We sold the house and hitting the road

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kdarling
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by kdarling »

First, love the photos.

Re: tires. Don't forget that including the old spare, you need seven of them.

If you have a ton of tread left, I wonder if you could sell them on Craigslist to someone less concerned with their age. For example, farmers and industrial users might not care about the age. Just be sure to point it out in the ad.

Btw, I recently learned that the extra road bump feel I get, is likely not from choosing HD shocks after all. Turns out that the Bridgestone Duravis tires I bought (due to Firestone being the only nearby dealer at the time) are known to have extra stiff sidewalls. Which makes them extra tough and reportedly much less likely to blow out than the Michelins, but unfortunately also transmits more road feel.
1994 Concourse dinette, Ford 7.5L (460 V8)
Xatlatc
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by Xatlatc »

Kdarling,
I didn’t even think of the spare! I may use the newest current tire as a spare or just get seven.

We’re back in the Upstate of South Carolina and it’s snowing. I wasn’t planning on experiencing cold weather Chinook techniques. It’s suppose to get to 26 tonight so I plan to disconnect the water hose and open the cabinets under the kitchen sink. The furnace works very well.
Plan to be back on the road to South Florida on December 26th.
Merry Christmas!
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Snow and cold
Snow and cold
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Strange things you see in campgrounds
Strange things you see in campgrounds
chin_k
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by chin_k »

FWIW, I would just use the best old tire for the spare, and just get 6 new ones. If I ever need to use the spare, I will only be driving slowly to the next service station to get it torqued and checked, so there is no real need to get a brand new on there. My plan is never to have to use the spare. I think I only used the spare tire once since I got my license, but I had helped many times with others' spare.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
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Blue~Go
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by Blue~Go »

Just for the sake of discussion, I take the opposite tack for a spare. I put on a tire that is the same model/size, and just as good as all the other tires. My reasoning is this:

1) I already carry all the tools needed to change a tire and torque the lugs properly (I use them even when going to a tire shop because I find their skills/care vary widely).

2) If the tire that went flat is damaged beyond repair, I may be using the spare for awhile (perhaps I have to order a tire, etc.).

3) Maybe I just don't want to worry about replacing the tire right then and there. I could buy a less-than-optimum tire at a tire shop, mount that as the new spare and finish my trip on my "good as all the other tires" spare. This could be done with no new spare (accepting the risk) or by buying a less-than-long-term-desireable spare temporarily to finish out the trip. Then replace things at my leisure (time to make sure I'm not buying a tire more than six months past its DOT build date, etc.).

My previous camper van came with all mediocre tires. I got four new ones (it wasn't a dually) and made the best of the bad ones the spare. Well that came back to bite me. Only a few months later I had to sit basically in place (and it wasn't a great place) for four days because I had an irreparable flat (sidewall cut), and it was Friday morning and they couldn't get me a good matching tire until Monday or Tuesday. That's when I went to the "spare as good as the rest of the tires" method.

I think it's different when it's your runaround town car or vehicle. Then you can nearly always limp home, or drive your other car, or whatever until you get it taken care of. And oftentimes that's only a mini spare anyway. That doesn't always work out in an RV. Also, depending on how you travel, you may be way out in the boonies and need to get back to civilization (maybe not on roads you want to run a questionable spare on). Also, many road services don't go off pavement, or maybe only a very short distance.

*********
In any of the above scenarios, I'd eventually put the (good) spare back as a spare because (unless it was a front tire that went flat), it wouldn't have the right shaped valve stem (the rear inners have a different style, as do the rear outers), but at least rubber-wise, I'd be in business (the "custom" extended front style stem will work on either rear tire position when necessary).
1999 Concourse
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kdarling
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by kdarling »

Pilots have sayings that apply to this scenario.

One famous one of course, is "It's better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than to be in the air wishing you were on the ground."

But more to the point with spares, another saying is that "There are three useless things to a pilot: altitude above you, runway behind you, and fuel still in the fuel truck."

In this case, I'd add another useless thing: "A good spare that's sitting on a tire dealer's shelf!" :D
1994 Concourse dinette, Ford 7.5L (460 V8)
Xatlatc
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by Xatlatc »

On the first leg of this adventure ( which I consider as a shakedown for the next leg ) I put about 4150 miles on the V10 engine with no issues. Considering I may add another 8-10k miles over the next few months ( I hope ) I’m going to get an ‘ out the door ‘ quote for two different brands of tires and purchase seven. That way, when I sell the Chinook I can show all the tires have about the same dates on them. I have Michelin’s all around but a Goodyear spare. I was oblivious about the tires when I bought my Concourse and only glanced at the brand name and tread depth. Looked good to me, I’ll buy it. I didn’t think about tire age knowing the previous owner was an engineer at Michelin and the dealer said the tires were in very good shape. Plus, he says, “ It’s been stored indoors with no sun damage”. Even better I thought, I’ll pay your asking price too. Well, I put over 15k miles on them without an issue, but I’m going to swap them out due to age, not condition. Heck, it’s only money. Ouch!
There’s an air traffic control saying:” It was looking real good until it started looking bad”.
chin_k
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by chin_k »

I guess having a good set of tires is like buying insurance. It is complete waste of money, until there is a claim.

BTW, I still have to make a claim on any of my life/car/home insurances, and I would like to keep it that way.
2000 Concourse dinette, on 1999 6.8L Ford E350 Triton V-10 Chassis
Xatlatc
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by Xatlatc »

After a three week Christmas break ( and 7 new General tires, ouch ) we’re on the road again toward Jupiter, Florida with a January 6th reservation date. What we do and where we’re going until the 6th will be interesting because the no vacancy sign for RV sites in Florida is out. From the southbound traffic on I-95 it appears most of Ontario, Canada is headed to Florida.
While watching the tire employees do their trade a man and woman walked up to me and said” We are searching for a Chinook and we’re flying up to Michigan to look at one unless you’re willing to sell us your rig.” These Chinooks appear to have a great reputation.
I saw another Chinook on US 1 in Georgia going north.
Btw, the Michelin tires I had replaced were ten years old. The new General HT 60’s ride very nice and saved me $400. We’ll see how they wear.
Does anyone know where I can buy the two rubber bands ( I don’t know their proper name, like wheel simulators, not fancy hubcaps. Ha.) located on the spare tire mount/bracket?
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This thing
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Xatlatc
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by Xatlatc »

An RV/mobile home park in Melbourne Beach, Fl had a spot for us on the west side of A1A which provided an ocean view to enjoy and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach to listen to. Their beachfront sites were filled.
This sailboat washed up on the beach in September during hurricane Irma. It’s believed to have been in Key West before arriving here.
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New Years Eve Day and 71 degrees!
New Years Eve Day and 71 degrees!
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Blue~Go
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Re: We sold the house and hitting the road

Post by Blue~Go »

It's hard to beat the sound of crashing (or even slowly sizzling) surf. So nice.

Well, maybe a babbling mountain stream -- but they're a bit chilly this time of year.

Always enjoy your travel updates,
BG
1999 Concourse
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