For all Intents and purposes

[bdub]

UPDATE: Over all a driving experience that was 8-10. I found if I didn't pay attention, I'd be going close to 70 because the handling, noise, comfort, etc was better than expected. I'd go for some clips at 55 and between 55-65 or so. I didn't use the cruise control until about 3 hours into the trip. At that point, it was a matter of some fatigue from the long day (up at 4am to fly to DAL, it was about close to 5pm by the time I hit the road to Lafayette). I hit the cruise around 61mph and holy cow if that wasn't a magic number! Semi-jetstreams were really manageable, apart from one or two truckers that like hugging the yellow line, and the overall engine performance and cabin noise was just awesome at that speed.

Stopped in Alexandria for a bit of a stretch and some caffeine and sugar. Only stop I made on the 7 hour journey home. Seating was that comfy!

Had one close call coming out of Shreveport with a pickup truck that seemed married to my blind spot. I was needing to exit and he was needing to enter the highway. He missed the memo on yielding and merging so I missed the exit. Did a exit and uturn that maybe added a mile onto the journey.

Lesson learned: take my time, know that the world is full of people who apparently have life saving brain surgeries to get to, and there'll be another chance up the road to get back on track.

Things I am marking down, that kept from being an 8 out of 10. Cab issues (dang it ford!):
First, the AC only blew hot at one point, had to shut it down and restart it to get a warm mix instead of blast furnace hot (even when cranked all the way to the left on the temp selector).
Second, ambient lighting is coming from instrumentation only. Maybe these things are driven mostly during the day, but I didn't like how dark it felt. I had a vw cc that had these really dim and pinpoint red leds that made an awesome difference in night driving. Gonna look into a similar add here I think.
Lastly and probably the most dangerous, Bluetooth connectivity. The head unit just would not stay paired with my iPhone. It was great for having my tunes, but I was also navigating with my phone, so getting the turn by turn over the speakers was helpful to keep my eyes on the road. Reconnecting is not a one click process so picking the phone up, getting the right menu selected and then selecting the right Bluetooth device was really stressful. I probably had to do that 10-12 times on the trip.

A final word on night driving up high....I had never been so panick stricken to see all the deer down on the shoulders of the highway at night. Good golly that upped my pucker factor to think of tangling with Bambi on my first voyage in the Willemium Falcon!

[IOS 3]

Hey bdub - Glad to hear the Willemium Falcon performed well on the initial voyage! Regarding the AC, I think you may find that the dash AC is not Ford. The F53 chassis come with what they call "AC Prep" and then Winnebago installs an aftermarket AC. At least that's how it is on my 2018 Vista LX 27N F53 18K chassis... I have had the exact problem you described - only once - and corrected it the same way you did. Your manuals will tell you what AC is in there (dash, not roof).

[akeagle]

I seem to remember when stationed in South Florida quite a few years ago my E150 Club Wagon's A/C would occasionally freeze up when the outside air was very humid and ice would form on the inside heat exchanger. Like your issue, it would blow hot air and after shutting the A/C off for a few minutes (15 - 20) it then operated normally.

[BobC]

I've found with both my Suncruiser and my pickup/TT combo before it that 60 - 62 mph seems to be a sweet spot both in terms of handling and efficiency (watch your tach). I wish they made a cruise control that wouldn't accelerate on short hills like overpasses.

And, slow down if need be to let the pesky blind spot drivers pass you up. The same goes for tail-gaiters. Personally, I like tucking in behind a big rig that's going my speed (but not too close) when cruising down the interstate.

[bdub]

The adventure of the Willenium Falcon continues....

This weekend was low key with the weather and everything.

Filled er up with gas, driving from Dallas to Lafayette chewed up about 3/4 of a tank of gas (need to do that calculation for mpg). Filled up with 87 at costco...just over 55 gallons. Had all the water tanks at about 1/3, so headed over to the CAT scales to get weighed. The WeighMyTruck app made all that a breeze. Didn't need the intercom at all. So weights with a full tank, and mostly stocked for a trip (with the holding tanks simulating a full tank of fresh) my combined axle weight is 14,640lbs. I'm really happy with that. Max is 16k so I have all kinds of room to play with here. And I'll be very comfortable now towing my Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk around. I was a little worried because of the monster 5.7l hemi in that little piece of heaven, but I'm not worried now.

Got behind the stereo to attach a USB extension, since it didn't come with one (and should have). Very easy to access the head unit through the top cover removal with just three screws. Easy peasy. Did a little wire tidying up while I was in there. We'll be back in there soon to install side cameras (probably going to get the dealer to do that, I don't think I could bring myself to drill holes in the sides).

Now time to add security for the Falcon. Bought a Ring spotlight cam that I am heading out now to put up in the driveway.

Oh! One more thing. Found that FULL sheet sets fit the bedroom mattress well. It's a bit tight, but I'd prefer that to loose flappy sheets. It stinks that the supplied bedspread is dry clean only, but I guess that will help it last longer.

Maybe we'll take a trip out in her next weekend....I think we have all the basics we need.

[feiter]

Mine is 2018 also...purchased mid November and first trip out in a couple weeks. If your's is 81 and mine is 83 makes one wonder if Winnebago is just guessing on CTP...Our equipment should be same. I have Goodyear's on mine...do you actually have Micheline tires? I downloaded the Goodyear 2017 guide yesterday and will use it after I do a weigh in. Think I found a local private scale that can do four points. Filled with fuel yesterday for first time and will add water to about 1/2 full and then go weight and calculate pressure based on that. I have pretty much outfitted as needed except for maybe a few hundred pounds of food and clothing and a few kitchen utensils.

When I was installing the TPS sensor on the front right tire I dropped it between brake caliper and wheel cover....I could not even get the wheel cover off! Have no idea why it would not come off when I was using a heavy pry bar! It loosened and now I can't tighten again.

I think the wheels and the wheel covers look great but not a fan having now tried to install the Sensors and add air to tires---see my comment on rear outer filler facing inward. To add, the holes around the valve stems protrude and are not large enough. Yesterday I ordered a commercial (150 PSI) gauge and filler that has a 14.5" hose with a locking connector and comes with a 90 degree adapter. That should help immensely.

I really don't like the placement of the front speakers and want to move them more forward in the cab to have better sound while driving...next big step in finalizing. I have previously changed out the radio to a similar Pioneer model including XM and Apple CarPlay. Installed XM antenna about 2 weeks ago.

Thanks for input now and in future.

Bill

[BobC]

It's a safest to have your fresh water tank and your fuel tank full and your waste tanks empty when you weigh. Realistically, there will be times when you'll be traveling with a full FW tank and you don't want your tires to be under-inflated. Similarly, you may have left home with 1/2 a tank of FW but have spent some time hooked up to city water, still have 1/2 a tank of FW but now have 1/2 tank's worth of waste water in your tanks because you couldn't or didn't empty them before hitting the road.

The initial weigh-in isn't the time to be over-conservative in your loading. If your initial weigh-in shows that you're overloaded, then you can start economizing in terms of weight, but you'll need to stick to your economy load and not let it creep up over time.

[BobC]

Valve extenders or valve extensions are pretty much a necessity if (or should I say when) you install a TPMS and are a convenience even without a TPMS. Here's a link to a discussion on irv2 regarding these that pretty much covers the topic:

Tire Pressure Extensions - iRV2 Forums

[BobC]

Originally Posted by bdub

Cool. Gonna look into that for sure.

Ok just checked my placard. It's 82 recommended psi. I have Goodyears as well. What's funny, and I noticed this last night after I had already posted about how happy I was with the weights and towing...none of my info matches in terms of weight. What I mean is that chassis recommendations are 6500 front axle weight rating and rear is 11000. Winnebago says my gross vehicle is 16000. Ok was never the greatest with my math, but that should be 17500 right? I'll go with 16k cause that's mor conservative, and I'm into this thing to get away from the house, not bring it with me, but it would be cool to know what the real story is on weight tolerances.

The GVWR isn't necessarily going to be the sum of the two GAWRs since more goes into the calculation of the GVWR and GCWR than just the axle ratings (frame strength, brakes, etc. all play a role. Logically, however, GVWR would never be higher than the sum of the two GAWRs. Here's a site that explains all this (RVs are the same as trucks in this regard):

https://www.ntea.com/NTEA/Member_ben...rk_trucks.aspx

[feiter]

Received this today...going to solve my tire inflation issues for sure...love it so far...note the 90degree extension that works great on those rear outer that face the inside of the vehicle.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[bdub]

A...I see the difference now! I didn't see the difference between quick reply (no attachment option) and this reply option which does. Here is a pic of that CAT weigh in I referenced and linked to.
Attachment 170926

[bdub]

Today I completely drained all the tanks. Tomorrow gonna do a sanitization of the fresh water tank. Gonna get on my crawler and get underneath for a good look see as well. Definitely gonna check all the specs on the tires. Checked pressures today before I went to the RV park to drain and they were all 80-81 cold.

[feiter]

Update on my TPS installation problems. Today purchased 28MM Socket that fits the wheel cover lugs and broke those babies loose. Once loose took me about 3 minutes to get all 4 covers off using the provided tool and have access to the valve stems. Put 45 degree valve extenders on rear and adjusted all tires to about the 82 recommended. Added the TPS sensors and they work GREAT!!! Now I know I can get the wheel cover off in a minute or so I will just plan on removal whenever I need to add air and this will allow easy removal of the TPS even with theft deterrent. Whole process took me about an hour.

Had my first weigh today. Very similar to yours bdub. 14160 total, front 4960 and rear 9380. I did have full fuel, full fresh and 1/2 black tank. This will be within about 700 of any max I will take...only thing left is to add my propane grill (50#) food and clothing and the wife!

We've decided to go to local Indian Casino that has great RV park and spend two nights rather than going to Vegas...going to bring the Cat and Dog and even if we shuttle to Casino we can be back every few hours to calm the pets...Installing my Home monitor camera will allow us to monitor activity and barking. This resort is only about 1 hour from our home.

I've lost 71 pounds the last 12 weeks and can even get up and down from the loft with no problem now. Bdub...did you add and foam topping to your 70X65 queen mattress? You said full size fits well and wondering is that is because of only 6.5" mattress.

[YGoHom]

Congrats and welcome to the Intent 26M club!

I got mine in September. After having several Class C's, we decided to try an A. Now after 12 camping trips, I'm starting to get it dialed in!


I did the Cheap Handling Fix first, then the Safety Steer. I tried Bilstein shocks but took them off after one trip. They tried to disintegrate the RV! It was unbearably rough.

Some of the other mods so far are a new shower head, removed the glass shower door in favor of an adjustable rod and curtain. That added 7" of elbow room while showering and just swing it inside the shower when not in use. Huge upgrade.

Removed the dinette and put in a very comfortable reclining couch. The little table up front works great for me and the wife, so that was an easy decision.

Removed the overhead bunk and replaced it with an 18" deep shelf. Turned wasted space into fully functional storage.

I also added more kitchen checkered material to finish where Winnebago left off, then I covered it with a removable peel & stick backsplash.
I also added the same material to the bathroom counter.

I made a refrigerator latch to replace the ridiculous threaded knob.

Added stainless grab bars for the stairs. A lot of people find the stairs steep and I don't want to scrape anybody off the ground.

Under cabinet paper towel holder, stainless hooks for towels in kitchen, bath and shower.

Wire shelving in cabinets for more organized storage.

Replaced the thermostat with a digital model with better control.

I made a cord reel for the electrical cord and a metal holder for a box of gloves to tidy up the dump bay.

To further clean up the dump box, I'm adding a bumper next weekend to the rear to hold the "stinky slinky".

Along with the bumper I'll be doing a custom hitch to match the height of my Jeep Wrangler. I use the ReadyBrute Elite towbar set-up and love it.

Lined the outside storage areas with rubber to keep things from moving around.

A new mattress from Mattress Insider will be ordered next week. I put one in my last RV and it was very comfortable. I don't know how anyone can sleep on the stock one. A memory foam topper helps for sure, but it's no long term solution.


Upcoming projects...

new radio with Apple CarPlay for the wife, a long with some rear facing speakers placed up front. The current speakers aren't so great, as you know.
At this time I will figure out how to properly secure that damn center pod so it doesn't keep trying to break itself apart bouncing down the road.

Replacing the stock rear view camera with a quality unit from RearView Safety. I've used this model in all my RV's with great success. It's sitting on the bench waiting for some spare time.

The taillights are very dim compared to my last RV. I found that the manufacturer makes the same units with LED lighting. So, there's a new pair sitting on the bench waiting in line.

Some more additions that should have come from the factory are a switch for hazard lights and a warning buzzer for the headlights if left on.

2 more house batteries to run the fridge so I don't have to use the generator while dry camping at a quiet beach or mountain campground.

A custom window screen for the emergency escape hatch for better summer airflow.


It's a never ending list.

[BROAD ST]

We just picked up our intent26m January 7th,you have already done a lot with yours,first time RVers,would love to get a phone # to chat with you sometime.

[feiter]

new radio with Apple CarPlay for the wife, a long with some rear facing speakers placed up front. The current speakers aren't so great, as you know.
At this time I will figure out how to properly secure that damn center pod so it doesn't keep trying to break itself apart bouncing down the road.

I was actually going to try to move the speakers behind the cab seats forward but remain on the sidewalls..to me this is the location they should have been mounted all along...the road noise will be less and allow volume to be reduced.

I would also like to add some type of lighting to the cab area...other than the instrument cluster glow there is nothing up front...any ideas on that would be appreciated.

[YGoHom]

The console was on my list of things for the dealer to fix before taking delivery. They took it apart and apparently shoved a piece of foam in there to dampen it. I'm sure I can do better.

For cab lighting I added a push on/off light just above each side window, under the storage bins. They stick on with velcro and work great.
Having removed the upper bunk, I also have the ability to use the factory light above the passenger seat. That thing really lights up the front.

[bdub]

@feiter I've definitely seen the lively dance that center console gets into...I live in Louisiana and it's tough to build smooth roads on swamp! It's freaky how much action is involved with that console. I gotta think it's because there isn't an anchor point below for it...the removable engine cover. I gotta think there is a way to get it to settle down. Just haven't started in on it yet.

[bdub]

I'm looking at adding these to the cab area and tying them in to the instrument cluster power.

[YGoHom]

Let's give it a shot. Here's a picture of the door bars. I was able to get several fat self tapping screws into the metal frame for stability.