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New Horizons Owners Newsletter Volume 6 Number
4 --- September 2004 Exchange Contents:
Editor's Foreword Where are the travel notes from the full timers? How about just one great thing that you have seen or done. Contributions are needed so that the editor has something to do. Send anything. Bad grammar and dangling participles will be handled by the editor for inclusion in the NHOG Exchange. In addtion, contributions are welcome from non-owners that are pertinent to the New Horizons Owners Group. New Horizon Owners Travel Notes Joe Thompson and Mary K. O'Neill July 28, 2004 Our travel path crossed that of Terry and Eunice Barton at an RV park in Arkadelphia, AR in late July. We were headed to Texas and the Bartons with their two grandsons, Dakota and Xavier, were on their way to Illinois in their 34' triple slide 5th-wheel. We had stopped overnight at the same park. We had traveled four thousand miles since June 1 and Mary had just commented that day that we had not seen any New Horizons all summer. The Bartons had been working in Texas much of the time since the rally. After returning one grandson home, the Bartons were headed to the factory for some minor slide adjustments. Ralph and Mary Throckmorton #546 August 13, 2004 We are in North Sidney, NS, waiting for our mail to
arrive. It was ordered a week ago but hasn't made it to the local
post office. Since it is Friday and no mail comes during the
weekend, we will be at this campground at least three days more.
When it does come, we will book a ferry to Newfoundland.
Fortunately, we are in a nice RV park, few mosquitoes,
Internet hookup, and not too expensive. I flew my kite this a.m.
and am looking forward to a 3 km trip to the grocery store to
provision up for the weekend.
Thus far, we have toured areas in and around Yarmouth,
Digby, Annapolis Royal, Kejimkujjik National Park, Lunenburg, Halifax,
Truro, Pictou, the Cabot Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park,
and the Louisbourg National Historic Site. We did the fishermen's
museum in Lunenburg, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum in Baddeck and
will do the Guglielmo Marconi National Historic Site tomorrow. We
saw Fort Louisbourg yesterday. It wore us out. Now that
site is closed due to the fact that many Canada Park Service employees
are out on strike. Just after I dropped 150 Canadian for yearlong
park and historical site passes for Mary and me. We have learned
that the Marconi site has no pickets and is open.
This year is a Nova Scotia celebration of the 400th
anniversary of the Acadians arriving in NS. Lots of campers
from Louisiana are in the Yarmouth to Annapolis Royal area. There
are many festivals. Over 40 tall ships came to Halifax and then
dispersed to other NS ports. Ten were
in Lunenburg while we were there; we got to go on them and
look around. At Lunenburg we took a sail powered cruise of
the harbor.
Lloyd Treichel #591 September 22, 2004 Since the Rally in Fredericksburg, the Wandrin Wagon has been towed about 7000 miles. Lots of visiting, searching for cinnamon rolls and exploring along the way has managed to fill the time. As I was headed to Jackson, Michigan, I had stopped for a lunch break. When I was entering the rig, I realized that there was something not right with one of the tires. A closer examination revealed I had a serious tire wear problem. A quick 50 mile detour sent me off to Elkhart, Indiana and MorRyde. Their alignment schedule was full. However, after a brief examination of the alignment and the state of the tire, they put me on the schedule the following morning. I considered myself very fortunate to be so close to Elkhart when I needed the alignment. Could I be that lucky again? Apple Creek Campground in DePere, WI is where I spend at least a month every summer. That is where I met NH owners Rick and Nancy Seiler. When Rick is not teaching real estate in Hawaii about every two weeks, they are traveling on the mainland in their 29 footer. Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada is where I found Ron and Ginette Green living in their NH unit at the Hartt Island RV park. They live in the rig until mid winter when they move to an apartment. They will be full timing as soon as they save up a few more dollars. The used NH rig they bought in 2003 replaced a stolen fifth wheel and truck. Needless to say the new truck has all the anti-theft devices that are manufactured. Rig Weight Causes Tire Problems Allan and Mary Strong Received September 4, 2004 This is just a heads up to New Horizon people. We love our rig and thought we were doing everything right regarding our tires. It never occurred to us to check the load capacity since we figured New Horizons would have put the correct tire on the unit. When we purchased our 35', 18500# GVW unit in 2001 the tires supplied were Goodyear Wrangler HT 16". We have been experiencing tire failures (3 in the past 3 years) and have been wondering if we have just been having bad luck. We only had one tire failure on any of our cars in our lifetime. We kept asking questions and got back that it was a defective tire, it was the heat, it was the UV rays, etc. Well at the last tire purchase the dealer looked up the load capacity of our tires and determined that each tire was good for 3250# for a total capacity of about 13000#. That was a shock since the empty camper weight is 12700# and our axle measured weight loaded was 13700#. Owners of larger rigs (perhaps all people regardless of size rig) should check their axle weights and replace their tires with Goodyear G614 RST tires if their loaded capacity is very near or exceeds the above. The G614 tires are good for 3750# each giving a 15000# loaded axle capacity. At least in our case, the problem of over loaded tires should be solved. Reese and Joan Maddock Received August 6, 2004 Passing along the following incident I recently
experienced. I have kept Ken apprised of this whole ordeal, along
with pictures, as well as a copy of this.
We Have A Problem
On the morning of July 6th shortly after I had departed Hart
Ranch in South Dakota I noticed that my king pin hitch was not in it's
normal position. I immediately slowed and stopped to
take a closer look and found that the front of my Trail Air hitch was
deflected approximately 20 degrees up instead of being level. The
fiberglass directly in front of the pin box was also broken because of
the deflection of the pin box. Not feeling very safe on the edge
of the highway, I slowly proceed a short distance to get 'off' the
highway. It was apparent that something major was wrong
with the pin box area and I made several investigative phone
calls. I was able to get a RVDA-RVIA certified 'mobile RV
repairman' to come out and provide some 'expert' advise (in discussions
with people at the Ranch I found I unknowingly ended up with probably
"the best RV person" in the Black Hills). He felt that I could
slowly return to Hart Ranch where further investigation would be
made. It was a slow worried 13 miles back to the Ranch but was
completed without incident.
Analysis and Repair The repairman proceeded
to remove all the fiberglass under
the bedroom area. Uncovering of this whole area revealed that the
successful return to the Ranch was fortunate. Major "fractures"
had occurred around the pin box area. To provide adequate room
for the welder to work, the carpet and floor of the front wardrobe was
removed and the lower half of the front cap was loosened and moved
forward (the center portion of the wardrobe floor was deflected up a
couple of inches). There was also some "cracks" in pin box area
as well as in the sidewall area forward and under the bedroom slideout
and the bolt through the sidewall and frame was broken (not a fresh
break). Due to the extent of the major fractures, etc.,
total replacement of the two forward frame members as well as
the support frame of the pin box was necessary. Because
of the extent of the fractures, and cracks, mere rewelding was not
an option. It was also noted that between 50-75 percent of
the fractures/cracks were 'old' and filled with rust and
corrosion. Just what incident(s) caused the fractures/cracks
is buried back someplace in the over 88,000 miles #326 has been towed -
some of which was over very, very rough roads. The services
of a welder were in order and he removed all the broken steel and
replaced it with a heavier material as well as some reinforcing
gussets making the whole structure sound, if not stronger,
than the original. We will never know when, why or
where it all started - there have been no accidents. We were very
fortunate to not have totally lost #326 and had our belief 'in why we
attend Mass every Sunday' reaffirmed.
Pin Box History Review
There have been some things in the past "that now" tell
us that something was going on under all the fiberglass. Even
after getting the truck out from under the fiver, none of the fractures
nor cracks were visible until the fiberglass was removed. The pin
box area was inspected by Harold [Johnson] and his son at the '01 Rally
and
their 'look/see' said no cracks were visible. They were
inspecting all king pin/pin box areas at the rally - there was some
indications that some cracks had developed on certain units - Harold
told me at that time that there was no problems with the 70 degree
pin boxes - the only history they had at that time was with the 30
degree units.
About three years ago it was noticed that the front wardrobe
doors were hard to open/close and 'dragging'. Thinking it
was a normal 'wear and tear' item the doors were adjusted and
nothing further was thought about it at that time. Then,
approximately two and a half years ago I noticed that a small
crack had developed in the outside fiberglass at the lower left
corner of the bedroom slide. This grew, very slowly over time, to
about two inches and I covered it with sealant. It was also noted
that the crack was more open (or closed) depending whether hooked or
unhooked to the truck indicating some 'internal' movement of the
underlying structure. About the same time, just forward of
the developing crack, I noticed the bolt head that holds the side
to the main frame was slightly ajar - out about one sixteenth
of an inch or less - I tried to move the bolt but it was very solid -
to prevent any water intrusion I put sealant around the bolt
head. During a visit to the factory two years ago I discussed the
crack in the fiberglass with Ken - as the whole bedroom slide
opening area is surrounded with steel it was felt that the area was
sound and no reason for the developing crack could be
surmised and the sealant was in order.
Hindsight is Excellent
Like, Monday morning quarterbacking, our hindsight is always
20/20 or better. I now believe that all of the above 'small'
things were all tied together and were a result of the pin box area
fractures allowing things to flex. In my discussions with Harold
during/after the inspection he performed he advised that 'some'
movement or deflection of the king pin structure is normal - he
stated however that this movement would be well under
an inch. A year ago I installed a Trail Air hitch on #326 to
soften the ride. In watching the movement of that hitch structure
while underway I don't believe I ever detected any movement/deflection
even approaching a half inch - hard to gauge it when going down the
Interstate at 60mph - there was some movement, but it was very
slight, which said the pin box area was holding "even with the unknown
fractures"! The morning I pulled out of our site at
Hart Ranch, I tested the brakes, as I always do just as I start to
move. This test resulted in a very abrupt stop and is felt was
the cause of the 'new' cracks observed around the pin box area.
This very aggressive brake action I believe was the result of the
brakes/drums being damp from having driven in some very wet
conditions just prior to arriving at Hart Ranch and parking
without them having a chance to dry. Just when the observed
major hitch deflection occurred is unknown as during our departure
several 'good byes' were made and no one, including myself, noticed
anything amiss.
As discussed with Ken, the purpose of this is not to 'cry
wolf' and cause anxiety with owners concerning their rigs and in turn
people end up at the factory wanting their rig checked. This was
an isolated incident. There have been broken and cracked pin
boxes in the past - not necessarily with NH - as I found at Hart Ranch
there was 'a lot' of interest from some of the 400+ guests and
"Lookie Lou's" - am sure it was 'advertising' NH would rather
not have. The purpose is to share my experience.
Additionally, all owners should be aware 'of the little' things
happening in their rigs. Most things have a cause/affect and
have a very obvious explanation. But as I have experienced,
there were some little subtle things going on in/around the pin
box area. Even inspections did not (could not even be
seen) reveal anything.
Back on the Road
Bottom line is that we dodged another bullet and didn't
end up with #326 out in a field someplace all broken. It hasn't
deterred our belief that we have the best possible RV there is - it was
just a little detour in our schedule - Ken, as well
as Phil I'm sure, are wrestling with how they may be able to help
with some of the repair cost - we love our 32RKSSS very much and
hopefully will see all at Rally 2005 - happy trails !!
Also if anyone would wish to discuss any aspect of this they could give me a call at (805) 736-4329 or Cell (805) 717-1013 |