Bob C

I live in Wisconsin and I get my permanently mounted tank filled by Amerigas every year. They are picky about BBQ tanks but have never said anything about my Escaper. The long term employee always calls the new guys out to show them how to fill this type of tank with the overflow/vent.

Let us know how your shake down cruise goes when you bring it home. Don't let the little things that yo find wrong discourage you from enjoying you new Toyhouse. You will probably find a few things that need your attention. The great people on this site can help you with any repairs that you need.

I recently bought a vintage game just like you described. If you want the game to go fast, play it like bingo with any 5 in a row winning. Since the cards are arranged differently, everyone can slide the door shut for a called out item and very seldom do you get two bingos at the same time. We play many variations of games on those old cards. The grandkids are not going to miss their computers and games at all this summer.

I had those same wonderful vinyl seats in my 82 Toyota pickup, that is until I put terrycloth covers over them. They were terrible when the sun hit them. I also hated that my back side stuck to the vinyl seats when I got sweaty.

I would have had to order them from WalMart.com and add them shipped to the local WallyWorld. They were not interested in finding the age of the tire for me. I like keeping my money local if possible anyway.

The tires cost me $115 including mounting and balance. It was the best price I could negotiate in my area. The only other place that could get me the tires was WalMart but they would not even try to find out when the "new" tires were manufactured. WalMart would have been $95 each plus $15 balancing, mounted free. I spent the extra $5 to know that the tires were actually new and not a couple of years old sitting on the shelf. I also like to support the local independent dealer that also stocks my Stihl chainsaw parts and oil, and gives me above average discounts on that stuff due to the quantity that I buy.

I got new tires on my Escaper also. Hankook RA08. It does not drive any different because the old tires still had at least 75% of the tread. When I ordered the tires, I asked the woman that I talked to about the age of the tires that I would be getting. She said that she had only been asked that once before. She called the distributer who called his supplier and a day later I was told that they tires were made in November 2013. I ordered them and they arrived at the shop in 4 days. One of the shop guys said that I was wasting money removing the old tires because they were still good. The other tech informed him that the tires were aged out, not worn out and had to explain to him the difference. I wanted new tires for my trip this summer to eliminate one possible problem. It took half an hour to get out of the shop after they got done working because they kept asking questions about traveling in the Toyhouse and how did it drive in mountains and on the highway. They both kind of freaked out when I opened the hood and they say that 22RE sitting in there.

I gets really difficult when you add deep fried onion rings to the menu to add your daily supply of vegetables.

If you lived close to me I have an extra column and floor mounts that you could get. Unfortunately, it would cost more to ship than to buy new ones.

I lost my stock bumper going across Minnesota. It was not worth getting repaired. I was referred to a local welding shop and the guy fabricated and installed a very sturdy rear bumper. He also reinforced the rear of the frame while he was at it. I would have done the job myself but I was 300 miles from home. The total bill was under $200. I was very impressed with the work and the price.

I once had an Oldsmobile with a fully built 455 & 4 barrel carb. Going down the highway with a gentle foot I could get 21 mpg (like that happened very often. lol.) A lightly worked 350 may get better gas mileage than a maxed out 2.4 depending on your driving habits, I also had an all-wheel drive Chevy Astro, that frequently got 20 mpg on the highway. Your driving habits greatly affect the mileage.

I just checked the 3-T's web site and the system that I installed is called the T-9 system. It provides an additional 1800 pounds of lift per side. My MH weighs in at 5800 pounds with 1600 on the front and 3200 on the rear. The T-9 system made a huge difference in the ride. I no longer feel like I am riding in a buckboard. The rear axle would frequently bottom out on the smallest of bumps. I keep about 80 psi in the system. I gained about 4 inches of height at the axle/frame. I now have rear springs that smile, not frown. My springs are so tired that they were totally flat or even a little negative arc.

I drive a Toyota RV, ride a motorcycle, enjoy whitewater kayaking and rafting, ride bicycle, rock climb, and enjoy my life. I take the safety precautions that are possible. I wear a helmet while doing all of those activities except driving the RV, I always wear a seat belt, while on the water I always wear my personal floatation device. I choose to partake in these activities because I enjoy them. I know that there are dangers, but I accept the amount of danger I feel comfortable with. I do not go free climbing (without ropes) because I don't want to die or become disabled. I do not go kayaking on class 5 rapids because I know that I am not good enough to safely do it. I have been hit by cars while on my motorcycle but my helmet was destroyed, not my head. I drive my RV and give myself extra stopping distance, I go slow around corners, I keep my speed below 60 mph. I don't want to live in a padded room and breath filtered air. I want to LIVE my life. Some people want to be have the illusion of being safe all of the time. I laugh when people say that I participate in dangerous activities and then they live in Chicago (murder capital of the US) and drive around a city with people doing 75 mph less than 5 feet away. Many of those drivers are drunk.

Traveling with the kids is always a win for everyone. A year and a half ago, all 4 of our grown kids were sitting around the dinner table with my wife and I and were discussing our trips we took years ago. All 4 daughters had nothing but great memories of the trips and they even remembered that at times we all got one each others nerves. On June 14, two of those daughters, 2 grandkids, my beautiful wife and I are going on a 20 day trip from Baraboo, WI through the Badlands, Bighorn Mtns, Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon Nat Monument, Glacier NP, and back home. My wife always keeps detailed journals of our trips and the kids have read through them and planned our route. My wife and I will be traveling in our Toyhouse and the kids will be driving my wife's car pulling our pop-up camper. Reading about your trip has really got me thinking about this trip even more.

I would suggest installing a tachometer. When I am driving steep grades I drive the tach and don't worry about my speed. By that, I mean I keep my rpm's in the 3500 to 4500 rpm range in whatever gear is possible, As you found out, these engines don't like to be lugged, they like to spin. I have found that 2nd gear will hold a higher speed than 3rd gear on every "steep" hill. I was going up a long steep grade near Mt. Rushmore and found myself passing dump trucks and semi's with my little 22RE spinning along at about 4500 rpm's. I kept an eye on the temp gauge and it never went up at all.

If you can afford a new converter it is a good investment. I installed a Progresssive Dynamics Intelli-power 9245. It is a "smart converter" meaning that it should not ruin your coach battery even if you leave it plugged in all of the time. Your converter, if left on, can boil the coach battery dry. I think that I paid around $125. I do leave my RV plugged in most of the time when not in use. My converter is all automatic so there is no switching required.

Did you look under the coach to see if there is a spare tire is mounted under there with a cable mount? I have seen a couple made that way.

I would suggest separate outlets unless you install a system to disconnect your inverter when you plug into shore power. I may not be right about this but I am sure that one of the more educated people will answer you soon.

I agree with sdboltdude. Drive at 55 mph and you should get a little better gas mileage. I have an Escaper -4 cylinder with automatic and get about 15 mpg at that speed. If I kick it up to 65 mph I get 12 to 13. My RV weights in at about 5700 with full gas, empty water and waste tanks. I hope that the previous owner didn't promise that you would get 20 mpg. It seems to happen when people are selling their RV. Some of the smaller/lighter units may get that but not one as heavy as yours. I had my rear bumper rebuilt and reinforced and I use a rear carrier for very light loads (under 100 #'s.) The weight is hanging way behind the rear axle and what you put back there will really affect bumper height. I camped on motorcycle for years BC (before children) and having the RV is pure luxury. I have to constantly remind that beautiful woman that I share life with that we have a very limited carrying capacity.

I changed out the gate valve on my RV also. At first I was having a hard time getting the o-rings to stay in place but I grease the o-rings up with vasaline and they stayed in place until I got it together. It also made the valve nice and easy to slide.

If you want to use you RV like a giant hard sided tent, that is fine. My wife and I pretty much do that ourselves. I also like to have the option of cranking up the furnace, using the oven, or taking a hot shower. For this reason, I have asked many questions here and these fine people have talked me through many repairs. You can learn to repair everything in your RV if you want. You don't have to pay shop labor rates (about $60/hr). You just take it one step at a time.

I think that we can all be a little nicer to TooBigBoat. Yes, he has many questions, but, he is trying to learn. I think that maybe he got in over his head and got some bad advice from somewhere along the line. The reality is, these things don't get 20 mpg while driving at 65 mph. You said that driving slow was not an option, my suggestion is to get a small RV with a big engine, you will be happier but you will still get 10 mpg like your ToyHouse when it is floored all the time. These RV's are getting very old and need constant attention. You will learn how to do most of this stuff in time. Send me a private message and I will help you with what I can. Please don't get upset when someone tells you that running your engine for long periods is dangerous. Every year people die from this exact situation.

I have some crimp on connectors with a small screw hole that took my 8 gauge wire. The problem is that I can't remember where I bought them. I used them all for my electrical projects on my MH. I will look for them at a couple of possible source and repost if I find them.

My 12 volt (marine) refrigerator draws 3.1 amps. My wife and I don't set up at one spot for very long so we are driving frequently and get recharged every day. Still, I would install 3 way in a heart beat if I would find a cheap one.

Mountain Man - Do you happen to have an after-market fuel tank? Some of the after-market tanks extend above the driveshaft while the stock tank does not. Do you know what your fuel capacity is? I would love to have a 25 gallon tank to extend my range, I currently start looking very seriously for gas at 200 miles.