| [GMCnet] Fwd: Cross country adventure part 2 [message #89602] |
Wed, 23 June 2010 07:54  |
Gerald Work
Messages: 102
Registered: June 2010
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Gerald Work <glwork@me.com>
> Date: June 22, 2010 9:51:25 PM CDT
> To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
> Subject: Cross country adventure part 2
>
> A bit more on the changes we made in prep for this long trip that may be of interest...
>
> We replaced our 30 plus year old ac with a low profile unit. We selected one from Carrier knowing that they have exited the rv business. We talked with lots os rv techs, parts dept mgrs and on line sources. All said that Dometic and Coleman also make good units, but to a person they said they thought the Carrier unit was top of the pack.
>
> Once we made that decision we also decided it was time to remover the pod as well. We looked back on what we actually carried in the pod and found that it consisted mainly of a few spake parts, a table and chairs. Sure, at times we also carry other stuff, but that has been the preponderance for us. I also am less and less comfortable climbing up there every time we simply want the table and chairs.
>
> The solution was to remove the pod (9 screws in our case). We found another 9 screw holes from a previous pod that looked like they may have been leaking. After sealing those we set about finding places to store the things that came out of the pod. In our case that turned out to be easy once we took a hard look at the rear of the coach in a new way.
>
> We also carry two bikes with us, and we wanted to add a satellite receiver.........so, we looked at all three objectives and came up with what we think is a rather unique solution. We selected the Winegard portable auto sat finder unit. It is designed to mount on the ladder and be removable to be placed up to 50 feet away from the coach. The factory supplied mount is designed for ladders with larger tubing than we have on our coaches. I built a new mount from some 1" chrome tube from a store display I had around. I welded a flat plate on both ends that allow it to sit on the lip of the rear window at the bottom and the flat area just above the rear window at the top. The tube is held vertical when the coach is sitting flat.
>
> I machined two UHMW pads, each with a vertical v groove, that fit inside the factory mount and allow it to tighten properly on that 1" chrome tube. I replaced the nuts and bolts with two thumb screws so the sat antenna can easily be moved up and down the 1" chrome tube. When at the top the antenna easily finds the satellite, when moved to the bottom it is easy to remove the antenna and carry it up to 50' away to get out from under trees or miss a near by building.
>
> The next step was to create a new kind of bile rack for our folding bikes that would open up much of the space that "conventional" bike racks take when mounted on the back of our coaches. Our folding bikes, one a full suspension mountain bike and the other a full on touring bike, both feature a seat tube that goes all the way through instead of bottoming out at the bottom bracket. That looked to me to present an opportunity. I built a bike rack by welding a rectangle out of square tube that fits snugly over the deflated spare tire. On each end a hunk of the 1" tube was welded that would project horizontally out each way when that rectangle is forced over the deflated spare tire. Once it smuggles over the deflated spare, then the air pressure alone will hold it securely once the spare is reinflated. Works like a charm.
>
> To lock everything in place I purchased two 6' cable locks. The cables thread throughout the 1" tube with the male sticking out the outboard end of each tube. Once mounted, the seat tube of each bike can be locked to the horizontal chrome tube by simply putting the female end of the cable lock over the male end of the lock. I turned a couple of pieces of UHMW to lock the male end in place just to make the process a bit easier.
>
> Net result, the bikes hang below the level of the rear window yet can be unlocked and on the road in less than one minute.
>
> Next, I moved the license plate to the center of the bike rack. Sharon sewed two bags for the chairs from car cover material. A simple draw string ties the top of each bag tight. One chair fits easily behind the ladder where it is secured by the end of the draw string. The other fits behind the bike on the drivers side in the space that covers where the license plate originally lived.
>
> The table? It is one of the new type which has no loose parts and fits inside a 4" rectangular bag. Lift the chair under the ladder and this table slides right below it.
>
> The spare parts that previously lived in the pod now live in a unique place. Remember the house batteries that now live in the ps rear compartment? That freed up a lot of space under the ps seat. I found a ss pan at a thrift sale that was perforated just the right size to fit on top of the old coach battery tray. It now holds a whole bunch of the stuff that previosly lived in the pod. My spare air bag hangs below and in front of the ps front wheel out of the way.
>
> The net result of all of these changes is we now haw a coach with no pod that stores as much or more than our previously "podded" coach did. I will let you know in a future installment what impact all of this has on fuel consumption.
>
> Hope this is helpful.
>
> Jerry Work
> 78 Royale rear lounge now in Chadron, NE
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPad
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