waiter Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 The mods we made before we left Ohio (New TV and radio) were very, very nice. we also ran the WAVE 3 heater at nights to conserve propane. The TV works great, when we settle in for the night, just do a channel search and it finds analog and HDTV signals automatically. A lot nicer than the analog TV with the converter box. We used our external Propane tank at nights to conserve the internal bottle. We carry a standard BBQ tank and use it at nights or when stopped for any length of time. I set the BBQ tank outside beside the propane compartment, unplug the horizontal tank, and connect it to the BBQ tank. The BBQ tanks are easy to fill / exchange. We departed Northern Ohio, traveled down south through Cincinatti, and spent the first night just north of Nashville, at a WalMart in Franklin KY. Walmarts are normally good places to stay, but probably not on the busiest shopping days of the year. Traffic in and out was very busy most of the night, and I being a light sleeper, this wasn't conducive to quality rest. The next day we picked up I-40 and started west bound, Night two was much better - we spent the night at the Cherokee Casino in Oklahoma, just west of Ft Smith AR. We checked with Security when we pulled in the lot, they took us to a nice quite place in their back lot and said they'd keep an extra eye on us. Very quite all night. Day three was a little more interesting, Across Oklahoma and into Texas. When we got to Amarillo, we found out I-40 was closed at the New Mexico border, snow, snow, and blowing snow. A little checking and we decided to head fortaher south using US-70. We were hoping to get as far as Alamogordo, but fell far short of that. Things were very smooth until we got to Clovis New Mexico where it started snowing. We continued west. The 90 miles between Clovis and Roswell took just over 3 hours, Most of the travel was done at 20 mph with occasional speeds rivaling that of a turtle with the only reference was tire tracks of a vehicle that was going the same way 10 minutes ahead of us. Snow was hard and blowing when we finally reached Roswell. We spent the night at a Sams Club parking lot, Very quite that night, with about 6 inches of blowing snow. The following morning was with light snow with road closures all across New Mexico. We finially left Roswell about 10am heading toward Ruidoso. The roads were in the process of being cleared, but it was still blowing snow almost as fast as the plows could clear it. About half way to Ruidoso, we were stopped as US 70 was closed just in front of us. Several 18 wheeler trucks had got stuck going up a mountain pass.After spending an hour for the pass to be cleared and the trucks helped up the mountain, we were on our way again. The remainder of the trip to Phoenix was uneventful. A couple notes: 1) Hankook truck tires really suck in snow. The Toyhouse was like a sled when any ice or snow was on the road. Drive accordingly (I carry tire chains) 2) Holding Tanks - The inside fresh water tank is OK as long as the heaters are running and can keep the interior above freezing. However, the Black and Grey tanks need to be planned ahead of time, especially when traveling into freezing weather. The tanks can tolerate a little below freezing, as long as the truck is moving (hot air flows under the truck) When we were traveling, I checked to see what the night time temp was going to be, if it was below freezing, I would make sure the tanks were empty before we stopped for the night. During the night, we would flush the toilet with windshield washer fluid to keep the contents from freezing. We'll be heading out west toward San Diego, hopefully spend a couple nights at Silver Strand. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoblocked Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 1) Hankook truck tires really suck in snow. The Toyhouse was like a sled when any ice or snow was on the road. Drive accordingly (I carry tire chains) Sheesh, New Mexico sounded like a near disaster. Glad you made it though. You did good, getting around in a 2WD with no limited slip in all that snow. Prolly wouldn't have mattered whose tires you were wearing. Bet you're happy to be in warm country! twoblocked Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waiter Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 Dolphins on the Beach in San Diego. Got a beach front parking spot for the night at Silver Strand State Park, San Diego, CA John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rraabe Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 I also have that horizontal tank, looks smaller than a 20 pound BBQ tank, probably 15 pounds. I wonder how difficult it would be to enlarge that compartment to hold two BBQ tanks upright and be able to switch between them. I worry about convincing the propane filler in some backwoods burb that this tank is exempt and yes it can be refilled, as well as worry over its small size. I see there is nothing under the toy where that compartment is, would hav to figure some way to put a new lower floor in and how to support it. The mods we made before we left Ohio (New TV and radio) were very, very nice. we also ran the WAVE 3 heater at nights to conserve propane. The TV works great, when we settle in for the night, just do a channel search and it finds analog and HDTV signals automatically. A lot nicer than the analog TV with the converter box. We used our external Propane tank at nights to conserve the internal bottle. We carry a standard BBQ tank and use it at nights or when stopped for any length of time. I set the BBQ tank outside beside the propane compartment, unplug the horizontal tank, and connect it to the BBQ tank. The BBQ tanks are easy to fill / exchange. We departed Northern Ohio, traveled down south through Cincinatti, and spent the first night just north of Nashville, at a WalMart in Franklin KY. Walmarts are normally good places to stay, but probably not on the busiest shopping days of the year. Traffic in and out was very busy most of the night, and I being a light sleeper, this wasn't conducive to quality rest. The next day we picked up I-40 and started west bound, Night two was much better - we spent the night at the Cherokee Casino in Oklahoma, just west of Ft Smith AR. We checked with Security when we pulled in the lot, they took us to a nice quite place in their back lot and said they'd keep an extra eye on us. Very quite all night. Day three was a little more interesting, Across Oklahoma and into Texas. When we got to Amarillo, we found out I-40 was closed at the New Mexico border, snow, snow, and blowing snow. A little checking and we decided to head fortaher south using US-70. We were hoping to get as far as Alamogordo, but fell far short of that. Things were very smooth until we got to Clovis New Mexico where it started snowing. We continued west. The 90 miles between Clovis and Roswell took just over 3 hours, Most of the travel was done at 20 mph with occasional speeds rivaling that of a turtle with the only reference was tire tracks of a vehicle that was going the same way 10 minutes ahead of us. Snow was hard and blowing when we finally reached Roswell. We spent the night at a Sams Club parking lot, Very quite that night, with about 6 inches of blowing snow. The following morning was with light snow with road closures all across New Mexico. We finially left Roswell about 10am heading toward Ruidoso. The roads were in the process of being cleared, but it was still blowing snow almost as fast as the plows could clear it. About half way to Ruidoso, we were stopped as US 70 was closed just in front of us. Several 18 wheeler trucks had got stuck going up a mountain pass.After spending an hour for the pass to be cleared and the trucks helped up the mountain, we were on our way again. The remainder of the trip to Phoenix was uneventful. A couple notes: 1) Hankook truck tires really suck in snow. The Toyhouse was like a sled when any ice or snow was on the road. Drive accordingly (I carry tire chains) 2) Holding Tanks - The inside fresh water tank is OK as long as the heaters are running and can keep the interior above freezing. However, the Black and Grey tanks need to be planned ahead of time, especially when traveling into freezing weather. The tanks can tolerate a little below freezing, as long as the truck is moving (hot air flows under the truck) When we were traveling, I checked to see what the night time temp was going to be, if it was below freezing, I would make sure the tanks were empty before we stopped for the night. During the night, we would flush the toilet with windshield washer fluid to keep the contents from freezing. We'll be heading out west toward San Diego, hopefully spend a couple nights at Silver Strand. John Mc 88 Dolphin 4 Auto Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 We actually had a discussion about doing exactly that. Hasn't been done yet, but I know John (Waiter) is thinking about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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