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Scotty Hutto

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Posts posted by Scotty Hutto

  1. Stone Vos is the preferred vendor based on the experience of dozens (if not hundreds) of Monaco owners on this site. I have Stone Vos toppers on my coach.  But they aren’t the only supplier, and you have several options based on the responses here. 

     

  2. Recommended pressures for most Monaco coaches are between 55-65 psi.  Under that and you will have low water flow and perpetually have soap in your hair. Above that and you will use more water and have the possibility of causing leaks (the plumbing system *should* be able to hold much higher pressures ~120 psi with no problem - but these are older coaches, and the operative word is should. If you put 120 psi on your water system you will immediately find out if you have any weak spots…). 

    Based on the experience of this moderating this group over the years, I’ve observed two basic approaches:

    1. Use your fresh water tank and pump for all fresh water, and use the city water connection only to fill your fresh water tank. This is the method that seems to be preferred by the owners of upper-level coaches (Dynasty, Executive, Signature) with good water pumps (I.e., Remco AquaJet 55ARV)

    (editor’s note: I have a “lower level” coach - a Diplomat - but upgraded to a Aquajet 55ARV and prefer “method 1”)

    2. Use city water pressure, with a GOOD regulator, when connected to city water.  This seems to be he preferred method of owners of lower-level coaches with Shureflo water pumps. 
     

    (with apologies to Camelot owners - I’m not sure which pump came on those coaches, but I’m certain @Tom Cherry can enlighten us   

    A “GOOD” regulator is a brass, adjustable regulator (typically Watts, though Camco makes some decent ones too), preferably with a gauge to show that actual pressure behind the regulator. The $14.95 “barrel” regulators (restrictors) do not give the ability to adjust and aren’t really considered adequate. There are several threads on here about good regulators.  

    Your mileage may vary, but neither approach is wrong. 

    What you DON’T want to do is to use the pump while city water pressure is on the system (I.e., to “boost” city water pressure). This can (and will, in my first-hand experience) cause the diaphragm on your pump to rupture, causing city water and pump pressure to backfeed and cause all sorts of weird behavior. Some have done this for years with no problem, however it is not recommended by the pump manufacturers. 
     

    Hope that’s helpful. 

    • Like 3
  3. 4 hours ago, Lawrence F said:

    Just repaired my Sharp R1850 A 

    Loud growling sound,after youtube (and learning more then i ever wanted to know about a microwave) I did the tests and it was the magnetron. It took a little searching to find a replacement #,but got one on Amazon $45 works great now

    Always  fun LOL

    It would be great if you could post links to the YouTube videos...  We could probably find them, but since you've been there... 🙂

  4. I really like my Bluefire.  Ot gives me a “glass dash” of sorts and duplicates all of my gauges, please a few my Dip doesn’t have.

    it will also simulate your fuel gauge with a calculated fuel gauge, which was very useful when my fuel gauge sender died during my 6,000 mile trip last year.  Gave me comfort I wasn’t going to run out of fuel.  🤣

    I have mine set up with a Check Engine / Warning icon that turns yellow or red. If it changes from green to yellow or red you can touch it and it shows the codes.  You can also clear them.  I’ve done it while driving but probably should have pulled over. 🙄

    Here’s a pic, but the engine isn’t running so there’s no data. I have it mounted with a Ram mount on the dash to the left of the steering wheel  

    image.thumb.jpg.c758055610f09aac8e2be10f0c763562.jpg

     

    • Like 2
    • Thanks 1
  5. Mike,

    Would love to see pics of the inside of the older Michelins once you’ve taken them off the wheels.  I’ve always heard that’s where they deteriorate, but since my wife insists I replace steers at 5 yrs and drives at 7 (long story), I’ve never seen the inside of older tires.  

    Just curious.

  6. Dwight,

    Just as confirmation of what you mention above, the owners manual for my 2006 Diplomat shows separate belts for the alternator and AC compressor, but it came from the factory with one single serpentine belt.

    Would it be possible to get the clutch on the AC compressor to unlock (it uses 12v to “lock” the clutch), disconnect the clutch wiring, and leave the compressor in place?

    Finally, as for the AC compressor, it’s likely a Sanden.  See if you can find the (typically) 4 digit part number on the compressor label.  I was able to find one for my coach from Aero Climate Control in Rockwell, TX phone +01-972-772-5506 or online at https://www.acparts.com/.  They have stock of older Sanden compressors that are no longer produced by Sanden.

    Good luck!

  7. Here is my suggestion for getting the tile up...  It's been a few years (and I've since replaced my fridge with a residential and replaced all of my flooring with engineered wood), but here's exactly what I did:

    1. Remove the quarter round (shoe mold)

    2. If you can find a Harbor Freight, buy a "toe-kick" saw.  About $70...  (The blade is arranged for this type work) (If you're near Marietta, GA, you are welcome to borrow mine)

    https://www.harborfreight.com/68-amp-3-38-in-toe-kick-saw-62420.html

    3. Use a diamond blade for tile - you'' have to buy this extra (i *think* it's a 3", but please confirm)

    https://www.harborfreight.com/3-in-professional-continuous-rim-diamond-tile-blade-58961.html

    4. Cover everything in close proximity (lots of dust)

    5. Use the toe-kick saw to saw the tile right at the base of the cabinet

    6. Clean, fix, etc. whatever you can to make the tile lay flat

    7. use appropriate adhesive or thinset to reset tile. I would suggest the small bucket of premix thinset from a home improvement store)

    8. Grout as appropriate (sanded caulk from a home improvement store makes a nice temporary fix if you can find something close in color)

    9.  Replace quarter round.  It should cover the cut made with the toe-kick saw.

    Hope that helps.  

  8. I can’t speak specifically to your exact coach, but Monaco mostly used Atwood water heaters, which have an aluminum tank.  IF you have a separate water heater and it’s original to the coach, it likely needs flushing and a new filter per Tom’s comments. 
     

    If your hot water is provided by an Aquahot, others will have to help you out there. 😁

  9. Not so well known Camp Host Terminology…

    Like many professions, camp hosts have their own terminology which does tend to vary from region to region. Some of them are obvious, others not so much. Here are a few examples: (and of course, we know Monacoers would never do any of this…)

    Canvas Kings: Last of a dying breed of hard core campers. Easily identified by an old canvas tent (generally Coleman) with a green or red (white gas) lantern sitting on a rock or picnic table and an old axe lightly buried in a log round to keep the edge sharp. A blue or red coffee pot warming near a perfect size campfire. These folks are highly respected, knowledgeable, and enjoy the outdoors for what it is. They do not care about surge protectors, water heaters or toilet paper debates.

    Rolling Hotel Crew (RHC’s): The opposite of the Canvas King. These folks are so addicted to all the comforts of home that when they head out into the great outdoors, they pretty much just bring the entire home with them, sometimes including the attached garage. To qualify as an RHC, your rig must be 45ft minimum length and weigh at least 30,000 pounds dry.

    Landing Strip Camp (LSC’s) For these folks it’s Christmas year around. Easily identified at night. They will generally have a mile or two of rope lights weaved in, out, and under their rigs. Every tree branch within reach will be adorned with some type of flashing, blinking color changing illumination. The brighter, the better and they absolutely must leave those lights on all night long just in case the camp  raccoons want to disco dance at 3am. 

    The Uninvited DJ: These campers are always equipped with a sound system large enough for a football stadium. It is their primary goal to ensure that every camper within a half mile radius can enjoy the music of their choice. More often than not, the UDJ will also qualify in the LSC category as it’s absolutely unheard of to put on an unwanted concert without appropriate lighting. 

    E-Bike Hoodlum (EBH) Now just because you ride an E-Bike, doesn’t mean you qualify. This term is reserved for those who truly believe that the camp posted speed limit does not apply to 40 MPH bicycles. They are easily identified and can generally be found piled up on the side of the road usually after the speed bumps near a playground. 

    Junior Bike Hoodlum: Basically the same as the above; however, you must be 15 years of age or younger for this category and any form of bike applies.  Club rules generally mandate that you have a plastic bright orange or fluorescent green Mohawk glued to your helmet. 

    Dog Doody Dufus (Triple D): These folks can easily be spotted standing on a strip of grass with a fuzzy buddy dangling from a leash and their head spinning in all direction. Eyes scanning the horizon to ensure that nobody is watching them as they have absolutely no intention of cleaning up after their dog. The dog generally doesn’t look around, they have one job to do and they don’t care who sees them or not.

    Torcher: These are the folks who skipped basic campfire class and resort to lighting full sized logs with a propane tank and brush torch for twenty full minutes. Easily identified as the specific campsite sounds like a rocket launch pad on a daily basis. 

    Loggers: These are the folks (usually also torchers) who burn up all the fire wood they brought on day one and now resort to hacking away at protected oak tree branches with dull Walmart hatchets. This group is a particular favorite of the Park Rangers. 

    There are more, but that’s enough for one day. 

    A good day to all.

    (Shamelessly stolen from a friend)

    • Haha 6
  10. I did the same thing… back over a smal bollard (not big enough to affect anything but the flap) and messed mine up pretty good.  Bent around double…

    I did exactly what @Tom Cherry says above, and it looks good. Not perfect, but good.  After all, it is a MudFlap hanging under a motorhome! 🤣 A new one would look great until the first dirt or gravel road, then it would look about like mine after I fixed it…

  11. I’ve had Coach-Net for several years and used them once for a tow.  All went exactly as I expected.  

    As “additional ‘for what it’s worth’ info”, my brother-in-law owns of the biggest large vehicle towing services in the southeast (think 18 wheelers, Buses, Motorhomes, cement trucks) with about 12 wreckers, multiple other specialty two vehicles, and -to the point here- a specialty low-boy “bus trailer” for towing large motorhomes and buses.  He will not take calls for motorhomes from anyone but Coach-Net.  He said “the others” (he didn’t call them by name) try to beat towing companies down on price, then don’t pay on time.  Coach-Net pays agreed pricing and pays promptly. 

    • Like 5
  12. 9 hours ago, Happycarz said:

    I bought a check valve for my system to put in the spare parts bin. It looks similar the ones in your pictures. Now I know where it goes.
    I was thinking it was in the wet bay behind the white panel. Are there two in the system? 

    There are at least two check valves that I’m aware of in my coach (YMMV).

    1 - At the city water inlet in the wet bay.  On my coach this is attached to the ball valve (white handle below) that directs incoming water to either the fresh water tank or directly to the coach plumbing.  The check valve is on the output to coach plumbing such that it does not backfeed to the hose reel and maintains pressure in the plumbing system. I had problems with this last year and learned a lot about how it works (or doesn’t). I replaced the ball valve and check valve at the same time   

    IMG_5711.thumb.jpeg.6a911516f6dbc338a5b2826673804bf0.jpeg
     

    2 - At the output (hot) of the water heater. This prevents reverse flow through the water heater.  I don’t have an Aquahot on my coach, so I’m not sure how those factor in…

    There may be others that I’m not aware of, or if you have an Aquahot and not a dedicated water heater, your system may be plumbed differently. 

  13. There are a couple of different manufacturers of these slideout motors that Monaco used (and these three were all used during different production runs of a 2006 Diplomat!):

    Venture (M8910-1.2 or M9600)
    Klauber (K01285L150)

    While the metal gear on Amazon will fit many, the other failure point is the metal clutch gear. If your failure point is the clutch gear, the metal gear will only make it worse.  I suspect that the nylon gear was a “sacrificial” part designed to fail to save other parts, as Paul mentions above.  Mine lasted 18 years, so I’m thinking if I can get another 18 years out of another nylon one, I’m good  

    IMG_7238.thumb.jpeg.cf5036e96fb52bc4ee78a7f1a0c4d670.jpeg  IMG_7236.thumb.jpeg.a753b367644913de4697623263ee422f.jpeg

    If you want to replace the nylon gear AND the clutch gear for the Venture M8910-1.2 version, you can find them as a set here for about $108.

    https://amzn.to/3SBG8DQ

    The other point of failure for the above floor (bedroom) slideout is the “gear pack” (aka the 20 or 21 tooth gear that drives the rack in/out). Fortunately I haven’t had to do that. Yet.  Maybe Chris @throgmartin Can shed some light, but again, it appears Monaco used multiple variations - even on the same year/model Coach.  

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