Exchange
New Horizons Owners Newsletter
Volume 6 Number
5 --- October 2004
Editor: Lloyd
Treichel lloyd@wandrin.us
Exchange Contents:
Editor's Foreword
The response is getting better, but there still is lots of room on these electronic pages. How about a short note to introduce yourself, your NH rig, and your life to your fellow New Horizons owners. Send your submissions to lloyd@wandrin.us
If your submissions include email addresses and phone numbers, they will be included on these pages. Be aware that there are people and organizations that have nothing better to do than to collect email addresses with the intent to distribute SPAM.
Response To Previous Exchange Subjects
From: Phil Brokenicky
Comment to subject: Pin box fractures
We
are being called by a lot of concerned owners that do
not need to be concerned. It only pertains to units built in 1997
and 1998 in lengths under 33 feet. There was a letter sent to all
owners on Sept.18, 2001 regarding this issue. In the letter there
were directions to:Comment to subject: Pin box fractures
1) take a vertical measurement between the
pin
box and the overhang of the trailer without a load
2) hitch up and take the vertical
measurement
again
3) if the difference in measurement is more
than
1" call New Horizons
Again
this only pertains to 1997 and 1998 models
of less than 33 feet.
From: Bill Sadd
Comment to subject: Weight causes tire wear problems
The article about
overloaded tires seemed to leave out the "x" Range rating of the tires
in question. I believe that "E" Range tires, when inflated to 80
psi, have a load rating of 3,250# (or 6,500# / axle). Their
replacement tires (referred to as 3,750#) are probably "G" Range.
Installing the higher rated tires only makes sense if the axles are
higher rated. Typically, "E" Range tires go on a 6,000#
Axle. To get the benefit of the "G" Range tires, they should
probably have 7,000# axles. The difficulty with tires
illustrates the common problem that many RVers have in fully
understanding weight issues with truck and trailer.
NHOG Rally 2005 -- Tentative Plans
From: Mel and Linda Collart
We have tentative reservations in St. Charles, MO, the Williamsburg of the north. The town is colonial in look and feel having been settled in the late 1700 by French Canadians. The park is Sundermeier RV Park. It was totally redone six years ago to include large concrete pads, 50 amp service, cable and phone to all sites. By the time we get there they will also have WI-FI available. They have an event facility that holds 80 people. They have cabins on site for our wanabees and Phil and Karen (if they wish to be closer to the activities).
So I have tentatively reserved the dates of Sept. 30th through October 4th. The rally rate is $29.00 per night and the event room is free. Park website is: sundermeierrvpark.com. They have quite a comprehensive site including a listing of the many things to see and do in St. Louis. One of the many things to see is a Lewis and Clark center. Remember the bi-centennial celebration will still be going on and St. Louis was the starting point of their trip.
Notes from New Horizon Owners
From: Ron & Ginette Green
We have passed a beautiful year at our campsite, at the Hartt Island RV Resort, in [Fredericton] New Brunswick. The only thing lacking was time. As we are still working full time in the Craft supply business, travelling was minimal. Luckily we are in a very beautiful area with bike paths galore and right on the St. John river. Our double kayak has seen some great paddling along with our first mate, Mittens, our cat. We are working on "selling" her on a wandering lifestyle.
It was great to pass trails with
a couple of other New Horizon owners over the summer. Lloyd
Treichel and Mary and Ralph
Throckmorton dropped into our
campsite for a few days on
their tour of Canada's Maritime provinces. These were the first New
Horizons other then our own that we had seen. We were excited both to
see another NH rig as well as to meet their owners.
Hopefully next winter we will be
travelling, but for now, our rig will spend the winter in indoor
storage
and we will cosy up in a local motel.
Happy trails to allFrom: Larry and Eness Nigro
We are at the Sumter Oaks RV Park -- an Escapees park in
Bushnel, Florida. It's a really nice park and plan to
stay until April 2005. You are welcome to drop by on your travels to
visit. Diesel is already $2.20 a gallon [email received 10/20].
We stopped at Junction City in early October to
get some work done. While there Becky
Reiger came in to have some work done. Branson, MO was our
next stop and then to Biloxi, MS and here to Florida. Over the summer we crossed paths with Galen and Karen Ballantine. They came into the RV park where we were staying. They were returning from a Canadian adventure.
From: Cathy and Jan Emrick #533
Our New Horizon was the only one seen on Vancouver
Island. Also we did not see any other MDTs or even F450s as
ours. Folks were surprised at how far off the" beaten path" that
we had gone. We just like wild places! Our solar power
worked great!
At the Evergreen Coho SKP Resort in Chimacum, WA, we met Jim and Linda Dollinger, from Aurora, IL, who had bought Bill Love's previous unit #401.
On our recent travels, we also met Livingston, TX full timers Curtis and Ann Endee #532.
We are off to see more Lighthouses and get more
Stamps in our National Parks Passport as we head south. We
find that we are closing a lot of places, but no crowds except around
Mt
St Helens as it was steaming. We were glad to get that out of our
way before anything really "blew".
[more from the Emrick's about Vancouver Island travel below]
From: Gary and Susan Carl
We are owners of a New
Horizon 5th wheel trailer. We bought it "used" from West Virginia
folks: Bruce Novak
& Cleo Hixson. We live in
Oregon. How we found it, bought it and transported it from W.
Va. to OR is a longer story than I am willing to relate.
Our plans are to take a year long sabbatical beginning January 2006. We plan to travel living full time in our trailer as we tour the U.S. What happens at the end of the year is an open question, we'll see. In the meantime, we are getting ready to go.
Here's the important part of my message. We live in Oakridge, OR about 40 miles East of Eugene, OR. We have a small cottage in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. We have space for fellow New Horizons owners who may be traveling and would like to stop for a night or two. Nothing too fancy, but there is a level spot with water and electricity available. A telephone call (or email) ahead would be appreciated. There are many wonderful hiking trails, good fishing & both cross country & downhill skiing within minutes of our house. The City of Eugene is about 40 minutes drive & there you will find good restaurants including -- ta da -- the best cinnamon rolls in the world!
Send me an email for the contact information.
From: Lloyd Treichel
Our plans are to take a year long sabbatical beginning January 2006. We plan to travel living full time in our trailer as we tour the U.S. What happens at the end of the year is an open question, we'll see. In the meantime, we are getting ready to go.
Here's the important part of my message. We live in Oakridge, OR about 40 miles East of Eugene, OR. We have a small cottage in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. We have space for fellow New Horizons owners who may be traveling and would like to stop for a night or two. Nothing too fancy, but there is a level spot with water and electricity available. A telephone call (or email) ahead would be appreciated. There are many wonderful hiking trails, good fishing & both cross country & downhill skiing within minutes of our house. The City of Eugene is about 40 minutes drive & there you will find good restaurants including -- ta da -- the best cinnamon rolls in the world!
Send me an email for the contact information.
From: Lloyd Treichel
While parked near Charleston, SC, I met NH owners Mike and Susan Phelps and their Sheltie Dixie. They bought a used 1998 NH two years ago and most recently abandoned responsible lives in Minnesota to go full timing in June of this year.
Rather than retelling my travels here, see my web site: www.wandrin.us
Alignment for Dexter (torsion bar) Axles
From: Norman & Lynda Gaither
Our unit has the Dexter torsion
bars on two 3,500 # axles. We contacted Dexter and of course they
said that the torsion bars were bent from over loading.
They were absolutely of no help. We worked with Ken Ulmer at
NH
and weighed our unit just about every way possible and determined that
our unit was not overloaded.
The good news is that we found a
solution in San Antonio, TX. The General Auto & Truck
Service, 1216 Nogalitos, (210) 226-6696, cold bent the torsion bars to
correct the alignment. The charge was $90 per axle and required
about two hours. We have about 10,000 miles on the new alignment
with no apparent problems.
Dexter said that some shops
heated the rubber filled axles to realign the wheels, but this melts
some of the rubber and they didn't recommend this solution. Their
solution was to replace the axles. Are you surprised?
This summer, we began to
experience unusual noise ("grinding," "jerking," "slipping clutch")
when we extended and retracted our main 14' slide ('99 NH33RLSS),
especially when extending.
Exchange of emails with Ken
suggested spraying WD40 on the slide chain (accessible underneath on
the door side near the rear slide rail). Sometimes rust will
cause individual chain links to "freeze up" and trigger sporadic clutch
slippage. As Pat extended the slide, I sprayed a good dose as the
chain whizzed by. This application had a positive effect; the
sporadic noises were reduced.
In the process, however, I
noticed something of greater concern. The slide rails move in and
out through a steel tube that is anchored to the frame at either end
(at the street and door sides) with heavy duty bolts (1/2"?) - two on
each end (eight in total). I discovered that all 8 bolts had
worked themselves loose, some by over 1/2". When the slide was
fully extended, the "loose" bolts on the door side became quite snug as
the weight of the slide tipped the rail tube up (on the door
side). Fortunately, none of the bolts had come off.
I carefully tightened all eight
bolts and this made a dramatic improvement in the smooth operation of
the slide (and in our peace of mind).
So, periodic application of dry
silicone to the extended slide rails, occasional WD40 on the chain and
check the snugness of the bolts.
A Recommendation
& Warning
We are now back in the U.S. after over six weeks on "The Island"
(as British Columbians refer to Vancouver Island). We drove over
2,000 miles on an island that is only 300
miles from south (Victoria) to the north (Port Hardy). We only
saw a small portion of what The Island had to offer. We didn't
get to see the glaciers,
the Pacific Ocean, the inside passage, whale watching excursions, or
the
rain forests.
The
scenery provided numerous photo ops including this one. (Click on the
thumbnail for a larger picture)
Some of the highlights of discovery of this awesome island include:
- Visiting with some great Canadian Islanders
- Marveling at the salmon that went up the Stamp River thru a fish ladder
- Scenic views of the wild Pacific Ocean on the rocky shore
- Watching the fishing boats, kayaks, and cruise ships float by in the inside passage while the fog rolled in at Telegraph Cove
- Learning more about the First Nations people, watching their dances in the Big House and seeing numerous totems
- Tracking down as many lighthouses as we could easily reach
- Experiencing trees everywhere (tall and straight and large some over 1,000 years old)
- Seeing many of the western harbors nestled in beautiful inlets that are somewhat like fjords
- Camping next to the ocean shore in a bay at Port Renfrew and falling to sleep at the sound of the waves. This campground is at the south terminus of the West Coast Trail in the Pacific Rim National Park.
- Camping in Strathcona Park in the mountains
- Watching bear, deer, birds, seals, and other wildlife
- Riding the ferries to and from the main island and other islands
- Riding on a working passenger/freighter to Nootka Sound to see the lighthouse and the beautiful cove where Captain Cook first landed on the Canadian west shore and repaired his ship in the quiet waters.
- Discovering the works of noted First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers (and subsequently buying numerous prints for the walls of our 5th wheel)
- Touring the beautiful parliament building in Victoria and then seeing it all lit up at night
- Watching the mime and street musicians on the Victoria inner harbor waterfront
- Seeing the beautiful flowers and butterflies at Butchart and Butterfly Gardens
- Finding many of the 132 painted orcas in the Victoria area (remember the painted cows?)
While in Canada we mainly read the Vancouver Sun newspaper and what TV we did watch were Canadian stations. It was interesting to watch the Olympics from the Canadian perspective, and see how much air time they spent on covering the NHL hockey lockout (big deal there). In the news media and talking with numerous Canadians, John Kerry would win the election by a landslide if Canadians could vote.
The big news items here in Washington State are the continuing small eruptions at Mt. St. Helens and politics.
We plan to head down thru Oregon and California and then back to Texas in mid November and plan to be in the Houston area by the middle of December.
From: Bill
Sadd
Following
a wonderful stay in Victoria (BC), we headed for the west coast of
Vancouver Island and the villages of Tofino and Ucluelet. I had
inquired at the Tourist Kiosk in Victoria about road conditions (Rt 4)
going out to Tofino and was told that there was a "short" 18% grade as
you near the west coast. That caught my attention, especially the
18%. In addition, I pondered the possible definitions of the word
"short." We had prepaid about $150 Cdn for three nights that was
non refundable and decided to go ahead.
The
drive west on Rt 4 was beautiful. West of Port Alberni, we drove
for miles along the shore of Sproat Lake with snow-capped mountains
framing our view. Near Kennedy Lake, about ten miles from the
coast, we paused briefly at the sign "18% Grade Ahead - Trucks Use
Caution" at the top of Hydro Hill. In first gear with my exhaust
brake engaged, we slowly headed down steadily picking up speed. A
few short turns and about 1/2 - 3/4 miles later, we were safely at the
bottom, breathing a sigh of relief. That's when the fun
started. The next five miles or so were some of the roughest I've
experienced with lots of narrow stretched and tight turns.
Fortunately, there was little traffic.
Arriving
at Crystal Cove Beach Resort in Tofino, we opened the door and
discovered the inside of our rig had been trashed, the worst of our
42,000 miles of towing. Chairs were upended, drawers were on the
floor, overhead cabinets had emptied, the mattress was against the far
wall. Fortunately, it all went back together easily and there was
no permanent damage.
For
the next four days, we explored the coastline from Tofino to Ucluelet
and the Pacific Rim National Park that stretches between the two.
The beaches were beautiful, the tidal pools were filled with life, the
dense rain forests were alive with old growth, mosses and ferns.
It was truly a magical spot.
Heading
back to catch the ferry for the mainland. Proceeding slowly along
the wash-board stretch, we arrived at the base up Hydro Hill and easily
proceeded up in first gear. After a few hundred yards on the top,
we encountered another sign - "18% Grade" - we'd missed that on our
outward trip. So, back into first gear, exhaust brake engaged, we
headed down. Just before the bottom as the grade was easing out,
I popped the transmission into second and heard a loud "thud." A
few miles later, my tachometer started to surge up and down and my
heart sank - "the transmission." After a few more miles of this,
I pulled over on a narrow shoulder and shut it down. We were 45
miles from anywhere - with no cell phone coverage.
We were towed into Port
Alberni and spend 11 nights while the local Ford dealer ordered and
installed a rebuilt transmission (about $4,000 US). There is a
lot to see in the scenic Port Alberni area - the packet boat trip to
Bamfield, the tour of the restored steam-powered McLean Sawmill,
etc. And, this is a great place to park your rig for a trip out
to the Tofino coast.
Postscript
- We had decided at this point to head back to Texas. So, with
our rebuilt transmission, we headed southeast with a number of grades
to cross, including "The Hump," a moderate 6-7% grade immediately east
of Port Alberni. Everything seemed to be working fine until we
were about a half hour north of Roswell (NM) when the tachometer again
began its subtle surging up and down. We limped into town and
spent another 11 nights while the transmission was repaired (mostly
under warranty). Apparently, there was a faulty seal and we had
been dribbling transmission fluid all the way from BC. Finally,
we made it home on August 13th.
The
scenery provided numerous photo ops including this one. (Click on the
thumbnail for a larger picture) Some of the highlights of discovery of this awesome island include:
- Visiting with some great Canadian Islanders
- Marveling at the salmon that went up the Stamp River thru a fish ladder
- Scenic views of the wild Pacific Ocean on the rocky shore
- Watching the fishing boats, kayaks, and cruise ships float by in the inside passage while the fog rolled in at Telegraph Cove
- Learning more about the First Nations people, watching their dances in the Big House and seeing numerous totems
- Tracking down as many lighthouses as we could easily reach
- Experiencing trees everywhere (tall and straight and large some over 1,000 years old)
- Seeing many of the western harbors nestled in beautiful inlets that are somewhat like fjords
- Camping next to the ocean shore in a bay at Port Renfrew and falling to sleep at the sound of the waves. This campground is at the south terminus of the West Coast Trail in the Pacific Rim National Park.
- Camping in Strathcona Park in the mountains
- Watching bear, deer, birds, seals, and other wildlife
- Riding the ferries to and from the main island and other islands
- Riding on a working passenger/freighter to Nootka Sound to see the lighthouse and the beautiful cove where Captain Cook first landed on the Canadian west shore and repaired his ship in the quiet waters.
- Discovering the works of noted First Nations artist Roy Henry Vickers (and subsequently buying numerous prints for the walls of our 5th wheel)
- Touring the beautiful parliament building in Victoria and then seeing it all lit up at night
- Watching the mime and street musicians on the Victoria inner harbor waterfront
- Seeing the beautiful flowers and butterflies at Butchart and Butterfly Gardens
- Finding many of the 132 painted orcas in the Victoria area (remember the painted cows?)
While in Canada we mainly read the Vancouver Sun newspaper and what TV we did watch were Canadian stations. It was interesting to watch the Olympics from the Canadian perspective, and see how much air time they spent on covering the NHL hockey lockout (big deal there). In the news media and talking with numerous Canadians, John Kerry would win the election by a landslide if Canadians could vote.
The big news items here in Washington State are the continuing small eruptions at Mt. St. Helens and politics.
We plan to head down thru Oregon and California and then back to Texas in mid November and plan to be in the Houston area by the middle of December.