TXiceman

2 hours ago, DJohns said:

Camped at  Brownsville 15 years ago. Rescue and police all night. Can't imagine what it is like now.Will never go back.

Were you parked near a hospital, police, or fire station?  We were in Mission 2 winters back and no real difference than most places we have been.  We never felt like it was less safe to out than any other places.

There are areas that you do not want to go into just like any larger city in the US.

As for state parks, check out this link... https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/parks-map

Rio-Bentsen has no camping.  Texas state park stay limit is 2 weeks.

Ken

What we are seeing with some of the newer parks coming on line is that they soon find it more profitable to cater to the long-term permanent residents than the true RV community of full-timers.  One nice RV park we have used for several years during the winter has added "resort" to their name and it is nowhere near a resort, the rules are not as well enforced, and it has become a "trailer park" and not a RV park.  I doubt if we will be back there.

If they want to cater to the permanent crowd, let them equally enfoce all of the rules to keep the place looking nice.

Ken 

3 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

Brownsville is full of crime, drugs and poverty.  Stay in another town and go for a quick drive-through.

Everywhere we have been over the past few years has an increasing crime, drugs and poverty rate.  I'd sure like to know where I could go to get away from the crime.

Ken

13 hours ago, brooksrimes said:

I've been thinking about an alignment.  🙂

As I have previously noted, for a proper alignment, load the RV as for normal travel and then go to a truck alignment shop.  The typical Ford shop does not know how to properly align the E450 chassis.

Ken

58 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

I don't believe we are killing each other with burning fossil fuels. Climate change as stated has been around as long as records. As for my lifetime we have burned fossil fuels. This is all the record I can be sure of. I know air quality is bad in Houston due to the refineries. But those same refineries have made me lots of money. Has run this country also. Getting away from fossil fuels is a two edged sword for me. Not much need for welders without it. My next vehicle will be a hybrid though.   

Glenn, you can only bury your head in the sand for so long.  Yes, the Earth has undergone heating and cooling cycles for ages, and we do appear to be in a warming cycle.  Being an engineer and dealing with the energy industry for my career, I have seen many changes, and some are for the worse.  Man is definitely accelerating and contributing to this climate crisis which can be helped by man.  The nay-sayers will be the doom of mankind.

The use of fossil fuels does need to be cut back and replaced with renewable energy sources.  This is not something to be done overnight and some fossil fuel applications will be here for a long time to come.  For the nay-sayers, they will sit back and watch the planet be turned into a wasteland.  It won't happen during our lifetime, but future generations will have a mess to deal with.

Ken

https://kingconnect.com/content/Product Manuals/LEGACY/KD2000 Manual.pdf

Is this the King Dome you have?  This manual provides for the set up on Dish, Direct and Bell.

Ken

You cannot eliminate the push pull from a passing truck.  And you will only get the maximum benefit from the rear anti-roll bar unless you also upgrade the front antiroll bar as well.  The best improvements I got on m E-450 chassis was larger and heavier front and rear anti-roll bars with urethane bushings.  I also changed to heavy duty Bilstein shocks on the front and rear.  Once you get the suspension upgrades done, weight the RV and adjust tire pressures to match the load when it is fully loaded for normal travel.  Also while loaded, get the front-end alignment checked by a truck alignment specialist (not a Ford shop).

Ken

Bert2, I had a Mustang that the electronic dash temperature gauge was really squirrely.  It would be normal and suddenly jump up too hot.  Rather than spend the $$$ on a dash repair, I mounted a reliable mechanical temperature gauge.  It was easy to do and more reliable than the IDIOT gauge.  The engine never ran hot.

Ken

7 hours ago, Pat & Pete said:

 

 

The last 3 years we've spent in east Texas , along the edge of hill country . Decent weather without the salt and high humidity . 

 

Native Texan here and I am surprised that east Texas is on the edge of the Hill Country.  We consider that central Texas .

Ken

I don't know if you went back with Michelin or not.  I stopped running Michelin LTX on my 1 ton dully since i only got 35,000 miles with the last two sets.  Previously I had managed 50,000 to 60,000 on my 1 ton duallies.  This time I switched to Cooper AT tires and they seem to be wearing better, but time will tell.

A fellow that works in the tire industry told me that Michelin had gone to softer rubber compounds on some tire series.  The Cooper tires also ride better and no increase in noise.

Ken

After the proper and complete rinse, what you may taste is some sodium....not salt or sodium chloride.  The amount of sodium left in the softener will not be sufficient to harm anyone unless you are on a NO SODIUM diet.

We had an older Verizon unlimited plan that was slowed constantly.  We recently upgraded to a newer plan that gives us 15GB per phone of prioritized data for the hotspots.  We do not stream, so this works for us.  There is a substantial increase in performance now and since we were "loyal" Verizon customers, it was only a $20 increase in our monthly rate.  It may have helped that I told them AT&T had much better coverage where we are and that I had no problem with switching carriers.

Ken

I would not operate that furnace unit it was removed, and bench tested for proper operation by a qualified shop.  As for the lifetime warranty, the dealer should have explained to you that the unit had to come back to their shop for an inspection and that you had to pay for certain fees. 

Your best bet may be to just forgo warranty repairs and pay to have a certified shop repair or replace the furnace.  I had an almost 2-year-old furnace replaced by Surburban a few years back when it was not firing correctly.  There was an issue with the location of the ignitor and flame sensor.

Ken

We had a Minnie Winnie 31 ft class C and it was good and very few problems.  When you started listing the model, you need to see who the parent company really is.  Thor and Forest River account for something over 80% of the TV manufacturers in the US.  Winnebago is not owned by either of these so far.  Over the past few years, Jayco and Tiffin (Allegro and Vanleigh) have fallen to Thor.  Grand Design and Newmar were taken over by Winnebago.

With any large class C, be very aware of the GVWR and the cargo carrying capacity.  Most have very limited cargo carrying capacity.  As a condition of the sale, I would insist that the dealer weight the RV and see how much room you have for cargo.

Ken

Jude, as others have suggested, if you do not intend to travel, you will be better off with a mobile home or a park model.  Living in an RV in a cold winter is not a lot of fun, even if set up for the weather.   Even so called 4 season RVs do not perform well in subfreezing climates.  You still have to contend with freezing water supplies, freezing wastewater lines, condensation inside the RV, swapping propene bottles or a much larger propane tank.  Extended winter living in a a cold climate would require fully skirting the RV.

All too many noobies see the RV as a "cheaper" way to live and never consider the weather extremes.  Just because an RV says it has a cold weather package, Arctic Pak or Polar Pak this does not mean much as it is mostly a marketing ploy.  To get a true all season unit you are looking at the most expensive ,models and often custom builds.  These units are also very heavy.

Ken

Read about it here,

https://www.escapees.com/how-rvers-get-their-mail-guide/

Ken

I am leery of them since they got dumped a few years back and I lost my hot spot.  They are at the mercy of the big carriers.  They are at the mercy of the big boys.

Ken

On 4/7/2020 at 11:04 AM, RainbowStalin said:

I have registered on this forum for one purpose - to ask some questions on this thread, LOL. I was browsing information on the internet about Honda EU2200i generator and found this forum and this exact topic. OP, did you use this generator previously? Is it really as good as people say? I asked my friends for advice and one of them sent me a link to the whole article about Honda power generator EU2200i. I have even found one. A guy sells used generator on this particular model. Should I buy it?

I have been using my pair of EU2000i Honda generators for over 9 years now and never missed a lick except the one time I forgot to drain the carbs and let them set for 3 months.  I now keep Sea Foam in them and all the fuel and run only no-ethanol premium.  Great units and reliable...well worth the cost in my opinion and you can get parts for them or repairs as needed.  The cases are looking a little rough due the hauling, but they run when needed and they are quiet.  I run them only with Mobil One synthetic oil.

Ken

41 minutes ago, Consolenut said:

Gas engine if geared right can tow no problem.  I have an 4500 with the 8.1L. 6 speed Allison and 5:13 rear gears. my Teton weighs 25k. With 6400 on the pin. And it goes just fine.  Let the gasser rev to peak torque and let it roar.  For the difference in the gas engine cost vs diesel you can buy a lot of gasoline.

Wondering what kind of average speed do you run and what is your MPG?  I spoke at length to a fellow with a 3500 GMC dually with the 8.1L and a 18,000 lb. trailer and he said it pulled fine, but he could pass everything except a gas station.  We were getting close to 10mpg pulling a 16,500 lb. trailer with our 7.3L Ford diesel running 65 mph.  He was getting half that towing and about 10mpg running solo.   

We are continuing to not attend rallies and such and really miss seeing friends.  So many of our friends have said they will never be vaccinated.  I just hope that they stay safe.

Ken

The plastic Lego type blocks work fine on concrete or asphalt, but crack and sink on gravel or dirt.  We use 2 x 8 or 10 cut to lengths.  After a couple of seasons, the 2 x 's will split.  I have found that using the 5/4 deck boards doubles and screwed together at right angle will hold up better.  I can put the Lego blocks on the boards, and they do not crack.  Keeping the jack or stabilizer extension shorter will also help stabilize the RV.

Ken

How often will you be towing the trailer?  Personally, I'd want a diesel for more than a weekend trip.

Ken

The problem with hay bales is it will draw vermin to  a nice warm winter home.

Ken

Here is some reading on water softeners.  Should put some of the concerns and myths to rest.

https://www.water-rightgroup.com/resources/myths-about-water-softeners-8-things-people-get-wrong/

Ken

9 hours ago, johnpeters said:

Before you do anything else, be sure your RV is ready to tow. To properly install your sway bar, make sure your automobile is parked on a level, even surface. Use the parking brake and vehicle immobilizers to keep your trailer from rolling away. This should be enough to secure your RV in its parking spot.
For a better and easier installation, you can also raise your towing vehicle to the RV's level.

This makes no sense to me.  What are you trying to say?

Ken