Roadtrek 1

On 5/31/2019 at 12:46 AM, Pappy Yokum said:

😄..😁..😄

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Again, you're talking apples and oranges...as I said before,  the system I was thinking about was more than a dashcam .  It was a forward collision warning system... sorry, you just don't get it..... Very sad. 

On 5/31/2019 at 12:07 AM, jay said:

A backup camera could be useful. I am using this one: https://www.haloview.com/haloview-mc7108-7-inch-720p-hd-digital-wireless-rear-view-camera-system.html

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GKXPKRS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=lyrvaffpage-20&linkId=4f0070753dfe61c624752eb796d83797&language=en_US

Hmm,   it's certainly cheap... I'll give you that. But, not very elegant.... looks like an old transistor radio from the 1960s.  Glad it's working for you. I hope you have this securely fastened while you are moving. 

On 5/24/2019 at 4:27 PM, Pappy Yokum said:

IMO - you did well  - appears you *DID* get what you paid for.......even if it "wouldn't even" cover the sales tax for RT's  choice!

Go ahead and laugh it off....a dashcam is not the same as a forward collision warning and lane assistance system....

45 minutes ago, sandsys said:

My van had no generator. But it had lots of solar and batteries. I could boondock for a week using my microwave and electric water heater. Your Class B is not set up for that. Our previous Class A had a generator that we would only use when we needed to exercise it once a month. I am not a fan of generators but not having one has implications with which you need to be comfortable.

Linda

Thanks Linda. It's not just about the money, although I'm not wealthy and it does bother me that the failure occurred 8 months after I just had the unit at Cummins and they assured me that everything was fine.... it's a lot of labor to have it pulled off and reinstalled on the Sprinter.... it's also about having a vote of no confidence in the unit.... I like many people, I'm sure,  don't like surprises where it fails exactly when you need it.. that's horrible... 

I do mostly everything I can to avoid equipment failure through proper maintenance... that's why I drive two 10 years old cars....it's all about maintenance...

I think that the original owners probably purchased this RV and rarely used the generator..it only had less than 15 hours on it when I purchased the RS Adventurous in May 2017...now it has almost 46 hours... still, that's not a lot of use.

And, being that it was my first RV, and generator, I didn't realize that this was a problem...in fact, when I got it I remarked to the sales guy that this generator was practically brand new...he didn't disagree or correct me... that was very disengenous....or maybe he didn't know??  Now I know that very few hours is definitely not good. 

SO...I have to wait for an evaluation of what's wrong... depending on the price of labor...I might consider replacement for the old generator....or something... Seems like a huge expense for something I use occasionally.

1 minute ago, Kirk W said:

To answer that question, we currently have a travel trailer that has no generator but do have a portable which we could use but very rarely do. With our previous motorhome we did have a 5 kW generator that could and did supply both air conditioners. In a large class A you do use the generator to supply the roof air while traveling in hot weather and we used it for lunches pretty regularly, but only a few times did we stay in the RV without shore power and so use the generator for extended periods. When we sold that motorhome after 14 years it had about 650 hours of use. There were several times when we kept it running 24/day for 2 days and once for 3 days but that was quite rare. 

As to how much it would lower the resale of your coach, that depends to a large extent on how old the RV will be when that day comes. I would be surprised if it lowered the sale price by any more than $3000 since you can buy a new one for less than that. 

I guess the question is …. how much will we be needing it.... I expect that the generator will be around $3,000 to $4,000 and the last service I had was already $ 1,200 just eight months ago for them to service and put in a new voltage regulator and rotor,  oil and filter.    I'm just wondering whether I'm going to cut my losses and just do one of the following;  

1.  Fix the generator I have..?  

2. Replace it with a brand new one and start over? 

3.  Skip it and not have one?

There's a push button start inside the coach and along side that is an hours counter, that's all,  no LCD panel and no warning lights. 

4 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Without the fault codes, guessing is a fools game. The control panel should have been flashing a code, or if it has the LCD screen, it would have been on there. 

If it were that easy?  No,  I don't have a control panel showing any codes or LCD screen warnings.  

3 minutes ago, rm.w/aview said:

yeah, it posted after mine so I ext it but you beat me There is 3% loss of generator capacity for every 1000 foot gain in elevation. Could this be related as well?

That's correct,  but, my A/C only draws a maximum of 2,000 watts ( range is 1400 to 2,000) and the generator manual says it produces 2,310 watts up to 5,500 feet.  

It ran fine for 30 minutes then just shut down with the A/C running.  If it could run for 30 minutes,  I didn't think this was the problem;  why didn't it shut down say in 5 minutes? 

By the way,  I do have a Zamp 180 watt solar panel system built in on the roof and two 6 volt AGM batteries, but, it's not enough to power the AC or microwave convection oven.    

I have a space limitation problem and there's no way I can get enough solar and a bank of batteries like the VOLTA system... just not setup for that. 

1 minute ago, rm.w/aview said:

What's wrong with your generator?

Thanks,  just posted a reply now.  See my response to the first one. 

1 minute ago, 2gypsies said:

It would be a big impact when selling. not to have a generator especially in a Class B where you'd really not have the room to carry a portable generator.   If not using the generator it should at least be 'exercised' under load once a month for an hour or two.

Understood.   Yes,  I exercise it for 1 to 2 hours each month now.   Let me explain. 

I purchased this RV two years ago and being a newbie,  when I purchased the RV and discovered that the generator only had less than 15 hours on the unit I commented to the salesman that "Wow, it's like a brand new generator"... and he said "yes, that's correct"... that was not truthful.... as you would probably agree.    It would have been better if the two years old generator had a few hundred hours on it.   Being a first time RV purchaser with a built-in generator,  I didn't know this.

Well,  it worked fine for just over a year and then we had a failure...brought it to Cummins Onan and they replaced my voltage regulator and rotor... not inexpensive and instructed me to how to keep it exercised... it was fine until we were around 3,000 feet running the A/C … at first it was fine for about 30 minutes and then the thing just shut down....mind you,  I have a full tank of propane.    That should not have happened.  Now,  it's back in the shop and they're trying to figure out what's wrong?   I hate to have  equipment failure just when you rely on it, so,  now the big question of how many times in two years have we really used it vs. just fix it right and get everything back to normal?   It's a tough question.... yeah, it's great convenience to have when you need it, but, I certainly don't expect to get all the money back at the time of the sale. 

RV stands for "ruined vacation" as you know and WOW.. this sucks.   SO,  you think that just going without it would reduce the price by how much in thousands?   I might be looking at a complete replacement if the model is a 2500 propane?   My owners manual says it's a Cummins KV 2800;  that would be better.. the 2500 got trashed on the internet big time,  people all over the place said they had less than 50 hours on theirs and were disgusted, mine currently has just under 46 hours. 

Any further input gladly welcome.  

How many times do you actually use the generator vs. plug into a campsite? 

We have used the generator especially in National Parks where there's no hookups, but, it's limited.   

Now, it seems like it might need a major service or replacement due to lack of use from the previous owner.    

Is it even worth doing this, if we mostly plug in? 

How much of an impact will it be if we possibly sell the vehicle WITHOUT a generator? 

Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome. 

Thank you. 

Yeah... sure...$50 wouldn't even pay for the sales tax on the system I was looking at....

WOW....you know you get what you pay for and it's 2019.   

On 5/15/2019 at 5:59 AM, FL-JOE said:

I haven't been riding motorcycles as long as some, only 46 years.  I must have over 9 lives because my number hasn't come up yet. 

Great, and I hope luck continues to be in your favor. Statistically, it's all about exposure and depending on where and how you ride makes a difference. Traffic vs. open road for example. 

Someone commuting in bumper to bumper traffic and splitting lanes is at a much higher risk.   People on motorcycles are practically ghosts to car drivers....

And, I certainly don't have to point out that the lack of metal around you is a serious problem. 

Bicycles are similarly dangerous in car vs. bicycle crashes....the number of cycle incidents in many cities like LA..cars are causing a lot of fatalities.... it's physics. 

I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it, but, be careful, which you are obviously doing.... you can never be complacent when you are this much exposed.   I have to be very careful on my bicycle as well and it's only pedal power....

10 minutes ago, rm.w/aview said:

Gotta be careful with anything on the roadways. Heck, gotta be careful stepping off the curb. In the past the stress of life disappeared as I was focused on staying alive while riding my motorcycles.

Understood.   What I should have said was that when you "add" another vehicle to the mix as in towing, you need to be sure you have everything covered including coordinated braking,  proper weight distribution,  etc.   It completely changes the dynamics from a single vehicle and I'm sure that the Federal Safety Standards from the  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety would have an opinion about towing vs. just driving one vehicle. 

What I've heard about motorcycles ( I don't own one) is that after 5 years your number is up.  Be careful out there;   motorcycles are practically invisible to most car drivers,  if you know what I mean. 

https://www.iihs.org/

6 minutes ago, rm.w/aview said:

I've read on the forum here of a preference for a 5er over a Class A due to the truck being designed with Federal Automotive Standards.

YES,   I can certainly see that.   Although,  you have to be very careful towing anything. 

By the way,  sorry,  the video from Sweden is not in English, but,  you'll get the idea. 

Here's the picture of the crashed Sprinter 3500 where the people walked away from the scene. 

I hope your RV has safety features;  it's very important.   

Old vehicles are "nostalgic",   but,  you can't fool around with your personal safety.   

Anti-lock brakes,  air bags and electronic stability control are among the most important features you can have on your vehicle.  

It's terrible that many RV manufacturers don't have these safety items because they're not required.  

Maybe they should be.  

This is not a pretty picture .... and a reminder that Class B's are designed with Federal Automotive Standards, air bags, electronic stability controls and are generally safer than many other larger vehicles without these features.   This picture is an example of how strong a Class B is....the head on crash resulted in the couple unharmed and walked away from the accident.   This video shows how much damage the front occupants in the Class A would sustain.... not good....

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/05/14/rv-motorhome-camper-crash-tests/

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On 4/22/2019 at 4:13 PM, Al F said:

Absolutely "there are no right or wrong answers" to full time, or part time, or just a few weeks of a year.

Most folks replying to this topic are giving good polite answers to a topic that seems to be worded as to want to start a discussion or an argument. 

A topic like this is best replied with simple polite statements of what each person does or to just ignore the topic.  

To reply with a critical or argumentative (as I am now) just feeds the desire to post more topics which seem to seek to start discussions or arguments rather than to inform.    

Kind of like "I saw this inflammatory posting on the internet" and now I want to discuss/argue about it. 

Some of us on this forum are seeing a pattern here. 

Al, thanks for your answer....No, I'm not trying to start any disagreement here.... please remember that I said there are no right or wrong answers....

I'm very pleased to hear that many people on the forum are inclusive of us part time group and from my experience so far on the forum, most are equally agreeable to letting folks have whatever size RV they want...Class A, B, C, trailer, 5th wheel, or even a teardrop...

Please know that I had to quit another forum of people who were not like that...in fact, one person ridiculed me for spending a lot of money on my Sprinter.. and said that the only thing he thought it was good for was a rolling brothel.... that was the last straw and I dropped membership in the club.. extremely rude and offensive. 

People make individual choices all the time for various reasons... for me.. part time works.. other people may want to be on the road all the time....

There's a couple of people who think I'm envious of this and would like to be on the road more often...

I'm very happy with the part time use and we do use the RV...in two years since I've owned it, I've logged just over 18,000 miles... that's not bad... it's being used...

Most people have told me that normal annual miles is more like 5,000 per year..  I think the first year was an anomaly, I'll probably go about 5,000 miles per year from now on..

Enjoy your RV and travels. 

Maybe I'm wrong about this, but, many people who are full time defend the "lifestyle choice" like they are in some "tribal council"... I've heard people who are say things to me like....you can't possibly "know" the true RV experience unless you are a "full timer"..... How's that? 

I don't care if you are a full timer or part timer... please do whatever you want....I happen to like the "part time" experience because I want to have a "home base" I don't have to move around...for me, it's easier....I know that many of the "full timers" will say that their home is wherever they are...and if this works for you, great....

So, tell me...are you full time or just a part time person and I hope you enjoy whatever experience you've chosen.

What do you think... majority of people are full or part-time in the Escapees Club? 

Again, there's no right or wrong answers here. 

1 hour ago, Jack Mayer said:

We are dealers for Rear View Safety and use their products exclusively.  You can look them up. These are commercial grade products...not cheap eBay-style products. (We do not sell retail, so people needn't bother telling me I'm violating posting rules). 😊

Jack, I agree with you  1,000 percent..... I don't use "cheap" mobile electronics.... useless.    

$50???  That won't even pay for the sales tax on the Mobileye system, c'mon, what a joke.  And, what do you expect for $50....it certainly won't do all the things a Mobileye or a system like you're talking about...

I have a commercial grade rear camera, a front camera for parking in tight  spaces and a fully integrated sound system with Android Auto and Bluetooth.

My only challenge is my rear proximity sensors with the new bicycle rack I installed on the rear of my Sprinter....no one has a suggestion for this aside removing the bike rack... I'm not going to do that. 

You get what you pay for with mobile electronics... plain and simple.  Unfortunately, there's a lot of people who can't appreciate this. 

5 hours ago, SWharton said:

People in today's world do not want to accept responsibility, a dash cam eliminates that problem. I have heard of several incidents that have been resolved by just getting out of the car and saying you have a dash cam. Nullifies any argument. For $40-$50 it is an inexpensive option.

I don't know how you were able to do that for $50?

A couple of people we've met were very high on the mobile eye devices that record everything while you're driving.   I can't really see the point of this, but, I'd sure like to hear what you folks think. 

Please share any information you have on this or if you did it and why? 

5 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Thanks to all of you for posting links to those articles. Actually two of them I had previously seen but had lost the links to. I especially like the one from RVCG as it addresses both types of towing. The other factor that can have a great impact on the handling when towing a small travel trailer is the issue of 1 axle or 2 axles. Because it costs less, the lower priced, short, lite weight travel trailers typically come with only 1 axle but handling is much improved for the same towing combination if the trailer has 2 axles because of the effect the trailer rocking has on the tow vehicle. The second axle lessens that effect. 

Kirk,  just curious, I've seen some trailers with two wheels one in front of the other on each side vs. dual wheels on one axle.... I don't know which is more secure? 

Could you please tell me about that?   Which can handle more weight? 

9 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Longer Is Safer

To a great degree, this is also true for the wheelbase of a vehicle that tows a trailer RV. While I have never seen a formula for determining the proper ratio between tow vehicle wheelbase and trailer length, there really should be one. I can assure you that even when towing a small travel trailer, the longer & heavier the tow vehicle is the less impact wind and road conditions have on the handling. 

Kirk, I would agree and found this for you; 

https://www.transwest.com/kansas-city/7-features-you-should-look-for-when-shopping-for-a-towing-vehicle

When I originally posted this article on wheelbase, I was primarily speaking of RVs of any size.  The article gives people a calculation to determine their ratio.   RVs with a relatively short wheelbase for their overall length are difficult and fatiguing to drive requiring a lot of steering corrections....

In general, I think it's more risky to tow a vehicle such as a trailer than just driving a single vehicle...