First trip review....

Topic: First trip review.... (Read 1619 times) previous topic - next topic

First trip review....

August 17, 2018, 05:53:53 pm

So just came back from our first tip in the coach. ~740 miles plus another 100 or so in the jeep. Shake down cruise and glad we did cause there were a few issues. Glad we didn't go to New Mexico on the first tour.
Weather was bad, traffic was bad and lots of construction in I35 going up to Waco. Was tired by that time. Came in 2 hours later than planned. Almost sideswiped a concrete barrier. Lots of crazy drivers. Nice Cardiac stress test for the 2 of us.
Retarder is awesome. Really like it a lot. Took a bit to figure it out but once I did, sweet.
Power was good for that size coach. (450 hp) and towing a 4500 lb car.
Once there figuring the water out was a head scratcher, but we did.
The new awnings we made were invaluable. I'll make another post on them soon.
The silverleaf system from Roger initially was unusable till he game some hints on how to correct the small screen on my laptop. Then everything was good. Like being able to monitor the temps and other engine parameters that way.
Brazos River RV park northwest of Waco is a nice friendly RV park. Would go again. Right on the river. Shaded sites.
Took 84 to 281 to Inks Lake State park. Really nice park. Been there tent camping before. Will go again. Nice sites on the lake. No sewer hook ups but pump out station before you leave.
It was HOT. On shore power the 2 AC's kept the coach nice. But driving the dash air really struggled. The heat coming off the windshield was palpable on my face. The outlets on the dash are blocked by the steering wheel. Really poor design. Might have to come up with a better way. Can't drive like that. The air was cold, just not enough. Ran the generator to cool off but really doesn't work well that far forward with that much heat and humidity. Any ideas would be welcome.
On that way back, generator wouldn't run. Temp fault it said. I thought it might be the fuel pickup, but the gauge was reading over 1/2 full, so didn't go with my gut. Yes sure enough minutes from our home under a crowded underpass engine cut out. Out of fuel with the gauge reading 1/2 full. Previous owner never mentioned it. Wife quickly ran out, bought 2 5 gal containers of diesel and we then managed to pour some in the bay. Thought it was leaking from the tank, so I had to pull the cover off the tank (slightly destructively ) to check it. By then my son came to help and we managed to get around 6 gal in there, and got home after a bit of worry that the engine wouldn't start. Note to self, have a way to transfer fuel from a small container to the tank, cause there is no easy way to do it with the small spouts they sell.

So a crazy end to a great trip. Not long, not far. But exactly what we needed.
One of my sayings is that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And it did. And more knowledgeable. We have a list of 25 or so items to fix or work on before the next trip.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #1 – August 17, 2018, 05:58:48 pm

Bob,

Sounds like a good first trip. Indeed, lots of DRAMA on I 35. Consider Garner State Park-- less high density high speed traffic-- 214 from Corpus.

If this is a Centroid brand fuel gauge sending unit, it can be calibrated very easily.

Here is but one of many write-ups: Centroid Fuel Sender Calibration

And, since fuel is used to cool and lubricate the fuel system, better to work off the top half of the tank, particularly in hot weather.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #2 – August 17, 2018, 06:05:12 pm

To help the ac work better we put a curtain up just behind the seats... also it helps to have the defrost fans on... at least in mine.
Glad you BOTH worked thru it!

Re: First trip review....

Reply #3 – August 17, 2018, 06:16:11 pm

Bob has a 4K laptop screen resolution, not a common one used for VMSpc. You can make a display to fit any resolution but they are a fixed size and do not stretch or resize when you make the window bigger.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #4 – August 17, 2018, 06:30:31 pm

RE the dash A/C - everybody on this Forum has their own idea of whether it is worth using or not. IMO, it is not. On our coach, the driver side dash outlets blast cold air directly at my knees, which is NOT where I need it. On the passenger side, the output is insufficient to overcome the large glass area. So when our dash air crapped out, I didn't bother to get it fixed. We just crank up the generator and run either 1 or 2 roof units. They keep the coach nice and comfy going down the road, even in 100+ degrees, with the added benefit of having a nice cool bedroom when we arrive at our destination.

Your coach has ducted roof A/C units, which should be a lot better than ours at cooling the front of the coach when driving. Be sure you put the dash A/C mode selector in RECIRCULATE so there is no (HOT) outside air coming in the vents. Works for us!

PS: There is clear film you can have applied to the inside of your windshield. It can cut down on the amount of heat coming through the glass.

3M™ Automotive Window Film Crystalline Series | 3M United States

Re: First trip review....

Reply #5 – August 17, 2018, 09:24:47 pm

Cooling issue. See Roger's recent post 249 in "view from front coach windows". Nice fan setup and could be a helpful. Actually, he may have posted a previous description of the installation process?

Re: First trip review....

Reply #6 – August 17, 2018, 09:31:08 pm

Guys,

Reality check-- the dash A/C can not come close to keeping up with the heat load in 100 degree heat, full sun and a dew point in the high 70's.

Straight physics-- not enough BTU's.

In these conditions, only the generator and roof A/C can keep up.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #7 – August 17, 2018, 09:39:05 pm

A fan on the floor in the galley can blow cooler air forward in the heat.

Your 99 has more dash a/c than our 97 which works up to 90 or so.

Do verify the dash air charge. You may be low?

Re: First trip review....

Reply #8 – August 17, 2018, 09:46:11 pm

You have to factor in the humidity-- it takes a LOT of BTU's to remove water from air.

A/C performance in E Texas and the whole Gulf coast is very different than California.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #9 – August 17, 2018, 09:53:21 pm

I will take your word for it about the humidity

Re: First trip review....

Reply #10 – August 17, 2018, 10:12:12 pm

The next time you come up this way, try old Hwy 77 to Waco. It's a nice drive and less stressful than 35 construction. We drive it when we go to Port A and love it!

glen

Re: First trip review....

Reply #11 – August 18, 2018, 08:58:42 am

Brett, I agree. The dash air can't possibly keep up. But some cool air on my face would have been nice. The rear ac's don't reach up to the front even with the fans on high so we had 2 small fans blowing air up and one larger fan blowing air back down the middle. When the generator was running, it was ok. When it quit, it was hell.
Still, a great learning experience and learned a lot. Thanks to all who posted. Appreciate you taking the time to help me out.
Bob

Re: First trip review....

Reply #12 – August 18, 2018, 09:04:06 am

We have a small fan that sits on the floor, runs off the inverter. At the rear inside corner of the passengers seat blowing at the driver it really helps.
Amazon.com: Honeywell HT-900 TurboForce Air Circulator Fan Black: Home...

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Re: First trip review....

Reply #13 – August 18, 2018, 10:53:39 am

Quote from: Bob and Julie – August 18, 2018, 08:58:42 am

The rear ac's don't reach up to the front even with the fans on high

The secret is to close all of the vents, except the two round vents closest to the front. With two large AC's on high, you can get a lot of cool air up front. At some point, though, you will need fans.

Trent

Re: First trip review....

Reply #14 – August 18, 2018, 10:55:50 am

When running the roof A/C in really hot conditions when driving, we also use a small room fan on the floor just forward of the galley blowing forward. That helps combat that huge "solar collector"= windshield.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #15 – August 18, 2018, 11:07:11 am

Get the clear Uv 3m windshield tint.. helps a lot..

I have it on my mercedes and it makes the car bearable in the summer 115 heat.

I have also used a home box fan. Open the down draft and place the fan so it draws the air in the rear and forces it up front.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #16 – August 18, 2018, 11:39:07 am

Sent Bob a 4K VMSpc display last night. See how he likes it.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #17 – August 19, 2018, 03:54:26 am

Quote from: Bob and Julie – August 17, 2018, 05:53:53 pm

So just came back from our first tip in the coach. ~740 miles plus another 100 or so in the jeep. Shake down cruise and glad we did cause there were a few issues. Glad we didn't go to New Mexico on the first tour.
Weather was bad, traffic was bad and lots of construction in I35 going up to Waco. Was tired by that time. Came in 2 hours later than planned. Almost sideswiped a concrete barrier. Lots of crazy drivers. Nice Cardiac stress test for the 2 of us.
Retarder is awesome. Really like it a lot. Took a bit to figure it out but once I did, sweet.
Power was good for that size coach. (450 hp) and towing a 4500 lb car.
Once there figuring the water out was a head scratcher, but we did.
The new awnings we made were invaluable. I'll make another post on them soon.
The silverleaf system from Roger initially was unusable till he game some hints on how to correct the small screen on my laptop. Then everything was good. Like being able to monitor the temps and other engine parameters that way.
Brazos River RV park northwest of Waco is a nice friendly RV park. Would go again. Right on the river. Shaded sites.
Took 84 to 281 to Inks Lake State park. Really nice park. Been there tent camping before. Will go again. Nice sites on the lake. No sewer hook ups but pump out station before you leave.
It was HOT. On shore power the 2 AC's kept the coach nice. But driving the dash air really struggled. The heat coming off the windshield was palpable on my face. The outlets on the dash are blocked by the steering wheel. Really poor design. Might have to come up with a better way. Can't drive like that. The air was cold, just not enough. Ran the generator to cool off but really doesn't work well that far forward with that much heat and humidity. Any ideas would be welcome.
On that way back, generator wouldn't run. Temp fault it said. I thought it might be the fuel pickup, but the gauge was reading over 1/2 full, so didn't go with my gut. Yes sure enough minutes from our home under a crowded underpass engine cut out. Out of fuel with the gauge reading 1/2 full. Previous owner never mentioned it. Wife quickly ran out, bought 2 5 gal containers of diesel and we then managed to pour some in the bay. Thought it was leaking from the tank, so I had to pull the cover off the tank (slightly destructively ) to check it. By then my son came to help and we managed to get around 6 gal in there, and got home after a bit of worry that the engine wouldn't start. Note to self, have a way to transfer fuel from a small container to the tank, cause there is no easy way to do it with the small spouts they sell.

So a crazy end to a great trip. Not long, not far. But exactly what we needed.
One of my sayings is that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And it did. And more knowledgeable. We have a list of 25 or so items to fix or work on before the next trip.

just curious, what kind of antennas are on the front corners on your top?? also I have never seen headlights like that on a FT, kinda like it...

Re: First trip review....

Reply #18 – August 19, 2018, 08:34:39 am

Quote from: Chuck & Jeannie – August 17, 2018, 06:30:31 pm

RE the dash A/C - everybody on this Forum has their own idea of whether it is worth using or not. IMO, it is not. On our coach, the driver side dash outlets blast cold air directly at my knees, which is NOT where I need it. On the passenger side, the output is insufficient to overcome the large glass area. So when our dash air crapped out, I didn't bother to get it fixed. We just crank up the generator and run either 1 or 2 roof units. They keep the coach nice and comfy going down the road, even in 100+ degrees, with the added benefit of having a nice cool bedroom when we arrive at our destination.

Your coach has ducted roof A/C units, which should be a lot better than ours at cooling the front of the coach when driving. Be sure you put the dash A/C mode selector in RECIRCULATE so there is no (HOT) outside air coming in the vents. Works for us!

PS: There is clear film you can have applied to the inside of your windshield. It can cut down on the amount of heat coming through the glass.

3M™ Automotive Window Film Crystalline Series | 3M United States

Chuck,
The issue with not having dash AC, which I insist on, is when you loose your generator as Bob did and a friend of mine did a couple of years ago in his SOB as he was leaving the Florida Keys. It's HOT in that rolling box with no AC at all. My friend had to travel 350 miles that day with no option to wait and get it fixed because of work schedules. We advised him when he bought the coach to get the dash AC fixed but he stated "he didn't need it" because he always ran the generator with the basement AC on anyway. It was mid July and he was kicking himself all 350 miles. His wife rented a car for her and the dogs and followed along behind the coach.

The dash air may not cool the whole coach by a long shot but in ours anyway, it makes a BIG difference for the driver and co-pilot compared to no AC at all. Also on warm and "not so hot" days the dash AC is all we run, no need to run genset all day.
just my opinion........ understand we all have different opinions.

Re: First trip review....

Reply #19 – August 19, 2018, 09:47:51 am

I have run with a few windows open when it's not crazy hot and found if I crack open a bedroom window and open the little slider window at the driver's seat it pulls the air from the rear of the coach to the front pulling the cooler air from the ac units forward

Re: First trip review....

Reply #20 – August 19, 2018, 10:27:57 am

I've never fixed our engine AC. If it's hot, I run the generator for the AC and if the generator were to go south, the 1940 movie with Bogart and Raft comes to mind. They Drive by Night (1940) - Overview - TCM.com Hope not to run into the trouble they did.

Anyone try one of the roof 12V evaporative coolers yet? Might be interesting to mix one and one. Solar or engine generator would run the evap unit easily. Perhaps not as good in high humidity.

Check reviews for the evaporative units. Will fit a 14x14" opening so might be able to just add to what is already up top. Amazon.com: TurboKool RV Motorhome Battery 12-Volt Evaporative Swamp Air...

Pierce

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Re: First trip review....

Reply #21 – August 19, 2018, 10:58:51 am

Does anyone have experience with the 3M™ Automotive Window Film Crystalline Series? How does it hold up? What tint level? Pro's/Con's

Re: First trip review....

Reply #22 – August 19, 2018, 10:59:00 am

Just to add to the subject of dash or no dash air. As Brett stated it is mathematics and the 22,000 btu dash air added to the 2, 13,500 btu units on the roof will cool much better than just roof units. We cross the Mojave desert to get to the Sierra's and can use the dash air only up until 95 deg. The roof air is ducted on our coach and PO has added the extensions. We are still comfortable in front over 100 deg.

1999 Foretravel U320 Specifications

Re: First trip review....

Reply #23 – August 19, 2018, 11:11:09 am

I use the notebook to log the genset hrs/ gallons and fuel use/miles. I figure on a " fetch" into Canada from Rochester, NY of about 350miles one way. That works out to about 650-750 miles per tank @ 8MPG. I hate having fuel anxieity and the gauge reads only 1/2 tank when full and drops a little at 50 gallons left.. Dont trust the gauges for fluid levels .
I fill up at the same station on return each trip . My actual fuel mileage is 8-10 and the tank holds 150 gallons in theory. I have only put in 100 after the longest run.
My 5.5 genset uses about 9 gallons per day. @ 10-12 hrs run time .

Re: First trip review....

Reply #24 – August 20, 2018, 07:27:26 am

Quote from: hdff – August 19, 2018, 03:54:26 am

just curious, what kind of antennas are on the front corners on your top?? also I have never seen headlights like that on a FT, kinda like it...

The antennas are for a Pep wave dual sim card router. multi-cellular They bring in cellular signals to the router. You can use 2 different company sim cards. Pretty cool but not using it right now.
The headlights the PO put in. I can't remember the exact name of them. Looks cool. Haven't used them much at night.

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