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RE: B+ motorhomes
What is a realistic MPG figure for a Chinook/Born Free sized RV (21-24 ft) with the Ford V-10 engine, and driving at 65 mph or less?
And what value would a Banks exhaust system bring to this sized unit?
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Atlee
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07/13/10 04:46am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Battery ? for RT's only
For just over 100 dollars, you can get a Crown group 27.
60 to 70$ for an Everstart of the same size.
They have a group 31 says which say only deep cycle, I hear.
Unfortunately, back in the day (1996 RT) Roadtrek only put in Group 24. And the battery box is too small to accept a Gp 27, much less anything larger.
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Atlee
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07/04/10 10:20pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Just got back from my 1st real B road trip.
I've gone over the Mackinac Bridge numerous times so am used to it.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k309/Davydd_2006/MackinacBridge.jpg
Question about the Mackinac Bridge. Is it high. May be an optical illusion, but from your pix, it doesn't seem to be a high bridge. Maybe the open grating for the bridge decking is the worse thing about it?
The US17 Charleston bridge was just tall, and open. A website on the Charleston bridge said it only has a 4.5% grade. It seemed much steeper than that.
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Atlee
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07/01/10 10:52am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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James Island County Park, Charleston, SC
Spent two nights there, June 20-21. Was supposed to have been there June 21-22, but arrived a day early. It was not problem shifing the nights. Of course if it had been completely full, I would have had a problem.
I would recommend it to anyone. A great park at reasonable rates. Most of the sites are back in. There was a mix from tent campers to Class A's, and everything in between.
What surprised me the most was the almost total lack of bugs. We only saw 1 mosquito.
The only thing that would have made the stay more enjoyable would be if I were there when it was cooler.
If I were in the Charleston area again, I would definitely stay there again.
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Atlee
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06/28/10 10:58am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Roadtrek - What is engine life expectancy
I currently have 119K miles on my 96 RT210P built on a '95 Chevy chassis. It has the 5.7 liter engine, and so far has done very well. No oil usage yet.(knock on wood)
The original owner, and I, have always changed oil and filter at the 3,000k mark. It's what the owners manual recommends, due the "heavy duty" usage it gets. I figure it's always carrying a load, even when empty of my stuff.
10w-30 weight oil. I'm crossing my fingers that this engine will be pretty much "bullet proof".
Over the 24k miles I've driven it, I've averaged 13.28 miles per gallon.
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Atlee
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06/28/10 10:43am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Just got back from my 1st real B road trip.
Answer to question #1. No the wind was not blowing. I guess I just "freaked out" due to the length and especially height, plus it seemed to have a fairly steep incline.
DW was driving when we crossed the I-295 bridge across the James River when we returned yesterday. She said the Charleston bridge is no worse. I had to beg to disagree. I was awake when she drove over the I-295 bridge, I had no problems on it.
But in answer to the other questions, yes, had a great time. I liked the historic part of Edenton and New Bern, NC. Patriots Point is somewhere I've wanted to visit a long time, and was not disappointed in the least. Savannah, GA is a great town to visit also. I got particularily interested in Savannah due to the movie and book, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". Saw most of the main points of interest that were in the movie.
Good thing about going through the Ocala National Forest was getting my Golden Pass. That should be a good deal, since I can get into all the national parks, forest, wildlife refurges, etc for reduced cost.
I'll speak to James Island County Park on the board for national parks, and rv campgrounds.
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Atlee
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06/28/10 10:32am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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Just got back from my 1st real B road trip.
We've had a B for a number of years, but we've basically only used it for going to a single destination, and for fall football season.
But last Friday we headed south mostly following US17 along the coast. Went by Great Dismal Swamp Natural Refuge, Edenton, NC, New Bern, NC, Charleston, SC via Myrtle Beach area, Savannah, GA, and finally Orlando by way of Ocala National Forest.
I hope to do one of these for the next 3 years, preping for a big trip across country after I retire.
The weather was brutal. The heat was absolutely horrible. We were originally planning to go in May but had to postpone.
I definitely learned a few things. 1) When I go cross country, I will have a very good GPS system with me. 2) I really do want a B with an enclosed shower. 3) The ride into Charleston via US17 has given me some pause about my ability to even go cross country. Never before have I had a panic attack crossing a bridge, but I did on that one at Charleston. If I could have uturned just after I started up, I would have. If I could have just stopped the van, and just walked back down, I would have. I hope that isn't something that will get worse.
Finally, I averaged 13.29 miles to the gallon and I have a 21 ft Chevy chassis, with the 5.7L engine. I've keep a record of all the miles I've driven it and all the gas I've put in it, and after 24K miles, I'm averaging 13.28 miles.
This mileage was pretty good since on the nights I wasn't at the JICP, I had to run the generator to power the AC. And coming back from Florida, yesterday, I had to run the generator inorder to power the AC, because the van has developed some problem with the dash fan. When on AC and the fan blower on high, the instrument panel showed a slight discharge. Could have been a false reading, but I didn't want to run the risk of killing the chassis battery.
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Atlee
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06/27/10 09:35pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Richmond Virginia Route Question
I95 North to US 17 North to I66 West to I81 North
I would agree, especially pulling a TT.
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Atlee
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06/25/10 01:07pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: B Beds
We have a 2004 PW Excel TD and keep it in the twin bed mode. I would love to leave it in the crossways "king" configuration but that would mean no access to the drawers underneath. Anybody have a work-around for that little problem?
I had that problem with my 1996 RT 210P. We sleep for and aft, but keep the "king" bed made all the time. RT, in my 1996, put in drawers instead of pull down doors. My older 1994 RT 190 Independent had pull down doors.
I took out the drawers, but used the drawer fronts as pull down doors. Just purchased hinges and latches.
I have no idea why RT decided it would be better to have a draw than a pull down door.
When I was doing this, I found out another stupid that RT did. The dinette table that is used to support the king bed rested on the top edge of the drawers rather than another lip. So if the bed were in place, I could open either the drawers or the fixed cabinet doors.
So I bought a piece of 2x8. Cut it into 3 pieces. Screwed two pieces the the 3rd flat piece to make a stand. It keeps the dinette table about 1/2" above the pull down doors. Now I have a "king" bed, plus I can pull down the cabinet doors and access the space inside.
Another benefit was having a little more space available. The drawers wasted space.
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Atlee
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06/10/10 09:35pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: RV parks in or around Charleston, SC?
Based on the recomendations, I made reservations for James Island County Park, for the middle of June. The man I spoke to said they only had a couple available. I'm in #66.
I'll try to remember to report back on how I like the park.
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Atlee
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06/06/10 08:38pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Brand New RVer questions - Roadtrek
I have to jump in and ask a leveling question. There is level front to back and then there ls level side to side. How does one get level in both orientations?
By using either the leveling ramps, or using leveling blocks. If it's level front to back already, but not level side to side, then put the neccessary leveling blocks under the side that needs to be brought up to level.
Same idea applies if it's level side to side but not front to back.
Sometimes it's only one corner that needs to be brougt up to level it. In that case put leveling blocks only under the wheel that needs to be brought up in order to level the entire van.
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Atlee
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06/04/10 06:43pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Buying an RS Adventuous
I'm not talking "parts" my advice is SERVICE oriented.
How do I know this, I have a 2007 DODGE Sprinter and although it was made by MERCEDES, I am now a red headed orphan to Mercedes as far as warranty service is concerned. My roof was leaking from day one and not fixed right from DODGE, but now that they sold Dodge - Mercedes and Dodge now get to point the finger at the other guy for service with me in the middle.
I was told BY MERCEDES USA that Mercedes will only warranty 2010 model and up. Prior to that you must go to Dodge / Freightliner and Mercedes is not as friendly to Dodge / Frieghtliner as they are their own dealers.
The games began after Mercedes sold Daimler Chryler.
So please don't confuse potential buyers into a false sense of security by saying parts are made etc.etc.
It's NOT THE PARTS, it's the service that is now the problem, and even RV dealers will hide this from you.
2 things. First, Freightliner was and still is owned by Mecerdes Benz. There has been no change in that regard.
Second, it's my understanding from reading the Sprinter Forum board that Mercedes is honoring the original warrantee, which was from Damiler anyway. Now, if your Mercedes dealer is balking, then it may be more a problem with your local dealer than MB North America.
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Atlee
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05/23/10 05:44pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: 5 years - 75K miles
In Minnesota the Freightliner dealer is now handling them but no Mercedes yet. So, for dealing and service we get to mix with the big boys and not the hoiti toiti. Umph umph! You sit in the "Truckers" waiting room not the "Customer" waiting room. :) The downer. An oil change service at the Freightliner dealer was almost twice as much as the Dodge dealer. There were three other Class B's (LTV, Roadtrek & P-W) at the Freightliner dealer that I assumed may have been dropped off for service. Great West Vans is getting Mercedes badged vans in for conversion. I'm torn between the status look of Mercedes and the down to earth look of the Freightliner. Aesthetically I like the Freightliner grill better. Both impress friends, depending on their root backgrounds, much more than Dodge. I currently have the Freightliner grill. It was one of the last ones in 2004 before the switch over to Dodge.
For me personally, I'd much rather have a Sprinter badged with Freightliner. I think it's cool, cooler even than the MB star. However, if I were to get a used sprinter that had the Dodge badge, I would switch it out to the MB star.
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Atlee
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05/22/10 07:05am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Post Your 'B' Sightings Here
I don't have a picture, but I saw a PleasureWay Plateau today. It looked new, and was built the 3500 chassis and sporting the Mercedes Benz marque. The road it was on when it entered US 1 just south of Ashland, VA would indicate it was just coming from Rolling Hills RV Center. They sell Pleasure Ways.
That sucker looked big, next to my Fusion.
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Atlee
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05/21/10 02:45pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: RV parks in or around Charleston, SC?
Thanks for the suggestions. The KOA is best located since it's near Ft Moultrie & Patriot's Point.
The James Island County Park is appealing due to the unleased dog park. Difficulty getting to it doesn't much apply to me. We're not in a big rig, we're in a Class B.
The Oak Plantation Campground isn't bad either. The worse part about both JICP & Oak is they're on the other side of Charleston from where we would be spending most of our time.
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Atlee
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05/18/10 10:01pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RV parks in or around Charleston, SC?
In June, we're heading down from Virginia to Florida via US 17. There are several places that are interesting to visit in the Charleston, SC area. So, I'm looking for a decent RV park that relatively close to Charleston or Patriot Point/Ft Moltrie.
I don't need/want a RV park that's upscale. All I'm looking for is safe with clean rest rooms/showers and a coin operated laundry. WIFI would be nice, but not a neccessity.
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Atlee
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05/18/10 11:20am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Roadtreck Tires
My B is a 1996 RT210Popular built on a 1995 Chevy G30 long chassis van. It's 21 ft long including the continential kit on the back door, and it's all steel, no fiberglass, except for the top.
The original equipment tires are 215/75R16 E tires.
When I first got the van it wanted to move with the wind and/or passing 18 wheelers. Figuring the stiffer the sidewalls, the better the handling in heavy truck traffic or windy conditions, I keeping inflating the fronts. (The backs are at 80 psi). I'm at 75psi for the fronts, and it improved the handling greatly. Most trucks have little effect now, and it takes a pretty stiff gust to really make it move.
Naturally, the ride is a little harsher now, but I'll take a harsher ride in place of white knuckle steering.
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Atlee
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05/18/10 11:01am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Anyone tried the Camco Hot Water Bandit ?
I am nervous about using the propane and would like to use electric only for hot water...unfortunately our tank right now is only for propane....we just found out about the Bandit and would like any advise...Thanks
Then I presume you don't use natural gas or propane at home.
Nothing wrong with propane, as long as you don't do something stupid with it.
As mentioned, electricity can start a fire just as fast.
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Atlee
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05/13/10 07:02pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Tire Pressures for class B Leisure Travel Van
When I first got my used LYV 4 (2000 Dodge) I assumed the tire pressure was as per the sticker on the door. I was wrong. The Van has 80 psi front and rear. I changed to the 55 psi in the front as recommended. Big improvment in handling. I asked the factor about the independant rear air bags. They are independant based on loading and wind conditions. Now why you would pump one side up more then the other based on wind, volocity & direction is beyond me. Load I can understand. I run about 30 psi when very lightly loaded. Remeber that changing the PSI in the rear bags (raising or lowering) the reach ofthe coach effects the front wheel alignment or handling. Note yiou vans "levelness" when getting the alignment and adjust accordingly. Cheers
Interesting. I did the exact opposite. I have 75# in the front tires. If my fronts were at 55# the sidewalls would be way to squishy, and the front end would drive horribly. I started at 60 in the front, and increased it until I got to 75#. It rides harsher than at 55 or 60 pounds, but I'll take a harsher ride to get rid of a white knuckler driving experience.
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Atlee
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05/04/10 03:17am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: How many do not use their water heater?
Do I use it often? No. Would I have a B without one? Again no. While I may not use it that much, if and when I needed it, I would want it.
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Atlee
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04/19/10 08:02pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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