kb0zke

Twenty or so years ago we had an old Class C, and I put my call sign and 146.520 on the back. Got a couple of calls. Now we're full-time in a Class A and I haven't bothered. We use a pair of onn ht's for parking, etc. They come with a huge list of frequencies, some of which are higher power and require a license. The low power ones don't need any sort of license. I've been thinking about getting the license to use the higher power channels. What's the proper group of letters for those frequencies? GLSS or something like that?

Just to add to the confusion, sometimes there are roads that dip down to go under a bridge and then go right back up, making a shallow "v". The measurement is taken at the crossing, but when one drives under the bridge the tires are actually some distance away, meaning that you have really great ground clearance there, In other words, you are "taller" than you think. There is probably a computer modeling program out there that could figure out your theoretical maximum height, and you could just use that as a safe maximum, Otherwise, just add a bit to whatever measurement you come up with as a safety factor. My coach is 11' 10" tall, so I have a 12' 6" minimum to reduce my pucker factor.

"We have been turned away from one park north of Houston when we had a beautifully restored 1978 Silver Steak that looked better than many of the newer rigs in the park. ... Some of these places seem to think that an older rig will pass on some disease to a fancy newer rig." Your first sentence is the real reason. Our 1993 Foretravel gets favorable comments all the time. We've even had people come out of the office to see it.

A couple of years ago we were hosts at a State park that had a homeless problem. The rule is no more than 14 nights in any 30-day period, so they would move around between the three parks in the general area. One lady didn't own anything capable of towing her trailer, so she had to find someone to move it for her. The park superintendent knew her well, and knew that, practically, there was nothing he could do about her "extending" her stay until her two showed up. Yes, he could have had the trailer impounded, but then he would have been the one waiting on the tow truck, so he would have to put up with her. Another person was in a tent. He set up the tent after hours, and managed to never be around when anyone was there to collect. Eventually a Ranger was called in, and the tent was taken to a locked storage area. The man then had to come to the fee booth to ask about his belongings. We called the Ranger, who came right over. The man had to pay for his site before the Ranger would take him to his stuff.

We made reservations for our trip from Riverton to The Ranch and then from The Ranch to our first hosting gig (Lake of the Ozarks SP) a couple of months ago, with one exception. Our first night will be at a city park that doesn't do reservations, but only has a few sites. Three of the four nights going south are at KOAs, and when we booked they were reporting nearly full. We'll see in a couple of weeks. COE is our first choice, too, followed by SP. We're learning to look for city/county campgrounds, as they are often free or very low price. They usually don't offer much other than hookups (shade is rare), but for an overnight they are fine.

I see frequent references to Costo, but I've never seen one of their stores. We have a Sam's Club membership and find their stores in most larger cities.

I think I agree with Gary. Next time try to include a clause in the purchase agreement that once it is signed by both parties it is binding, and a suit for specific performance (meaning they must deliver the specific item purchased, not just one similar) and legal costs will follow any non-performance. Of course, I'm not a lawyer, nor have I ever played one, but I think that's the way I'd be inclined to go. You might want to consult an attorney now to see how to avoid this in the future.

I grew up spending summers on US2 in Bessemer, MI. My grandmother's house was literally between the old US2 roadbed in front of her house and the new, 4-lane US2 behind the house. In those days the mines were will working, so ore trains went past many times each day and night. The tracks were right across the street in front of the house. Following US2 is on our bucket list. I suspect that it will take several summers, as I don't want to be in Bessemer in the winter (average snowfall: 240 inches per year).

We're actually looking to go the other way. We've had our Foretravel for almost 10 years, and we've learned a lot. We aren't traveling as much as we thought we would be, so we're looking to sell the Foretravel and go to a 5'er.

I've been interested in camping for 60 years or so. While in junior high I came across Wally Byam's Trailer Travel Here and Abroad andThe Ford Guide to Camping on Wheels. I read those several times, and for several years then I would annually get Airstream's new catalog in the mail. Move ahead about 30 years and soon after Jo Ann and I got married we were supposed to go with the church youth group on a camping/canoe trip. That was my first camping experience. Loved it! We borrowed a tent for a trip from Lincoln, NE to Casper, WY when we had a crawling baby and twins on the way. The kids grew up with a series of tents, each one bigger than the last one. Our first RV was an elderly Minnie Winnie Class C. That only lasted a couple of years, before it died. Another tent while the kids were in college, and then we started talking about retirement. Long story short, we decided to investigate full-time rv'ing. Bought a 2011 Heartland MPG travel trailer as a learner. Loved it, so got serious about the full-timing. Sold the MPG for almost what we paid for it two years earlier and bought our Foretravel.

If you are a member of FMCA check their tire discount program. Ask your local truck tire places to quote, too, as they may be able to beat the FMCA price. As for brands, our coach had Michelins when we got it, and that's what I've always run on my cars, so that's what I put on first. When came time for the next tires, though, Toyo was so much cheaper that we went with them. Then the dealer said he would give me a trade-in allowance on the Michelins, so that cut the price even more. The Toyos were fine, so we went with them the next time, too. Next week I'm going to do some tire shopping, as it is time for the front tires again.

Welcome, Coach! The more you can tell us about your planned use the better we can advise you. Some thoughts: It sounds like you are going to be weekenders with maybe some vacation trips. That means that your rig will probably be parked for most of the time. You might want to consider a towable, rather than a MH. Bunkhouse trailers are quite common. A truck and trailer will cost you about what a MH and towbar will. Remember that not all vehicles can be towed as is. You may need to have either a tow dolly or a trailer for your vehicle. Don't think that you can get by without something else. We tried it. When (not if, when) you discover that you left the can opener home (yes, we did) what will you do? If all you have is the MH you have to pack up for travel and go get one. If you have another vehicle, you can use that. If you have a towable, the trailer stays at the campsite and the truck goes on the errand. As has been mentioned, check water capacity and sleeping spaces. Our first RV was a Class C. We had three children, a boy and two girls. The girls got the overcab bed. Our son, my wife, and I slept in the "bed" that was created when the couch and dinette were both folded down. The bathroom was in the rear, so if one of the girls needed to use it during the night she had to walk across our bed. I was in the middle of the bed, with my wife on one side and our son on the other. The kids are grown now, and my wife and I full-time in a 40' MH.

When we stayed there some years ago we got a campground between Yellowstone and Tetons, then drove the car where we wanted to go. Yes, we drove the same road a few times, but still lots cheaper than driving a MH.

We used to do construction work with Laborers For Christ before it went belly-up. Our pay was taxed at the local rate, so when we worked in Texas we paid no State income tax. When we worked in Wisconsin we did. Towards the end we would sign up for projects in States that had no income tax. As South Dakota residents, we paid no State income tax on any of our income, but if we worked in a State that did have income tax we had to pay that. Sometimes we could file to get at least some back, but sometimes it just wasn't worth it.

Just saw this thread. There are some interesting thoughts here, some of which apply to us. We, too, do some construction work, and more than once I've been at the job site when something was needed. Yes, I have that tool - back at the campground. That's one of the reasons why we're looking at switching from a MH and towed to a truck and trailer. One couple we worked with does disaster relief work. They have a very nice (and expensive) 5'er with matching semi for towing. The semi is rigged with all of his tools, a generator, etc. Another couple does similar work, also with a 5'er, and a semi stacked with tool boxes. We don't have nearly that many tools, nor the money or inclination to have them, but your situation may be closer to theirs than ours. My suggestion is that you seriously look at having the tools in the truck, and let the trailer be just living quarters. Good luck finding a no-slide trailer that isn't an Airstream. Even they made a few with a slide.

We'll be 72 this year and getting ready to head out again after a two-year delay. Have to wait until June, though, as new grandchild will be born in early June with baptism scheduled for the last Sunday of June. After that, we don't know for sure. For those of you heading toward Yellowstone or the Tetons, we're in Riverton. There is a nice park here. Let us know you're coming and we'll have the coffee on.

Think about the damage the thief might do to your bay doors as well. How much will it cost to repair them? I doubt that many thieves would be interested in stealing either of our house batteries, as they weigh 150 pounds each. When it is time to replace them I'll make sure the store has a couple of strong young men to do the work....

Nearly 10 years ago now Jo Ann and I had a job listing homes for a survey. We had to drive down every road and list the address and description of each house. Went down one road and found only a communications tower, but it looked like the road continued, so we did, too. Pretty soon the "road" was not much wider than the car and the surface of the ground on either side was above the windows. The car was a Mercury Mountaineer with 4WD, but it wasn't intended for real off-road driving. Seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes and the "road" opened up in a field. If necessary I could have turned around and driven back up the "road" but the gate was open so we just drove on out. Don't know if anyone in the farmhouse saw us, or if they did, wondered what we were doing there. Went back around to where we started and talked to a man who had seen us go past earlier. He knew there wasn't anything that way and wondered how we managed to get back. We told him we took the road by the tower. He said that isn't a road! Yes, the "road" was marked on the map we were given for the job. Another time a particular road had one name on the map, another on the GPS, and the street signs at the top and bottom of the road each had different names. We never did figure out what the proper name of that street was. Moral of the stories is don't completely believe anything but what your eyes tell you is in front of you. Maps and GPS are just tools, made by humans, and can and do have mistakes.

The possibility exists that we may be looking for a different MH soon. We're looking at Beaver, Blue Bird, Country Coach, Foretravel, Newell, and Vogue from the mid-90's to about 2005. I've been told by a 'Bird owner that all work takes at least three times as long on a 'Bird as on others because everything is so complicated. What about the others? I know that all Newells are custom builds, which means there might be a learning curve for anyone other than those already familiar with them. Beaver, CC, and Vogue are no longer, but it seems that all have owner groups and they use pretty much the same appliances, etc. as everyone else. The problem would be coach-specific parts. All are, apparently, considered at the upper end of the market in their day. Prevost, of course, is often ranked as the top, and the used coach market seems to agree, based on prices. Our current coach is nearly 30 years old and has a Detroit Diesel 6V92TA in it. I'd like to stay away from the two-cycle engines if I could. We like the air bag leveling system on our Foretravel. I've heard that Beaver, CC, and Newell use it on at least some models. Don't know about Vogue. 'Birds use drop-down jacks and have been known to make big impressions at some places. How would you rank these? We've full-timers.

I haven't seen any spam from SD, but lots from the area code where my phone is registered. I can set my phone (iPhone) to block all numbers not in my contacts, but since our coach is for sale, I don't want to do that. Instead, any calls from that area code are declined. Yes, I may hang up on a potential buyer, but that's a risk I'll take.

Many higher-end RVs have a safe built in somewhere. Ours does. The safe has a card with one combination on it and a slip of paper with another. When we got the coach the safe was unlocked, and it is still unlocked. We use the space to store things that we want with us but don't really need to get to. I suppose I could take everything out of the safe, then lock it and try the combinations. If neither one works then we don't have a safe anymore. If one does work, then throw the other one away, and we can lock the safe as long as we remember where we put the combination. Or we can just leave it unlocked as we've done since 2013.

We were told this story by a Ranger in Wyoming. Take it for what it cost you. A family from a large city was visiting Yellowstone and asked about bear spray. They were told that some people like to have it and others don't want to be bothered. They decided that they would take a can. As the clerk was ringing up the purchase they asked if one can was enough, since they had two children. Would one can cover all four of them? The clerk was tempted to sell them another can, but was laughing too hard.

We've been on a "temporary" job since July, 2020, so haven't been reading the RV forums as I used to. That "temporary" position looks like it may finally have and end, so I'm back to my old haunts. I was quite surprised to find out that I'm considered a new member, even though I've been here for quite a few years and have quite a few posts. I ignore the badges notifications. I don't care about them.

Fifty years ago I taught in a small school in rural Wisconsin. One man in the community bought a new Dodge pickup every three years. The only time the key wasn't in the ignition was when the salesman handed it to him the day he picked it up. People signed up to buy that truck when he traded it in. Everyone in the community knew his truck, and if anyone else was seen driving it (rarely happened) they were quickly pulled over for an explanation. He may still be around there, but I'm guessing that if he is still driving he doesn't leave the key in the ignition anymore.

We enjoy being campground hosts, and have hosted at several parks. Most of the visitors are great people, but once in a while we get someone that leaves us scratching our heads. One park had a two-week limit. One family used to move every 10 days or so. One time he would make the reservation and the next time she would. The computer saw them as two different people, so allowed the reservations to go through. They had a rather distinctive vehicle, and after I noticed it at this site, then another site a week or 10 days later, then at another site, I asked the Ranger. He was able to do more checking, and found out what they were doing. They had to leave the park when their current reservation was up. Another person wanted to do something that was allowed. I asked the Ranger and was told 'No," so I told him that. He said, "That's what the Ranger says. What's the real rule?" I told him it is what the Ranger says it is. Then there was the guy who wanted to move the fire ring. He thought it was just sitting there on the ground! No, he didn't move it. The best one, though, was the guy who had a site for Thursday and Friday nights. Saturday came, and no evidence of moving. The site was rented to someone else for Saturday night, and he was told that. Eventually, the Saturday arrival arrived, and he still wasn't out. He said he was going to stay another night and wanted to pay for the night. We told him that we were full, and his site was rented, so he had to leave. He wasn't happy. When the ranger told him he had 30 minutes to be gone, he realized that he had to move.