First Motorhome

[Ivan K]

4 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

Ray, thanks for the recommendation. I found it on Google Map Satellite Image, so I know exactly where it is. I plan to stop there today on my way to the Lordsburg Safety Rest Area where we are staying the night.

There is also a decent visitor center parking in Lordsburg if you don't make it to the rest area, a little sloped but no problem with air leveling. If you make it past Marfa next day, besides parks, there is a 'dark skies' observation area with parking on south side or little further, I think maybe after Alpine, is an other area on the left. None have security however, if you can live with that.

[Dr4Film]

10 hours ago, Ray Davis said:

We have driven that route many times over the yrs.  The only part I don't like is thru El Paso I try to just sail on thru there.  We seem to be drawn to the west I guess we prefer the wide-open spaces, "don't fence me in" ( an old song ).  The west just abounds in natural beauty.   Coming back, we turn left in Tx onto I 20 heading toward the Dallas area.       A friend told me he hated driving I 10 across Tx so I told him well it ain't for sissies.   LOL   It is a long drive though.

Have a great trip

Hi Ray,

We arrived at the Truck Wash a little after 5 pm. They had one truck inside washing so we waited at the entrance door. Drove in when it was our turn and chose the full wash including having the slides deployed plus the spray wax and tire dressing. They did a great job for $65.

While driving the I-10 East we got a warning on our Garmin RV-760 GPS that they had closed the I-10 Freeway about 10-12 miles past Wilcox. So, we decided to spend the night here instead of moving onto the Lordsburg Safety Rest Area even if we could get to it.

The GPS actually came up with a detour route for the closure. Hopefully the freeway will be back open by the morning. I suspect it may have been from a wildfire as the winds were unbearable even before Phoenix and lasted pretty much just before arriving to Wilcox AZ. They were 25-40 mph with gusts over 50 mph.

I hope the winds die down overnight as my arms and shoulders took a real beating today keeping the "Codymobile" on the road.

[det944]

Richard, that's a stiff breeze! Glad you had safe passage today. Maybe tomorrow will be a little calmer. Safe travels!

[tomevansfl]

Nice looking rig. Welcome from the land of Mickey Mouse!

 

P. S. We will be in Savanah next week. 

[Guest Ray Davis]

16 hours ago, Dr4Film said:

The GPS actually came up with a detour route for the closure. Hopefully the freeway will be back open by the morning. I suspect it may have been from a wildfire as the winds were unbearable even before Phoenix and lasted pretty much just before arriving to Wilcox AZ. They were 25-40 mph with gusts over 50 mph.

I hope the winds die down overnight as my arms and shoulders took a real beating today keeping the "Codymobile" on the road

Oh boy, the winds, yep, they can be bad.   If it was steady blowing it would be bad, but the gusts won't give you any rest.  

That's a really long trip you are making, it's good that you can take some time driving it.   Unfortunately, you still have a loong way to go.

Drive safe & have fun.

[det944]

@tomevansfl/ you picked a great time to visit Savannah. The azselaias are starting to bloom.... it's spring in the south. 

[Dr4Film]

I wash my engine compartment with Purple Power and a pressure washer. Does a great job! I will do the ISL once back home to Florida.

[tomevansfl]

On 3/5/2022 at 6:54 PM, det944 said:

@tomevansfl/ you picked a great time to visit Savannah. The azselaias are starting to bloom.... it's spring in the south. 

I grew up in Hazlehurst about 100 miles to your west. After college I lived in Atlanta for 25 years before moving to Orlando in 2010.  

The south IS beautiful this time of year. However, not many azaleas in Orlando. I do miss them in the spring. 

[det944]

Thanks Richard, most appreciated! I'll do a quick wash this week. I think I'll remove the air filter for better access and cover the rear run box to prevent water intrusion. I'd hate to fry anything back there and it does not appear to be water tight.

[Dr4Film]

Make sure to cover the opening left after removing the air filter with something that won't let any dirt inside. You don't want any foreign debris getting into the engine and damaging it. A dusted engine repair is big bucks. 

[det944]

Yes Sir, I plan on covering it with a large ziploc and securing it with zip ties. Definitely do not any FOD or water to enter the intake. How's your trip progressing? 

[Dr4Film]

It's been a challenge at times!

I plan to make a post once we return home to Flagler Beach detailing the entire trip and all of the challenges we had along the way.

[det944]

Our drive was from Colorado Springs to Savannah and things went mostly as planned. 1st 2 days were only a couple hundred miles and we stayed at a friends place in DFW for a day. He made arrangements for us to park the rig on a dead end street in his plan. On departure from DFW we knocked out over 600 miles getting all the way to Alabama. That was a log day!

Well, safe travels to y'all!

[tomevansfl]

9 hours ago, det944 said:On departure from DFW we knocked out over 600 miles getting all the way to Alabama. That was a log day!

Well, safe travels to y'all!

600 miles in one day is too much for me! Good luck on the rest of your journey & all future trips. 

[Ivylog]

I guess my trip brings home our. “new” 08 Navigator from Mesa, AZ was kind of boring. Left at 7AM and stopped in the first town in NM to have paperwork Notarized. There’s a tax you kiss goodbye if you sign in AZ. Dealer is supposed to deliver it there but after the  3 hours I drove it, I knew it needed the TRW steering adjusted…good 2” of slop that took more than 90 degrees on the screw to tighten. 

Amazing the # of well drilling rigs in operation around Odessa, TX on either side of I-20 3 years ago. Stopped before Dallas for fuel and pushed east of it before stopping for the night…activates morning. 

Stopped in Jackson, MS and looked at a MH my nephew ended up buying. Slept before Atlanta in a test area so I cold get through it and home in time to have breakfast in Bville, 2 hours north of Atlanta. 

Rig ran well and handled good after adjusting the steering. The boring I-10 gave me time to figure out how to override the radar cruise so it didn’t back be back when a vehicle pulled back in front after passing… hold a little pressure on the throttle until the gap is big enough.

[det944]

Been doing a lot of reading on Surge protection and Electrical Management Systems for protection of the coach electrical system. From reading the manual my 2006 Dynasty is equipped with a Surge Guard /RV Power Monitor/ Automatic Transfer switch model 40250, 120 / 240,  50 A 60 hz. In addition to priority switching between generator and shore power this unit also accomplishes the following protective functions:

-A multi-mode surge protection eliminates the potential for power surges to enter the motorhome through power cables during electrical storms.

-If the incoming voltage from the generator or shore power exceeds 132 Volts AC, or if voltage drops below 102 Volts AC, the transfer switch automatically disconnects the electrical service.

-The transfer switch monitors for faulty wiring from shore power and protects from reverse polarity and the dangers of an open neutral condition.

So my question is do I need a portable or hard wired Surge Protector or Surge protector /EMS to properly protect my electrical system? I definitely need to do the best thing to maintain the rig so looking for experienced opinions. Thanks, Dan.

[willbo777]

No, the Surge Guard does that for you.

[Ivylog]

No you don’t need any additional protection although plenty of Monaco owners do…didn’t read up on the transfer switch. My 04 Dynasty would drop out around 106-7 Volts…usually at a rally with borderline generator power provided.

At one rally is when I finally figured out that the additional amps for the ice maker harvesting the ice was causing the low voltage disconnect. I often turn the ice maker off when dry camping so it doesn’t trigger a low voltage cutoff of the inverter. Will turn it back on when running the generator long enough for it to harvest the ice it’s made.

With fully charged batteries I can run 1 AC on a 15-20 amp house outlet but here again, I have to turn the ice maker off…not for low voltage but so I do not trip the breaker in the house.

Edited March 9, 2022 by Ivylog

[6Wheels]

A dealer once told me that every used coach no matter how nice they allow at least $10,000 for repairs.  On one this old I would think twice that.

 

[dl_racing427]

On 3/7/2022 at 8:44 AM, Dr4Film said:

I wash my engine compartment with Purple Power and a pressure washer. Does a great job! I will do the ISL once back home to Florida.

Purple power can be a bit harsh on painted surfaces, but it cuts grease like crazy.
I have a hot box for my pressure washer, and the hot water is very effective at removing grease, even with just using simple green.

[Georgia Mike]

We just purchased our 06 Dynasty and I plan on getting a Hughes Autoformer. In my opinion it is a must have to protect your ac motors, microwave or anything that low voltage will effect. My previous Motorhome was a older Fleetwood Discovery that believe it or not was 30 amp service. The first two years of ownership I had to replace my shore power plug 4 times, almost after any long trip because it was melting from getting so hot. It had a shedding system that would regulate the power and I thought something was wrong with it. Someone on one of the forums I was posting on said to get one and after installing it I still have the same plug end 7 years later. If you have a voltage meter in your bus you would be surprised how often the voltage drops below 105 or even lower at RV parks especially when it’s crowded. When it drops that low your ac units or anything else draw more amps and has to work harder and the motors run hotter ( ohms law lower voltage=higher amps) so you end up shortening the life of your ac units. The autoformer boosts the voltage I think 10-15 percent only when it determines that it is low and keeps it in the correct range of 115-120. I know there are some that don’t like them but from my experience ever since I installed mine on my Discovery around 2014-15 I haven’t had one electrical problem or replaced any appliances. 

 

[Dr4Film]

Mike, I have owned a Power Master Voltage Booster VC-50 sold by Todd Coffelt when he was in business many years ago. It similar to the Hughes Autoformer. I wired mine such that it is directly after the shore power followed by the Progressive Industries EMS-HW-50C followed by the transfer switch.

I plan to install it the same way in my Dynasty. I will remove the shore cord from the cheap Surge Guard Transfer Switch model that the previous owner had installed not that long ago. The install a 50 amp outlet. The VC-50 can be plugged into that outlet when needed. Then I am installing the Progressive Industries EMS-HW-50C system with two displays since the Surge Guard model transfer switch doesn't do crap for any electrical protection. Then finally, the output of the EMS-HW-50C will go into the transfer switch.

It will all be wired such that I can remove or add the VC-50 or the EMS-HW-50C any time i need to.

When parked at my brother's barn I have had to disconnect the EMS-HW-50C as the incoming voltage gets too high just at night when people are not using the same amount of electric as they do during the day.

Bottomline, I have never been shut down for low voltage power anyplace on our travels all over the country including Canada and Alaska.