Bob C

My uncle had one of those one wheeled trailers back in the 60's. He had a hard time keeping a tire on that trailer. The tire would sometimes shake and tear the tread up. I hope that they have figured out a stabilizer for the wheel pivot.

You are correct about my Norcold. It is a 120 with auto switching to the battery when I disconnect the 120. I really like the unit. It came out of a sailboat that was scraped and I picked it up really cheap. I would prefer a 3 way but can't find one at a good price.

My RV had a dorm refrigerator when we bought it. The previous owner always camped with 120 volt power available I tried running it with a 1500 watt inverter. The frig would not even start. I pulled that frig and got my 12 volt unit that I love. We almost never camp with available power. We own a primitive site that we usually camp at and the closest power lines are 2 miles away. If we are camping there for more than 3 days, I use a cooler and ice. While traveling, the 12 volt works great.

I have flagged four 1993 Toyota Winnebagos this week alone on Craigslist here in Wisconsin They even all use the same photo, price, and ad information.

If you live in a really cold area, I was told that a tranny cooler with a thermostat was a good idea. I don't know about that because I only use my RV in the summer. I do know that in hot areas, bigger is better. When you install it, make sure that you have the fluid going through the radiator first and then the extra tranny cooler before going back to the transmission.

Last week it was listed in Milwaukee. I flagged it then

I had an old Honeywell mercury bulb thermostat in the garage. The thermostat has a dial that you turn to change the temp. If you turn it all the way counter-clockwise until just before it turns off, it will cycle just above 40 degrees. I pulled the cover ring off to look at the contacts to get it as close as possible to the turn off point. The thermostat has printed temps down to 50 degrees but I turned it beyond that to get the lower temp. The lowest temp in my RV is 55 degrees if my memory is correct. It is in storage so I can't look.

My wife and I camped in the Big Horn, Yellowstone NP, Glacier NP and other high elevation spots during early June last summer. We frequently had below freezing temps and got to 10 degrees on 2 nights. We ran the cab heat while driving and turned on the furnace when we pulled into our camp site. The thermostat was set for 60 degrees and the furnace ran some. When we went to bed, we turned the furnace off because we did not need it to stay comfortable in the upper bunk with a couple of blankets and a quilt. Our kids were with us camping in a pop-up camper and stayed very comfortable with GOOD QUALITY sleeping bags. I cooked supper and breakfast in the RV while they set up their pop-up and we ate inside the RV. We spent the evening around a camp fire. The kids ran the furnace in the pop-up for about 15 minutes before going to bed to warm up the inside and when I woke them up in the they would run it for 15 minutes to warm up to get dressed. On the 10 degree nights, they set the thermostat at 40 degrees and the furnace ran some but they stayed very comfy. Since we camped with tents when we were younger, the pop-up and RV seem like 5 star hotels. You will be as comfortable as you think you are.

Why all electric? LP appliances are very safe, use very little lp, and are already (probably) in the RV. Some people worry about the safety of the lp furnaces but I have an lp furnace in my house and I don't worry about it at all. I have an CO detector in the RV and also a propane detector. I also have those in my house.

If you don't have a volt meter, go and buy a good one before you go any further. You can pick up a usable one for under $25. I would get a digital unit that turned itself off if it does not get used for a while, it save batteries. Start at the beginning: 1. Do you have power to the RV? Sounds stupid, but I always check incoming power before wasting time going any further. My converter plugs into a 120 v outlet inside the cabinet where it is mounted. Check the voltage there. 2. Are the fuses on the converter good. My converter has 2 fuses on the side of it that protect the converter from power surges from your shore power. It also has 2 fuses for the output to the RV. Check them all with a continuity tester to make sure that they actually are good. I have seen fuses that look good but do not test good. 3. Check the converter for power output. Use your volt meter to make sure that the converter is actually putting out power. 4. My battery has fuses mounted right next to the battery box. These fuses are there to protect the battery and the entire RV in case of a short circuit. If you have a short circuit in an unfused wire, you can end up loosing the RV due to an electrical fire. Some photos of you converter, battery, fuses, any distribution panel would be very helpful. We will talk you through your problems but we need more information. Bob

I converted mine to 134a. I tried to replace the accumulator tank but mine had a different thread than anything I could find so the old one went back into the system. For my conversion, I started with a rinsing agent to remove all of the old oil, removed the accumulator tank and rinsed it, used my air compressor to remove the rinsing agent, installed the proper quick connects, added an oil blend that is made for converted systems, had a friend with an a/c vacuum pump draw the system down as much as possible, and recharged the system with 134a. We tested the a/c on a 100 mile trip but have never used it since. I think my total price including the gauge/hoses was about $60 and took about 3 hours. Most of that time was sitting in the back yard enjoying adult beverages and listening to the vacuum pump run.

" but many say not to bother using it since the fumes can be deadly." Every time we use fuel there is a possibility for dangerous fumes. If you make sure the exhaust vent is open, your furnace is no more dangerous than your house furnace. Install CO and propane detectors and don't worry about it. You put explosive fuel in the gas tank, have a furnace in your house, maybe cook with gas etc, do you live in fear of an dangerous fumes with them. However, if you never use the furnace and don't worry about resale value, it may be a good idea. I use my furnace frequently and have never had a desire to use the A/C, but I live in Wisconsin and rarely use the A/C in my house. My furnace is also under a closet. I don't think that I have ever seen an air conditioner small enough to fit in the same spot.

I don't tilt my RV to the side, I raise the front wheels to give it a slight tilt to the rear. I don't think I want to put sideways pressure on the sidewalls. Nothing scientific about it, it just does not feel right to me.

We use our oven frequently. We like take-n-bake bread, frozen pizzas, garlic bread, baked potatoes, etc. I would replace the oven if it quit working.

That is one nice looking RV shibs. I wish mine was that nice. I also park with the front end on pieces of 2 x 8 to give me a 3" lift. I have never had a leak problem but I think that if water doesn't sit up there, it is less likely to leak.

It is nice to see people that actually know what their mileage is and not repeating a fantasy number. My dad always kept track of his gas. It rubbed off on both of my brothers and I. We all record every gallon we put in the tank. When I got back from my last trip, the first question my dad had was: "Did you have any problems?" and the second question was: "What was your gas mileage?" One of our buddies was there and said that keeping track of every gallon of gas has got to be hereditary problem with our family.

I normally don't suffer from cabin fever but this year I want to go somewhere. We have had a very easy winter so far but I want spring to get here. My Goldwing and RV both keep telling me that they want to get out and roll. Only about 6-8 week until nice weather. Time to throw a movie in and snuggle with the wife. We have about 6" of fresh snow on the ground with another 2" before it quits. We are about 20" below normal for snow for the year. No complaints from me.

When traveling cross country I carry 2-2.5 gallon cans of fuel on the rear bumper. I do this just in case I can't make the next gas station. I want more gas in the tank at 200 miles. I recorded every gallon of fuel that I have put into the RV. On my last trip from Wisconsin out through SD, WY, ID. Mont, ND, MN back to WI and I got right around 13.5 mpg. I drive 55 mph most of the time. The valves are properly adjusted, new plugs, wires, & distributer cap before the trip. 1988 Escaper, 22Re, auto trans. I talked to 3 other TOY RV owners in Yellowstone and they were getting about the same mpg.

Don't forget to check spark plugs, wires, and distributer. I would also check the battery isolator, install heavier wires from isolator to rear battery, check coach ground, make sure that there are circuit breakers at both ends of the wire to the rear battery. I installed an inexpensive volt meter that reads the voltage to the rear battery. I had problems with my isolator and now I can keep track of the output of my alternator, is the isolator working ok and it gives me an idea of how much coach battery charge is used overnight.

I also carry my 12 volt compressor in the RV at all times. A had to add a truck chuck also because they are useless with the short chucks. I have topped off many tires for other people also. It sure does make friends quickly.

One of the first things I added to my RV was a good 6 ton hydraulic bottle jack. It lifts the RV with very little effort on the jack handle. i had a Toyota 1/2 ton pickup with the same jack that came with the RV and I imagine it requires a pretty good effort to crank up a 6000 pound vehicle. I carry my 18 volt impact driver and socket sets in case I have to change a tire while on the road. I have changed 4 tires for others while on the road with the RV and people are always very appreciative for the help. Before my lengthy summer trip in 2014 I also replaced all of my aged tires. Aged wine and cheese if good, not aged tires. I am glad that both of you got through your tire ordeals without much damage. I saw a camper trailer that blew a tire and really tore up the side of his camper one time. I also blew a 1 year old tire on my pop-up that did mild damage to the plastic wheel well of the pop-up. Luckily, it was repairable with some fiberglass and did not leak.

I took my microwave out to get the extra storage space and because we never camp with shore power. We own property where we frequently camp, the closest line power is 3 miles away. The only time I have a generator with me is if I am doing a building project and have a truck load of power tools along. Most of my cooking is done on a couple of Coleman stoves, the number of stoves is dependent on the number of people I am serving. It can be anywhere from 4 people to 35. When traveling, my wife and I usually cook with a Coleman while sitting at the picnic table. We rarely eat in the RV unless the weather is bad. We do frequently use the oven to made pizzas or take and bake bread.

I will not drive my RV over 60 mph because before I bought it, I tried a very fast stop to see what the brakes were like. The brakes worked great, but, it is still a 6000 pound, top heavy vehicle. Braking distances are long and evasive manuevers while braking will end up with a rollover if you are not very careful.

We seldom camp where there is electricity anyway so the A/c was just up there creating drag and adding weight. I have been camping without A/C for 60 years and didn't miss it. I have traveled through the desert on motorcycle and if I drink enough water it has not bothered me. That means drinking gallons of water every day. Compared to sleeping on the ground in a tent, the RV feels like a palace even without the A/C.

I have a 22Re (4 cylinder) engine in my '88 Escaper with automatic trans. It gets down the highway at 55 mph without problem. It has also gone up any road without problem. I have been over 11,000 ft a couple of times without incident. A 6 cyl may be able to handle slightly higher highway speeds but will use a little more gas. I will admit that the engine RPM's can be a little annoying at times because I never use overdrive. The engine just seems to be laboring too much at the lower RPM's. I also get lower miles per gallon in OD.