amarie1

Suggestions for an outdoor, battery-operated camera I can stick on my RV? It's parked in an outside storage lot and I'd like to be able to check on it. No electric hookups. And of course I'd use it while traveling too; that is, while at a campsite. At home I have Nest cams which are great ... would love to find something similar.

Thank you all! Good to know. 

Any Chevy-powered motorhome owners out there? I'm buying a 2018 Class C, 25', passed the certified inspection. It has a Chevy 4500 6.0 Liter engine instead of the Ford e450 I'm selling (30' class C). Curious about pluses/minuses for Chevy engines in RVs in regards to reliability, power, gas mileage, engine noise, ease of maintenance and repairs. I know Ford engines have much more market share among class Cs than Chevy's so I'm wondering. Also: does it have a Tow/Haul mode? I relied on that w/my 30' when dealing with steep inclines/declines. Thanks!

Very smart!

Enjoy The Journey guy just interviewed a couple using Starlink in their 5th wheel. Very very interesting : 

Thanks all! Interesting. 

I'll be putting Bessie (my 29FE) on the market in a week or two. I've never sold something so expensive. I talked to a guy at PoPRVs who brokers sales and he said they charge $2500 or 10%, whichever is greater. 

That's a lot of money! Hrm.

AM

Anyone ever use Lemonsquad.com inspection service to get an RV inspected before purchase? Opinions? I'm getting quoted $750 plus travel (Cincinnati)  by independents ... I know you get what you pay for, but still. Just looking for alternatives.

yeah I'm looking at that. Interesting. But I would like a slide if at all possible. Hrm. 

I have a 2017 Thor 29FE I bought last year (my first rv) that runs great but is too large for just me; 1/2 of the floorplan is devoted to a queen walkaround bed and a huge wardrobe which I don't really need. 

I'm looking for Class C's that have this floorplan: Twin beds in the back (normally used to make one king bed but I'd use one as a couch) and up front, a couch with table or a u-shaped dinette. I hate the booth setup. 

Anyone know of a model that fits that bill? shorter than the 30' of my Thor?

thanks!
 

I've done two major trips with my first RV, a 30-foot Thor 29FE. It runs great but it has taught me a bit more about what I really want/need. My major issue with the floorplan is that there's so much wasted space in back with the walk-around Queen bed and wardrobe and closets. (It's just me and a doggo.) Ideally I'd have a sunny facing-twin bed floorplan that I could use as a living room too, or a one with a corner bed with windows that I could throw a bolster on and lounge there as desired.

So now I'm looking for a "new" Class C ... 2015-2020 year models. (price range $50-$75K)

For the corner bed and a rear bathroom floorplan, I want a big U- or J-shaped dinette. I'd prefer one with a slide by the living area. Length 24-28. Any model suggestions? 

I've noted down these:
Forest River Sunseeker 2350 SLE or 2150 SLE https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/class-c-motorhomes/sunseeker-le/2350SLE/4413
Winnebago Itasca Spirit (though I don't think their current models have a corner bed)

For the rear twin-bed floorplan, I've only found a Class A that fits that bill, and I'm not sure if I'd like all that sun glaring down at me while I'm driving 😉

Thor Vegas 24.1 https://www.thormotorcoach.com/vegas/floor-plans/241/

Thanks for any help!

AM

This video done by someone who arrive with his family that morning shows what it was like "on the ground" ... 

Well I'm happy. Thank you for all the suggestions. I wasn't able to get a res near Teton or Yellowstone or even Hot Springs, though I'm sure I could've found some BLM for boondocking. My mind is just not there yet ... what with my trouble with the batteries (diff thread) and no solar.

So now I'm taking i-80 east to Cheyenne, then heading north to Angustora State Recreation area (just south of Hot Springs SD) and then east to Lewis and Clark Recreation area (other side of the state) for a few days. That's my longest drive, 6.5 hours, but I can rest up once I'm there. I just need one more overnight place in mid-Iowa on highway 20, then on to last stop in Rockford, and from there to Chicago. 

Ah ... great advice. I'll investigate. Thank you Twotoes!

They are new batteries ... two of them, AGM 31DT, installed serially in April by my RV tech. Apparently they drained almost totally (voltmeter read 2.9) because, I'm guessing, when I parked it in the storage lot here, I left the water pump on. (I saw the light turn on when I started up the generator a while later when visiting it.) If that was the case then the pump was turned on for anywhere from 5 days to 15 days. 

Thanks! I may do that. I did spend a couple days at Yellowstone (not in an RV) about 4 years ago and would love to see it again. We stayed near the north/northwest sections.

Thanks all! Great suggestions. I’ll look closely at a map and your suggestions. I did consider going up the west coast to Seattle then 90 East but that was when I thought I had 4 weeks to do the trip, now that it’s 2 weeks looking for something a little more direct. Kirk I like your idea of heading up to Yellowstone NP and then east. Are you suggesting I just drive through the park (since I doubt there are any campgrounds avail) … can you do that?

After the 4th, I'm heading home from Oakland CA to Chicago but want to go a more northerly route than I-80 all the way (how I went home last trip out here). I have 2 weeks for the trip, no reservations anywhere. Here's my first stab at a route. South Dakota to Chicago is fine, it's northern CA to South Dakota I'd like some suggestions for. 30 foot Class C, me and my dog. I prefer state parks and scenic/cheap RV campgrounds, occasional KOAs. I guess a boondocking night or two is not out of the question. Not a fan of scary mountain switchbacks. Any help?

update: I took the RV to a local state park campground for one night, and the batteries charged up (learned that part of the multimeter!). I got back, parked it in the empty lot I'm using, put it in Store and enabled the kill switch to cut off the power. A couple days later I went back and put it in Use and disabled the kill switch, and the batteries were still at 12.9, interior lights came on. So that's good.

Tell me this: If the Use/Store switch is set to Use, and the Kill switch is disabled, how long should the batteries last (stay a full or almost-full charge) assuming nothing is turned on except for the "phantom draws" from the carbon monoxide detector and such?

thank you, great visual! That helps.  In my field (software) we'd say "the kill switch is enabled/disabled" 😉

AM

yes it's the double negative thing happening. 😉

when you say "the kill switch is closed" do you mean that it's on (killing the connection to the battery) or that it's off?

The kill switch is a dial type that should be easily turned and it's not budging. So I'm going to investigate that first.

I honestly can't remember if during my last trip I ever turned on the lights without the engine or generator running or being connected to shore power. I must have, but it is possible I never did.

okay thanks! No, the generator will not start unless the chassis (the engine) is running. Hrm. 

My mechanic did put a kill switch on the battery but I've not used it. I tried turning it yesterday, thinking maybe somehow I've left the kill switch turned on this whole trip and never noticed (since I was always on shore power when stopping), but I can't budge the switch. It's a green dial but it's half under the left side of the stair step (that holds the batteries) and the half that's poking out, I can't budge either way. Hrm.  

I'll go out there again with a pliers or similar to get a good grip and try turning it, or bend the metal up from the stair step, it could be jamming it.

AM

thank you all for your help. I did drive up from Winslow that morning and when I arrived there was barely a line ... it was 9a.m. Plenty of parking for my RV. I spent a couple hours walking the rim with the doggo and taking pix, then headed to Needles, arrived like at 4p. It worked out perfectly. And was definitely worth it!

Need some guidance. My 29FE is parked in a friendly neighbor's lot while I'm visiting family in Oakland CA. I went to show my grandson it and while I was there noticed that the coach batteries weren't working. If the engine is running and/or the generator is running, all is good. I turn on inside lights. The control panel reads that the battery level is full (four red lights). When I turn off the engine or the generator, so that it's totally quiet, all the lights blink off. Even the control panel.

The coach batteries are new (installed in Chicago in April, two deep-cycle batteries) and worked fine during the trip cross-country. It's only been parked about a month. I made sure to turn it on to "Use" (not "Storage") when testing it. I have a multimeter but don't know how to use it. 😉 I could learn on YouTube of course.

I guess I want to find out if the batteries are dead ... I have to drive it or find a RV park with electric to charge it up? Or if there's a circuit thrown somewhere. I did turn a few of the circuit breakers on and off, none of them looked like they were flipped ... any help? Trying to avoid driving to an RV repair place; they're all booked up for weeks. No mobile techs available, from the phone calls I've made. Thanks for any advice.

thanks everyone! I've been doing a lot of research on the Grand Canyon site and my plan is to leave Winslow (where I am right now) early in the a.m. so I arrive at the South gate (the one that's open) by 9am latest; hoping to be able to park in a lot over there. I'll take the doggo and my backpack and walk around for awhile. I agree it's a must-see.

I have to be in Needles for family/business reasons is all. I will be coming back to the Grand Canyon for a longer real stay, with reservations. 😉

AM