Galileo

We don’t have a front camera. I’ve only used the backup camera once. The monitor you keep in the TV is too clunky and in the way most of the time. Our new GMC has connectors to put a backup camera display through the vehicle “infotainment” system - but you have to buy their camera. I’m still working out a multitude of bugs, er, I mean “undocumented feature” with the folks at OnStar to want to further complicate my life at the moment. For us, I think the $1,900 (at the time) “Electronics Package” was a bad investment. The only thing we use is the RVLock keyless door lock. I’ve already had to replace a faulty circuit board on that. I’d remove the booster antenna - but too lazy to patch up the hole. 😋 To be fair - maybe - I get one more “bar” of signal strength if I hold my phone tight by the indoor antenna. Then again, that might just be from being closer to the window. Honestly, I thought some instructions said you had to “register” that device with your cell provider, but I can’t find any info on it. It’s just some blinking green lights in the port aft cabinet…

Sorry if I’m using the wrong term or if my not including a picture is making it less obvious. Whatever that Thingamabob that connects the two tanks together and has a little lever that swings left and right is called. Ours has a little indicator that shows 2 green “sectors” if the tank is supplying gas. I think it shows red if no gas (but it might show black - I’m 400 miles from the trailer at the moment). Anyway, it’s the contraption that is supposed to automatically switch tanks when the primary one runs out of gas. I never use that function as I don’t wanna end up with both tanks empty because it switched and didn’t tell me. If the little indicator is dirty, or you are just viewing through the round access port of the front of the propane enclosure, you may never see the indicator. (So you may not want to deviate yourself colorblind just yet!)

I suppose if you’re the “Hitch up a go!” kinda guy, then have solar and/or a lot of battery capacity would be more important. These days, we don’t head off -anywhere- without a reservation with at least electricity. We did a “Harvest host” overnight once just for the heck of it. We survived. Yeah, “technically” we can get by without any hookups for at least a few days, but we just like the ability to watch TV - more importantly - run our espresso machine - without needing a huge ($$$) lithium battery bank and a big ($$$) inverter. I think since Covid (maybe before?) there’s a ton more RVers out there. Trying to drive to the next campground up the road without a reservation is likely to leave you driving on to the NEXT campground up the road. I think a LOT of people retired early when Covid hit and half of them bought RVs and hit the road. I know Elkhart has been cranking out cheap trailers 24/7 since Covid (and the quality shows…) I worked for a hardware store, an “essential employee” all during the worst days of Covid. The Interstate Battery guy was in and says they couldn’t even keep the RV makers supplied with batteries the demand was so great.

Definitely a thumbs-up from me! Did you pull out one of the DC “outlets” and use the hole for the switch? Kinda surprised this isn’t at least an option from the factory. I think it would be more useful than the cell phone booster. I don’t even think that thing does anything.

We scrubbed our planned trip to Alaska two seasons ago mainly because we couldn’t reserve a camp site West of Yellowstone at the time. Not keen on driving through Canada any time soon anyway - they didn’t like me having pepper spray in the camper when we went to PEI and I’m on their s___ list now…

I’m afraid I have to agree with you here. Im often tempted to leave my car doors unlocked. Though I try not to leave valuable (looking) stuff in the car, I don’t want some clown breaking a window just to steal my knockoff sunglasses, or hack my $50 cd player out of the dash with a hatchet. (When I worked at the Buick dealer - I saw some pretty expensive damage just to steal a radio or break into a trunk to steal a spare tire!)

I admit that my go/no-go decision making as to whether I DIY it or take it to the dealer are a bit arbitrary. I think most it’s the “Are you f-ing kidding me!?” When they quote me the price. $900 to replace the blank tank dump valve triggered my DIY mode (my cost - ~$250) Pretty sure OTT quoted me about $4k to replace the noisy Penguin with the somewhat less noisy Truma A/C. Since you can buy a new unit from Amazon for under $1,500 delivered, that was a no-go. Last major automotive job I took on was inner tie rod ends in my old 2000 Ranger (with 300,000 miles) - they wanted $900. I could buy a whole rebuilt power rack & Pinion for $150. All I used the shop for was an alignment when I was done. Sometimes is strictly the $$$ amount. Sometimes it’s the temerity of the quote.

Not one to enjoy TOO much adventure, I may just travel the path more heavily travelled.

If you will be good enough to forward the membership requirements, application, and schedule my entrance interview - I’d be obliged. (That is to say that I likely already have the experience and qualifications for membership - you’re just lucky enough not to have known me for very long. 😋 )

They may well be LP fueled now, but I’d wager that there are at least a few 70’s-80’s vintage Onan-equipped RVs out there that were gasoline powered. I suppose on a trailer, LP would be the obvious fuel. Motorhomes - the gas tank is -right- there….

While a marine “watermaker” certainly IS an R/O system, it’s more of a specialized system for making drinking water out of sea water. They’re quite expensive and overkill for most of our purposes. (We also have a sailboat and briefly considered a watermaker.) I just like bottled-water quality without the waste of all those plastic bottles going into the waste stream (then into the ocean, landfill, or into our bodies via microplastics) a conventional R/O system as one would install under their sink at home can be had for $150 or so these days. Conventional water filters (like Camco sells) are basically for particulates and maybe taste via a carbon filter. They won’t remove dissolved stuff in the water. These days, with industrial waste in the ground and agricultural runoff, you really have no idea what’s in your water supply and I prefer to ingest as little of the unknown chemicals as possible.

I half-wondered why there wasn’t an easily accessed switch that would let the owner disable the front jack so that goofy people couldn’t come by our trailer and hack with it (ha ha) or turn that light if it whatever. Taking the fuse out would do that, but kind of a primitive “switch”. Probably a good mod for one of our owners who like to improve things. A simple toggle or rocker switch would do the trick.

I think JD and I have to agree to disagree on this point. IMHO there’s no reason to put grease anywhere except where it’s going to actually be doing anything. Where gear teeth mesh, on shafts and bores of bearing surfaces, and a film on gear faces that might be exposed to thrust loads. As JD says - grease does not “fling”. For that matter, unless it gets TOO hot, it’s unlikely to even flow. So “packing” grease on top of or between gears is unlikely to do anything for you. That’s why you see caked and solidified grease when you open the gearbox. I suppose that preventing air from contacting the gears -may- do something, but I side of a sealed (gasketed) gearbox, I doubt it’s a factor. I too spent more than a few years in automotive service and industrial maintenance. Getting the lube to exactly where it’s doing a job is important. Adding a bunch more grease is just good for the grease vendor….

Stihl 026 - the old numbering system. I wasn’t using chain saws back then. Bought the farm in 2008. (And sold it in 2021). My saws were all the “MS” numbering. The MS362C-M was my “big” saw. A pair of MS250’s and an older MS180CB were the everyday saws. Sure, when you open them up they scream. At idle, they purr. (That’s when the Dometic A/C would be louder!)

I don’t think it’s so much “tight” as it is some kind of galvanic corrosion from dissimilar metals. They basically “weld” themselves into place. Very true! In my stint in maintenance management, I learned a new term: “maintenance induced failure”. Whether that’s from improper maintenance procedures that cause damage (think AA191) or a situation like JD mentions above. If you’re not going to clean out ALL the dirt - including the dirt opening the gearbox likely introduces into the unit - then you’re mostly just going through the motions.