"I've never had a vehicle without a Tach. Anyone
here who had one installed?"<br><br>Here's a dumb
question from someone who has driven stick shifts all his
life (until I got Gertie): how do you use a tachometer
with an automatic transmission?

I have a 1989 LD 22' with a Chevy 350. It has a 3
speed automatic. I had installed a Gear Vendor aux
transmission and a tach. <br><br>The Gear Vendor allows me to
split all 3 gears. The tach allows me to better gauge
when to shift. I love it. The tach is rather simple to
install. I mean Gear Vendor installed it but it looked
rather simple.

I hope to store my LD in the Mission Viejo area,
so I can be close to San Clemente, my 2nd hometown.
<br><br>I'll have LD repairs done by LD in Montclair.
<br><br>Can anyone give me a referral where I can have
''other'' work done? South Orange County is where I'll be
so North from San Clemente -- Irvine, Tustin towards
to Montclair?<br><br>Appreciate it.<br><br>Lee

Lee,<br>I have the 2001 wiring manual. It shows
that the PCM (Power Control Module) has a CTO (Clean
Tach Output) out of cavity # 48, circuit 648 - White
with pink stripe wire. I've been checking with various
tach manufacturers for a V10 tach and nobody seems to
stock these except for Ford which is part of their dash
system in other vehicles that come with a tach such as
their pickups. If you find a source, let us know since
I think there are many people who would like a tach
to monitor their RPM.

I'd like to solicit opinions and experience as to
what people use in their black water holding tanks. In
our travel trailer we used the blue deoderant liquid.
But on other discussion lists, some people swear by
the bacteria based products. Since the bacteria would
be much better for the municipal sewer systems, I'd
like to hear how well they work.<br><br>Art

"I'd like to solicit opinions and experience as
to what people use in their black water holding
tanks."<br><br>This is a topic of some considerable
controversy...seems to me I've seen RVing lists where the arguments
over toilet chemicals got so intense that the
listmasters finally declared the subject taboo! ;-) Not that
I expect that to happen here--this is one of the
most civil (not to say friendly!) lists I've been
on.<br><br>Anyway, to provide a little background, there are four
categories of holding tank chemicals: biocidal (kills all
bacteria; generally contains formaldehyde, paraformaldehyde
or quaternary ammonium chlorides, plus perfume);
enzymes (help to break down organic matter); bacterial
(contain live aerobic bacteria, nutrients and enzmes that
actively digest organic matter and release odorless
nitrogen); and nitrate (help nourish the existing aerobic
bacteria that...etc.).<br><br>Because biocidal treatments
are bad for septic systems, more and more campgrounds
are discouraging (or in some cases forbidding) their
use. "Formaldehyde" has become a bad word with many
RVers, to the extent that "CONTAINS NO FORMALDEHYDE!"
now appears in bold letters on many brands of toilet
chemicals.<br><br>But if you wish to avoid formaldehyde, you must read
labels carefully. I have seen major brands such as
Thetford boast of no-formaldehyde formulas, yet upon
reading the label found that they contained
paraformaldehyde!<br><br>My own practical experience, as most of you know, is
limited...but so far I've had very good results with bacterial
and nitrate-based treatments, as did Gertie's
previous owners. My current favorite is Odorlos, a
nitrate-type treatment. No bad smells yet!

Camping World sells an adaptor that enables you
to hook up external propane tanks.See
below<br><br><a
href=http://www.campingworld.com/browse/products/index.cfm?deptID=&subOf=&prodID\
=2408
target=new>http://www.campingworld.com/browse/products/index.cfm?deptID=&subOf=&\
prodID=2408</a><br><br>If you have access to water and a place to dump the
tanks, you may never have to drive the LD to town
again.But remember that your LD was born to roam.<br>It
sounds like you have found the perfect place to spend
that summer.Enjoy

My 83' LD needs a new propane tank.Has anyone found a ten gallon repacement with
a gauge?<br>            Thanks

"We're sold on solar. Now if we could only get
more people on the bandwagon so they'd turn off those
X%##$! generators!"<br><br>Paul, I know exactly how you
feel . Granted some newer motorhomes have quiet
generators but most are way too loud . Get everyone on board
with solar and much of this noise would
disapper.<br>We live well on battery and solar alone . The only
time I really want a generator is in the heat of the
summer when camping without hook-ups to power the
A/C.<br><br>Can't wait for fuel cells to be mass produced. At some
point they will be cheaper than a generator and more
fuel efficient.It could have a major effect on
motorhome design and construction.<br><br>I agree that the
solar panels do an excellent job as a charger. My
starting battery is almost 8 years old, kept charged by
the panel. I want my LD to always be charged and
outfitted. We lived on top of the Northridge quake and
watched a lot people suddently become homeless. It's
comforting to have the "survival capsule" in the driveway.

I sent a suggestion to Hewell's website about a
year ago. The response I got back was that they
already had enough subjects at this
time.<br><br>California's Gold has done shows on other local Inland Empire
companies like Fillipi Winery. Lazy Daze would fit the mold
perfectly...especially one of those caravans with a couple LDs parading
up Hwy 395!<br><br>Maybe Hewell's staff will be
interested after a few notices.<br><br>Rob<br>2000 26.5 MB

Thank you for the url to camping world and the
adapter. I can do that! A little note of caution on
running a phone line from a house through the driver's
side wing window - four horses ran in front of the rv,
which was parked 1-1/2 feet from the charming picket
fence and broke my telephone right in half and left the
wires showing on each piece. No harm done that a trip
to town did not remedy (for a new phone wire). When
I got back I park this hummer nose to the charming
picket fence...and ran the new phone line through the
pickets - hehe, who could imagine that anyone but me
could have so many adventures sitting still in my love,
my Laze Daze. Stay tuned for more. Mari Susan

Well, I picked up our 26.5 MB on June 22nd, and
managed to get it home in one piece, in spite of my
natural inclination to "learn by my
mistakes."<br><br>2700+ miles in 6+ days (many of which were spent
transitting what I'm convinced are some of the worst roads in
North America) definitely proved the LD's mettle.
There's no doubt that the rig took an undeserved beating
on those roads, but it's still as quiet and
squeak/creak-free as ever. The LDs indeed seem to be built like the
proverbial brick (smoke)house...<br><br>And of course, the
icing on the cake is that my wife absolutely *loves*
the rig. Hopefully we'll be able to get it registered
in MD tomorrow, and be free to head out and do some
camping next weekend.<br><br>My main advice at this point
to any East Coasters thinking about driving their
new LD back home, is to THINK TWICE (or more) about
taking I-40 through eastern OK and AR. The road *WILL*
literally bring tears to your eyes as it tries to beat your
LD into submission. Post-facto, I can tell you that
the LDs are up to the challenge, but if you don't
have to go that way, why bother inflicting such a
beating on your rig?<br><br>Bob

Bob,<br><br>your adventure sounds interesting to
us as we live in Leesburg, VA and are also
considering purcasing a LD and traveling cross-country with
it back home. I am planning on a factory visit this
August, and it's likely we will order one then for
delivery in the spring.<br><br>I wonder how many others
are in the Northeastern area of the US?<br><br>take
care,<br><br>Scott Schmitz.

Thanks for leveling with me about leveling.  :-)<br>Makes sense to me to level
the rig!.  J.C.

Who has these?  Are you happy with them?  J.C.

When in August--I'm scheduled for the 24th. J.C.

Please refresh my memory.  How old is your unit?  Why a leak in the vent? Are
you in a RV park?  Don't they deliver gas to the park?<br>thanks.  J.C.

Mari Susan.  Love your stories.  :-)  J.C.

Mari Susan.  Love your stories.  :-)  J.C.

"But most small household appliances that are not
in the home-entertainment category are perfectly
happy to run on "modified sinewave" AC. As I said,
blenders, food processors and similar kitchen
appliances,"<br><br>Actually, anything with an AC motor has a problem with
modified sine-wave. They will run hotter and less
efficiently, due to the 60Hz harmonics which contain a lot of
the power produced with this waveform. Anything with
a power transformer or other primarily inductive or
capacitive load will suffer as well. You may get away with
it, but the equipment will last longer and run better
from a generator, shorepower, or sine-wave
inverter.<br><br>A hair dryer has a small motor and most of the
power is used by the heater - which is a resistance. It
will drain the battery quickly, but run pretty
efficiently from a large modified sine wave
inverter.<br><br>Best bet is still to use DC appliances, for best
efficiency.<br><br>Steve

Jerry, in the '80's there were four 22'
floorplans. The Front Lounge, Rear Lounge, and Twin/King
models were nearly identical with the current 23.5'
models with those designations. The length difference is
in the nose of the Ford cab vs the Chevy.<br><br>The
other floorplan was the Multiplan. This model had a
rear corner bath with external fold-a-way sink. It had
a front entrance behind the passenger seat, and a
smallish kitchen on the other side of the door. Behind the
driver's seat was an area that could be ordered with a
dinette or couch, and behind the kitchen an area that
could have one of those or a small permanent bed.
Because of this flexibility, you need to see a particular
multiplan to know how it's configured.<br><br>Steve

"Would want a/c in hot humid or dry
summer."<br><br>You CANNOT run the A/C with solar panels, batteries,
and an inverter. I know of a claim from someone who
said they did, and they had 14 golf cart batteries and
an entire 40' fiver roof full of solar panels. You
will need to use your generator for the air while
boondocked, the entire time it is running.<br><br>For your
other uses, two panels will keep the batteries in
better shape than just one.<br><br>Steve

"Has anyone used regular propane tanks
installed<br>outside to feed the cook stove? "<br><br>Mari Susan, be
careful what you do here. In the Northridge quake in
SoCal, several devastating LP fires in mobile home parks
were not cause by ruptures of internal LP plumbing.
Instead, the homes had shifted on their foundations,
severing the lines to the separately anchored LP
tanks.<br><br>What ever you use externally as your LP source, make
certain it is anchored to the Lazy Daze. You may be in
earthquake country too.<br><br>Steve

"My 83' LD needs a new propane tank.Has anyone
found a ten gallon repacement with a gauge?"<br><br>No,
but I replaced the valve with a POL valve designed
for the 40 lb tank, and that works. Must be
recertified in 5 years, though, since the tank is
old.<br><br>Manchester has the tank in their catalog, but dealers I have
contacted say they must order a minimum volume, and they
can't sell enough to justify that (or have implied
such).<br><br>Steve

Hi,<br><br>On the topic of appliances, does
anyone know if the coffee maker installed in the 30'LD
are 'landline/generator' only, or do they have a
large invertor installed?<br><br>Only
curiosity.<br><br>Martha<br>November 26.5 RB

I found one at my local propane dealer for about $95. Also saw one at the local
RV accessory store. <br>Good luck!<br><br>~Greg

Scott,<br><br>Thanks to Bob, we'll NOT be driving
I-40 back to Yorktown, VA in November. We'll let you
know how the cross country trip goes and you can plan
from there when returning with your new rig.
<br><br>Trouble is I've read/heard similar things about I-10. It
appears we're running out of East-West routes. Being
leisurely travelers, we'll likely stick to the old "US"
highways like Route 66.<br><br>Larry

Hi,<br><br>In the continuing search for the
'perfect' cup of coffee, we found a 12 v model made by a
marine supplier. It should be rugged as it intended for
boats (bounce, bounce).<br><br>I'm sure our
'boondocking' friends would be horrified at the 17 amp draw,
but if it takes only 5 minutes to make a pot of
coffee, I calculated that was about 1.3% of the battery
capacity (allowing a 50% discharge). Thus we can make
about 77 pots before we have to charge the batteries.
[We would probably fill up the black water tank
first. ;=} ] More seriously, we plan to travel more than
dry camp, so some early morning usage of the battery
is OK, and it is nice to comptemplate just pushing a
button in the morning and having coffee ready in a few
minutes.<br><br>Any comments on the usability of such a coffee maker
in a 26.5 RB LD? The comptemplated location would
probably be the table between the two barrel chairs. Any
better thoughts?<br><br>Barry<br><br><br>The links to
the manufacturer and one chain of suppliers is:
<br><br><a href=http://www.waecoadlerbarbour.com/12_volt_coffeemaker.htm
target=new>http://www.waecoadlerbarbour.com/12_volt_coffeemaker.htm</a><br><br><\
br><a
href=http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=20\
1&prrfnbr=104243&outlet=
target=new>http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prme\
nbr=201&prr
fnbr=104243&outlet=</a><br><br> The cost is $66, but it does not appear that
they
keep it in stock.

Hi,<br><br>I can't speak for the rest of I10, but
we have driven several times between San Antonio and
El Paso on I10, and the road is excellent. Nice dry
Southwest scenery also. The gas was expenisve through some
of the more desolate streatches
however.<br><br>Barry

Woops,<br><br>Martha found a site where they said
it took about 15 minutes for the 1st cup of coffee
and about 45 minutes for the pot for a 12v coffee
pot.<br><br>I checked and the 17a @12v is only 204 watts,
compared to 1200 watts for our trusty 'home' model.
Therefore the long time is probably right. We may have to
reconsider the old-fashoned perculator on the stove. [at
least it is cheaper ;=} ]<br><br>Keep on
trucking.<br><br>Barry