| Tuesday
June 25
One the road again.
We
at long last we got our affairs in order and hit the road from our southern
seasonal property.
We
were off to spend one night at Elephant Butte and on Monday stopped in
Albuquerque at the Good Year dealer to get two new trailer tires put one.
I ordered them last week and they were there and put on while we went to
eat lunch next door to the tire store.
As their logo sez "A full
Belly Tradition Since '91" and we found out that is not just a saying.
Our plates we heaping with food. My hash browns were four times a normal
portion. Click above for their web site and locations. If you see one of
these do stop. Remember only open 6:30 AM to 2 PM. By the time we were
done eating our 5 th wheel was ready to go.
Onward to Cochiti Lake COE
55 miles south of Santa Fe. The main campground has been all rebuilt
and is quite nice and with Senior Pass only $10 a night. It is a must stop
for us whenever going through this area.
We have been having trouble
with our Datastorm internet dish system. It has been catching
as it turns during a search.
As you may know I, we just
can NOT live without this system as we like to do remote boondocking camping
and it also has
an attachment so to also
bring in DirecTV HD.
Also the angle of azimuth
readout was reporting incorrect numbers and causing problems during searching.
Terry got up on top this
AM as it was cooler and not windy to take a look.
He had to unbolt it and tilt
it to go underneath to look at the center shaft that it turns on.
This is what he found. The
top bushing shot.
 
This is the bottom bushing
pulled down for show that the top one slides into.
A broken brass center male
flange bushing. The top was broken off. This goes down inside another one
and a bolt holding them together. and the dish turns on this axis. I got
online and ordered another one, only this time made out of stainless steel
from Don at
Oregon
RV Service and his sub site for parts http://www.motosatparts.com/
Terry also adjusted the azimuth
sensor counter by loosening the jamb nuts and turning the setting screw
it all the way in and backing it back out 1 3/4 turns and locking down
the jamb nuts. He was only to turn it 1 1/2 but didn't hear me giving him
instructions from the ground as I found out later. (You're crazy
if you think I would, or could, get up the ladder to get on top of the
trailer. I may have lost 20 lb.. but still not sure the RV ladder or roof
would hold me.) So Terry gets to do all the roof work. Tilting solar
panels, etc.
It the azimuth sensor still
worked with the wrong setting and the counter readings are now correct
with our first dish calibration and search which found our satellite in
the sky. Will see if the correct readings are repeated on future deployments
as from all the advice on www.datastormuser.com
web forum said this should not have corrected the readout situation.
So have DirecTV and Sat Internet
and are Happy Campers till this or something else goes wrong. As
if you didn't know, my take on things is "My glass is always half empty,
never half full". So when things do go well it makes it all the better.
We will be here two more
nights and will explore Turquoise
Trail tomorrow. We have been in this area a few times and never
know about this as I say, tourist trap area. But it might be much more
as it runs through some old mining towns.
Also see this Turquoise
Trail link
One last thing when it's
hot out and when we have campsite water we use these.
Water Misters.... They make
all the difference when setting outside in the heat. And it is amost
100 here right now.
Yep we got them at Walmart.
Link to them.
The extenders are extra.
Tuesday
June 18
Ready to roll.
Got
my 5th wheel trailer back and they straightened (as in bent) and realigned
both front and rear axles side to side. Not only was the rear axle out
of camber, also out of alignment, not square to the frame. Which they said
was causing most of the tire ware. All new bolts and mountings to the spring
were replaced. Standard for them they tell me. On the way back from the
shop weighed the rig at a truck scales. Without unhooking the truck but
it not being on the scale. Weighed 10980 lbs. Called the NuWa HitchHiker
plant and talked to their weight expert. He sez I'm well under weight.
Mike at the plant was great to talk to and said to call back with any more
questions. Good customer service. This was with no fresh water, or gray
or black. Basement packed but no clothes and fridge empty and turned off.
To
be safe as I do have inside tire wear, ordered two new LT 235/85R16 G rated
tires to be put on in Albuquerque next Monday when we pass through. Axle
work was $675 and new tires installed will be $980. Had had both EquaFlex
mounts replaced and brakes adjusted the week before for $700
We
have to assume the alignment issues are due to normal wear and tear of
full timing.
We
don't drive fast but like our tag line sez "A big rig looking for a tent
experience".
So
should be ready to roll. It's only money.
Like
they say if you want to go fulltime, and if you have to ask what it costs,
you probably can't afford it. Just do it...
Now
to get past Dr. and dental appointments on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sunday
June 16
Big day on Monday
Oh
how I hate getting up early in then morning. The other day our neighbor
(who gets up early and takes morning walks as he just had knee surgery)
informed me what direction the sun came up at our winter house location.
I made the mistake of asking him... over happy hour the other day. I said
how would I know, I don't get up to see it, and why would I. I'm retired
after all. I'm a night person.
I
don't come alive till the afternoon. I get up about 9 AM and hit the web
for a few hours and then most times need a nap.
I did
get up early and do the work thing for more years than I can count in a
former life as they say... WORKING.
So
when like a Dr. office or such asks when I want to schedule an appointment,
and they say how about... I stop them before they can that nasty word out
AM. I say no early appointments time PLEASE. I'm retired and don't
do that early thing anymore. Since they are young and untrained in the
ways of the world, they look at me and go OK lets see if we have a later
time. I can see a bit of smirk in their faces as they deep down are envious
with me being able to dictate the time of day for the appointment as being
retired. They can't comprehend be retired and I know it. So we get along
well.
Now
the reason for all this banter... I WANT to get up early on Monday as we
are going to (see below) Arizona Spring in Tucson for our 5th wheel. I
may not get up early for a Dr. appointment but I sure damn will get up
early to get our 5th wheel worked on.
In
this life you have to have your priorities.
I
want the 5er all ready for our many month travels as we are planing to
leave next Monday.
Yup,
and we will be blogging as we go on the summer and fall trip to the northwest...
Tuesday
June 11
Busy, Busy and
update on trailer repairs.
See update below...
We
got the 5th wheel back from RV City. Brakes worked on and EquaFlex
suspension supports replaced.
Total
$708 not too bad me thinks. They sure good do better with customer service
communication.
But
they were right the rear acxle tires are worn on the one inside tread band.
I
did this post on Rv.Net forum.
I
have a four year old 2009 Nu Wa Discover America 5th wheel. Upgraded tires
in May 2010 to LT235/85R16 G from Es. Just replaced the EquaFlex frame
hangers as they had slight cracks in them. Noticed the rear axle tires
have worn on the inside. The edge bands of the G tire has no tread which
is normal. The center tread is like new. Front axle tires are ok.
The
rest of the tread looks like new. Any ideas on what is wrong.
It's
only the rear axle not the front one. Inside is on the right.
The
inside band is worn lower than the band with tread next to it which is
not worn at all. Why just the one indside band on both rear axle tires.
Got these replies.
Overloaded tire / bent axle.
the tire (spindle) may be bent slightly up, wearing the inside and
not the outside. If it was both tires I would guess the axle was bent in
the center.
Normally this occurs from
an out of camber issue. Like this...//======\\ Basically what happens is
the (pre-set) bend in the axle has gone out of it. The axle has a bend
(or a "set") put in it initially. This is to compensate for loading the
trailer. So when it loses it's set it can be from overloading the trailer
or just normal fatigue from the years of load on the axle. And when that
happens you get the kind of wear, you are seeing.
The other possibility is
bent spindles. But since both tires on the same axle show similar wear,
I would lean toward out of camber due to axle straightening.
A good trailer alignment
shop can re-bend (re-set) the axle for years of service. Some members here
have the opinion that the axle needs to be replaced. I am not one to share
that opinion. No need to replace the axle. Just get it re-bent.
IMHO the most likely cause
is towing nose high. Did you verify 5er is level or SLIGHTLY nose low when
set for towing?
I had the same wear on my
tires. It turned out to be the bushings were worn badly. I had installed
the EZ-Flex kit about a year ago. After I had everything apart I found
that the eyelets on several springs were egg shaped. I ended up getting
four new springs and new bushings. I think what caused the problem was
that the original springs were not heavy enough to handle the unit and
had sagged over two inches. Now it rides a lot better and no more tire
problems.
Google search found
Arizona Spring in Tucson.
Web site looked impressive
so I called them and explained my situation. The said they could do whatever
is need even as in bending the axle if needed to correct camber if that
is what's wrong. So the trailer is going to them next Monday morning.
They are the big boys in
this business, so feel good this will get taken care of.
Had blood work done today
in Benson and afterward went to the Farm House cafe on the main drag in
Benson across from the Dr office. They had relocated from another
part of town and we were not happy with our other attempts eating with
them at their other location. But thought what the heck. They advertise
out on the street $4.99 breakfasts and lunch. Terry had
chicken enchiladas and I had a breakfast with eggs, hashbrowns, Canadian
bacon, and toast. Both with Ice Tea. Well she asked Terry how
his dish was, he just sort of looked at her. Both dishes were pricey.
Get this ice tea was $2.20 each. Is tht just me or is that over the top
for a samll town cafe. Bill $22. We told each other three strikes you're
out.
This afternoon took
the truck to the local garage here in Mescal for brake work, etc.
The owneres live out by us
so wanted to deal with them. Our next door great neighbor is shuttling
us back and forth to the garage.
Then an appointment for next
Thursday for annual check up. Now that the blood work is done. Hope all
shows up good as I'm still working to get my numbers back to prior levels
before my February hospital events. We are leaving the next Monday
the 24th. so any issues will have to wait till next Oct. or so when we
return to our winter vacation place here.
So trailer appointment in
Tucson on Monday, Dentist on Wednesday, and Dr. on Thursday. Busy week
ahead.
Oh and did I say it is still
real hot here, even at 4000 ft.
Update:
7:30 PM AZ Time... We got
a call from Mescal Auto Service and get this, they said the brakes were
fine and did not need replacement. The truck has about 129,000 miles on
it and the brakes are still about 40 - 50%. Just like last summer when
we had a local GM dealer in IA said the same thing. We have used this truck
to pull our 5er all over in the west as fulltimers and especially just
last summer pulling (or should I say braking down) in the mountains in
Colorado and after all this time the brakes are still good. Guess
the trailer brake controller was doing its job taking the pressure off
the truck. RV City did say the trailer brakes were way out of sync and
were in bad need of adjustment. Just a adjustment as they did not
replace anything. I had told them we were seeing intermittent Prodigy
brake controller status of SH (short). They said this was just due to the
brakes were not applying magnet pressure uniformly. One brake applying
more than the others causing more heat and a short readout. No shorts
as such. So now off to get the suppression issues corrected and we are
off for summer and fall adventures. Ready to get out this AZ heat... we
could in days past sit out on the deck later in the day as the sun goes
down, but not now as it is still too hot for that. So we are staying inside.
I remember a few weeks ago when it was warm during the day but at sunset
I would ask Terry for my sweat pants and shirt. NOT NOW
After we got our truck back
as they took Terry to get it. Our very good neighbors came by for happy
hour,
but we did not sit outside
on the deck. I tried for or few minutes after they left but didn't stay
long. HOT breeze... not pleasent.
The rain as they call them
"Monsoon Season" starts June 15... How they know which date it starts is
beyond me.
It takes heat and later
as the humidity gets high enough the storms and rain in AZ happen. It's
sort of llke the spring storms in the midwest but it's the southwest version
of that. We have had above normal temps early so
the rainy seanson should be better than average as the TV stations are
reporting.
In AZ they love summer
rain... they in the news report about it like the stations do in the midwest
do for winter blizzards or spring storms. Me thinks it's not the same.
But I don't want to be in the midwest in winter or in the spring for the
tornado season. I have lived too cloose to that for years hiding from all
that and don't need the stress of all that anymore.
Get me to the cool outback
of the northwest... I'm ready....
Later.
Tuesday
June 4
Getting ready
to hit the road.
I'm
feeling much better after my A-Fib issues (with new meds no A-Fib events
at all so far) and later a scheduled colonoscopy... which came out ok with
three small polyps. That procedure is totally paid for by Medicare the
first time when you turn 65. And by the way my total hospital bill for
my ablation for flutter at Tucson Medical Center was paid 100% by Medicare
since I had already paid the co pay when I went into the Parker hospital.
No bill to UHC at all which pays after Medicare,
So
now I'm on a three year repeat testing schedule. My dad died from colon
cancer at about my current ago so I don't mind getting tested at all. The
new prep procedure is new and so easy and not a hassle at all. So no real
reason to put off this much need test. So if you have not Just Do It. When
you are found to have no issues your piece of mind is worth it. If if they
do find something you have time to get treatment now better than later.
 .
Now
to get some blood work done to see how I'm doing and off we will be at
the end of June. Heading to SD for drivers lic renewal and then on to Montana,
Idaho, and points northwest. I have scouted out boondocking places
and some great fishing rivers that we want to head to. I'm using a great
new resource I've found Ultimate
US Public Campground Project to find where to camp. I'm playing
this site up on my main site Hitchitch.com
and got a nice note back from the people who run it.
It's
heating up here in even at 4000 ft high up east of Benson, AZ. Much warmer
at at lower alt. in Tucson proper let alone Phoenix which is lower still
in the desert.
Now
just today we made an appointment with RV City in Huachuca City between
here in Benson and Sierra Vista. Back in January when traveling
to Quartzsite we were getting intermittent SH error readout on our Prodigy
break controller. Meaning a short condition in the trailer breaks... NOT
good me thinks when going down a mountain and the trailer breaks fail.
So off we go to RV City to get it checked out... Like life the condition
didn't happen on the 30 mile drive to this dealer. So we explained the
situation and they were great and started to analyze the situation while
we were there so to eliminate the truck. The truck checked out good so
we left the 5er and they started to check it out as we went to Sierra Vista
to shop and eat at the great Hibachi Grill Super Buffet. 465 N Hwy
90 Bypass Sierra Vista, AZ. We love this place and make it a point
to stop here for lunch when in the area. And since it was Terry's
birthday tomorrow June 5 we just had to indulge for another great pig out.
When
we stopped back later at RV City to get an update they said the breaks
were now adjusted (they were way out out of sync) and that should stop
the short conditions.
BUT
then they hit us with the real bad news. (they showed showed us pictures)
The trailer equalizer bracket that connects the springs to the frame were
each one cracked on both sides of the trailer. This is Not Good.
Not
only that they said the springs were not curved but kind of flat and the
axles were also not curved causing tire wear.
We
said order the frame brackets right away. They didn't think they could
get the axle and spring parts in time for us to leave for the summer. So
we will do this critical fix and go from there.
Now
if you understand all this, as we don't but will find out how this could
happen. We are never over loaded so what is going on
as
a problem to now understand what is going on.
Heavy
usage or what... we got the new 5er on Oct 18 2008
We
shall see what Dexter Axle has to say about all this as we are still under
the five year warranty with them for this axle assembly.
Any
ideas would be helpful if you have been through this issue. I did a search
on RV.net but didn't find much.
We
got all new tires back in May 2010 (upgraded to G tires) when we found
the axles were misaligned when back at the factory in KS. Now this... we
are not right now happy campers. RV City sez we have uneven tire
wear. So may need new tires again...
Have
you priced G rated tires lately.
So
enough for tonight... after all we are still breathing and above ground.
So
the bottom line it's only money and things can be fixed.
More later as we get this
all in perspective...
OH BTW June 5 is Terry's
birthday and we have got a German Choclate Cake with suger free ice
cream... in the icx box
(no I did not bake it) But
it looks good and we have invited our AZ neighbors over to partake tomorrow
afternoon.
Now if the Amazon Prime
via Fedx package shows up on itme tomorrow.
BTW I love
Two day shipping... Streaming
TV, and free ebooks.
What's not to love.
| Have
question or comment email rbunge@hitchitch.com |
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