I knew I was going to learn alot when we decided to purchase our coach and full-time - But I had no idea. Electrical, hydraulics, engine, trans, suspension not to mention plumbing and whatever else I haven't mentioned. This website and all who contribute are fantastic. ^.^d I find the experience challenging and stimulating - keeping my mind working. NICE. :D
At the going rate of labor, it is quite beneficial to learn what you can about the various systems in the coach. A lot of this stuff was completely intimidating at the beginning, but once you start finding the right answers (generally from folks here), it begins to make sense.
That it does Sir. One thing at a time. Just about every system that I have worked on/with was/is intimidating. thanks for your help.
That's great Carol, so what has Scott been doing with his spare time?
Just kidding Scott.
Eating Bon Bons, taking naps and jest generally being a vagabond. ^.^d
Scott & Carol ---- You really have to enjoy your MH, (or anything else), before you really get into the maintenance and repair yourself. You folks apparently do. Some folks are fortunate enough to be in a position to just throw money at something and get it fixed. Frankly I think they are missing out alot on getting to know the machine and being a part of it, or having it be a part of you. Keep on getting that education and enjoy the process. Have a great day ---- Fritz
Thanks Fritz. ^.^d
Even if one is that fortunate, sometimes you still cannot just throw money at something to get it fixed. Like when you find yourself in the middle of nowhere and a problem rears its ugly head. Even worse if you are in a cell phone dead zone.
I personally would rather have a root canal than to do plumbing on my knees bent over leaning in and looking straight up.
I think the key is to know your limits, or talents, and act accordingly. I've found - after spending endless hours trying to tackle one particular coach problem - that it was well worth it to pay a good shop to fix it in one hour.
However...I do aspire to be as handy as many of you on here! I guess it's good to have high goals.
Chris
My son, the truck driver, was trying to drill 4 little holes in his stainless steel truck bumper. He didn't want to pay a shop $50 for such a "little" task. After breaking about 6 drill bits, spending about 7 hours of his down time on the project and getting only one hole drilled, he gave up. Then he found a shop that said "sure, we can do that for $40." After getting that firm price, they proceeded to break 3 bits of their own and two people spent about 2 hours getting the other three holes drilled. Pretty cheap labor, it turned out.
We proudly represent the people who do almost NOTHING but the very simplest things to our coach ourselves. We have assessed our talents and we know our strong points. Our best tools are a credit card and a telephone.
We have been in the cell phone dead zone. You just unhitch and drive 'till you get a signal. Then, you call Good Sam with the GPS coordinates.
Carol - I would love to be like you and Jeff. Maybe some day. Until then I will continue on our path. ^.^d
Ha, Carol! It sounds like we may be kindred spirits, no matter how much I try to evolve to a craftier version of myself!
My Coach has been a learning curve all the way, Hahahahahahaha, Good Grief, What did I get myself into this time,
Fortunately I can do most of the work on my Coach by myself, Barring Electrics,
Thats the Forbidden Zone for me, There's Biteys in there, Hahahahaha
This is a very big country with nothing in it, You cant fix your coach on the side of the road, your in big trouble,
Spare vehicle on the back is great, But due to the distances involved in our remote area's, Its extremely expensive for
repairs onsite, or towage, It would have to be Floated to the nearest place that can fix it, 2 to 300 hundred miles
away, In a lot of places, even further,
But working on my Coach here, I am getting to learn and understand what all the different systems do,
So by the time I do start to live in it permanently and start my tour around OZ, I will be able to fix most things out in
the scrub, I Have a travelling workshop with me, all my tools and spares, No, they dont weigh a ton, Hahahahahaha
But with out the Marvellous People on here with all their help, I would still be sitting here, Scratching my head, In
wonder, With out a clue, But it sure is getting easier,
put your tools, etc. up where the genny used to be!
Thats where their going, The tin in there as a liner is pretty tatty, so I will replace that with sheet steel, It will stiffen up the Genny frame as well, It has a definite lean towards the front, Hahahaha
I will weld the sheet in and put a full floor in it, Lovely toolbox,
Its the only locker I can really use, as the doors open in front of the other suitable lockers, and the Best Locker is now full of gas bottles,
An important aspect of doing alot for yourself is getting to know what is normal for the coach. You dont have to be handy at fixing things, but it does help. We listen for noises that change, watch for fluid levels that are changing, performance changes, normal instrument readings, etc. so that we can determine if something is going South on us and we can get it under control so that we dont get stranded out there some where. Knowing the machine and its normal signature is a key to staying on the road and enjoying the trip. It can become part of the start up and shutdown checks and just being aware while under way. Have a great day ---- Fritz