vegaman19760

I will only discuss my experiences. Dirt kills engines and especially Diesel engines because of the huge amount of air that is consumed to make power. Many types of air filters will say they improve power and that is done by improving the amount of air intake. The only way to do that is to allow larger molecules to pass through the filter. As a former auto racer in many different categories, we had to make decisions on what type of air filter we used depending on how long we needed to have the motor last. When racing on dirt we used grease on the top and bottom of the filter in an attempt to seal the fine particles out from getting into the engine. After some long races when taking the engine apart to rebuild we could see the scoring on the piston cylinder walls from dirt getting in. I

We have DISH at our home up north and use the Dish Traveler folding antenna on top of our Coach when traveling (presently wintering in Florida). Works for us

Appreciate your time and effort to resolve those issues. Thank You!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Very glad the Webmaster got things going again. Safe travels to all.

I am hoping his charging system was not set for AGM style batteries and he does not have an inverter/charging system problem. The inverter/charging system must be set up for the type of batteries involved. Changing battery types requires changing the inverter/charging system settings. Ours is a Magnum and they have a great customer service to assist anyone with their products. Hope you get it solved and let us know your solution. Safe travels to all

We have had AAA RV for many years. We get all the maps and books and use them often. In our coach we have two GPS at our use. One is built in the dash and the other Magellan RV GPS is used to compare and check other on the go routes with. We also have the Next Exit and use our cell phones for close in destinations and weather updates. Some times it is the drive and not the destination that makes the vacation. Stay safe, Stay well and Save travels Dick and Sandy near Buffalo, NY 2015 HR Ambassador 38DB 2000 Ford Explorer Toad

I apologize for the double entry.

You can complain, bitch, blame, point the finger all you want. The truth is that for the most part we are spoiled. We have the most freedoms and quality of life than most. My parents survived the depression which is nothing compared to our situation now. Most of the world is glad to be able to find fuel and pay much more that we complain about in terms of price. We have the ability to adapt, to change our habits, change our plans and still keep going. Some will suffer more than others for many reasons but most will keep doing what they wish. The older you get the more you realize that money and possessions mean less than time and activity with family and friends. I will not be the richest person buried in the cemetery and will pay the price of fuel and food because it is available. These are not the bad times. Yes we can conserve fuel and many be cut back on food consumption. But the bad times are when there is not food or products on the shelves in the stores or fuel at the pumps as is the case in other parts of the world. Life is too short. Be grateful for what you have and if you can, help others not as fortunate as you are. Stay safe, Stay well and Save travels. Dick and Sandy near Buffalo, NY 2015 HR Ambassador 38DB 2000 Ford Explorer Toad

There was no auto retract feature back in the late 1990's.. That was a rail awning that required people to set out the extended rails connected to the side of the coach. That auto retract feature came out in the early 2000's. It was supposed to be a safety feature on automatic awnings that at a certain wind speed it retracts the auto awning and when the wind dies down it would extend the awning back out. Newer styles will retract the auto awning when strut sensors feel a certain deflection. and extend back out when those deflections stop. I have seen awnings strapped down with screw in ground lugs get pulled out of the ground and tossed over the top of expensive high end coaches.. Mother nature does not care what precautions you take. Stuff happens.

Back in 2001 with our 1997 Aerbus we were in the infield of Talladega Speedway for the Fall NASCAR race. We were in the Frontrunners club in the forth turn. Went to take a nap in between practice runs on Saturday. Nice bright afternoon, no winds. Then before I could even get out of our coach when I felt it rock, a microburst hit. Took our awning right off the side of the coach and laid it on the ground. Did the same to others. Rolled over a souvenir trailer and tossed tents around like paper bags. Was covered by our insurance. We always put our main awning in at night and when ever we are away from the coach. We had smaller strap awnings installed over each window so we have those out most of the time. We have turned off the auto retract wind feature as all it does is retract and then put the awning back out time and time again in a short period of time. There is no guarantee to prevent any type of damage from many situations. A good insurance policy to cover such incidents helps. Stay safe, Satay well Dick and Sandy near Buffalo, NY 2015 HR Ambassador 38DB 2000 Ford Explorer Toad

Chuck B 2004 Windsor is totally correct about enough coverage but you can also help yourself more when submitting a claim. I will give you an example of what happened to us years ago. Back in 2001 we did not have the large property we have now to store our coach at our home. We used a local storage facility. We were getting prepared to go to Talladega, AL for a NASCAR fall race and started to purchase lots of stuff to put in our coach for that long trip. Anything we purchased for our coach we save the receipts in a separate envelope in our home. Unfortunately our coach and five others were broken into while at that storage facility. They trashed it and stole what ever they cold carry off. Lots of finger prints collected but never caught. We put a claim into our RV insurance with the police report and pictures for items that were attached and damaged or stolen, TV's, VCR, Microwave, Backup camera, shower wall, cabinets and more. That was all covered (except deductible) and repaired in time for our trip. However they also took or damaged clothes, dishes, pot and pans, bedding, anything they cold carry off or ruin. I put in a claim for those possessions with our Home Insurances and submitted the police report, pictures and a copy of all the receipts of what we had purchased that was not part of the coach. I got a check back for all those possessions in 10 days. The moral of this story is that things do and can happen. I suggest everyone keep all receipts for anything you purchase for your RV, your home and cars in separate files or envelopes. Make a video of every part of your RV and your home inside and out because it might help your insurance company respond to any claim you have. Insurance is just that, something to protect you if something happens. But you also need proof of other purchases and such to help in any loss. I hope no one has to go through what we did, but we were prepared and did not have to suffer more if unable to prove what our true losses were. Stay safe, Stay well Dick and Sandy 2000 HR Ambassador 38 DB 2000 Ford Explorer Toad

Chuck B 2004 Windsor is correct.. There are many clauses and provisions in every policy. Know your coverage. There are lots of ways to lower your premium but that will most likely lower your coverage and/or deductible. Our insurance is more than the minimum required and if totaled in the first 5 years it would have provided a new coach of one year older. If after the first 5 years (where we are now) if it is God forbit totaled, we get our full purchase price back. Is that expensive compared to others not having that provision, yes. Not all companies can provide that kind of coverage and can usually only be done for new purchases. If I change companies I will loose that coverage if totaled. That is the coverage we wanted and our premiums reflect that coverage. Your RV coverage is limited to what is part of the RV only. It does not cover your clothes or dishes or anything that is not presently attached to your RV. New additions such as more awnings, satellite antenna, etc would be covered. But everything else from your sewer hoses, water hoses and anything not presently bolted down is not covered in your RV. That is why people who are full timers must get a different type of policy to cover their possessions. If not a full timer, your home insurance can be used to cover your possessions in your RV depending on your home insurance coverage. That home coverage not only goes for what is in your RV but also what is in you cars. and is in effect for any issue not just in a totaled vehicle. Do not be afraid to talk to your agent and ask questions about your coverage and make the changes you feel necessary and can afford. Not everyone can afford the coverage we have so I don't tell people what to get. I will make suggestions and provide information but we all need to know what coverage we have to be sure it is what we want and need. Stay well, Stay safe Dick and Sandy near Buffalo, NY 2015 HR Ambassador 38DB 2000 Ford Explorer Toad

Maybe this is not well known, but you can not compare insurance premiums from one state to another. It is based on your primary residence. Even one community to another can have a different premium for the same coverage from the same company. Your only recourse is to check many insurance companies who can write an insurance policy in your state. That does not mean only companies in your state. There may be insurance companies outside of Florida that can write insurance policies for residents of Florida. We live in NY State. Years ago I had a Progressive insurer in Ohio (that was able to write a NY State policy) give me a lower premium than my Progressive insurer right down the street from us. The reason is that each insurer has an overhead tied into their premiums. You can only insure with companies that can write insurance for residents in your individual state but that may not be confined to companies outside your state. I am only familiar with companies that can insure residents of NY State. We have a Department called New York State Finance Services that regulates and determines what insurance companies can sell insurance of any kind to the residence of NY State. I can go on their web site and f9nd an alphabetical list of every company allowed to sell insurance. That Department also accepts claims if I have a problem with my instance company but that is another discussion. No matter what state you are in only certain companies are allowed to sell insurance in your state and comparing premiums from other states or even other communities in your state is comparing apples to oranges. You have to do some homework. In your case get whatever insurance you can just to make sure you do not have a laps in coverage. Than you can do a lot of homework to check around to see if another company can do better, maybe much better maybe not. If you find someone that can do better, have them take over and drop your present insurer. I suggest that before people move their residency not just from one state to another but even from one community to another to first check with your insurance company about your home, car and RV insurance to see what changes may be involved. Your credit report also makes a difference on your premium and that too is another discussion. Good luck. Stay safe, Stay well Dick and Sandy near Buffalo, NY 2015 HR Ambassador 38DB @000 Ford Toad

Each of us have our own comfort level on when to drive, how long to drive and what roads to drive on.. I will only tell you our experiences. Depending on our destination, I will not hesitate to drive 500 miles on the interstate during daylight hours. I love driving our DP because it drives as the saying goes "like a Cadillac." In 2009, from late June into early September, we did a 12, 806 mile round trip to Alaska and back. We drove out coach on one stretch between Rapid City, SD to a place in Wyoming for an overnight stay before crossing into Canada. That was over 800 miles. We left just before the Sun came up and got there just as the Sun was coming down. As part of our Alaska adventure we drove the "Top of the World Highway" from Dawson City, Yukon Territory Canada to Tok, Alaska, about 90 miles. It is far from a highway, dirt and gravel about the width of a two car driveway, no shoulder to speak of, 11 degree inclines and declines, hair pin turns, sheer drop offs, no guard rails, about 3 foot from the side of the road to the tree line so you can not see any animals crossing until they are right in front of you. We took our time and it took a full 9 hours to make that 90 some mile drive and we had no issues with broken windshields or anything. But those that were in a hurry did have problems. People with trailers passing us going too fast for the conditions broke springs, flat tires, broken frames. Motor homes had issues when driving to fast when encountering frost heaves. If you do not drive according to the conditions and in your comfort level, it is not a matter if problems will happen but when problems will happen. So you can get advise from others as to what they or what we did. The bottom line is to do what is comfortable for you. The more experience you have, the more miles you put on may change they way you drive. Stay well, Satay safe and Happy New Year to All

Thanks for sharing. We have a license plate that says "THIS RV IS PAID FOR BY OUR CHILDREN FROM THE MONEY THE WILL NOT INHERIT". Life is to short, enjoy to the fullest, be safe, be well and Happy Holidays to All