DeBary, FL.
47 deg. scattered clouds, no wind.
Forecast = Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.
I don't know what got into Jim yesterday, but he sure had a lot of ambition.
In the morning, he went out and checked all my batteries. I have two 12 volt starting batteries and six 6 volt deep cycle coach batteries, and he checked the electrolyte level and filled all of them with distilled water. Then he got out the garden hose and some spray stuff and cleaned them.
Since he had all of the battery stuff out, he then did the same to CLT's battery.
After lunch, he opened my generator compartment, slid the generator out with its electric slide and checked the oil and water levels. Then before sliding it back in, he started it up and let it run for awhile.
Since the hose was still out, he got out the squeegee with the very long handle and cleaned off the front of me, (especially concentrating on my windshield).
Now, I suppose you're wondering why Jim was doing all of this. Well, believe it or not, we've already been here for almost 2 months, and in 6 more days, we'll be leaving. I've enjoyed being here, but to be honest, my tires are starting to itch and I'm ready to do some traveling!!
After taking a little nap, Jim went out and cooked some pork chops on the grill for dinner while Linda cooked some noodles and some corn inside on my stove. After dinner they both watched TV and read some before going to bed.
Today, I think Jim may check the air in my and CLT's tires. Yesterday, I heard him say something about doing it and it definitely needs to be done before we leave.
Did you know that lead-acid batteries were invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston Plante' and are the oldest type of rechargeable battery?
Showing posts with label generator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label generator. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Repairs Coming Along Nicely, But An Unexpected Expense
Lakeland, FL.
65 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Dan, one of the mechanics here at Creative Coach has been doing a lot of little things to me. I had a couple compartment doors that needed adjustment and he adjusted them, my right windshield wiper linkage was worn, so he removed it and has new linkage on order, my inverter/converter remote didn't work so he repaired it. As far as major items, he has worked on my kitchen/living room slide and has it working, worked on my main awning and seems to have that working, (except for a minor adjustment that still has to be made), and yesterday, changed the fan belt on my big Onan generator, (Which was a very big job).
One big item that neither Jim nor Linda were expecting was that upon inspection, sidewall cracks were found in 4 of my tires. : ( Now, the reason that this was unexpected is that when I left Rantoul, there were absolutely no cracks in my tires. This is known because before Jim and Linda even purchased me, Jim checked the date codes and did a very good inspection of the tires.
The consensus seems to be that because I sat for quite a long time on the dealers lot, out in the sun, the tires dried out and once we started traveling, they cracked. : (
Jim and Linda decided that they didn't want to take any chances of having a blow-out while driving down the road and possibly doing major damage to me, or even getting into an accident. So . . . . . it was decided that they would buy all new tires for me.
It's going to cost them a bundle, but they think that the safety factor of having new tires is well worth the cost.
Jim has been watching and learning about me as the mechanics have been working on me. They don't seem to mind when he watches and asks questions and in fact Dan seems to welcome him being there and occasionally helping out by holding a part in position or getting a wrench or bolt for him.
Jim has taken a few pictures in the last few days, and I'll try to get a few posted here but for some reason the Internet connection around here is very flaky. Some times, like so far this morning, everything goes along nicely, but then all of a sudden I'll lose the signal. Sometimes I can get right back on but other times I can't and have to wait until sometime later to get reconnected. : (
Did you know that by the time the first Spanish conquistadors arrived, there were over 250,000 Native Americans living on the peninsula which is now Florida?
65 deg. partly cloudy, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Isolated showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 80s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Dan, one of the mechanics here at Creative Coach has been doing a lot of little things to me. I had a couple compartment doors that needed adjustment and he adjusted them, my right windshield wiper linkage was worn, so he removed it and has new linkage on order, my inverter/converter remote didn't work so he repaired it. As far as major items, he has worked on my kitchen/living room slide and has it working, worked on my main awning and seems to have that working, (except for a minor adjustment that still has to be made), and yesterday, changed the fan belt on my big Onan generator, (Which was a very big job).
One big item that neither Jim nor Linda were expecting was that upon inspection, sidewall cracks were found in 4 of my tires. : ( Now, the reason that this was unexpected is that when I left Rantoul, there were absolutely no cracks in my tires. This is known because before Jim and Linda even purchased me, Jim checked the date codes and did a very good inspection of the tires.
The consensus seems to be that because I sat for quite a long time on the dealers lot, out in the sun, the tires dried out and once we started traveling, they cracked. : (
Jim and Linda decided that they didn't want to take any chances of having a blow-out while driving down the road and possibly doing major damage to me, or even getting into an accident. So . . . . . it was decided that they would buy all new tires for me.
It's going to cost them a bundle, but they think that the safety factor of having new tires is well worth the cost.
Jim has been watching and learning about me as the mechanics have been working on me. They don't seem to mind when he watches and asks questions and in fact Dan seems to welcome him being there and occasionally helping out by holding a part in position or getting a wrench or bolt for him.
Jim has taken a few pictures in the last few days, and I'll try to get a few posted here but for some reason the Internet connection around here is very flaky. Some times, like so far this morning, everything goes along nicely, but then all of a sudden I'll lose the signal. Sometimes I can get right back on but other times I can't and have to wait until sometime later to get reconnected. : (
Did you know that by the time the first Spanish conquistadors arrived, there were over 250,000 Native Americans living on the peninsula which is now Florida?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Davenport, IA To Rantoul, IL and Settled Back Into Site #5
Rantoul, IL.
73 deg. Hazy, no wind.
Forecast = Hot and humid. Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 90s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Heat index readings 102 to 107.
The trip from Davenport to Rantoul was uneventful. We left Davenport about 5 after 9:00 and once back on I-280, crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois, turned South on I-74 and followed it all the way to SE of the Bloomington / Normal area where we turned East on US 136. 136 then brought us here to Rantoul and back to the Prairie Pines Campground.
It was about 12:35 when we pulled in so it took us about 3 1/2 hours to travel 188 miles.
I'm now settled back into Site #5, where I was before we left for Wisconsin. I had hoped site #7 would be available when we returned, (I like that site a little better), but it was not. This site is fine but I like how 7 is positioned, and there is more shade on that site during the late afternoon part of the day.
I don't know if you heard about it, but there was a plane crash here in Rantoul while we were gone. A small plane carrying 3 people hit some electrical wires and crashed in a field right next to the CG.
If you want, you can read about it here. Rantoul Plane Crash
Anyway, they still have to do some more repairs on the wires that the plane hit so Louise informed Jim yesterday afternoon, that this morning, at about 8:00, all the power to the CG will be turned off for awhile. She said that they have all the equipment in place and hopefully it won't take too long, especially since the temperatures are supposed to be in the mid 90's today.
Jim says that if it takes too long and it gets too hot inside of me, he'll just fire up my generator for while. It's really not a big deal if you have a self-contained RV. ; )
Don't know what's going to be happening today. Jim and Linda need to get a few groceries, but other than that, I don't think much else will be happening, especially with the very high temperature and humidity conditions that we'll be having.
Did you know that today is "National Milk Chocolate Day"?
73 deg. Hazy, no wind.
Forecast = Hot and humid. Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid 90s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Heat index readings 102 to 107.
The trip from Davenport to Rantoul was uneventful. We left Davenport about 5 after 9:00 and once back on I-280, crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois, turned South on I-74 and followed it all the way to SE of the Bloomington / Normal area where we turned East on US 136. 136 then brought us here to Rantoul and back to the Prairie Pines Campground.
It was about 12:35 when we pulled in so it took us about 3 1/2 hours to travel 188 miles.
I'm now settled back into Site #5, where I was before we left for Wisconsin. I had hoped site #7 would be available when we returned, (I like that site a little better), but it was not. This site is fine but I like how 7 is positioned, and there is more shade on that site during the late afternoon part of the day.
I don't know if you heard about it, but there was a plane crash here in Rantoul while we were gone. A small plane carrying 3 people hit some electrical wires and crashed in a field right next to the CG.
If you want, you can read about it here. Rantoul Plane Crash
Anyway, they still have to do some more repairs on the wires that the plane hit so Louise informed Jim yesterday afternoon, that this morning, at about 8:00, all the power to the CG will be turned off for awhile. She said that they have all the equipment in place and hopefully it won't take too long, especially since the temperatures are supposed to be in the mid 90's today.
Jim says that if it takes too long and it gets too hot inside of me, he'll just fire up my generator for while. It's really not a big deal if you have a self-contained RV. ; )
Don't know what's going to be happening today. Jim and Linda need to get a few groceries, but other than that, I don't think much else will be happening, especially with the very high temperature and humidity conditions that we'll be having.
Did you know that today is "National Milk Chocolate Day"?
Friday, July 22, 2011
Fuel Leak Repaired, Bad News Good News, HWH and Plans
Sioux Falls, SD
71 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 89. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.
It was 8:35 when we pulled out of the CG and headed North on I-29. When we got up to I-90, we turned East and followed it for about 2 miles to the 1st exit. Then we took that street South for just a short distance to Cummins Central Power on 54th Street North.
It was only about 9 miles over there, so it only took us about 15 minutes to get there.
Once there, Jim went into the office and in just a short while, he came back out, unhooked CLT (Cute Little Truck) from the back of me and drove me around to the other side of the building. Once parked next to the building, (They couldn't get me into a bay because they were all full), Denny came out and started checking my generator for the fuel leak.
It didn't take too long before he found a fuel line fitting at the filter leaking, took it apart, repositioned the line so that it was aligned properly, put everything back together, wiped out the tray under the generator and fired up the generator to check the fitting for leaks.
Then his attention moved to my alternator. The first thing he did was hook a meter to my starting batteries and have Jim start my engine to check for output.
Well, there's bad news and good news. The bad news is that the alternator is only charging at a very low rate. The good news is that since it's still charging some and my batteries get charged whenever I'm plugged in or the generator is running, it was decided not to do anything with the alternator at this time.
You see, there were a couple reasons why not to do anything right now. First, this shop works mostly on trucks and the trucks don't use the same alternator that MHs use. (ours are bigger), Second, the price of the alternator, which can only be determined once the alternator is removed and the model determined, will run anywhere between $500 and $1200!!!!
So, for that kind of money, Jim can run my generator once in a while to keep the batteries charged when I'm not plugged in, (if needed), and the work can be done when I'm going to be someplace where the proper alternator is more readily available, so we won't have to wait so long for the part.
After checking the alternator, Denny again checked the generator for leaks, found that all leaks were stopped and put everything back together again.
Then, after paying the bill, (and it wasn't excessive), Jim hooked CLT back up to me and we headed back here to the Tower CG and back into my site.
A note here about Cummins Centeral Power. Even though they were very busy, they got me in for repairs when Jim told them that we were only here for a short time. The price for repairs was fair for the work done, and everyone from the recepionest, (Debby), to the mechanic, (Denny), to the service manager, (Chad) were very friendly and very professional. They all answered any questions that Jim had and Denny also gave Jim some tips about the 12.5 KW generator that I have. All in all, it was a pleasant experiance and Jim says he would definatley take me back there again for repairs when in this area.
It was about 11:15 when Jim backed me into my site so we were back in less that 3 hours. Not bad considering I was thinking it would be more like an all day thing. : )
After I was settled back into my site and hooked up to the utilities, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to a Perkins Restaurant to have breakfast for lunch.
When they came back, Jim got on the phone and called HWH Corporation in Moscow IA. to see about stopping by there on our way back to Illinois to have some problems with my hydraulic jack leveling system checked out.
Yeah, I know, more problems, but Jim kind of expected some problems because I had sat for awhile at the dealer without being used and, I am a 2000 model.
Anyway, he called HWH and now has an appointment for me next Monday. Oh! What's wrong with my leveling system? Well, my right rear jack is starting to leak hydraulic oil, once in awhile that jack doesn't want to extend automatically, and when I'm leveled automatically, my rear end is higher than my front end.
So, we'll be leaving here on Saturday and will start working our way to Moscow, IA for my 11:00 appointment on Monday. Then, unless Jim and Linda decide to stop somewhere to just "kick back" for a few days, we'll head back to Rantoul.
Did you know that today is Linda's birthday?
Happy Birthday Linda. ; )
71 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 89. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph becoming 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.
It was 8:35 when we pulled out of the CG and headed North on I-29. When we got up to I-90, we turned East and followed it for about 2 miles to the 1st exit. Then we took that street South for just a short distance to Cummins Central Power on 54th Street North.
It was only about 9 miles over there, so it only took us about 15 minutes to get there.
Once there, Jim went into the office and in just a short while, he came back out, unhooked CLT (Cute Little Truck) from the back of me and drove me around to the other side of the building. Once parked next to the building, (They couldn't get me into a bay because they were all full), Denny came out and started checking my generator for the fuel leak.
It didn't take too long before he found a fuel line fitting at the filter leaking, took it apart, repositioned the line so that it was aligned properly, put everything back together, wiped out the tray under the generator and fired up the generator to check the fitting for leaks.
Then his attention moved to my alternator. The first thing he did was hook a meter to my starting batteries and have Jim start my engine to check for output.
Well, there's bad news and good news. The bad news is that the alternator is only charging at a very low rate. The good news is that since it's still charging some and my batteries get charged whenever I'm plugged in or the generator is running, it was decided not to do anything with the alternator at this time.
You see, there were a couple reasons why not to do anything right now. First, this shop works mostly on trucks and the trucks don't use the same alternator that MHs use. (ours are bigger), Second, the price of the alternator, which can only be determined once the alternator is removed and the model determined, will run anywhere between $500 and $1200!!!!
So, for that kind of money, Jim can run my generator once in a while to keep the batteries charged when I'm not plugged in, (if needed), and the work can be done when I'm going to be someplace where the proper alternator is more readily available, so we won't have to wait so long for the part.
After checking the alternator, Denny again checked the generator for leaks, found that all leaks were stopped and put everything back together again.
Then, after paying the bill, (and it wasn't excessive), Jim hooked CLT back up to me and we headed back here to the Tower CG and back into my site.
A note here about Cummins Centeral Power. Even though they were very busy, they got me in for repairs when Jim told them that we were only here for a short time. The price for repairs was fair for the work done, and everyone from the recepionest, (Debby), to the mechanic, (Denny), to the service manager, (Chad) were very friendly and very professional. They all answered any questions that Jim had and Denny also gave Jim some tips about the 12.5 KW generator that I have. All in all, it was a pleasant experiance and Jim says he would definatley take me back there again for repairs when in this area.
It was about 11:15 when Jim backed me into my site so we were back in less that 3 hours. Not bad considering I was thinking it would be more like an all day thing. : )
After I was settled back into my site and hooked up to the utilities, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed over to a Perkins Restaurant to have breakfast for lunch.
When they came back, Jim got on the phone and called HWH Corporation in Moscow IA. to see about stopping by there on our way back to Illinois to have some problems with my hydraulic jack leveling system checked out.
Yeah, I know, more problems, but Jim kind of expected some problems because I had sat for awhile at the dealer without being used and, I am a 2000 model.
Anyway, he called HWH and now has an appointment for me next Monday. Oh! What's wrong with my leveling system? Well, my right rear jack is starting to leak hydraulic oil, once in awhile that jack doesn't want to extend automatically, and when I'm leveled automatically, my rear end is higher than my front end.
So, we'll be leaving here on Saturday and will start working our way to Moscow, IA for my 11:00 appointment on Monday. Then, unless Jim and Linda decide to stop somewhere to just "kick back" for a few days, we'll head back to Rantoul.
Did you know that today is Linda's birthday?
Happy Birthday Linda. ; )
Thursday, July 21, 2011
It's Official!! I'm A South Dakotan!!!
Sioux Falls, SD.
69 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Highs around 83. East winds 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
It's official!!! I'm finally licensed in South Dakota and have an official address!!! ; )
I was getting worried because on the 17th, my temporary license ran out and I've been sitting here in the CG with absolutely no official home!! If for some reason Jim and Linda wouldn't have been able to get me registered in SD, I wouldn't have been able to go out on the road and I'd have had to just sit here in this park forever!! : (
After Jim and Linda picked up my registration at Alternative Resources, they stopped at a store called, World Market. CLT said that they had all kinds of stuff in the store and lot of it was on sale. Anyway, Jim and Linda went in and when they came out, they had a chair to use at my new desk, (they had been using one of my folding kitchen chairs), a hamper to put in the bathroom to put dirty clothes in, along with a very nice looking 2 1/2 quart plastic pitcher to replace the glass one that had gotten broken the other day when it fell out of my cabinet when we went around a corner and hit a bump at the same time. : (
This morning Jim and Linda will be taking me over to the Cummins / Onan repair place to get the diesel fuel leak on my generator repaired. I've found out that he also wants them to check out my alternator because he doesn't think its charging the chassis batteries properly.
I'm hoping that all of this doesn't take too long because they don't have anywhere to plug me into electric at the shop. My main concern is the food in my refrigerator. The fridge will run off of the batteries / inverter for quite awhile but it would be better if I was plugged in or my generator was usable.
Did you know that Sioux Falls was the boyhood home of Minnesota-born actor Richard Widmark?
69 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. Highs around 83. East winds 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon.
It's official!!! I'm finally licensed in South Dakota and have an official address!!! ; )
After Jim and Linda picked up my registration at Alternative Resources, they stopped at a store called, World Market. CLT said that they had all kinds of stuff in the store and lot of it was on sale. Anyway, Jim and Linda went in and when they came out, they had a chair to use at my new desk, (they had been using one of my folding kitchen chairs), a hamper to put in the bathroom to put dirty clothes in, along with a very nice looking 2 1/2 quart plastic pitcher to replace the glass one that had gotten broken the other day when it fell out of my cabinet when we went around a corner and hit a bump at the same time. : (
This morning Jim and Linda will be taking me over to the Cummins / Onan repair place to get the diesel fuel leak on my generator repaired. I've found out that he also wants them to check out my alternator because he doesn't think its charging the chassis batteries properly.
I'm hoping that all of this doesn't take too long because they don't have anywhere to plug me into electric at the shop. My main concern is the food in my refrigerator. The fridge will run off of the batteries / inverter for quite awhile but it would be better if I was plugged in or my generator was usable.
Did you know that Sioux Falls was the boyhood home of Minnesota-born actor Richard Widmark?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tower CG Photos, A Very Warm Day and Plans For Today
Sioux Falls, SD.
79 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs around 96. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Heat index readings 110 to 115 in the afternoon.
It has been really warm here in Sioux Falls. Yesterday the thermometer that Jim has on my North side was showing 93 degrees for a while in the afternoon and today the forecasters are saying that it's going to be even warmer. : (
Jim went out early yesterday morning and hooked me up to the water and sewer, (it was just too hot to do when we got here Saturday afternoon), and took some pictures of the campground and my site.
This first one is of the sign that you see out by the road.
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This is the view that you have when you pull into the park
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A little farther down that same road is my site. As you can see, I've got a nice shady corner site. (great with this hot weather),
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This is a view of my site form across the street. As you can see, there's a nice cement patio with a picnic table and plenty of room to park CLT in front of me.
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In this view, you are looking from in front of me back towards the entrance of the park.
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The park seems very well maintained and I have yet to see a junky looking RV, park model, or mobile home.
Oh, and just as a side note, the 50 Amp electric seems to be very good here in this section of the park. Everyone, and I mean everyone was running their air conditioners yesterday and I never had low voltage.
Today, Jim and Linda need to go Alternative Resources to pick up their mail. My registration for South Dakota should be there too. I've been running on a temporary permit from Illinois up to now, but it expired yesterday. Then, either today or tomorrow, he and Linda will need to find a grocery store to pick up a few items, like bread and milk.
Other than that, I doubt if they'll be doing much. Just too hot!
Oh, Jim also needs to call the Cummins / Onan shop here in Sioux Falls to try to get and appointment for me to go in to find out why my generator is leaking diesel fuel. The leak was found when I was at the Truck repair place in Illinois that fixed my starter problem. The mechanic there tightened some fittings that he thought were leaking, but it must be something else.
Did you know that the word Sioux is Ojibwe for "little snake" or "enemy?"
a
79 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Sunny. Highs around 96. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Heat index readings 110 to 115 in the afternoon.
It has been really warm here in Sioux Falls. Yesterday the thermometer that Jim has on my North side was showing 93 degrees for a while in the afternoon and today the forecasters are saying that it's going to be even warmer. : (
Jim went out early yesterday morning and hooked me up to the water and sewer, (it was just too hot to do when we got here Saturday afternoon), and took some pictures of the campground and my site.
This first one is of the sign that you see out by the road.
Oh, and just as a side note, the 50 Amp electric seems to be very good here in this section of the park. Everyone, and I mean everyone was running their air conditioners yesterday and I never had low voltage.
Today, Jim and Linda need to go Alternative Resources to pick up their mail. My registration for South Dakota should be there too. I've been running on a temporary permit from Illinois up to now, but it expired yesterday. Then, either today or tomorrow, he and Linda will need to find a grocery store to pick up a few items, like bread and milk.
Other than that, I doubt if they'll be doing much. Just too hot!
Oh, Jim also needs to call the Cummins / Onan shop here in Sioux Falls to try to get and appointment for me to go in to find out why my generator is leaking diesel fuel. The leak was found when I was at the Truck repair place in Illinois that fixed my starter problem. The mechanic there tightened some fittings that he thought were leaking, but it must be something else.
Did you know that the word Sioux is Ojibwe for "little snake" or "enemy?"
a
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