FishAR

11 minutes ago, djkantanen said:

I used Motorhometires.com and purchased 8 Hercules tires. Give them a call they are excellent to work with, price was great and installation went as scheduled at our rv site. This was in April in Casa Grande, Arizona.

Have you driven on them much? Like them ok?

I've searched out a lot of reviews and haven't seen any major complaints.

I had to put Hercules on my Montana when I had bad tire wear on the way to Florida and it turned out to be a bent axle. Had them put on after the axle was replaced since I was a thousand miles from home they're all I could get. They've been good so far.

1 hour ago, woodylmiller said:

I'm also looking for the Toyo's.  Motorhometires.com were no help to me, I couldn't get an answer on the tires or installers.  Simple Tire is out of stock.  Michelins are way over priced, by double.  Adding to all the confusion, I happen to notice yesterday that a previous owner put 275/80r/22.5 on all the rears.  The chassis tire chart clearly reads 295 all around, and there were 305's on the front when I bought it.  I'm still holding out hope for the Toyo's, I have until Sept. for our next trip to Southern CA for winter.  I believe this has more to do with the coming price increases than covid delays.  Or has the planet run out of rubber?  Increased demand = higher prices.  

Just checked Tiresdirect.net.  OUT of stock on the Toyo M144 295/80r's.

Did you call motorhometires.com or just email?

I'm thinking about buying the same size in Hercules from them.

I clicked a link about the local installer hoping I could find out who it is but all it's got me is a bunch of spam from them.

51 minutes ago, John Haggard said:

My signature likes 👍1600 to 2000 rpm. 

Only one hill  do I get down to first gear and run 2200 rpm

 

Rt. 111 North of Soddy Daisy.

South of Static. 

Is that a steeper grade than Monteagle?

I just saw this thermostat on the Monaco facebook forum. They really brag on it.

When I eventually get all the important stuff going I think I'll buy one of these. I have to keep a flashlight on the kitchen counter to use so I can see the readout on my 5 button thermostat since it's so dim.

2 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

Going up the mountain, down shift to whatever gear is needed to keep your diesel engine running at the best RPM for power which should be in the range of 1800-2500 RPM's depending on your engine. That will give you the best power band. There have been only a few grades I have traveled where I've been all the way down to first gear to keep the rpm's at peak power. However most only require going down to 3rd or 4th gear.

I keep my Cummins ISC-350 right around 2000 rpm's regardless of what the boost pressure gauge displays. The tach is your friend and what you need to monitor not the boost pressure.

This is something that confuses me. Doesn't the Allison take care of that? I've got a paddle shifter on my 2018 Ram 6.7 cummins/aisin dually but I've never used it. I've read lots of people on ram forums talk about how useful it is. My biggest climb has been Monteagle loaded with 16,500 lb fifth wheel and I just let the tranny shift itself.

I know the Monaco weighs a lot more, also mine has a lot larger engine, so maybe not apples to apples but it would seem the allison would be designed to keep it in the acceptable rpm range.

6 hours ago, Scotty Hutto said:

Short answer: Yes. I’ve done it.  

Make sure you match the color sequence of the wires. 

I cut the wire and added RJ-11 plugs on each end with a phone jack crimp tool, then used a double-female phone connector. You don’t have to use this (I already had everything on hand)…. Just make sure your connections are secure, insulated, and somewhat resistant to vibration.  
 

 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D2Y5DFW/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_MT568QB1NDHKYNQ309D1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks much! I went ahead and ordered the tool even though I'll probably only use it once. Tool, ends, connector for $20. Worth it for peace of mind.

I know I could just leave it unplugged but I feel better having everything connected.

I put in a new Magnum 2012-20B today. Now my batteries are charging unlike before and everything seems to be working well, I'll check it in the morning to make sure.
The only thing is I checked the battery temp on the remote and it still shows 151C which is 300 something Fahrenheit. I know that's not right.

I got a new sensor and wire with the new magnum. Problem is the inverter is about 20 ft from the battery bank. I pulled on the telephone wire and there's no give there so it doesn't look like I can run the sensor with the new wire connected.

I was wondering if I could splice the new magnum sensor into the old telephone wire run. Some sort of phone wire connector splice?

The old sensor looks nothing like the new one and it looks ratty as all get out.

On the magnum me2012 inverter/charger:

I called the local company listed as a magnum repair center. They informed me they were no longer a repair center and for some reason magnum refused to take them off their website. So the nearest one is hundreds of miles away.

Shipping this thing hundreds of miles on a shot in the dark about what repairs would cost is not something I'm willing to do, so I guess if I don't figure something out soon I'll be buying a new one at around $950.

19 minutes ago, Ivan K said:

I don't have a Magnum but I can imagine that it would limit or even stop charging if it thinks that the batteries are that hot. Sounds like a Magnum circuit problem to me if it shows 77C with sensor disconnected and no debree in the connector. Should default to much lower temp IMO. 

As far as the generator, I would bypass the battery cables and put jumper cables right at the generator battery post to give me a direction where the problem might be. People had problems with corrosion at the generator side cable connections. My gen starts from chassis batteries and the boost button helps when needed. Should work both ways.

I edited that, unplugged it shows 25C.

I'll start with the inverter. Only charging at 12.7 and flickers between 0 and 3 amps. The battery temp monitor shows 151C which I know is impossible. I unplugged it but no help, it then shows 25C but still no real charging. Charger will start ok, then after about 20 seconds the remote panel charger light starts to flash. Troubleshooting says either low input voltage or high temp in the inverter (I've never heard a fan kick on in the inverter if that can be heard). I know I don't have low input voltage. I've got an external battery charger on the house batteries overnight again. I'm going to mess with it for a short time tomorrow and then if a miracle doesn't happen I'm going to take it out. Luckily for me my small home town of Marion, IL has a Magnum repair center. I figure getting it fixed would be cheaper than a new one? I'd like thoughts on that. I see a new one is around $900.

Now to the 10K Onan quiet diesel generator. I can't get enough electricity to it for it to turn over fast enough to start, so I don't know if it will start or not. Even with my big battery charger on the house batteries turned on boost/start. This battery charger will start a dead car with a V8. I'd like to try the battery boost function on the Monaco, but I guess I'm not smart enough to use it. I push the button on the dash, no light. Push the generator start button on the dash, nothing. It occurred to me maybe the ignition key has to be on? I'm considering trying it tomorrow with the motorhome running. I could use some guidance on this also. I've been all through the owner manual multiple times and haven't found my answer.

Thanks in advance for putting up with my dumb ass.

I ran 2 ac's off a 30 amp breaker last weekend on my Montana. Not a Monaco but a lot newer heat pump and ac than the Monaco.

Our home compressor went out, took 5 days to get it fixed (ended up buying entire outside condenser unit), and it was 100 degrees. Moved into the Montana.

I had the Montana plugged into the 30 amp at my shop and both ac's worked fine for a few days. Had the fridge on propane and no water heater on. On the hottest day the electricity to the 5th wheel went out. I went and checked the shop panel, the 30 amp breaker was hot as a pistol. So hot I couldn't touch it. I think I fried it because even after cooling off it wouldn't reset. Went into my other shop where I also have a 30 amp rv panel and took the breaker out of it and changed them out. Worked ok until the home unit got fixed and I was able to turn one ac off and turn the other one up to 85 which is what I do in the summer.

Would have stayed in the Monaco since it's hooked up to 50 amps but it's inside so no tv reception (have winegard pathwayx2 and antenna on the Montana) and I love my tv.

8 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

Mike, have you gotten a quote from Barry at Josam's for Toyo tires, 295/80R-22.5 M144?

I purchased my rears there back in 2019 as they were the best price in my area of Florida. I also switched from Dyna Beads to Balance Masters for the rear because the Balance Masters were only a little over $100 more than what it was going to cost me for the Dyan Beads. When the steers are due I will have a set of Balance Masters and Toyo tires installed at Josam's, probably in another 3-4 years.

I'm in Illinois now for the summer.

13 hours ago, Yoaks5 said:

I used motorhometires.com for our new tires. All in all I'm happy with the purchase. They have several brands to choose from and the pricing was good. They hire a local company to install them and they come to your location. That worked great for us. Only issue I had was the tires were about 9 months old. But they did compensate me since they were suspost to be no older than 6 months. 

 I went there and they wanted 5 grand for 8 toyo m144's, I thought that was kind of high. Like a grand high.

I'd love to get tires put on without having to drive it somewhere though, since these tires are dated 2010.

On 6/10/2021 at 8:47 AM, directorsusa said:

Which model tire from Toyo did you choose? And did you choose the 295/75 because it was more common + cheaper?

I was looking at the M144 295/80 at tiresdirect.net for $444 each. 

 

I wonder what a tire shop charges per tire for mounting and balancing on a big rv when you buy them somewhere else?

I have a tst507 for my fifth wheel with 4 sensors. I'm thinking about buying 4 more and using it on the Monaco. Maybe 8 more and using them on the silverado we're planning on towing.

Steer tires I can get them on, no problem.

Duals have the braided extensions and I can get them on there.

The tag though, the valve stem 90's and faces away and I see no reasonable way to install them. Can that valve come out towards me? I was thinking of asking them to do that when I get tires.

Will all this work?

37 minutes ago, Dr4Film said:

Mike, what did you do to get it started? Any changes?

One word of caution, Cummins does not recommend idling their engines for long periods of time at any rpm less than 1000.

Good luck with the generator.

Thanks for that tip. So I guess if I start it again I should just let it get up to temperature and then shut it down?

The only things I did different were leave the key  on longer before trying to start, and praying more and harder.

Well I got the 8.9 started and it ran like a top. Let it run for about 2 hours. Restarted it twice in that time just because I shut it off to do other things.

Left the key on longer than 30 seconds this time and instead of the clicking sound I'd been hearing I heard a whirring sound of something spinning so I went back in and it fired right up.

Now on to the generator.

1 hour ago, Scotty Hutto said:

Bob,

We typically have 40-50 coaches, and currently have 40 slots on hold with Lazydays. We typically use all of the slots reserved at some point in early fall, and depending on what LazyDays has might be able to pick up a handful more,  but that could be different this year due to the pandemic. 
 

Based on the level of interest I’ve experienced so far, I think our allocation of slots will be used up pretty quickly. 
 

As far as a maximum, I’ll have to defer to @David Pratt
 

But in the end, all of that is a guess based on experience. 

I'm kind of interested in the cost. I'll be about 3 hours away in S. Florida anyway.

That's taking for granted I have this thing ship shape by then.

9 minutes ago, cbr046 said:

I'm suspecting fuel contamination also. 

How deep into this are you willing to go?  Some owners aren't comfortable getting dirty troubleshooting mechanical issues . . . .

If it doesn't have a clear bowl at the bottom, I would remove the primary fuel filter and pour it's contents into a clear (or at least white) container.  If it does have a clear bowl shine a light through it.  Mine had a lot of junk in it and I barely got home that trip.  Replaced the primary and I was good to go . . . but it was very hard to start because the new filter was empty. 

You should have a quart of clean diesel to put back into the filter (or new filter). 

Question for others - How do you store a small amount of clean diesel for filter changes? 

Best,

- bob

I have seen no settlement bowl, just 2 filters that are side by side and very easy to get to. I'm going to get those. I'll either take them off myself or have them here for if I call a mechanic.

I have no shortage of clean diesel due to the auxiliary 60 gallon tank on my cummins truck.

I have no problem getting dirty but my back has locked up the last few days so I'll see how that progresses.

14 minutes ago, Fonman said:

Any smoke from the exhaust?

No, nothing from either.

2 minutes ago, Fonman said:

The two systems are so separate that I would trouble shoot one at a time. Don’t let the “both” thing cloud your efforts.

If you do find something that carries over to the other then great.

If mine, I would start with the Cummins.

 

I agree, my attention span is getting kind of short with this thing. I try to start the cummins and when I figure I need to let the starter rest and need to be doing something I move up to the generator so I can get frustrated with it.

Back and forth.

22 minutes ago, Gary M said:

Im not a mech but how about this. Do you hear your fuel pump priming when u first turn on your key?

Yes, I even got out and walked back there, I hear a clicking noise from the location of where I think the fuel pump is. Lots of rapid clicks.

19 minutes ago, OhReally said:

Since engine and generator exhibit same, you should be looking at fuel delivery lines. Engine and generator usually have separate lines and priming devices so I would be suspect of:

1 - Amount of fuel in tank. Generator won't burn fuel from about 1/4 full down.

2 - Something in tank that is blocking pickup into delivery lines. I know you said "clean diesel" but if the problem is on the bottom of the tank you may have missed it.

3 - Fuel filters on both engine and generator.

You can check generator by inserting the delivery line into a bucket of clean diesel and then see if it starts. If not, the filter is probably completely blocked which suggests a fuel tank problem. If so, there are several ways to get the tank and fuel cleaned up.

Good luck.

-Jamie

Tank is within 1.5 inches of the top.

I started this unit before we left for Florida in December. It's been inside the whole time, we took the fifth wheel to Florida.

It cranks fast enough. It's only hit once like it was trying to fire since we got back. 

Also the generator will not fire. It also turns fast enough.

Fuel is near full. I stuck the tank and got clean diesel. I've tried every key turning priming procedure I've found on the internet. I've looked for a priming button near the fuel filters and found none.

Any suggestions on things I can try before calling a diesel mechanic will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I was talking to a guy at the tire shop, he had a Cummins company decal on the truck he was waiting for and a Cummins tag sewed to his shirt. I have a cummins in my ram and also the monaco.

He told me he worked mainly on generators and most of his work came on state owned equipment because they ran biodiesel. He said to avoid it a all costs.

3 hours ago, TOBYLB4 said:

I'm replacing the overhead TV putting the new set behind the driver side couch. How do I mount televator to the flush floor slide? How do I run power and feed to the TV? TIA.

I'm thinking of doing this also, but behind the passenger side couch so I can tie into the outside tv cables.

How is the couch held down? I figure I'll need to move it out maybe 6 inches permanently? I'm in florida in my fifth wheel and the Monaco is in Illinois.