Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: What spare parts to carry? (Read 1611 times) previous topic - next topic

What spare parts to carry?

Good point!  Since I just drove from Eugene, Or. to Nacagcoches that same thought was on my mind. What spares should be carried along on 'every' FT of each year of vintage/model.  I would bet the factory has some historical info that would be able to put together a short but very important list of items each coach should have aboard for an owner to get on the road again if necessary.  Sure, some things might not be possible without a full tool selection and owner capabilities, but some things might not be too difficult to do and others can be installed or diagnosed in an emergency by a road mechanic and a phone call to FT or internet to the forum.
is there such a list of spares?
I carried such a parts inventory to go to sea, but that's a bit more serious.  Here in the US, a much shorter list should be adequate.

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #1 –
Belts and filters. Fuses. Critical lights (tail, brake, headlight).  Important solenoids (dash, etc.). Water filters (drinking water).

That should start things. :D

Craig

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #2 –
         I only carry 4 spare parts  # 1 screwdriver , #2 small hammer, #3 pliers  and #4 cell phone . My cell phone gets most all stuff fixed . I check and replace anything that doesn't look 100% before i pull out of the shop at home.Lots on things that need replaced while on the road , i can't do anyway, so it's the cell phone again .      Brad Metzger

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #3 –
Carry a couple fuel filters for each of the two I have. I also carry a spare tire that is unmounted.. I carry spare belts and a few electrical connectors and nuts and bolts.  I had a side compartment come loose on me once and I used 4 carriage bolts to keep it closed.  I have a few other extras like a couple gallons of oil and coolant too.

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #4 –
thanks guys.  I'm trying to come up to speed here, now as an owner and it's a steep climb as you know.
..........solenoids, relays, switches are things that can ruin one's day if out in nowhere enjoying life and one goes bad.. so

I've made 2 calls to FT [Brad...I'm thinking this is whom you suggest calling.... but] (#4 of Brads tools) already to Mark Harvey.....on my diagonal trip across America,  but if possible seriously 'prefer',  to be self sufficient or just not be a PITA to others when 'my day' goes wrong.  If I have to be tied to momma factory to live free, well.............maybe I'm not as free as I wish to be.(yes, a whole nuther subject not really needed now to get into)
I've had tools 1- 1247 but just not right now and making a 'plan' with some help/thoughts/ideas.

yes, I know what assume means but I'm assuming that there is a hit list of 10-20 items that should be carried aboard that will with ok, maybe a call or forum connection, will make my day or another FT owner near me, a happy camper. 

I continue to listen and hope to meet anyone coming into nacogdoches this month...having Extreme do headlights and FT tweak this low milage, well cared for coach.

thanks all. ron

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #5 –
Ron, Relax and enjoy the ride.  No matter what you carry there will still be some times that you will have to find a hardware store, camp store, Walmart etc. I'm 3k miles into a 7 K trip and I have replaced a light and a wiper.  I don't expect to do much more til service when we get home in November. With a set of belts and filters you should be good til next service. If you do break down there is a lot of expertise here.
Gary B

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #6 –
Hi Garry,
Thanks for your kind response, but I've got to tell you another thing...or send it to you.
Probably you and I are close in age, but I have photos of my dad, who could pass for your twin.  It warms my heart when I see you photo/yes your probably 30+years junior to him but.
OK back to FT stuff.................;)
I am relaxed but feel it is my duty getting into this to do the right stuff, which really means doing one's homework, ...reading this list.. and as i did elsewhere, try to be capable of living without help...
Love the communicative ability of this forum etc. but also love the 'challenge?' of this spirit we all have of going just    a bit beyond those we know in our choices of where we sleep tonight.

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #7 –
One item I thought would have been mentioned is the D-2 Governor, when you need one, they are not close enough, They are simple to install, and come preset.
Dave M

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #8 –
I'm just starting to get my Foretravel out on the road after rebuilding the interior after a fridge fire, so I' staring to learn about all the things that can and do go wrong.
I fix about everything myself, mainly because I don't live any where near the factory and have not had good luck with the couple of times I have had to take it to somebody for repair.
I'm still learning about what spares to carry. I tend to OVER DO and maybe over think when it comes time to pack.
I have a old tire that came off when I recently had the tires replaced, I will carry that when I travel more than 6hrs from home.
I believe that many of the mechanical things that could go wrong will require heavy tools to allow fixing, so to follow that conclusion, do I want to travel with a air compressor and all my air tools, probably not.
I have surrendered to the idea that I will not be able to tackle many things while on the road.
I will carry a socket set,breaker bar, screwdrivers, pliers (several vise grips),large and small crow bars, multimeter,bottle jack, riveter, jumper cables,clamps, and electrical wire with alligator clips. A few power tools (electric drill and bits, Reciprocating saw,4" grinder).
I will carry electrical tape, Duct tape,adhesive caulk and sealing caulk,3m 5200 adhesive(fast curing), a hot glue gun, bungie cords, and super glue, and when I start to replace air bags I will carry a couple old spares, I also have old belts to bring with.
My thought is to be able to patch up a problem until I can get someplace to have it repaired.
I worked as a Commercial Photographer for over 25 years. A lot of my work was on location. When something goes wrong you always had to jump to plan B or C. Lots of money was being spent per hour and the clients were not about to hear about YOUR equipment problems! Quick fixes to get the job done were the norm, that's the same way I will treat traveling in the Foretravel.

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #9 –
Lots of good ideas here! For some people, the only tools needed are a cell phone and credit card. For others, nothing less than a full shop will do. I suspect that most of us are somewhere between those two extremes. My plan, when we finally get our full-time coach, is to spend quite a bit of time with it while I still have all (well, most) of my tools here at home. That will tell me what I need to take with me and what I can most likely send elsewhere. Yes, I know that I'm going to sell or give away something that I think I won't need, only to have to go out and buy it again because I do need it after all.

I like the idea of spare fuses, belts, and filters. Probably the best suggestion is the D-2 governor. Are there any other such parts that might be considered important enough that their failure would make further travel difficult or impossible? If the coach has an uncommon size tire, that might fit into this category, since a roadside tire service can change the tire IF there is a tire they can use. They can easily bring a common tire (and maybe even in your preferred brand), but if the odd-ball tire isn't around they can't instantly produce it.

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #10 –
I still think that having a "home base" is a good idea. It doesn't have to be a stix-n-brix house; just a place where you can keep tools and where you can go buy parts or get access to mechanics you trust.

In our case we're adding a small apartment (600 sq ft) to our shop where we can spend time out of the coach without resorting to a motel. Living in a confined space for a long time can create a lot of stress and the change of scenery helps; at least for us. This is where we'll be doing the yearly fluids and filters changes with a big air compressor (old and crotchety but functional), axle stands, welders, and a good table saw, bandsaw, etc

And nothing says we can't visit local campgrounds now and then, too.
But it doesn't have to have a living space. There are several full-time RV couples around here who just have a pole-building with a washer/dryer, 50A, and a dump station. I see them in the summer sitting in the shade of their little patio and when the days grow short they're gone. Those little pole buildings may hold a fully stocked wood shop for all I know but I'm pretty sure they aren't into them for more than $30 or $40k.

Another couple have a small house nearby where they spend their summers making soap from the water at "Soap Lake, WA". Then they sell the soap at community farmer's markets and clear $400 a week for 3 or 4 months. In the fall they head down to Lake Havasu where they tell me there is a lot of good boondocking.

A home base also gives you access to medical care with physicians who have your medical history and dentists who know you. In our case kids and grandkids live close by but even that isn't a critical criteria. Just having a place where you know you can spend a few nights without paying camp fees.

And, as George Stoltz once alluded to; some time where nothing is going to break.

Craig

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #11 –
In a remote-ish location, I had problem finding the red extended life coolant.  Finally got from an hour away, so I carry the undiluted now along with spare belts, hoses, oil, oil for hydraulic slide, filters.  I have a spare air regulator which MOT suggested and one other item, that is all that I know i need except for tools and unusual light bulbs.

If Ron you have the fuel delivery system that has not been converted from the Winn 20/20, there is an o-ring in the cylinder where you can see the fuel flow.  Keith Risch of MOT said carrying a spare o- ring could be smart.

(I had asked Keith....where am I most vulnerable to an emergency shotdwn.  That is one area he sees, the fuel cylinder, most often ( not to say it frequent))

I am learning that many things can be worked around if you are on the road.  I am trying to identify those that cannot without a few simple parts along OR the instructions already in my pocket of how to fix.

Another Ron....I think applies to you, you got a 2001 with a slide?.... is the method/system to mechanically bring in and hold the slide and travel mode if you have a slide problem.

I invite you,Ron, and others, to contribute to and help build the "information Share, 1999 - 2001" document on the Forum.  Hope that helps you, and you us.  Outside this scope perhaps, but I carry a small notebook of important phone number, including repair places in the area, having researched that in advance, plus the usual Good Sam, insurance, RV parks, numbers.

Thanks, mike

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #12 –
One of the Cummins mechanics and I were chatting during a lull in work activity (waiting on a part arrival) when one of us mentioned the Infra Red temperature indicator. Harbor Freight sells one of these little jobs for under $50 (depending upon which particular sale is going on at the moment). Like a handgun with a laser pointer, you simply aim it at the item you want to check for temperature and pull the trigger; the temperature of the spot you aimed at is displayed at the back of the device.

I had been planning to get one of these but the chat with the mechanic spurred me to do it the next trip to an area with a Harbor Freight outlet. It was $39 and it's amazing. I've measure the temperature of the hood of my car in direct sunlilght (109) bushes and trees (surprisingly cool) and my leg (I'm definitely not *hot*).

Invaluable for checking wheel bearings, radiators for blocked areas, manifolds, transmission cases. The mechanic told me to stop after a couple of hours and just go around making notes of temperatures to have as a baseline. Then, if I hear or notice something out of the ordinary I can do it again and compare.

Made perfect sense to me.

Craig

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #13 –
@Craig you forgot to mention they do double duty for cooking! Check the water in a pot on the stove to see how close to boiling it is. Is the soup hot enough. etc, etc, etc. I use it to check hot/cold spots on my grill. Handy little buggers... :)

Oh and don't forget tires & brakes.

see ya
ken

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #14 –
One tool that has turned out surprisingly handy is the Swivel Tip Vise Grip, Newegg.com - Irwin Vise Grip 20 11" Swivel Pads Locking C Clamp. (This link is just for visual reference. I'm sure you can purchase them at any hardware store.)

I carry two of them and use the as a vise in conjunction with my trailer hitch. So far, there has been no need for a larger or stronger vise. When I first started out I considered bolting my bench vise to my slide tray in the large bay, but after two years of using the vise grips I don't think I will need it.

Oh, and we too carried the D-2 Govenor when we had the Cummins and we carry a gallon of Transynd and the red coolant.

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #15 –
Quote from: MemoryRoads –
What spares should be carried along on 'every' FT of each year of vintage/model.  I would bet the factory has some historical info that would be able to put together a short but very important list of items each coach should have aboard for an owner to get on the road again if necessary.  Sure, some things might not be possible without a full tool selection and owner capabilities, but some things might not be too difficult to do and others can be installed or diagnosed in an emergency by a road mechanic and a phone call to FT or internet to the forum.
is there such a list of spares?

Here are a couple of previous threads that might give you some ideas

Redundancy: what spare parts do you travel with?

What spare parts do you need to carry??

Tool Box Essentials --What non-tool items won't you leave home without?

What tools do you carry on your coach?

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #16 –
And don't forget the ever important spare sewer hose :))  I had two.  My everyday one cracked, so I replaced it with my spare.  The next day I bought a new spare.  The NEXT day my old spare cracked and I had to replace THAT with my new spare.  Now I have two new sewer hoses.  And a spare water hose!

Tools: a bag of small stuff, spare fuses, tape, etc. And on my cell phone the number for Good Sam Roadside Assistance for $130 a year.  ;D
 

Re: What spare parts to carry?

Reply #17 –
A bag of tie wraps can be handy.