellent job of gearing the Dynasty to be able to take advantage of the smaller engine without giving up much in the performance department. The interior of the Sig is very comparable to our Dynasty even though ours is a couple years newer but the woodwork in the Beaver is definately a little nicer I think. Good luck in your search and decision, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/05/08 06:46am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Block heater
It depends on engine (gas or diesel) and size as well as wattage of the heater itself. A diesel has a much larger volume of coolant to try to heat than a gas engine and larger diesel has more than a smaller diesel. The electric block heater will generally take a lot longer than say if it were equiped with Aqua-Hot engine heating feature. The electric would required approx 3-4 hours minimum to get it to a temperature where it would make any difference. Just remember it will not get it up to operating temp. just the coolant to a temp. high enough the allow the engine to turn over well and put some heat into the block to assist with combustion. It is also very dependant on outside temperature (5* vs. 25*). Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/05/08 06:02am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Oh my, please help me decide what to do....
Congrats on your decision. I think Tiffin makes a nice coach, from what I have seen quite a few high end features in an affordable package and good quality. As far as them giving you a 2 month warranty on a used coach this is very good as on used there is generally no such thing. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/05/08 05:54am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Generator Use
Absolutely, run it. We run our generator when we want to run the A/C units to travel comfortably. Same with the furnace, run it and travel in comfort. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 08:26am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Precision Temp (Hydronic Heating)
I cannot comment on the Precision Temp specifically as far as current draw, but on our Aqua-Hot system it does draw a couple more amps than a conventional propane furnace( approx. 11 ADC vs. 8-9 ADC). Some things to consider also are the size of the coach, number of slides, number of heat registers/fans, size of the fans at the registers, basement heat or not, number and size of batteries and size of burner. We dry camp in ours with the Aqua-Hot and it handles it great. We usually run the generator at night while watching movies, fixing and eating dinner or entertaining then turn the t-stat down to about 60 degrees at night and then in the morning fire up the generator while getting ready and fixing/eating breakfast and bump the temp to about 68 degrees and recharge the batteries. One other thing we do that a lot of others don't is if it is going to be extremely cold (lower than approx. 15 degrees) and/or going to snow we don't put the slides out. This is because I don't want to have the get out and remove the snow before departing and if the temps are going to be extemely low it is less cubic feet to have to heat. We have noticed a substantial difference in run time of the burner as well as the individual registers. Mike.
P.S. on an afterthought we have some friends that just bought a coach with dual furnaces (30K btu and a 25K btu). I wonder if the current draw would be double or if they use a smaller blower motor on each. Either way I bet it would be more than an Aqua-Hot system draws.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 07:44am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Do you flush and change your brake fluid?
I recomment changing out brake fluid on any vehicle, Workhorse or not. I do it to a lot of clients coaches as well as their daily driver vehicles. Brake fluid has a way of absorbing moisture like a sponge and then the brake system's integrity is sacrificed. I recommend on a heavy vehicle where the fluid is more likely to see higher temperatures at least every other year and on a lighter vehicle you could stretch it out another year or two. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 06:53am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Best place to carry 1 or 2 bikes
I would add a hitch to your Escape and put a rack in the receiver. This is what we do and then when we get to a campground and want to take the bikes somewhere else to ride(such as when we go to Moab) we don't have to transfer from the coach to the toad, just unhook the toad and drive to where you want to ride. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 06:48am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Oh my, please help me decide what to do....
I'd take the Tiffin because:
a. Buying used saves you the major expense of the first 2 years depreciation.
b. The wife likes the Tiffin better. Not an insignificant point.
c. You like the floor plan of the Tiffin better. You'll be living with the floor plan on a daily basis so this is something that you will really want to like or you'll be lusting for the Tiffin later.
d. The Itasca has the 2008 engine & major changes in emissions equipment. I'd guess that the fuel economy of the 2008 ISB engine could be worse than the larger engine in the Phaeton.
e. The Itasca can tow 5000#; the Tiffin can tow 10,000#. If you have a lightweight toad, then this is not a big issue. But, if you'd like to tow a mid-size SUV or larger then the Tiffin will do so gracefully.
This is exactly what I was thinking. I have worked on a few Tiffins and have been impressed. I cannot comment on the Latitude from Winnebego from experience but I think the drivetrain in the Phaeton is superior.
Secondly why wait till spring to use it? If you live in Salt Lake City, I only live about 30 miles north of you and we use ours almost year round. We put it away for Dec. and Jan. mainly because of time with the holidays and work is hectic but we generally start using it the first of Feb. and use it until Thanksgiving weekend. There are some nice places to go around your area that are open year round. Springville and Park City are a couple that are fairly close even for a short weekend getaway. Good luck, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 06:45am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: V-10 owners in 36ft or bigger????
A good friend of mine has an earlier version of the V10 in a 2000 36' HR Endeavor w/two slides. He either tows a Jeep Wrangler or a 18' enclosed trailer with two ATV's and fuel, bar-b-que, etc. and it works well. I installed a full Banks Power Pak and TransCommand module a couple of years ago and he said it was like a different unit. He loves the way it runs now. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 06:36am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Forum Conduct Update.....Again
Excellent post Johnny, I couln't agree more. I have only been a member for a year now, I didn't join for the longest time because of fear of being treated like others I have seen. This is an excellent forum and enjoy being on it talking RV's. This is my 'fix' every morning and sometimes more if time allows. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 06:26am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Next ? - Old Prevost or younger 'mass-production' rig??
ccxnola, I think you have gotten a lot of good information. It looks like group two is what you are zeroing in on. This would be a good choice due to the fact that like you mentioned the 'major' depreciation has already taken effect. Generally about the 5-6 year range is when they start slowing a little on depreciation, but they still depreciate. If you only look at it as a matter of loosing money you may drive yourself crazy (trust me, been there), you need to look at it as a matter of enjoyment it will bring. If you purchase an approx. 6 plus year old unit and maintain it well you will take a 'lesser' loss than a newer one (1-3 years) but you will still take a loss. We had a 1991 Beaver that we purchased in 2000 for $74k and had it seven years. Over this time we put approx. 40K miles on it and put a lot of 'sweat equity' into it including tires, polishing paint and wheels, new paint on front cap and lower belt line, ran overhead, rebuilt injector pump, new refrigerator and then just normal maintenance. It was an excellent coach and we got a lot of enjoyment out of it for our first DP. It is still on the road and the new owners are getting as much enjoyment from it as we did. We we sold it after that seven years we still got $65K out of it. The interested party said it was a little higher priced than some of the others they looked at but they wanted a Beaver on a Gillig chassis and said that our was the cleanest and best kept with all the records that they had run across. This proves that it does pay to take as good of care as possible to get the best resale but it is still going to be at a depreciated value. Good luck in your decision, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/04/08 06:04am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Undercoat for RV's?
I use a wire brush to remove the 'scaly' particles and then brush a chemical on called POR-15. It is a rust converter/inhibitor. It can be reduced and sprayed but I worry about overspray so that is why I brushed it. It dries to a hard ceramic looking finish. I have had good success with this. I used it on my 1991 Beaver and have done our 2003 Dynasty. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/03/08 08:46am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Extended Warranty Yes or No
Personally I would say absolutely not, but I do all of our own repairs and pretty anal about how they are done and wouldn't want anyone touching my outfit. If you are not mechanically handy or comfortable with repairs you may want to consider it as mentioned for piece of mind(whatever that is, broke down is broke down). One thing to remember is that it is a gamble, that $22.00/mo. will end up being more than the $2500.00 they charge you over the life of the loan. If you were to take even $50.00-$100.00/mo and put it into a seperate account for repairs it would suprise you how fast it would add up and 'if' something happened you more than likely would have the money at hand. We had some friends that bought an extended warranty against my advice on a used Dodge Intrepid and about a year later the trans went out. The insurance policy found a loop-hole out because they didn't have the transmission serviced like they should have. They paid for the extended warranty and a $2700.00 transmission. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/03/08 08:09am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Next ? - Old Prevost or younger 'mass-production' rig??
Here is a list of motor homes for sale between 59K and 72K. There are many good choices in that price range. I would rather have one of these vs an older bus conversion. I think you will get more amenities in a newer fiberglass coach than a much older bus, considering your stated usage.
Look at this one for less than your budget
Jim
There were some nice Dynasty's and a Country Coach that looked nice in there as well as that 97 Sig. Those all would be excellent coaches. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/03/08 07:58am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Cat 3208.....Whats your opinion?????
Another thing I would like to mention is that in cold weather that 3208 would start when almost nothing else will. When we would go snowmobiling my aunt/uncle and us would park fairly close to one another (they also had a Beaver w/3208 CAT) and in the morning when people were getting ready to leave both of ours would fire right up, it may smoke for a few seconds, but they would fire up almost instanly and without any assistance. Last year when we took our new coach on a snowmobiling trip it was about 12 degrees in the morning and it wanted some help from the block heat. I ran the Aqua-Hot coolant loop as well as the electric heating element in the block for about an hour to hour and a half and it fired up. I even commented to my wife that I think the old Beaver with the CAT would have fired up unassisted. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/03/08 06:34am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Next ? - Old Prevost or younger 'mass-production' rig??
I would recommend staying away from the older two-stroke Detroits. I know there are a lot of people running them and they do run well, however, they are noisy, are known for leaks and not environmentally friendly at all. I too looked at older buses but started looking at my budget as well and the price you pay for any of them, whether it be Prevost, Foretravel or any of the higher end assembly line produced models, is merely the cost of admission. I started looking at some of the onboard systems and the cost of various components if they had to be repaired and/or replaced. Some of them can be expensive, as well as most have 8 battery systems which can add up. When we sold our 1991 Beaver, it had 112K miles on it and the couple were taking a couple of years off to travel and they have been happy with it and it was well under the $75K mark you are looking at. There are good older Beaver, Foretravel, Monaco and other well built coaches in the mid-late 90's with a lot of life left in them that would do everything you would want it to do for well under the $75K range. I would look strongly at these before going back to late 80's early 90's Prevosts that may need a lot more to bring back to prestine condition. An older bus that you pick up for under $70K can easily surpass $90K-$100K with few high dollar items that need replacing (then again any of them could for that matter). I know the bus shell coaches are built to run upwards of a million miles, however, the house systems are not much different than the other assembly line coaches and they have a life span as well. This is just my opinion, in the end it is your money. Good luck with your decision, Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/03/08 06:24am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: on board compressor confusion
I use the on-board compressor occassionally to air up bicycle tires and have used it to blow out the water heater on in-laws trailer once that is about it. Usually when I need air pressure for ATV or sand rail tires and/or air tools I have the trailer in tow in which I have an air compressor in it. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/02/08 10:39am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Calgary, Alberta
Thank you for all of your replies, it gives us some food for thought. Mike.
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zmotorsports
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12/02/08 05:58am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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