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David K

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Posts posted by David K

  1. 1 hour ago, Tom Cherry said:

    Ditto to RIK & RICK.

    COUPLE of comments.  I climbed into and descended out of Sequoia NP from the west side.  Hot as blazes.  Keep an evil eye on the tranny gauge.  The Transynd is good for something like 130 deg F or so.  Allison says to downshift and get the engine revs up to supply enough coolant to the tranny as well.  I think my Allison was rising above 120….and in downshifted and pulled over to let folks pass.  I later called Allison and they verified.  I DID listen at a Gathering session.  LOL.  Same deal….watch the Tranny temp in downshift mode.  Mine will run higher….think about the differential.  I switched to Delvac Synthetic for that reason…plus others.

    If you don't have an Aladdin or an AC meter, use your VOM and check inverter (usually Line/Leg 2) And find a place to measure line 1.  There are tons of 30 A TT and when itbgets hot and the CG wasn’t wired properly, your voltage can be under 100.  Not good.  I have moved 3 times, based on my Progressive HW50C meter and killed the 50 A and ran the Generator until after dark.  My HW50C was cycling on and off….not good for an AC.

    A couple of years ago we traveled through Needles, CA in August (daytime temperature 115F plus) and climbed up to Kingman, AZ (nearly 104F that day in the late afternoon) using Rik, Tom, and Vito's input.  We would leave around 3 a.m. and shut down by noon carefully monitoring engine and transmission temperatures.  Honestly, tire blowouts were our biggest concern (Rik's comment).  We did just fine.  

  2. Our 2003 Holiday Rambler Scepter 40 PST did not come from the factory with the ability to charge the engine batteries while plugged into shore power.  Others have already commented on how to check if your coach is set up for engine battery charging.  I installed the AMP-L-START system on our coach (http://www.lslproducts.net/ALS_Overview_Page.html).  It was not difficult to install.  I have been very pleased with the product.  They still show a price of less than $75.  If your coach needs a system, I would certainly recommend AMP-L-START.

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  3. I also installed the Scan Gauge D.  It was one of the better investments I made.  I found the dashboard gauges on our 2003 HR Scepter are not very accurate.  The Cummins runs at 182 F.  When we go up a grade, the temperature increases a few degrees until we reach the summit, and then comes back down.  I found cooling and performance are optimized by gearing down and keep engine RPMs at 1900.  I really recommend the Scan Gauge D.

  4. We use the Avail, the Patriot braking system, and the KarGuard protective shield with our 2003 HR Scepter 40 PST and Chevrolet Silverado.  Overall, we have been very happy.  The only drawback would be the design of the KarGuard system.  It works.  However, the mounting system is subpar.  Every 5,000 miles of towing I pull back the boots on the Avail and clean and lubricate the bars with grease.  Once a year, I replace all of the washers on the tow bar.  You can order the washer kits from BlueOx for about $15.  We have used the complete BlueOx system for tens of thousands of miles.  We have been satisfied.  Please be sure to note the other comments about running as level as possible.  We also had to get a hitch adapter (https://roadmasterinc.com/products/accessories/hitch/hitch.php) to be sure things were level with the air bags inflated for driving. 

  5. My 2003 Holiday Rambler Scepter 40 PST shows this in the manual (page 283) about pre-wired solar on my coach.

     

    The motorhome comes pre-wired to accept a solar battery charging system. A pair of wires is routed from the refrigerator compartment to the battery compartment. Location and Wire Type: • A pair of 12 gauge - red and white. • Wires terminate just below the refrigerator roof vent. Remove roof vent to access wires. • Wires terminated behind the battery compartment combined with a group of other wires. Use only the red and white 12 gauge wires. The wires are protected with convoluted tubing. NOTE: When installing a solar powered battery charging system, a fuse or circuit breaker of no more than a 20 Amps rating must be installed within two feet of the positive (+) battery connection.

  6. 17 minutes ago, OhReally said:

    Bob, look up Rover.com

    Their dog sitters are local people that sit dogs in their homes. You can meet the sitter beforehand, look at their sitting situation, and then leave your dog with a sitter who will send you updates and pictures of the dog while you're gone. We have used them several times with confidence.

    -jamie

     

    Our daughter and her husband just used Rover for their two pets while they were gone.  They were very impressed with the service.  I have also seen many positive comments about Rover on the RV forums.  The trip sounds fantastic!

  7. I have an ISC 350 in our 2003 Holiday Rambler Scepter.  I should preface my comments by saying I have never had contamination like the photos above.  When we originally bought the coach, I was new to a diesel powered motorhome.  After trial and error (i.e. changing filters on the side of the road), I developed the following system.  I use the Fleetguard filters specified by Cummins.  I add Diesel Kleen to the tank every time I buy diesel.  I change the primary and the secondary fuel filter at 5,000 miles.  (I will go up to 5,500 miles if I am not at a good place to change filters.)  Yes, I change them in campgrounds routinely.  (I have gotten pretty good at doing the filter change so I do not spill any diesel.  I have found I do not need to try and drain the primary filter water bowl before removing the filter.)  I carry a two gallon gas can with about one gallon of diesel fuel in it.  I fill up the new filters with clean diesel before installing them.  (I also put a thin coating of grease on the filter gaskets to aid in removal at the next change.)  The engine will start up immediately after changing the filters since they are full of fuel.  Since going to this method, I have not (knock on wood) had any issues with clogged filters.  I also change the fuel filter on my generator at every oil change.  I have made no other modifications to the fuel supply system to the coach or the generator.  We put about 20,000 miles a year on the coach.  

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  8. We have the Cummins engine in our Scepter (2003 40PST).  Last fall we started the engine to leave and had no power steering.  The cooling fan would run fine.  We have the Sauer Danfoss hydraulic pump.  After much testing, we determined the two stage pump was not putting out any pressure from stage two.  Using a cosmetic mirror and a cell phone for photos (and the bathroom mirror to reverse the backward image), we were able to get the part number for the pump.  After much research, I ended up connecting with John Davis (contact information below).  As you said, the pump is manufactured in the UK.  John has a special relationship with the manufacturer which speeds up customs considerably.  The rebuild kit for the pump had a longer lead time than getting a new pump.  We ordered a new pump.  It took over six weeks to get the pump even with overnight shipping and expedited customs.  When we removed the old pump and took it apart, we found the second stage had failed.  I am afraid our experience was a very long wait for a pump.

    John Davis RV Services Inc
    PO Box 3564
    Lapine, Or. 97739
    cell      1-541-693-3015
    Office 1-541-306-6473
    jdrv1@yahoo.com
    http://www.jdrv1.com/index.html

     

  9. 8 hours ago, Jim McGarvie said:

    My wife and I have been RVing for about 45 years, and about 90% of the time have been boondocking. But that has always been camping in the desert or the forest with a group. We are about to take a trip in Arizona during which we will want to stop overnight and are considering boondocking, probably west or south of the Phoenix area off of the I-10.

    I am interested in experience and suggestions. We would consider rest areas, Walmarts, or just out in the middle of the desert somewhere.

    Thanks.

    We have stayed in parking lots of many retail stores, casinos, and local city parks (small towns in the midwest).  We have defensive equipment with us.  Actually, the most trouble we have had is in a Walmart parking lot.  In general, I have always wondered if potential trouble won't be more apt to find you in a busy city (where there is more opportunity) than in a remote area with few potential targets.  We have always wanted to try more boondocking on BLM or other land.  We have been concerned taking a large rig to a more remote boondocking location.  It sounds like you have been able to successfully do just that.  How do you identify remote spots (BLM, desert, national forest, etc.) you can access with a large diesel pusher?

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