Florida to Arizona, 2019!!!

ClydesdaleKevin · January 21, 2019, 10:23 AM

We fueled up in Lordsburg, NM...138.3 miles...12.54 gallons of diesel to top off the tank...11.03 MPG on this leg of the journey...SWEET!!! I think I can safely say now that we average about 10 MPG in this RV.

Since it was only noon when we pulled in, we decided to drive the last 72 miles to Safford, AZ...and it is a good thing we did! They reopened the mines in Safford...and while it is great that people are back to work, the RV parks in this area are full to the max! The lady that runs the Safford RV Resort said we can come in tomorrow and stay on a site that someone else paid for until Friday, since he isn't coming in until the 29th (we'll have to also pay for the week of course), provided we are okay with leaving early if he shows up early. We agreed. We could have gone in today, but her husband has to unclog the sewer line on that site, so we can go in at noon tomorrow. In the meantime, a 55+ RV park, Lexington Pines, had an overnight site open for 15.00, so that is where we are now for the night. Looks like we'll have to start making reservations a year in advance if we want to stay next winter for a month at the Safford RV Resort!

So it looks like it is all working out for a week long stay in Safford. Whew! I really didn't want to keep driving and have to find another affordable RV park along the way. This one is perfect for a respite.

(Update: They decided to put us in a site that was reserved for a lady waiting from trailer financing (she isn't scheduled to be here until well after Friday), so there is no danger of us being asked to move or leave early...SWEET!).

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · January 21, 2019, 10:24 AM

Keep your fingers crossed folks! We SHOULD be able to stay at the Safford RV Park until Friday...but we won't know for sure until we pull in to the park around noon. Otherwise, we are adrift and will have to keep driving until we find another affordable park, as we can't go into the Arizona Renfaire campground until next Saturday.

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · January 21, 2019, 10:24 AM

Yay! They are letting us stay with full hookups until next Friday at the Safford RV Park! We once again have a beautiful view out our windows of snow capped Mount Graham. We are all hooked up and ready to relax for a week.

I did clean out the burner tube on the hot water heater...and it is fixed! No more soot, and a solid blue flame. I also removed the crazy Frankentoilet and installed the Dometic 300 series low profile toilet, so no leaks! And the height is a lot better now...even my feet were dangling on the Frankentoilet.

So that is it for now!

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · January 21, 2019, 10:26 AM

And that is it folks! You are all caught up. We are safely relaxing in the Safford RV Park until Friday, when we will hit the road for the last leg of the journey, to the Arizona Renaissance Festival in Gold Canyon, AZ.

Sometime this week, probably today, I'm going to troubleshoot the Suburban furnace and see if I can get it working. It was working when we bought this RV, so I'm hoping it is just a loose wire.

I will of course keep making posts and taking and sharing more pictures!

Kev

Froggy1936 · January 21, 2019, 03:54 PM

Hi Kev, One of the features of a rear engine, is less noise, But you have not mentioned it at all ?? Is it really a lot quieter ? Frank

ClydesdaleKevin · January 21, 2019, 06:43 PM

It is SO much quieter Frank! Patti and I can actually hold a conversation while I'm driving without raising our voices at all, even with the driver's side window cracked open. This RV is a pleasure to drive...a completely different animal than the last three RVs that I was used to.

Kev

Rickf1985 · January 21, 2019, 07:21 PM

So it IS an exhaust brake. They are pretty simple, on or off with a solenoid control. You do NEED to get that duct work off of the exhaust though!! That water heater exhausting right up into the refrigerator is not exactly good planning now is it? N:( One other plus with the pusher engine is all the extra room between the front seats.

ClydesdaleKevin · January 22, 2019, 08:33 AM

I hear ya, Rick. I'll be changing the air filter before we leave the Arizona Renfaire, so I'll make sure none of the air intake ducting is touching the exhaust. There wasn't any manuals for the exhaust brake, but the company is still in business and they said they would be more than happy to walk me through the troubleshooting and repair process to get it working in top order. Winnebago squeezed a lot of stuff under the fridge, not just the water heater (which is now fixed and doesn't create any soot anymore)...under the fridge is also the power distribution center and the converter. And instead of a doghouse between the seats, there is a trapdoor in the floor, which opens up to a huge storage compartment. Patti stores her Dyson vacuum cleaner and all its accessories in there, as well as the windshield/dash net when we are traveling.

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · January 22, 2019, 08:37 AM

Also Rick, I read the Oshkosh and Cummins manuals again...and when changing a fuel filter, they say to fill the filter with clean diesel fuel before install to prevent the air bubbles I had when I stupidly drained the whole water separator (and consequently the filter). I'm learning...lol! Also, they only recommend draining a little bit out of the separator and only if necessary.

Kev

Rickf1985 · January 22, 2019, 10:02 AM

Quote from: ClydesdaleKevin on January 22, 2019, 08:37 AM
Also Rick, I read the Oshkosh and Cummins manuals again...and when changing a fuel filter, they say to fill the filter with clean diesel fuel before install to prevent the air bubbles I had when I stupidly drained the whole water separator (and consequently the filter). I'm learning...lol! Also, they only recommend draining a little bit out of the separator and only if necessary.

Kev

Yup, Diesels are a new experience but they are not all that hard to learn. You will get used to smelling like diesel oil for weeks on end.

You will, or probably already have found out, that dogs hate the smell of diesel exhaust! What you can do for that generator is keep your eyes open for a diesel powered genset to replace it with. You can probably sell that one with no problem. The diesel sets are much better at fuel management. And they should be fairly easy to find since they have been used in diesel RV's and buses for many years

postman · January 22, 2019, 09:21 PM

If you use GOJO you wont smell like diesel, but you'll smell like GOJO. There's a DIY recipe that you can use, the main ingredient is sugar. You can pick your fragrance, back in the day Irish Spring was a go to.

ClydesdaleKevin · January 23, 2019, 08:14 AM

LOL! The doggos don't mind the smell of the diesel, and I kind of like it. It reminds me of the smell of Hoppes gun cleaner, which the pups are also used to. I find cleaning my firearms to be relaxing and therapeutic, although Patti has already made a new rule that I can only clean my guns outside from now on.

Kev

Rickf1985 · January 23, 2019, 09:48 AM

Quote from: postman on January 22, 2019, 09:21 PM
If you use GOJO you wont smell like diesel, but you'll smell like GOJO. There's a DIY recipe that you can use, the main ingredient is sugar. You can pick your fragrance, back in the day Irish Spring was a go to.

I used Irish spring for shotgun targets!!! And somewhere FAR from where I planned to be!! I am sensitive to strong fragrances and get instant severe headaches from them. I got written up at work one time because I got off an elevator when a lady got on with ungodly strong perfume. She was black and wrote a letter to the president of the college saying that I was prejudiced!!

[size=78%] [/size]GOJO works but like you said, it replaces one smell with another. Diesel is very pervasive. I have gotten used to it after working with it for 50 years. Doesn't mean I don't still smell it. Gear oil is a different matter. N:( N:( N:(

ClydesdaleKevin · January 23, 2019, 09:50 AM

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR is it cold here in Safford, AZ right now! I should have checked the weather report before going to bed last night. It is almost 8am here right now, and it is still only 24 degrees! My hose almost froze completely last night, and I had to run the water for a good five minutes before it turned from a trickle back to its normal water pressure. I've got the grey water valve open and the water in the kitchen sink set to trickle until it gets above freezing. BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Kev

Froggy1936 · January 23, 2019, 01:10 PM

Hey Kev if the fuel you last purchased was not treated then it is time for Anti Jell Additive , Once jelled only a warm up will cure it Frank

ClydesdaleKevin · January 23, 2019, 02:48 PM

Thanks Frank! It is now 12:47 Mountain Time, and it is 58 degrees. It sure can get cold in the desert at night though.

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · January 23, 2019, 03:03 PM

Time for some more pictures! Paladin sure does love his new sofa...AND his daddy!

Dang I love being a fulltime RVer! This is us, right now, with beautiful Mount Graham behind us.

Here is the new Dometic 300 series (301 to be exact) low profile toilet. All installed, and the Frankentoilet is in the dumpster.

And...here is the cat door frame I put around the opening to Sampson's litter box, under the dinette. This is right after it was changed, and Sampson went in there like an idiot, playing in the clean litter and making a mess.

And that is it for now!

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · January 25, 2019, 10:09 AM

We were going to leave today and just stay at a BLM land overnight on our way to the Faire, but Patti decided that we should stay here one more night, and drive right to Faire on Saturday morning. So tomorrow we get back on the road for a short trip from Safford, AZ to Gold Canyon, AZ, where we will be for around 11 weeks.

Kev

thomas · January 25, 2019, 11:26 AM

safe trip and all, have been following along to your trip and all!!its like a small mini series

,i know the place your going ,i live in TUCSON!! well,god bless, ohh! what a nice rigg you got after all,!! " what goes around ,,comes around !! se-ya THOMAS

ClydesdaleKevin · January 25, 2019, 11:51 AM

Thanks Thomas!

Kev

ClydesdaleKevin · January 26, 2019, 10:16 AM

Today we leave Safford, AZ, and drive around 150 miles to Gold Canyon, AZ...thus ending this chapter. Once we are in camp and all set up, I'll start a new topic, Arizona 2019.

Kev

joanfenn · January 26, 2019, 10:17 AM

Drive safe you two.

thomas · January 26, 2019, 11:04 AM

same from me, you two!!

THOMAS

thomas · January 26, 2019, 11:08 AM

i cant get this page to cancel, i changed my minded about a note yesterday ,,but its still here wanting a note!! so ill send this to get a clear screen this is under post replyy and has a red warning note also ?? i??

ClydesdaleKevin · January 26, 2019, 08:04 PM

Touchdown at the Arizona Renaissance Festival! We are in camp and all hooked up, and the Jeep is unloaded. Tomorrow we are going to go to the local outdoor flea markets in Apache Junction...they usually have all kinds of cool RV stuff, used and new, for cheap. We are looking for a tote tank to extend our time between tank dumps, since the crooks out here want 65 bucks to dump your RV tanks! Highway robbery!

Kev