5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

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5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

May 06, 2021, 01:17:45 pm

however, there was that little rodent like creature that zig-zag the street in Arches NP, not sure if it made it.

Part 1 of my travel report

Well, I wanted adventure and I got some.

On the way from Northport, WA (where the Columbia River enters from Canada) to Houston, Texas I was by myself, my wife Jeanne looked after the animals on the farm (5dogs, 2 horses, 2 cats). But we are making progress getting a reliable farm sitter.

The first days were tense, I did not even switch on the radio, so I would not be distracted. On cruise control my maximum speed on two line highways 55 miles/hr, on interstates 65 miles/hr.

Temperatures in the northern States were at night around 10 F, my Aquahot quit the 2nd night, I was able to get it restarted it in the morning. I measured all the 12 V supplies and fuse outlets, and at one point by touching a fuse holder with my volt meter probe the AH suddenly started. So there apparently was a loose contact somewhere. By then had warmed up to 20 F and started snowing, so this was not the time to do major faul search. When I 10 days later was in south Houston I met up with Rudy, the AH guru, who did a fine job identifying the problem, it was an internally faulty 12 V fuse .

The Air Compressor did not reach shut off pressure on 4th day and was continuously running, and the gauge did not show more than 25 psi. I could hear and feel air coming out the shut down solenoid that depressurizes the compressor on shutdown. Tapping the solenoid made it close. Replacing two solenoids at NAC (the second one was the starting solenoid that showed burn marks) resolved the air compressor problems so far.
Because I mistrusted the air compressor from a similar experience before the trip, I did not not extend the slides for the night. I was worried because without 90 psi air pressure I could not pull the required vacuum on the slide seals and would be stuck on an interstate Rest Stop.

But as a future back up measure I will buy a portable small 110 V air compressor and install a connection to the air tank feed line.

I also learned a lot about my house battery capacity. I have a residential refrigerator and with the AH running on furnace setting I pulled about 150 AmpHours in 7 hours, pulling my 3 D8 AGM batteries down from 12.7 V down to 11.8V.
Confirming with Roger, who was wintering in Fredericksburg, TX, this was a clear indication that my batteries needed replacement if I intended to do some boondocking, as the pulldown voltage should not go below 12.2 V.

So I ordered three replacement batteries at an O'Reilly shop in Fredericksburg. When Roger and I showed up and asked the strapping looking clerk to give us a hand with loading , he informed us that he had a weak back.

It took us two senior citizens about six hours to do the swap-out, especially the third battery, which sits above the two other ones, 165 lbs is a lot of weight to move. Without Rogers help I would not have had the confidence to tackle the job, a large public thank you to him.

After installation I pulled 215 AmpHours in 12 hours, pulling my voltage down from 12.7 to 12.2 V.

Part 2 of my travel report will deal with my experience at FOT and MOT in NAC and reports from the trip home with friends from Dallas through the National Parks.

Regards

Klaus

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #1 – May 06, 2021, 01:32:45 pm

Good trip, minimum problems. Looking forward to second edition. Grasshopper looks like Western Texas. Hope you asked for a discount for the three batteries. Usually 10%.

Pierce

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #2 – May 06, 2021, 02:05:34 pm

If you have changed your 8Ds in 2003 U320 coach you know what a task it was. The batteries are in a small metal lined cave in the middle of the coach basement, two at floor level and a third on a raised shelf. We had to remove the joey bed to gain access to the cave. Klaus's lower batteries were swollen to the point that we needed a big pry bar just to get them started out of the rack and then more leverage to get the first one out. The upper battery was swollen as well and has less than an inch clearance from the battery posts to the steel frame of the opening to the cave. The battery needs to be level to clear. Not easy to balance and pull out a 167 lb battery. We got it done using ingenuity mostly. But we were a bit worn out that evening, we had a wonderful cake made by Amanda, we earned it.

So we removed 500 lbs of batteries, loaded 500 lbs of batteries into Klaus's Jeep, removed 500 lbs of batteries at O'Reillys, loaded 500 lbs of batteries at O'Reillys, unloaded 500 lbs of batteries back at the coach and then reinstalled 500 lbs of batteries into the cave. 3,000 lbs of dead weight lifting.

Klaus got the biggest discount available and paid no core recycling charges. Glad I could help.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #3 – May 06, 2021, 02:55:47 pm

SO, looks like you had a REAL singer sing you happy birthday.

Probably a couple of octaves higher than you are used to.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #4 – May 06, 2021, 04:03:13 pm

Quote from: kepeters – May 06, 2021, 01:17:45 pm

I also learned a lot about my house battery capacity. I have a residential refrigerator and with the AH running on furnace setting I pulled about 150 AmpHours in 7 hours, pulling my 3 D8 AGM batteries down from 12.7 V down to 11.8V.

What fridge is in your unit? I have a Samsung RF18HFENBSR in mine. With the fridge circuit turned off, the coach pulls 3 amps with nothing on (according to the Xantrex screen). With the fridge circuit on and the fridge in demo mode (no cooling), it pulls 7 amps. With the fridge cooling, it pulls 13 amps.

150amps over 7 hours is over 21 amps...is it an older, less efficient fridge? It would take a good bit of solar to keep up with that during the day.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #5 – May 06, 2021, 05:02:03 pm

Don't trust the Xantrex screen info. I have the Xantrex SW3012 and a Victron BMV 712. The Xantrex itself not supplying power uses 5 amps. I am currently using 244 ahrs between recharges and have 22 cu. ft. Frigidaire, Directv, DW's oxygen concentrator and am using microwave a few times a day along with Cuisinart coffee maker. I am fully charged by 11:30 am each day with solar haven't been plugged in for 14 days now.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #6 – May 06, 2021, 05:33:54 pm

Klaus's shunt was mis-wired, the inverter bypassed the shunt and other errors. We didn't have a suitable cable so it is something he needs to get fixed. He did get a Victron BMV 712 with a new shunt that needs to get installed. All readings are suspect.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #7 – May 10, 2021, 11:17:47 am

Part 2 of the trip report.

With new batteries my next station after Fredericksburg was League City, halfway between Houston and Galveston, where two of my friends live. Navigating the freeways of Houston was tense for me, especially when lanes had to be changed. Of little help was that from living in Dallas in the 80's I knew the major layout of Houston and Dallas fairly well. I had made a reservation for a spot in a RV park on Marina Blvd, that I had driven by and seen many times in the last 20 years.
When I pulled in, they could not find my reservation. When I showed them my confirmation from my computer, they informed me that there were two signs "RV Park Entrance" within 100 ft on the same side of the street, and I should have driven 100 ft further to the other RF park. Go figure!

Aquahot Rudy came to the campground and serviced the unit, a "thank you" to him.

Several days later I made the short trip to Nacogdoches , where MOT had reserved a space for me. I am ashamed to admit that I damaged the electrical box parking in backwards, my backup camera had quit some days earlier.
I contemplated not to mention the incident in this post, but sooner or later some other FT visitor would have been told : "This is the spot the Old German guy damaged, when he came by this spring" and not facing up to it would have been way more embarrassing.

I offered and expected to pay for the damage, but nobody made any mention of it, and I did not bring it up anymore, either.
I bought a used foldable sleeping sofa inclusive installation for under $ 600, which matched my coaches' cream interior (it just looked newer), I expected to pay way more for that.

Before leaving home I had made a test wash with the Splendid washer/dryer unit, and managed to break the plastic opening handle off with the lid still looked. Short of drilling the whole mechanism out I could not open the lid, but when I picked up the new handle/lock combinations I had ordered at FOT, it had instructions how to open the door with a broken handle..

I looked at all the coaches for sale in the MOT site, and liked many, but was content with what I have. The mechanic that serviced my aux. air compressor told me that a buyer just took possession of the 2016 or 2017 Newell (see picture) for a cool $ MM 1.2.

My parting advice to anybody visiting MOT in Nacogdoches, use extreme care in crossing the road between the two MOT sites on opposite side of the highway.

From NAC it was a fairly easy drive to the lake house of my friends in northeast Dallas, who have a 50 Amp connection to charge their Tesla. But getting into the spot (see picture) I had to pass between two large pine trees on either side with not more than 2 inch clearance. Several branches of the bush next to the drivers door had to be cut before I could make it out.

In theory, any track that one drives forward into, one should be able to drive exactly backwards out of.

This theory so far does not work for me. Comments on this subject are solicited.

The third and final part of my trip report describing going home with my friends, while visiting National parts on the way, will come out next week.

Regards

Klaus

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #8 – May 10, 2021, 12:47:08 pm

It doesn't seem logical that you can't back out of the same area you entered but, that is the case with long wheelbase vehicles. I don't know how to post the physics of it but know you can get trapped either way. If I backed a crane between two gate posts in an alley or a narrow street, the rear axles pushed away from the side of the truck and when leaving they "cheated" and would hit the posts if I didn't make several back and forth movements to get the truck away from the post. My brother backed his crane into one of these situations and didn't have the room to go back and forth to get out. I had to take my crane to him and pull the front sideways to get him out.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #9 – May 10, 2021, 10:54:57 pm

I generally back the coach in from the street and it seems easy to me, I know what to look at and where the rear wheels go to get it into the barn straight away every time. Well, 10 years of practice helps.

If I pull in front first and then have to back out, it seems very difficult.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #10 – May 10, 2021, 11:44:00 pm

I try to have the driveway or site on my left so I know just how close to put the driver's side wheels to any obstruction. I know beforehand how far the other side of the driveway is and thus use my side to guide me.
Trying to navigate using the passenger side mirror just leaves me uncomfortable.

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #11 – May 11, 2021, 09:54:02 am

Our driveway has about a 120 degree downhill turn to the really steep 300 foot section. I can just make it leaving home but backing up the driveway, I've never been able to make the uphill turn without stopping and repositioning a little. Tree and telephone on one side, drop off on the other.

If you every have to turn around on a mountain road with a bank on one side and a drop off on the other, back into the bank, never over the edge.

Pierce

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #12 – May 11, 2021, 11:35:08 am

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – May 11, 2021, 09:54:02 am

Our driveway has about a 120 degree downhill turn to the really steep 300 foot section. I can just make it leaving home but backing up the driveway, I've never been able to make the uphill turn without stopping and repositioning a little. Tree and telephone on one side, drop off on the other.

If you every have to turn around on a mountain road with a bank on one side and a drop off on the other, back into the bank, never over the edge.

Pierce

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #13 – May 11, 2021, 11:36:54 am

Pierce,

One might say that is obvious, but I am glad you said it and I will remember it.

Regards

Klaus

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5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

May 06, 2021, 01:17:45 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #1 – May 06, 2021, 01:32:45 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #2 – May 06, 2021, 02:05:34 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #3 – May 06, 2021, 02:55:47 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #4 – May 06, 2021, 04:03:13 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #5 – May 06, 2021, 05:02:03 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #6 – May 06, 2021, 05:33:54 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #7 – May 10, 2021, 11:17:47 am

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #8 – May 10, 2021, 12:47:08 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #9 – May 10, 2021, 10:54:57 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #10 – May 10, 2021, 11:44:00 pm

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #11 – May 11, 2021, 09:54:02 am

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #12 – May 11, 2021, 11:35:08 am

Re: 5663 miles first 2003 U320 FT shakedown trip, I did not run over a person.

Reply #13 – May 11, 2021, 11:36:54 am

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