Amazing Bus

Check out the AMAZING BUS CONVERSION.   I, on the other hand, am working on a finely hand crafted deluxe linoleum floor in the bathroom.

A Throne of my Own

Our first trip in the motorhome was down to a bird sanctuary near Sierra Vista, Arizona.  The wife proclaimed "this is a wonderful machine!" after trying to use the public facilities before retreating to our mobile "throne".  Today we were at a park in town and an hour from home when I needed to use the facilities - YIKES!  It made me wish I had the mobile throne with me everywhere I go.  Today's experience reminded me of one of the many reason's we love our RV!

How to read tire date codes

Your RV tires Should have a 4 digit code beginning in the year 2000.  The example below shows this tire was manufactured in the 51st week of 2007  (LMLR5107).




Prior to 2000 tires will have a 3 digit code with the first two being the week and the last digit being the year.  The tire below was manufactured in the 40th week of 1998.


If your RV has a 3 digit code, you should seriously consider replacing them as they are beyond their useful life and could fail.  Most RV tires wear out due to age even if they appear almost new and have plenty of tread.  Ozone penetrates the tire even if they are covered.  Ozone causes the rubber to become brittle over time.  Same with UV radiation which causes cracking or checking.  I've been told to apply Johnson's Floor Wax to slow down thees effects.  I have not tried this yet, but I will do some additional investigating and report back at a future date.  I have not found where a manufacturer gives a useful life, but most say to look at replacing them after 6 years.  For my rig this means budgeting $400 to $500 per year for future tires.  You should keep your tires clean, properly inflated, covered and use a non-petroleum dressing on them such as Premo while in storage to get the most life out of them.

This would put anyone in a frenzy

Honey, do you know where our fire extinguisher is?


Follow the link below to an expert on RV fire safety.


Fire suppression systems for your RV

Batteries and Chargers

I won't be going to Quartzsite this year without resolving my battery issues.  I must admit they died a slow death due to my lack of knowledge and neglect.  Here is a picture of the (2) Werker 8D batteries needed to crank the engine. The picture doesn't do justice as to how big they are - each weigh 130 lbs.  I took one down to Batteries Plus   to see if there was any warranty left, which there wasn't, and to buy a new one is about $300 each - Ouch!  So, I lugged  it back home with the bright idea of adding new acid and charging it up as the cheapo fix.

After pumping out 3 gallons of acid and replacing it with new and then applying a charge for a day or so, all I managed to do was boil out some of the acid (see pic).  Then I gave up for the summer months (leaving them in the 100+ heat) until I had the inspiration to work on them again.  Long story short, see my link on batteries and read it at night when you can't sleep.
All you wanted to know about batteries and then some.

I haven't given up on the 8D's and tonight I will be ordering a new battery charger.

I looked at the Battery Tender brand which is recommend on several RV sites.

It's about $60 + shipping.

I chose the BatteryMINDer because it has a desulfator/conditioner function.  In reading the many reviews, It sounded like some people had luck in reviving their old batteries to a functional state.  That is what I'm hoping for.  Otherwise, I will be buy new ones.  Either way, I need a charger that will keep them charged without boiling them.

I will update this blog on the results.  It will take a week for delivery and from what Ive been reading about another week to desulfate the battery - if it can be done.

Case of an RV Frenzy!

RV's and Dogs

Ever notice how many people with RV's have pets?  Ever see an RV for sale that said "we have dogs, cats and smoke like chimney's" in the description?  We have two fine motorhome dogs - Sammy and Ashton.  Sammy was a stray and Ashton we got at the dog pound.  Sammy rides up front on his mini dog bed.

He's a rascal and once got up on the left driver side arm rest and shifted our rig into gear.  This while I was outside getting some forest info and the rig was running.  Good thing the air brakes work!

Ashton is part dog, part chicken and likes to lounge on the couch.

Tonight we are off to look at another cattle dog mix that was rescued.  I'm not real keen on having 3 dogs, but the wife and daughter out voted me.

Update 11/22/09

Here is "Loosa".  Named after an Appaloosa because of her coloring and markings.   We got her from Fedwell Farms a rescue for cattle dogs.  Any dog that won't eat the chickens, bother the goats or chase the geese must be good.

Studded Snow Tires and Hard Times

I'm taking a detour from my chronology of events to discuss my "toads" bald tires.  When we lived in Colorado, I had a set of 4 studded snows put on my toad.  Then had them removed and the street tires put back on which are now bald.  If it were not for the austere times we live in, I would just buy new tires, but I've got these snows with plenty of tread and studs!  Normally, I would just have them mounted and be on my way, but the wife won't ride with me in Phoenix with studs clickety-clackety-ing as we go.  No problem.  I'll just have Discount Tire "de-stud" them.  Well, no such thing exists here in Phoenix anyway.  Ok, I'll pull them out my self.  Here is a picture for your enjoyment -

Plier's or vice grips will not work.  Some web-site recommended softening them up with soap which I didn't try.  Imagine trying to pry a slippery stud out.  The best method is shown below:

Yep, a small regular slot screw driver and a good padded glove.  You've got to dig down along side of the stud and get the end of the screw driver under the flange of the stud - see below:

Then pop them out.  Make sure your wear safety glasses as they can fly out and hit you in the eye causing you to spend all you saved doing this job on the doctor.  Figure about 40 minutes per tire.  I recommend doing 1/2 of the tire with one hand and the other 1/2 with the other hand.  This way both hands are equally sore the next morning.

I'm off to Discount Tire to have them put on the old "toad".

Well it took another day before I got the tires on, but here it is... and a picture of old "Gumby" the Toad.

Gumby has 135,000 miles now.  I'd say she's a 10 X 8, that is a "10" at 8 feet.  :O)

I should have borrowed money from Mom for this one!

Cold Feet - Purchasing Part 2

We were at the Arabian horse show that year between trips to San Diego when I got cold feet on going through with the motorhome purchase.  There was another week delay as the dealer test drove the coach without securing the engine hatch which promptly blew off on the highway.  They needed to have it repaired and painted.  I guess the wife could have talked me out of it and the salesman offered me an out too if I wasn't comfortable with the deal.  Reverse psychology?  Anyway, we headed back, signed the papers and then took off from San Diego in the afternoon towards Yuma.  When you buy an RV in California from a dealer, they have to deliver it to the state line.  Can't remember the goofy reason why this has to be done, but you end up following your newly purchase rig being driven by a stranger to the state line.  In our case the old guy smoked the brakes from the Jacumba exit heading East to Ocotillo, CA.   Really made me mad.  By the time we got past El Centro it was dark and the old guy pulled off the side of the road to report he couldn't get the generator to work and the alternator wasn't working.  ?   I made him turn around and take it back to the dealer as I wasn't going to take delivery of it with everything going haywire.  He made a U-turn right there  at night in the middle of I-8.  We headed back to Phoenix.  Next blog - Pete and Re-Pete

Road to Nirvana - Purchasing an RV

Now that I thought I knew what I was doing, it was time to find and purchase that perfect Vogue.  It didn't take long for me to locate one in San Diego, CA, at which point I was told by the "boss" I could go alone.  Tom once again came through and we set out for a weekend RV hunt.  As you head West out of Casa Grande on I-8, you'll come to the little town of Dateland.  It's worth stopping at the cafe there to eat and try one of their "date shakes".  There is a campground in Dateland, but I can't vouch for it as we didn't stay or even drive through to check it out.  The next morning after arriving in San Diego we took a look at my future motorhome.  I really didn't know exactly what to be looking for or at when buying a motorhome.  Engine, check, Caterpillar? - yep it's yellow, Allison transmission? - if you say so.  Luckily, Tom had brought an article on tires and how to read the date code's.  When motorhome tires get to be about 9 years old you should start looking at replacing them.  In the case of my soon to be motorhome they were 12 years old, but looked almost new!  Thanks to Tom, I saved $3000 by having the dealer replace them.  We took a test drive (about 10 miles) and then ran the generator, AC, water, etc.  My 1987 Vogue III seemed to check out pretty good with only a few items needing attention.  The dealer would also change the oil, filter and belts.  At that point Tom and I left for Tucson with the deal waiting to be finalized the following weekend when I could return with my wife.  Next blog - cold feet.

How to choose your RV

Research and research some more.  The only idea I had in my mind was to get the biggest and best quality Class A I could afford.  I know it had to have the wife's three required elements - electricity, water (hot and cold) and potty - to include a shower.  I gave up sleeping on the ground years ago and so my thoughts were in the same line, but I also added a diesel engine and TV.  At the time of purchase we had 2 dogs, 2 guinea pigs and a fish.  All which we would haul along with us.  So, bigger the better in my mind.  I started looking a Prevost - Liberty Coach, Marathon, etc. and realized I needed a high paying gooberment job to afford one of those.  Next, my attention was on Blue Bird Wanderlodge.  We took a look at private party 1985 FC 35.  It was really nice for its age and had a fairly new engine. I ruled the Wanderlodge out for 2 main reasons: 1. It appeared difficult to work on.  How do you replace belts without a swing-out radiator?  2. The owner's wife said it averaged 5-6 MPG.  So, out with the Blue Bird.  Now I focused on a Foretravel and Vogue.  I still like Foretravel's, but they command a premium price as compared to a similarly equipped Vogue.  Quality of craftsmanship is comparable.  So, Vogue was the focus of my main search.  Now I had to face the ugly subject of price.  I finally ended up in the 1985 to 1990 range for an affordable 35-40 foot Vogue.  In a "nut shell", my philosophy was to buy the best quality fitting my criteria and price regardless of age.  There you have it.  Road Trip to Nirvana on the next blog.

In the Beginning (to be sung to the theme of Beverly Hillbillies music)

Come and let me tell you a story about a man named Jim

a poor Arizonan who's one nerve was wearin' thin

And then one day he was wantin' somethin' to do

and up come the thought of a motorhomin' foo

Gas that is, diesel #2, double slide

Ok, lame.. but I'll work on finishing it later.

I'm not sure exactly how we came about buying our first RV, but I know the wife was definitely NOT on-board with the whole idea. She had grown up power boating and any thought of going without water, electricity or a potty was out of the question. So, I'll blame the whole idea on our friends Tom and Karen who had their own RV and corrupted me with foolish talk and ideas. Well, after several months of obsessing about the idea of owning a motor home, the wife started to wear down. Next, she tried to distract me with the purchase of a big piece of furniture? What red blooded man would toss out the idea of the open road for a computer hutch? Next, she use the "you can only buy it if it's for sale locally" rule. Anyway, she say's I bullied her into the idea and "whined" until she relented (Guys, some things are worth whining for). So off to Tucson to meet up with my enablers Tom and Karen to look at motorhomes. How I narrowed down the motorhome choices in my next blog,