Tire pressure monitor caution and generator feedback

A word to the wise on tire pressure monitoring systems

I experienced a mishap I haven't read about in the excellent RV Travel Newsletter. Hopefully this will save others from the same fate.

I installed an external add-on tire pressure monitoring system [TPMS] on not just on my motorhome, but also the tow dolly and car. On a day to get chores done I decided to get the car washed at one of the quickie self guided, spinning brush type car washes.  Big mistake! The channel that guides the vehicle snagged and broke the valve stem to which it was mounted. The car wash manager was only authorized to pay for half the replacement cost, which I didn't fight, but the big problem was that on newer vehicles the valve stems have internal TPMS. Finding a tire shop with the right replacement in stock can be difficult, but what really threw a wrench in the works was resetting the indicator light on the dash. I spent two days at two different tire shops with no success. I now have to schedule another day of my time at a Toyota Repair Facility to have the indicator reset. Something as simple as resetting a indicator light can become extremely time consuming and frustrating.  – Pretz or Pretzel

Watts of feedback on inverter generator article

I greatly enjoy your daily RV tips but I think Greg Illes missed the boat on the tip about simply replacing common open generators with top of the line inverter-based models.

For many readers, when contemplating a new or replacement generator, the difference between a 4KW Yamaha ($3200 and up) vs. a 4500KW Champion ($250, delivered) is monstrous.  The Yamaha and Honda are beautiful machines, so if I were a fulltime RVer who "never" saw an electric plug and didn't recharge from repositioning drives, I'd probably spring for the Yamaha, but any other situation there are probably much better solutions per dollar (solar, wind, huge batteries like me), and courtesy will still go further than technology.

Greg asserts that typical generators sound like jets, which only the oldest ones do.  I have a 20 year old 6.5KW that is fine on a worksite but I'd agree insane for camping.  You can't comfortably talk until you're 50 feet from it. So, I know what he's talking about, but that's still 50, not "hundreds of yards."

I also have a smaller four-year-old 4KW open-frame generator I bought FOR the RV -- and I literally sit on it as a bench while talking only slightly raised voice.  It has a giant muffler compared to the 6.5KW, so I think what you hear is mechanical noise, not exhaust compression.  At 20 feet, it has more "rattle" than the Yamaha "hum" but absolutely acceptable decibels.  I don't feel AT ALL offended by my neighbor producing that level of noise 50+ feet away, since I can always hear my own furnace and hot water exhaust over my generator.  Drunk fishermen shouting 2:00 a.m. tall tales are more offensive than any genny I've actually seen RVing.

Put simply, Greg is (seemingly?  I don't get HOW with his expertise) out of touch with the current noise technology of generators.  Even that SUPER-cheap "Champion"  genny isn't as bad as you'd expect (making it very popular at most sites I frequent).  Unless it's run at crazily inconsiderate times, I've never heard someone complain.  I even saw one fellow semi-enclose his in a folding baffle-box that brought Cheapie down to the inverter genny's soft hum while supposedly still allowing enough airflow -- probably still under 300 for the rig.

I boondock, and love quiet, running off a huge battery bank for as long as possible when not *needing* cooling -- but again most modern gennies just aren't the loudest thing in camp. -- Wolfe Rose.

We asked Greg Illes for a response, which we epitomize:

I wasn't necessarily suggesting that an inverter-gen REPLACE the Onan (although that's what I did), but perhaps is an interesting "partner." My own experience with open-frame gennies is not as good as Wolfe's, albeit far from exhaustive, so I'll bow to his fuller perspective.

Further, space considerations of our Daily Tips doesn't allow for as complete a discussion as writers (and oft' times readers) would like.

Finally, having been chased farther out into the desert by TWO nearby campers at Quartzsite who insisted on running their open-frame POS's for roughly 14 hours a day, I'm admittedly a bit sensitive. --Greg

Got something you'd like us to hear about? Drop a line to Russ [at sign] rvtravel.com. 

Setting the record straight on RV parking tickets -- and more

Setting the record straight for a Wyoming Court

In our October 30, 2015 newsletter, we published a story based on information we picked up from a local media source. Here's what we printed:

"What's a "recreational vehicle"? That's a bone of contention in Wheatland, Wyo., where the town code limits parking of "recreational vehicles" on residential streets to no more than 72 hours. After a local judge tossed out parking tickets written against motorhome owners because the term "recreational vehicle" wasn't defined, police stopped writing citations. A definition of "recreational vehicle" was proposed: "Trailers, motor homes, buses, detached camper units, boats, utility trailers, horse trailers, oversized vehicles, golf carts, mud bogging vehicles, race cars, snowmobiles, snowcats, or similar vehicles, trailers or equipment," but never made it into law — lawmakers found it too dicey. For now, park away."

Ah, the editor's life, such a merry affair. But eating crow, we submit, is easier with a little ketchup. It didn't take long for a retired municipal court judge from Wheatland to get back to us with his view of the story. Here's what Judge Mark McDonald had to say – and we're grateful to his honor for helping us set the record straight:

Having been the Wheatland Municipal Judge for nine and a half years(retired now) and having researched Court records going back to 1985, I can say that no citation has been issued by the police for parking a RV on the street for more than 72 hours and no Judge has dismissed (thrown out) citations for RVs being parked on the street longer than 72 hours.  Our Town Attorney (been with the town since the early 80s) agrees.

This law is simply one the police do not wish to enforce (should be repealed if it is not going to be enforced in my opinion) and the false excuse (citations being thrown out by a judge) for non-enforcement is trotted out every time someone complains.

Bottom line: No citations issued, no citations dismissed for parking an RV on the street longer than 72 hours.

Most street parked RVs are well maintained and pose no safety hazard where parked(wide streets).  A few  RVs are eye sores(water damage, rust, dirty) and do pose a hazard with a slide extended, power cord in the gutter, etc. hence the almost annual complaint concerning non-enforcement.


Weak cellular phone service

In our RV Daily Tips segment, we included a piece on sketchy cellular phone service (Issue 738), and how calls might be improved by making them late in the day. Sharp-eyed reader, Jim Piper, adds his two-bits of technical expertise:

Mr. Helgeson's tip is a tad inaccurate regarding cell phone signals being affected by solar electromagnetic interference. Albeit it true for signals in the lower portions of the radio spectrum ("High Frequency" from AM broadcast band up through 30MHz), a phenomenon that Ham radio operators are very familiar, it has little to do with the frequency bands in which cellular phone service operates. 

Mr. Helgeson's experiences are likely more related to immediate atmospheric conditions, notably a condition known as "ducting," a condition exploited by Hams to talk long distances on frequencies that otherwise would carry only over much shorter ranges. To depend on a cell phone to "...place that needed call..." when boondocking could be considered foolish at best. Better to get an Amateur Radio license and use Ham communications as a backup. 


Soap on your RV carpet?

In a video we ran in RV Daily Tips (Issue 736) it was suggested users not put soap in carpet cleaning machines, but rather, apply the soap solution by hand.

Carl Bradford had this to say about the suggestion:

The advice today on carpet cleaning is wrong. It is fine, and a lot easier, to use cleaning solution in the carpet machine, suck that up, then fill the machine with plain water to do the final cleaning. This technique is recommended in the carpet cleaner's instructions. His advice gave me a good laugh though, so thanks for that. So much extra work! 


Selling on Craigslist

Our RV Daily Tips (Issue 734) provided a "heads up" on how NOT to sell your RV. This drew plenty of comments on market price in the real world.

Little known factoid:  NADA RV prices are mere estimates of value based on a depreciation formula from new price.  They ARE NOT actual prices paid by buyers in recent transactions.  I am a great admirer of the pre 1996 Holiday Rambler trailers and have owned and sold 4 of them.  The NADA prices were in the sub $2000 range while the actual sold prices were about 4 to 5 times, depending on upgrades and new parts.  Plus, I never waited more than one week for a sale to a very happy buyer.

For sure, if you offer a decent trailer for the NADA price on Craigslist, you're likely to sell it quickly.  However, you're also likely to see the buyer re-list it and flip it for a lot more.

If you have information to the contrary, please let me know.  I was very surprised when I learned about NADA's depreciation formula from a respected loan officer familiar with RVs.
--Alex


The depreciation curve for an RV is not linear; I would say that the first eight years or so is steep, but then it levels off, and the difference between a 13-year old coach and a 17 –year old coach is difficult to estimate; condition becomes more important then.

I bought my current coach in 2011, at age 10, with OEM tires and 9,000 miles on it. It still had the OEM plastic sheeting on the carpet! As far as I could tell, the original owner had parked a lot in the desert over 10 years, but hadn’t really “used” the coach. I had a lot of catch-up maintenance to do, but wear on major mechanical systems was only slight (not counting six new tires)

The thing about Craigslist is that an ad doesn’t cost anything, and renewing it is a simple few clicks. You can put something up there at a high price, keep renewing it, and wait for somebody to come along. (Maybe the whole listing is just a sham to keep the wife happy; of course I’m trying to sell it honey!) On the other hand, a high listing might attract some jerk who offers 60 percent of what you ask, and then maybe that’s pretty much what you will accept.

Buyer & seller psychology becomes a hobby with some people.
--Ed Price

Thanks to all our readers for their observations. If you have a beef or a backpat, send them all to Russ at rvtravel dot com.