REALLYRURAL

Nice advice. Thank you so much. I have taken a different course though. My daily morning walk involves a large circle that amounts to about three miles. The course takes me through Lowes (three times around equals a mile) and Walmart (which is literally in my backyard). I immediately noticed the difference in Walmart when not only the toilet paper aisle was depleted but every range of basic staple was gone every day. The Emergency orders had started schools closed ,everyone was sheltering in place, and my contracting/ project management was in the weeds once again. Walmart announced that it (or is it they) were reducing their hiring process from a two week thing to a 24 hour process. So, since on my daily walks I realized that Walmart was in the weeds also. I went online and applied on Friday. I started Sunday night at 10 pm. That was four weeks ago. I now work there from 10 pm to 7am five days a week. It is not a bad job or hours for myself if enough time is spent at rest. With plenty of sleep the job is a breeze. If sleep deprived it would be hell. So by taking a Walmart job I have placed myself in a position where the brunt of this can catch me at anytime. I am doing my best to keep the store stocked for everyone to have the things needed. A month into this I am healthy and was able to pay a few bills. I will discuss more later. Hope everyone is well.

Nothing like two people living with a 100 pound something that needs constant control and pick up after it. In a toyhome that is what like a 120 square feet of space. That is a nice link Derek. Thanks It gave me a chance to figure out how to contribute more to this forum and take the time to learn how to post some pictures maybe a video of my toyhome travels without needing a reason other than I enjoy my cat and toyhome. So I am Uploading a bunch of pictures and a video to just to see how It works. I am featuring my Kat Ziggy The Traveling Kitty.. She is comfortable everywhere we travel . The first pic is in Goodard Park in East Greenwich RI. Second is a Quonset Point Ri upon our return. 20171016_155626.mp4

You can jack the roof up very easily to get the doors to open. Just use a some two by fours and a floor jack between the drivers seat and passengers.. Then support the thing with the right height two by fours . Or even less scanting lumber. 1by 1 or 1by 2. Your rig can be saved by you..

Congrats on Your new Toyhome. Oil is important. Just change it once in awhile. Keep it topped off and check it on a regular basis for something "irregular'.. Then drive your Toyhome into the ground. Adjust the valves (I leave them so they clatter a bit at idle ) . My 1988 Rig just got 13 mpg over the last 1500 miles driven. The average weight was 6500 pounds. 300 mile trip got 15 mpg over the last two trips running route one downeast Maine.. Just change the oil/basic maintenance and drop the pedal to the floor. If something unusual happens then this is the place to figure it out . Welcome.. Drive the wheels off that new Toyhome and be safe...

So I deleted ADBLOCK and the next time I logged in here odd ads show up everywhere. Question is: Do these ads benefit this site in any way????

So the Lobster Festival Weekend is here. If anyone is in the area and wants to spend a day or two. Please see Kevin or Greg at the marina office on the pier. They will set you up with a site in the upper parking lot. 35 per night. Saturday night is the annual Lobster Bake for the marina and everyone on this site is invited. It is a Potluck (bring a side or dessert if possible) with a bargain price to cover the costs of Lobsters and clams. This is a fun event that is full of people who love to travel and share their travels. So everyone should fit right in. I have been traveling to Calais Maine from Rockland every other weekend to help an Elderly friend (boy do I hate driving five hours and still be in the STATE O MAINE). In my long travel Downeast I have seen 1 or 2 toyhomes each trip and happily flashed my headlights and waved. Sometimes this is returned as ToyPeople are sometimes surprised to see another one and just gawk. That was my response for a long time upon encountering another Toyhome. If you want to stay in the Walmart parking lot and attend the Marina Party then you are my invited guest. If your off having a good time traveling this great STATE O MAINE then please do your thing. If your coming give a heads up (P MAIL?) I will offer to host this next summer. Happy Motoring Dale

I battled the wild temperature gauge for a number of years. Replaced everything even installed a brand new ebay cylinder head... Had several defective radiators confuse the issue. I blew a head gasket when the temperature was twenty degrees. Pulled the head it was still flat so I installed a new gasket. I put the thermostat in water on the stove and it would not open. Defective.... I put the last three thermostats on the stove and they were marginal at best. So I purchased a new thermostat and drilled three 1/8 inch holes in it before installing. In the last ten thousand miles I have not had any problems with overheating. When it is really cold there is a problem with lack of heat. My thoughts on this is that our rigs are grossly overloaded before we even load the first thing in them that when we get some miles on them the thermostat is constantly cycling beyond its design standards.. My conclusion is that the thermostats available cannot withstand the stress put on them. Since I have put 10k on my rig since installing a thermostat I have never seen the temp gauge go to a place that caused concern. The temp gauge sits in different spots in different temp zones but no wild swings. If I installed another thermostat I would try just two 1/8 inch holes or three 1/16 holes just to provide more cab heat in lower climates. I spent years trolling this forum trying to solve this problem and tried every thermostat available... The only thing that has made any long term was drilling the holes in it. Your experience may vary..

Lonerock I am so sad this is happening to you. I have encountered several bad towing situations myself with my 1988 toyhome.... Call the insurance for a tow and be left beside the road as a toyhome has dual wheels and the towing companies want more money for towing our rigs... Long story short I have State Farm Full Coverage Policy for less than 500 per year. The stated value of my rig is 10k (including contents)... My agent told me to pay out of pocket and She would write me a check... So going through tripple a my insurance and having five towing companies look at my toyhome and speaking personally with the assholes who where driving the trucks. I called several professional tow companies and spent 700 dollars in towing fees that day...\ When I got home and presented the bills to my State Farm agent... I received a check for every penny I spent....

So to bring everyone up to date... I HAD ONE HELL OF A ROAD TRIP WITH MY 1988 TOY-HOME AND JUST HAD TO MINOR MAINTENANCE ALONG THE WAY.... 8 Thousand mile trip and the only breakdown has been loosing a fuel pump in my driveway at my home base. I had run the fuel down to zero twice before the pump failed. Pumps need fuel to cool them..

I have done this repair in my 1988 Toy-home seven years ago. My best advice is rebuild from the inside out. Then you have a base to rebuild the roof. I am currently rebuilding a 1991 toy home that had a pine tree drop on it. Lets talk about rebuilding the over cab the move on... Just take everything you can get out with a shop vac then clean with a solvent...

We have an upper parking lot to use at anytime... Just go to the Landings Marina and speak to Kevin Taylor. He is a most gracious host and a friend to the traveling community.. Any RV is welcome at anytime. If you need some pics Google earth will give you anything you need to see. I am working on making about a dozen RV sites that are on a private beach here. I am planning a bonfire for Saturday night and there are plenty of bars in crawling distance. So this get together should be friendly to all groups. A huge event next door and the City has the welcome mat laid out. It should be a really huge bonfire... The Marina has two really nice boats available to me so I can give "Free Harbor Tours" One boat is fast the other is slow. I have a beloved Cape Dory Typhoon named DESIDaRTA https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiF4pHTy4PjAhWOTt8KHRElAY4QFjAAegQIAhAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmwkworks.com%2Fdesiderata.html&usg=AOvVaw3FPJz4IMbwOSOBqEbGCxD_ On the vhf radio I call her" sloop 122" as that is easy to relate and needs no explanation. I may launch her this summer. I might be wrong but I think Candi en money might be at Par for this weekend.

So I came home on April 29th to find that leaving the heat and water on was a huge mistake. 379,784.00 gallons had run through the meter. Got it under control now and no condolences are necessary. It has been an unusual experience just focusing on myself and the repair of the damage to my situation.... I make my living taking care of other peoples projects. Enough about me.... Lets talk about the Members here whether one owns a Toyhome or not (all are welcome) and how we can get together and enjoy the Coast Of Maine this summer. The Landings Marina throws a party for the Lobster Festival that starts July 31 this year. I am willing to be the Host for a Toy/Members rally that weekend.. The infrastructure is already existing ; bathrooms, showers, laundry, and working on a dumpstation. We have a lobsterbake at the Marina on Saturday night and the more is always the merrier so a big fun get together is assured there. If we have a nice turnout I can build a bonfire on the beach.... Hell if anyone shows up I will build a bonfire on the beach. I have been seeing Toyhomes all over the state hope to see you and yours here. Any questions or concerns?

Dan I cannot imagine what your going thru at this time. I have experienced many losses and they were mine and mine alone. I do know loss and my heart goes out to you and yours. You have not said why you want to part with your Toyhome? The cassidas look like nice rigs but I have never seen one that compares to a Toyhome. Thank you so much for your participation in this forum. I believe i have read everything you have ever posted.

My cat Ziggy (aka Kalamazoo) and I threw everything we could lay our hands into the toyhome and left Maine on the 16th. Drove to Peabody Mass the first day and spent the evening with my son Jim. Took him to our favorite Chinese Restaurant SuChangs in Peabody. Really amazing food and service. Went to bed at nine and hit the road at 2am on the 17th. Stopped at Hollywood Casino in Maryland and played some Texas Holdem. Had some luck. Then drove to Dale City just below DC and stopped in the rest area there. This is a great place to stop as Dale City rest areas are patrolled by the State Police and is RV friendly. I stage my pass through DC around these rest areas. I would rather hang in a rest area than sit in the gridlock that exists there. Stopped a Kenlys in NC and purchased a silicone seat cushion that has made my hips really happy. Stayed in Waterboro NC at a Walmart that night. I spoke with the Store Manager. She was very pleasant, helpful, and allows anyone to stay. It was a crowded parking lot. I did look at the crime rate for the area and it appears to be at 167 percent above normal. Everything you need is around there though autoparts, clothes, food and fuel. Went to Jacksonville Florida the next day. Played Texas Holdem at a really nice poker room there and donated the luck I had in Maryland. Stayed the night at a Walmart on Beach Road in Jacksonville. I was beat. I went in and spoke with a Manager.... She was pleasant and welcoming but concerned about when I would be leaving in the morning. I explained that I just needed some rest and a restock of my food in the morning and I would be on my way. She said that would be fine... But security gets nervous when anyone stays beyond 10 a.m. I left around 9 a. m. and was really amazed that I could have stayed at any Walmart in the area. Stayed one night at Gamble Rogers in Flagler Beach (one of my favorite parks) but the place is booked solid and the only hope of staying there is to catch a cancellation as I did. I could not get another night so I had to leave Ziggy behind as she did not want to leave.I went back and picked her up two days later. She did not want to leave and gave me the cold shoulder. I stayed three nights at a campground(110 dollars) beside the Saint Johns River on route 40 and tonight We are staying at the Lake Dorr campground in the Ocala National Forest for at least three nights at 12 bucks per night. I will be buying the America the Beautiful pass tomorrow as it would only be 2 dollars per night. (hint when in Florida do not leave the screen door or anything open at anytime. What an interesting collection of flying bugs I am killing tonight.) PERFORMANCE AND FUEL MILEAGE? Before leaving Rockland I always run the Toyhome over the scales at the dump. This years weigh in was 5600 pounds with me the cat and a 200 pound motorcycle. in previous years it weighed 6200 (12 to 15 mpg) then 7800 the next year (10 to 12 mpg). This trip at 1700 miles into it I have ranged from 9 mpg to 15mpg and currently averaging 13 on the Flat roads of Florida. The 9mpg was the one tank of gas that I ran through the carolinas with the overdrive off and the cruise control set at 70mph. I stuck with it for a full tank of fuel. The cruise stayed very nicely at 70 but I could actually observe the fuel gauge move in a distressing way. The next tank of fuel with the cruise set to around 62 it got 15 mpg (I was so disappointed with the 9mpg that I just set it and did not hit the throttle at all and we were now in two lane highway so I just stayed in the right hand lane)... I knew it could do better. Time for bed more to come. If your not happy now. You are missing one hell of an opportunity.

"What battery should I choose? Any suggestions? It needs to fit into the current battery location, which is a standard size battery under the hood. " The Starting battery "under the hood" is really sized to just run the truck. Not enough amp hours to run any rv furnace for long and you may find yourself stranded with a dead battery. Every Toyhome I have seen has a house battery or two. When you plug the shore-cord in the charger tops off the house battery. If you do not have a house battery then adding an rv battery or two six volts for the house will provide extra power. It will still be questionable if you can get enough amp hours to run the ;furnace for any period of time without either shore power or a generator. Maybe your real question is how to heat a ToyHome? Even better how to survive heating a ToyHome? A good circuit tester should be on the shopping list. (this is a decent one) https://www.amazon.com/Gardner-Bender-GFI-3501-Receptacle-Extension/dp/B00170KUPC/ref=asc_df_B00170KUPC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309819400004&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=397671077230100967&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002847&hvtargid=pla-437068953998&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=60510211606&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=309819400004&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=397671077230100967&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9002847&hvtargid=pla-437068953998 After plugging in the shore cord look at the tester to see if things are wire right. On any RV I always touch them with the back of my hand before proceeding further. If you feel a tingle that is stray current that needs to be addressed before going further. Congratulations on your purchase, You are going to have to look it over with a fine tooth comb, then have many years of adventure to come. Hope to meet you on the road in the future.

Moving on.... The owner marina also owns other properties that are available to myself (local quick lube) that can be used to look over on our rigs on off hours. So.. Lets get together and have some fun this summer.

Maineah.... You are welcome to participate anyway you please..... "If I put a Toyota sticker on the back of my camper would that be OK? I do tow it with a Toyota truck! Southwest mountains of Maine I love the mid coast great place for a toy in no lack of things to do and see. " You are welcome to do you...

If your spending 5k the rig should be in the higher functional range and everything should work and be road worthy. Things that should work: Fridge 3way Furnace Water pumpTh Stove/Oven Propane Tank (how does it look? Rusty able to be filled?} Tires? (how old are they?} should be fairly new. A new set of tires could be a thousand bucks. Batteries? ( how old?) Check to see if everything functions but if something does not function it is not the end of the world. If the three way fridge does not function properly 5k might not be the price point. These rigs always leak around the front windows and water collects in the overhead sleeping area and rots the wood framing and plywood in the cab over sleeping area. This rots out the flimsy materials used. So look for water damage every where . How does it Smell? (mouse,rot,,mold)? If you really want a fun way to move around on this planet. Then get a Toyhome... It is a motorhome that can park most anywhere and handles like aT sports-car... Take it for a long drive. If your not having fun in the first few miles this rig may not be for you.

So I met with the owner of the Landings Marina and explained what a Toy In is. He regrets passing on the purchase of a very nice ToyHome several years ago and enjoys hosting RVs anytime. Two weekends out of the summer when big events are happening in Rockland and the marina property is not used for camping are: The Boats Homes and Harbor Show August 9 -11 2019 this is a fun show. https://maineboats.com/boatshow The other is the Lobster Festival.. July 31st Thru August 4th. The Marina has its own party on the Saturday evening with a huge discounted lobster feed. All are welcome to attend http://www.mainelobsterfestival.com/ The Owlshead Transportation Museum has many events during the Summer and our rigs are old enough to get in free to any event. It might even be possible to dry camp on their property during any event. I highly recommend checking out any event here. The people who make this happen are amazing and for the most part dedicated volunteers. The Truck and Tractor Show is one of my favorites . I took my 1988 F-Superduty ramp truck to the show 2018. They also have a great Motorcycle show and if I am around I display a few of my Yamahas there. Any visit to OHT Is worth every moment. Many people who come from far away park there RVs and stay for the weekend. I will look into that. If we have ten or more to display the museum would give us our own show..... http://owlshead.org/events/detail/truck The Landings charges 30 to 40 per night. No hookups. You can water up and I am working on modifying a manhole to provide a free dump station. The City Of Rockland has a dump station but charges 25 bucks to dump. I am going to look into that as dumping used to be free. Walmart and Tractor Supply in Thomaston are actually in my back yard. I treat Walmart as my pantry and keep a lot less food in the house since it oppened[ six? years ago). There are many fun things to do here in Midcoast Maine and I look forward to seeing as many members as can show. If we can get enough rigs together maybe we can do some tech forums and each speak on our own expertise. I thank Everyone who has contributed to this forum You have all been a huge help and Inspiration. RR

I had my engine overheat a year ago on 95 in mass. Minus twenty on December 21 3 am in the morning. I had been fighting weird swings in temperature since I have owned the rig. Installed many new radiators/ defective changed everything that can be changed. New head from ebay (220 bucks what a bargain). I have been fighting the temp swing for six years. Anyway I overheated my engine beyond anything I would expect it to survive. It was blowing coolant out of the exhaust. Pour and coolant in it flows out of the exhaust. I was planning on installing a new engine so I did not mind blowing it up and maybe finishing it off. I had it towed to a friends yard and started looking for a new engine. A buddy challenged me to pull the head and see what went wrong. Always up for a challenge I pulled the head and threw a straight edge on it. Then took it to my friends shop and laid it on the surface plate. It was as close to flat as they come. So I took a look a the cylinders and they looked fine. So I called an Oriellys in Salem Mass and fortunately the guy who answered the phone was a Toyota Guru. He asked for my VIN number and for 90 bucks had everything I needed to put the head back on. A real parts guy can get you anything you need with your VIN So I went looking for why it overheated , Turns out the thermostat had stopped functioning . I had six thermostats that have been in the engine. Five out of six were dead when for the first time I put them in a pan of water on the stove. The last thermostat was from Toyota. All these thermostats worked fine when I installed them and I did not believe they were faulty when I replaced them.Just replaced them as I was in there and part of the process. After putting them in a pan of water on a stove and messing around with temperatures I was astounded to find that 5 out of 6 were non working. My conclusion is that some ToyHome owners (such as Myself) have maxed out our rigs so far that the tiny spring in the thermostat cannot stand the cycling that a 4 banger does when we travel. My solution was to drill three 1/8 holes in the thermostat. That did the trick. It takes alot of miles to get up to temperature but once up to temp It stays there and does not need to cylce .... 3 thousand miles into this.

Hi Everyone I have been trolling the forum for 6 plus years have restored one toyhome several times and am c iurrently restoring my second toyhome. Leaving Maine around the last week in January 2019. Returning when the weather is better.... So I have a long term involvement with the Landings Marina in Rockland Maine. Over several weekends in the summer the Landings hosts 50 plus camping rigs for two or three days at a time. The Bluesfest is the big weekend and not on the table. What is on the table for the Landings Marina is any weekend but the Bluesfest in Rockland Maine. https://maineboats.com/boatshow August for the boatshow would be a great time to organize a gathering of ToyHomes as nothing is scheduled for the parking lot. No hookups will be available but bathrooms, showers and laundry are. If we can establish a mass showing of Toyhomes I can guaranty a great time on the water in Maine. If Toyhomes just need a place to hang by the water in 2019 this is the place. Build your own fire on the beach. Thoughs?????

I replaced the fuel pump on my 1988 Itasca from the inside. It was a very easy thing for me to accomplish as I have a very high skill set and lug around a huge amount of tools. Calculating the position of the position of the pump was a trial and error thing. I used a skill saw to take up the floor and used plastic wood and screws to put the floor back together. I will post the pictures of my project later. If you need to get to towed doing to a failed fuel pump far from home have them tow you to the nearest Napa, Home Depot, Walmart, or any National auto parts store, The position of the pump in my 1988 was very easy to access I got a new pump from Napa. ( I stealth camp at Napa Frequently) . Other than a saw of some sort and a drill to drive screws replacing the fuel pump from the top is something that anyone who reads this forum can accomplish while traveling and not break the bank. Your fuel pump will eventually pass on. Most likely after filling your empty tank with fuel that comes from an underground tank (55 degrees) and your pump is heated up from not having the cooling effects of the fuel for the last quarter of the tank. The pump fails. You may be able to move on by banging the fuel tank with a hammer and have the pump get you to a safe space. If your pump has failed my best advice would be to get your rig towed to Home Depot (every tool needed is there) and call Napa to deliver you a new pump... If you take care and put the tools back in the packaging then they can be returned..... I have full coverage thru State Farm and If I pay up front my Agent writes me checks for the full amount of towing expenses.