throgmartin

Denny: The economic times we are currently in because of the pandemic has created some opportunities as well as placed some red flags on other financial moves. 2020 presented some great opportunities for us on property so we gobbled up 2 river front lots for future RV sites and also just purchased an industrial property. All 3 were distress sales that came up in a red hot real estate market. In 2021 we are launching 2 new companies ( non RV related ). Some industry sectors have provided some great opportunities to launch new businesses. I moved stock holdings out of the market and put that elsewhere. Our coach is paid for and we will NOT be upgrading as coach values are insanely high. We have reached a point in our life that all of our money goes towards appreciating assets. Finances are something personal and we all have our own paths we want to take based on our individual goals. Some come out winners, others come out losers. I see a lot of positives in the future as well as a lot of downside. My job is to identify the positives and ride the highs while avoiding the lows. No one knows where this economy is really going to go but I am cautiously placing my bets by trying to play the right cards early in the game. It just so happens that I like playing with a stacked deck. My Godfather, one of the most brilliant business minds I have ever met taught me years ago that when the economy turns south, do not run for cover and hide out with the masses. Instead, hoard cash and look for investment opportunities and then leverage them. 🙂

Jim: I am knee deep in the RV industry and have been for 15 years. I routinely report here on this forum about current market conditions on used coaches. So this is what I am seeing and hearing and also what I believe will happen. Looking back to March/April, used coach prices tanked - Big Time. I had a customer buy an 04 Diplomat for $ 25 K. Another customer bought a gorgeous, mint 2008 Sig for $ 90 K. This downward pricing pressure was all based on a knee jerk reaction to Covid but those prices are now long gone. People started buying and ordering new and used RV's like crazy and since dealers were unable to get new coaches to sell they started beefing up their used coach inventories and as a result drove the wholesale costs of used coaches up. Now dealers are having a hard time finding used coaches which is why auction sales volume is down. I just got the latest wholesale price report a few days ago and motorized RV's went up again an average of $ 6,000 / 12 %. If you take a look at the chart ( see below ) you will see the trends for yourself. Look at April when Covid was really roaring. I think used coach prices are unrealistic at the moment but then people keep paying them. Remember, dealers drive the value of used coaches and you can look at Kelly blue book prices all you want, but the " black " book is what sets the prices of used coaches and those prices are based on wholesale deals and sales primarily at auctions. This leaves a coach owner who wants to sell now and upgrade to another used coach with a dilemma. You will get more for your coach now if you sell but you will also pay more when you buy another coach. I do not foresee a crash on prices coming in the near future but I do see a righting of the market coming down the road. In other words, the market will stabilize and prices will retreat and come back to normal and then retreat again. All the RV market reactions have been primarily Covid and interest rate induced. As I stated people have bought RV's like never before and it has drove prices up on new units as well as used units. But there is a day of reckoning coming and that will happen when all the newbies who just got into RV'ing because of the pandemic find that RV'ing isn't for them and dump their units. I am predicting manufacturers will start catching up with their backlog on orders late this year ( if lock downs don't occur all over again ). I am also predicting a glut of RV's in late 2022. That is when used prices will correct themselves and values will head downward. So what does all this mean for the owner of a used coach who wants to upgrade today ? You will be able to sell your coach right now for more then what it is worth. But you will pay more for another coach ( unless you can find a distress sale ). Two Years from now you will experience more depreciation then normal as the market corrects itself and the glut of RV's hits. In regards to the political climate, I am staying out of that one. All I can say is I am not getting a real warm fuzzy feeling about the future and my wife and I are right now moving assets, buying certain assets while also protecting our investments. While I am always positive in life I am also a realist and what I see and feel for the near future has moved me into protection mode. We are beefing up our financial positions with all of the companies we own to weather any storm that may come. Wholesale RV Values Hit Another All Time High - RV PRO (rv-pro.com)

Upgrading to a newer coach is always a personal thing. I have considered it numerous times but when it gets down to pulling the trigger I drop the idea. My main reasons are 1.) Our coach is paid off 2.) I know the condition of the coach we have 3.) I have done what upgrades we wanted. I am to the point in life where I do not want to start the debt cycle on a depreciating asset. Any investment we make these days goes towards assets that appreciate. We bought our coach new so I know what has been replaced, upgraded and I know how well the coach has been taken care of. Buying another coach could start the cycle all over again of upgrades and I also do not know what has been replaced or how well it has been taken care of. Again, this is all a personal thing. Everyone has different priorities so it all becomes a personal choice. I doubt we will ever upgrade but if I ever did it would be for more room ( 40ft - 45 ft ). I also would only upgrade to a higher end coach like an older Prevost, Newell or Foretravel. I nearly pulled the plug on 2 different Prevosts 1 was an 02 and another an 2000. Both were in excellent condition and were H-3 45's with low miles and both were under $ 150 K.

Your buddy was just in getting new AC units and of course chided you by being there ahead of you. 🙂 Dustin and Mike will get you all taken care of. Dustin is one of the very best slide techs I have ever seen. We have had members here drive 1,000's of miles just to have him work on their coach. I am grateful to have him on our staff. The guys just did a 3 AC/Heat pump change out last week on a members coach. You will love these new Penguin II's. They will turn your coach into an ice box in the summer and the heat pumps will cook you in the winter. That new thermostat is awesome too.

Tom you will have either an Omega styled assembly ( has question mark arms on the ends ) or an SOK I assembly ( small caps on the end ). My guess it will have the question mark arms. If so then for future reference you might want to make a notation in your records that you have Omega I assemblies. The Omega II assemblies were only offered in 2003 and only on certain upper end models. The big difference is the Omega II is sprung from the left side. The Omega I likes yours is sprung from the right. Once you determine the type assembly you have then I walk you through the installation of a new spring. If you can change the spark plugs in your car then you can change the spring. Not difficult but requires a couple " must do " procedures.

There are 4 things that can cause a bedroom slide to rock back and forth at the top - 1.) A rotted slide floor 2.) A rusty slide topper assembly spring with a lot of tension 3.) Chewed up bed frame at the foot end 4.) broken roller. A bedroom slide which contains the bed operates differently from a wardrobe bedroom slide. The mechanisms are different and the slide with the bed also has rollers mounted to the floor at the foot end of the bed. A wardrobe slide can wobble top to bottom when operated and can be caused by the torsion spring inside the slide topper roller tube. But the torsion spring will rarely if ever cause the top to wobble on a bedroom slide because of the shear weight of that slide. If you are experiencing wobble at the top on a wardrobe slide it very well could be the torsion spring. As long as it operates freely and seals properly at the end of the cycle it should be OK. My wardrobe slide has done this for years because I run with a little extra torsion spring tension on my toppers. I have had no issues. The slide that contains the bed is a different animal. If it has a wobble at the top then the chances are it is one of two things - 1.) The interior rollers are out of adjustment 2.) the bottom of the bed frame that rides on the rollers is tore up. One of our members, Dr4film, found his bed slide frame chewed up. We custom made some stainless plates for him and it cured the problem. We have plated dozens of these slides all experiencing a tore up bottom bed frame. They either wobble or operate hard. I do not recommend putting casters on them as the rollers are sufficient and provides more support to the bed frame. You can check to see if it is a bed frame issue by looking under the end of the bed. If you see woodchips then your frame needs to be plated. If the frame is OK and there are tracks on your carpet then the rollers need adjusting. The clearance under the foot end of the bed is tight so a bore scope works wonders to help with your imnspection. The slides with the beds on them are also notorious for having the exterior white laminate under the slide get cut from the rollers. We have plated well over a 1,000 of these slides in the last 3 years. The bed slide weighs a lot because of the bed and all the crap people put under the bed. The weight is hard on the bottom of the slide floor and the rollers. Remember, the bottom of the slide that rolls across the rollers is only 3/8 " thick plywood. In regards to broken rollers I have seen very few over the years. If indeed you have a broken roller it is not hard to spot. Forgot to mention, if your slide will not go all the way out and seal properly the first thing you want to check for is an obstruction. I have had this happen to me 1/2 a dozen times. I have found behind the wooden trim/frame CD's, a dog ball, a stapler and a few other odd's and end's. One of my favorites was a customer who brought his coach in because his slide would not go all the way out. My Technician, Dustin found a 9mm handgun wedged behind the wooden trim. You would not believe the items we have found over the years - forks, spoons, screwdrivers, dog and cat toys, kitchen utensils, wrenches, knitting needles, etc. 🙂

If you have some mechanical ability then yes. Does your slide topper assembly have the question mark arms ?

Sounds like you have all the tools. All factory toppers are 44 inches in depth ( with the exception of some Girards ). On the shallow slides you can take them off, restitch them and then reverse them and the majority of the fabric has never been exposed to the elements. On the deep slides some of the fabric will be new and the rest old. Unfortunately if someone has another brand of toppers ( Carefree, Tough Tops, Shade Pro ) this can only be done if they are restitched. All of these companies sew the spline in place and since the roller tube and coach rail side have different sized splines it makes it impossible to reverse them without cutting out the spline and then restitch the topper. I am still amazed at Stone Vos being the only true reversible topper. I added that feature over 10 years ago and my competition thought I was nuts. We do not sew the spline in place so you can reverse the toppers after 6, 7 or 10 years. I am confident that if our customers take care of their toppers, keep them clean and then reverse them after a decade they can get another 5 to 10 years from a topper. I believe this is why other topper makers sew their spline in place so they cannot easily be reversed without cutting and restitching the topper. More repeat sales. It also is more time consuming when manufacturing the topper to insert pull strings for the spline and the other companies do not want to screw with it. The pull string for the spline is at the heart of our reversible topper concept. I think you will be fine. Using a marine grade thread will help add to the longevity. Obviously PTFE Solarfix thread like we use lives 30 to 40 years but I advise not to try it. It is ultra expensive and is extremely tough getting your machine to sew with it due to tension settings. Tenara thread is even worse as it has a reverse twist. Sunguard polyester thread is a good marine thread with a life expectancy of around 5 or 6 years. Wholesale cost's for Sunguard is around $ 35 for a 1 lb spool. Solarfix is $ 210 for a 1 lb spool but it last a lifetime. You can actually put Solarfix in an oven at 350 degrees and it wont melt. You can give it a bath in acetone and it wont effect it. That is why we only use Solarfix. I think what you are doing is great, just be sure the fabric has no srinkage and it gives good coverage over the edges of your slide. If not you are going to have issues with dampness and wood rot on the interior floors of your coach. Edge coverage is crucial. 1st of all be careful. Some of the large Summit assemblies had double torsion springs - one on each end. In regards to the push/spring loaded pins you have 2 choices. 1.) Lube them up for a couple days with Boeshield T 9 or PB Blaster then try getting them to release. 2.) Punch/drill them out and go to allen head screws. The covers should be threaded and will accept long screws. Be sure and use allen heads. One other tip. When you get the assembly apart, flip the right hand end cap over and check to be sure the spring hold down tab is not bent. If it is then call us and we can ship you a new cap. NEVER re-use an end cap that has a bent hold down tab as this is what holds the tension on your torsion spring. See picture below.

I didn't get into the subject of re-sticthing/re-furbishing awning/slide topper fabric. I am all for re-stitching and saving money but with the caveat that the material is worth the trouble. These are the things one needs to check first to determine if the slide topper fabric is really worth restitching. 1.) Does the topper provide good end coverage or has it shrinked to the point that it barely covers the edge ? Re-stitching a topper that barely covers the edges of your slide is a complete waste of time. It will promote water leaks around your slide and floor rot inside your coach. 2.) How old is the fabric ? Anything over 3 years old is probably not worth it unless the fabric has had little exposure to the environment. 3.) Is it still waterproof ? Funny as that may sound many of the fabrics I have seen after 3 or 4 years no longer is water proof. It will actually percolate water through the fabric and on top of your slide. 4.) Do you have a source for new polyrod ? Chances are the old spline will break pulling it out of the fabric during the restitching. 5.) Do you have a heavy duty sewing machine able to stitch PTFE or V-92 polyester thread ? 6.) Are you doing the removal and install yourself ? If not and you are paying to have it done then you are wasting money using an old re-stitched topper fabric. If you answered yes to these questions then by all means remove the topper, restitch it and then reverse it when you re-install it. Patio Awnings are a different animal. Some assemblies will work fine with fabrics that have been re-stitched ( Eclipse, etc. ). Other assemblies will never work right for a long period of time with re-stitched fabric. If you have an apex or mirage assembly your asking for trouble. If the re-stitched fabric is not perfect you will end up with the assembly not closing right. Seen these numerous times. The tolerances on fabric for these assemblies has to be exact. Even a 1/4 inch out of square will cause one end of the assembly to stick out a little and never fully close. In regards to window and door awnings they have the ability to accept a re-stitched fabric without any issues. I am all for re-stitching fabrics that are truly worth re-stitching. But I have seen so many who wanted to save money and end up with failures. One has to really be honest with themselves and determine if it is all worth the hassle and worth having to repeat the process again in a couple short years when they finally fail for good.

Thank you to all of you for the vote of confidence in Stone Vos. We are very proud of our products and our warranty claim rate proves what we make is the best - a .03 failure rate based on 30,000 awning/slide topper products over the last 15 years. I hate to brag but there is not another company that can come close to our low failure rate. I don't want to make this sound like a commercial or advertising but I get tired of all the misstatements and down right lies about Stone Vos. Much of it fabricated and propelled by our competitors. In the end the truth speaks for itself. With that said, over the years I have tested and made numerous prototypes. I tested our vinyl for 3 years on our own coach before I released it to RV Owners. The tests not only included weathering capabilities but also how each fabric performed with the various assemblies, water run off capabilities and of course ruggedness. I have had our vinyl toppers go through tropical storms and hurricanes. I have purposely slit the leading edge of our vinyl toppers to test the rip stop capabilities. I spec'ed out our vinyl ( Migliore ) while working with an engineering firm and our vinyl proudly covers the top of a Marine Corps sentry station at Gitmo where it is has endured numerous tropical storms and hurricanes over the years. Our acrylic fabric ( manufactured under our own trademark name CoachGuard ) is made in Germany. It is made using a special weaving process that eliminates stretching and shrinking down the road. It is also made with Turkish fibers, the best in the industry. Sunbrella which used to be the gold standard of acrylic has lost favor with many commercial awning/canvas makers as the quality has gone down hill. It is made with Chinese fibers, weaved in a process that creates shrinkage and stretching and is just a poor all around acrylic fabric. It is a shame as it used to be the best. So what is the best fabric for RV installations ? For all awning assemblies ( door/window and patio ) I recommend acrylic. All of these assemblies were engineered and manufactured for acrylic fabrics. I am not going to get into the technical aspects as to why but these assemblies need acrylic. They have arms, are prone to side to side movement and need that flexibility that only acrylic fabrics can provide. As for slide toppers I recommend vinyl. Not just any vinyl but a thick, stiff, heavy poured vinyl. There are 2 types of vinyl - 1.) Poured Vinyl 2.) Laminated vinyl. The later, laminated vinyl is a cheap product mostly found on towables. Like the name applies it is laminated using different layers of fabric and then glued to bind them all together. The biggest problem is over a short period of time UV rays heats the glue and wind seperates the layers and the fabric delaminates. NEVER use a laminated vinyl. So why is a poured vinyl a better topper ? Because it is more rigid. Our Migiliore is the heaviest vinyl in North America - 19 ozs. It is a poured PVC product and perfect vinyl for toppers because it is rigid which promotes better run off of rain and also because our vinyl is the only vinyl topper on the market with rip stop capabilities. If the end gets cut - let it go. The cut will never grow or rip more. It also is 100 % waterproof over the life of the fabric and is completely maintenance free. All the testing I have done, which includes climbing up and down my coach after rain and storms has proven a thick sturdy Vinyl like Migliore is the way to go with toppers. In regards to other topper and awning makers, we stay on top of all their latest fabric. Once a year we order Shade Pro, Tough Tops, Girard and Carefree fabric replacements and then test them. It gives us the chance to determine if the companies have stepped up their game or not. Whenever our techs remove fabric from a coach and that came from a competitor we bring it into the shop and note the fabric failures. Much of it gets tested, inspected and then passed on to our fabric consultants who are some of the worlds best textile engineers who give us additional input. So when I speak of fabrics I believe I speak as a qualified expert. The purchase of any awning or topper product should never be made with cost in mind. It is the biggest mistake a coach owner can make. It is a maintenance item you want to repeat only once during the life of your coach. Spend your money wisely and check the warranty of each company. If you cannot get a 10 year warranty on fabric and lifetime on thread then you are not buying a quality fabric replacement.

Dennis, when I was a kid I used to pump gas, wash windshields, add air to tires and check oil. Those were some great days. I remember the TV repairman used to come fix our TV ( replace tubes, etc. ) and knew my Dad's first name. You could go into a pharmacy, grocery store and many other places and they knew you. I am trying to hold on to some of those traditions with our companies. We do all we can to make our customers feel special because in the end they are............. They are the only reason why we stay afloat.

Paul I hate to even get started on Amazon. While we all love the convenience and cheaper prices I can think of no other large corporation who has decimated small businesses like Amazon ( other then Walmart ). My favorite Amazon story is when I was working our booth at a rally. I had a table with free giveaways and this gentleman stepped up, grabbed a fist full of candy out of our dish, 2 company ink pens, 2 magnetic calendars and stuffed them in his pocket. He then picked up a bottle of 303, looked at the price and set it back down and proclaimed " I can get it $ 1.50 cheaper on Amazon ". I couldn't help myself and reminded him that Amazon isn't here supporting your RV association. They also didn't just finish giving a free coach care seminar. So the next time you have a technical question about your coach and need an answer " Call Amazon ".

I have issues with large conglomerates taking over industries. Customer service normally suffers, prices go up and that personal interaction goes out the window because you become a number. When a large company moves into a region and either buys out or runs small family owned competitors out of business there is little incentive for them to up their game in service and quality work because they have the market locked down. Pricing also suffers because there is little competition in their region. I love the small business model because of the flexibility and one on one personal service a small company can provide. Ingrid, Amy and Jason go out of their way for our customers. They have run errands for customers, invited them into the shop to have lunch with our staff and Ingrid has cooked meals and delivered them to customers who have pulled in sick or not feeling well. Our techs spend a great deal of time educating our customers, explaining repairs, showing them what they did and why and answering questions. This is the business model I have always demanded and it just so happens our staff love assisting and working with our customers. A lot of you old timers like myself will remember back in the 60's and 70's that this is the level of service we routinely got whether it was at a car dealership, appliance repair place, grocery store and even the milk man. It was all about personal service. I truly miss those days.

The last couple years have seen a lot of dealer acquisitions and I am not sure it is good for the industry. We have owned 2 coaches in the last 20 years and both were bought from small independent dealers. Our current coach we bought brand new from a family owned dealership that at the time was a Holiday Rambler dealer. The price I paid was 29 % below sticker which was typical in 2005. Our level of service for warranty items was outstanding and it was easy to get the coach in and get it back in a matter of a couple days. Twice I took it in and when I picked it up they had dumped the tanks, filled the fresh water tank and washed the coach knowing we were heading out on a trip. I never asked for any of it. Our first coach we bought I wholesaled through a small dealer. We drove that for 2 years and sold it for $ 1,000 more then what we paid for it. They picked me up at the airport, drove me to the coach, had it fueled, washed, holding tanks emptied, full fresh water and ready to go for my trip back home. In both cases the level of personal service and technical support was outstanding. The technicians they had seemed to be very good as the work they performed was excellent. Never having bought from a large dealer before I cannot say what the level of personal service is like, how quickly they get you in for warranty items and how quickly they get you out. I already know the quality of work large dealers perform as we get coaches into our shop all the time that require my techs to undo the previous work done at a large dealer and then make the repair the right way. I have seen some very simple repairs made that were total failures. My favorite is a customer who came in from a large dealer who had his slide toppers installed upside down by a rookie tech. I am curious as to the level of personal service these large dealers provide " After the Sale". Do you just become a number and stand in line ? Do they get your money and the customer care aspect go to the way side ? I have heard many horror stories of these mega dealers rolling out the red carpet and kissing your behind until after the paperwork is signed. At that point some have told me they have to fight for warranty work and the repairs are done below standard and their coach sits for days or weeks waiting on work to be done. It just appears the entire RV industry is all headed down a path of major consolidation. One only has to look at the purchase of Entegra by Thor, Newmar by Winnie, Tiffin by Thor and the massive acquisitions in the parts sector which have been made predominantly by Dometic and Lippert. This surely cannot be good for the RV industry. That is my feeling anyways. Here is a recent article: Acquisitions Shaking Up Dealer Sector - RV PRO (rv-pro.com)

Bob Tiffin is a charismatic man and God placed him into a career that best suited him. Over the years I have seen " Uncle Bob " do some crazy things for his customers. When one of his customers had his coach totaled from a head on collision Bob called the owner to check on him and his family and then gave him a new bus for the insurance settlement price ( way under dealer cost ). He once asked a customer at their service center how he liked his new Phaeton and the customer told him I love it except for the chair. It is uncomfortable. Bob told him to go pick out a new one and he would pay for it. These are just some of the exmaples of what made Bob a superstar with his customers. He was always on the front lines, wandering all over, meeting customers, talking and listening to their complaints if they had them. He reminds me a lot of the old Sam Walton. I knew many of his staff members and they all said the same thing - awesome good old boy to work for. I don't begrudge any business owner who sells out and walks away with a pocket full of money. Ingrid and I own 4 companies and we know the headaches involved. It is a 24/7 job. It consumes your life, it dictates your schedule and destroys free time constantly. I just calculated that in the last 5 years we have put 30,000 miles on our coach. Out of that 30,000 miles 400 were for pleasure, the rest for business. I am not complaining as this is the life we selected. Dave Pratt and I have a running joke - We don't own businesses, they own us. I personally do not like consolidation in an industry. It drives prices up, drops consumer choices, lessens quality in a given product, hurts customer service and in some cases stymies innovation. This can be seen already in the RV industry where there is a race for the bottom in quality. Never in the history of RV'ing has quality been so bad as it is now. The manufacturers have concentrated their efforts on glitz while ignoring overall build quality. In regards to Thor I have been shocked by what they have done to Entegra since they took it over. They have actually fixed a lot of the quality issues. Maybe they will do the same with Tiffin and believe me Tiffin has quality issues which is why Red Bay was a favorite destination of Tiffin owners.

I ran into Bob this spring and could see he was tired. I didn't come out and ask him if he was going to retire but I know he has slowed down alot. He retired several years ago and his son took it over. He ran the company into the ditch and Bob had to come back out of retirement to save the company. I find it interesting his kids will stay on and work for Thor. You can assume Thor will keep a very tight rein on the kids. I am pretty sure Thor made the purchase for the company and assets. I am going to assume Bob had to retire his own debt and did not walk away with $ 300 Million. Nobody knows the numbers for Tiffin sales as it is a privately held company. But we all will get an idea once Thor has had Tiffin for a year. Here is another kicker - Girard just built a brand new factory across the street from Tiffin mainly because Tiffin went to all Girard assemblies. Thor is standardized on Carefree & Dometic assemblies with their other RV brands. So it will be interesting to see what happens with Girard and the deal they made with Bob. Girard didn't pay cash for that massive factory so this could end up really hurting Girard.

You bring up a good point Ivan. Tire inflation pressures. There are so many components to the ride we each have on our coaches - Tire Size , tire brand, inflation pressures, shocks, etc. I changed my shocks out when the Monroe's bit the dust to Bilsteins. I noticed just a slight improvement in the ride. I then went from 275's to 295's on tires, lowered the inflation pressure and the ride difference was much improved. It is surprising how 10 lbs of tire pressure can change the ride comfort in a coach.

In regards to shocks, as we have discussed here before the Bilstein is the best compromise between the Monroe and the Koni. Provides a nice ride as well as dampening control. Koni's provide a much stiffer ride due to the way it is valved and because of this is harder on the shock mounts. From a professional standpoint, I much prefer the Bilstein. They have a consistent rebound rate due to the monotube design and are less prone to caviatation. Bilstein and Koni both use high quality fluid and their build spec's and materials are of higher quality. Shock discussions are sometimes confusing and understanding their purpose is also confusing. Here is a video that gives an explanation on how they work.

I wouldn't let anyone touch a chasiss mux system unless they know what they are doing. They screw something up and you are screwed. There is no replacement parts for a chassis mux. They short it out or screw it up you might as well tow your coach to a vacant lot and leave it there until someone finds a solution. We have done work at our shop on the House mux system, but not the chassis mux. This is a system you do not want a tech who has no background with those systems messing with it. We just fixed a Dynasty house mux because some tech who thought he knew what he was doing screwed it up. My tech is pretty up to speed with the house mux but not the chassis mux. I wont allow my guys to touch a chassis mux because I do not want the liability. If it was my coach I would take it to the M & M guys near Orlando. They have more experience with the chassis mux then any other repair place I know of in the country. Alliance ( Lazy Days ) only has one former Monaco tech left and I do not know if he has the chassis mux system experience. Brett Howard was the expert with the mux systems and he left Alliance a long time ago. USA Coach is a good repair facility but their background is with Prevosts. The Monaco chassis Mux is a one of a kind system and was only offered in 2 model years I believe 08/09 and only in the Dynasty and above. Dave Pratt may have more input on this subject. He is a Mux guru, has all the prints and knows the system backwards and forwards. He is only one of a few who knows it. It would be a cold day in hell before I let loose a tech on my coach with a chassis mux and who had no background in them. It isn't like fixing an AC unit or some electronic / electrical issue. The chasiss mux is complicated and like I said there are no spare parts anywhere. When it goes your coach is done. I believe there are some work arounds but you dont even want to go there with them. I am hoping Paul Whittle, our resident software / circuit board expert builds a replacement for this system. I put a bug in his ear when we were camping together a few weeks ago. My best advice is to stay the hell out of any dealership or repair center that does not have experience with the mux system. I forgot to mention Frank, one of our fearless moderators has a lot of background with the chassis mux system as well.

Paul, glad you got a seat that works well for you. I have stated several times in the past here on the forum that buying new seats is not always the answer, especially now days where the quality of vinyl has gone down hill. By having your old seat recovered you can specify a marine grade vinyl which is more robust and will wear better then the vinyl used in today's new coach seats. You also can have the foam revitalized as well as replaced in sections or cut down and reformed to better suit your physical body frame. For those looking to have their seats recovered always use an auto upholsterer. Never use a marine, awning or furniture upholsterer. Automotive seating requires a special talent and skill set not found in other upholstery specialties. Ask your upholsterer to custom fit the seat to you to help relieve pressure points. They can also employ memory foam in places to make it more comfortable. Specify they use a high grade marine vinyl. The price difference between a high quality vinyl and middle of the road vinyl is not much. I am not very fond of the new pilot/co-pilot seats these days. I believe the foam will break down quicker and I known the vinyl wont last as long as the vinyl used 10 years ago or more. I have seen a lot of re-upholstered seats before and as an upholsterer myself I can always tell if the guy who did the seats was a true craftsman or not. Not all upholsterers are created equal. Just ask God. My favorite story is of a classic car owner who ventured to Mexico to " save money " on re-upholstering his seats. They looked great and felt great......... For a couple months. Then they started breaking down. He took them to another upholsterer in LA to have them re-worked and when they tore the covers off they found they used straw in some places to bolster the cushions. 🙂

Amen. The only tires I ever had on my coach that wore out were the Badyears which rivered something fierce after 15,000 miles. I went back to Goodyear and they denied my claim blaming my coach. Looking back it was a blessing in disguise as I probably would have had an eventual blowout. You have to drive a lot of miles to wear out the tires on a coach. They always get changed out due to age and not wear.

Chet: Roger mentioned something I forgot - TPMS & spare trailer tires. It is imperative you carry at least one spare tire and you are asking for major problems if you do not use a TPMS on the trailer. Trailer tires are known to blow out or cause other issues. I have had 3 instances where tires lost pressure forcing me to ditch into a rest area to change them. I have since went to Goodyear Endurance tires and have had no issues. Stay on top of your axle greasing. Learn how to properly grease the bearings on your trailer ( jack up each side and while pumping grease into the wheel spin it ). Trailer axles will go through a lot of grease so you will be doing it quite often. Just so you know trailer axle bearings are not like car bearings and will burn up in a heartbeat if they are not continually and properly lubed. The Haulmark trailers are well built. They are known for excellent stability while being towed. 20 ft to haul a car will be tight for you but it should be able to make it work. Typically 22 ft is a minimum for hauling cars and 24 is preferable.

Jim: I had posted a couple weeks ago about brokers being a real headache for sellers. Several have gotten the money and skipped out. But some can also be a royal PITA for buyers. There are a few brokers in prison doing time for fraud, they take the banks money ( or yours ), never produce a title ( because they pocket some or all of the money ) and you are left paying your loan off with the bank, the seller never gets the money and his bank wont release the title. My advice is to avoid all brokers. Deal with a reputable dealership or private owner. If you buy from a private owner then demand that the deal is closed at a bank of your choice ( or theirs ) where it is witnessed and the bank official can verify the documents. There are a lot of owners who are upside down and underwater on their coaches. This is no excuse to sell a coach for more then what it is worth. I have seen it numerous times - A coach owner lists their coach for sale with an asking price based on what they owe which is much higher then retail value simply because they owe that much. That is their problem not yours. If the asking price is not a fair market price then keep looking. There are thousands of coaches out there for sale so don't get to eager. I spent 6 months researching and then spent a week putting a deal together on the coach we own. Patience pays off as does the willingness to walk away from a deal at a moments notice. Always make the purchase of a coach from a realistic and business standpoint and not an emotional one. In other words - Never fall in love with a coach to the point you pay too much for it.

Van: Well said brother.

I believe the real reason they do not include them is because of the varying pressure requirements of each coach according to weight as well as tires. I used to run 105 - 108 lbs in my 275 tires. When I went to 295's I was able to lower the pressure to 100 lbs. In addition to varying pressures between coaches and tires comes the addition of toads and the need to monitor their pressures with a remote TPMS device. I think because of all the variables with our coaches the manufacturers just throw their hands up and say " let the owner worry about it ". I am left trying to figure out how the manufacturers could install a permanent system that can be constantly programmed with our own personal variables. My Ram 2500 came from the factory with 60 psi set for the front tires and 80 psi for the rears. I just had my tires rotated at 10,000 miles and it took a while for the system to learn the front tire was on the rear and vice versus. Until then I had low pressure alarms. How the system learns the new tire positions and resets itself I haven't a clue. So if they did install a permanent system at the factory we are still left with having to get a TPMS for our toads. I cannot speak for the rest of you but there is no way I will tow our show trailer or toad without a TPMS. If I am going to buy a TPMS for the toad I might as well get the sensors for the coach as well. JMHO. One last question...... What about the coach owners like myself who run Tyron bands ? How would those be installed over the top of an internal pressure sensor ?