Dear Editor:
Our sincere thanks to FMCA for assisting my wife and me after my emergency surgery while visiting Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program was timely and invaluable. We were afforded the opportunity to return to our home in Florida by air, and our RV was transported quickly, with minimal delays, to our residence in Florida.
My wife especially appreciated the help FMCAssist provided by making these arrangements during this emergency. We salute FMCA and all of the folks on FMCAssist team who handled this challenge with professionalism and courtesy.
Harold & Darlene Youmans, F252482
Riverview, Florida
Dear Editor
I will miss Charlie Adcock’s “President’s Message” column. Even though I have never met Charlie or his wife, Gloria, I feel that I know them well and even like them because of his article each month. I always look forward to FMC magazine, and I always read the “President’s Message” first.
I hope the incoming national president can continue with the same heartfelt articles.
Which brings me to another important point: the resumes of the “2017 Officer Nominations” (May 2017, page 44). After reading each of their resumes, I was very impressed with the candidates’ backgrounds and goals for FMCA. I will have to re-evaluate my opinions of all the CEOs, Navy SEALS, and paid government assassins I have met who live in the back of RV parks and who love to share their life stories with anyone who foolishly pauses.
Steve Thomas, F453140
Nacogdoches, Texas
Dear Editor:
Our Sharp microwave-convection oven failed suddenly while we were in Tucson, Arizona. After checking the basics, I called Sharp and got no help whatsoever. I found a place called Lehman’s Appliance Service in Tucson and talked to the owner, Rick. He went out of his way to guide us on how to remove the power panel and find the fuse, which he thought might be the issue. He referred us to APD, an appliance parts dealer in Tucson, who sold us a new fuse ($2.50) that solved the problem.
Rick spent his time helping us, which we find most people won’t do. If you are in the Tucson area, try Lehman’s Appliance Service (520-297-5272) if you have any repair needs. Rick was the best!
Don & Linda Dierking, F329305
Livingston, Texas
Dear Editor:
During our most recent trip from Southern California to Newport, Rhode Island, our motorhome suffered a catastrophic breakdown. It happened on our first day of travel after we passed through Needles, California, on our way to Kingman, Arizona. It was late July and the outside temperature was 124 degrees. The coach broke down on the side of the freeway heading up the Kingman grade.
We received very little help from our roadside service, so I proceeded to cut the towed car loose and we limped our Newmar Essex to a safe area. We found a Travel America truck stop, where I was informed that this repair was far more complicated than their mechanics could handle. They referred me to Adan Repair (4350 N. Arizona St., Suite 1, Kingman, AZ 86409; 928-279-5846; www.adanrepair.com). The mechanic, Ben Hanson, and owner, Joe Kalous, immediately began to assess the damage, in spite of the fact that it was already 6:00 p.m. Within 15 hours they contacted me with options and had us repaired and back on the road the very next day.
We completed our 8,000-mile, 23-state trip with no further repairs necessary because of the expert skill of the mechanics at Adan Repair.
I cannot express enough gratitude for their courtesy and prompt service. I must add that the cost was far less than I had anticipated. Please keep them in mind should you find yourself in need of service near Kingman, Arizona.
Doug & Keiren Hale, F436750
Rancho Cucamonga, California
Dear Editor:
In 2013 I purchased a ReadyBrake supplemental tow braking system (as advertised in FMC magazine) from NSA RV Products in Iola, Kansas (www.readybrake.com, 620-365-7714). It worked flawlessly until just recently, when it developed a mechanical issue. It still worked, but I was unsure whether I should continue using it. I sent some photos of it by email to NSA RV Products, and Tod Westervelt, the company president, called me immediately and asked me to ship it to him. He said they would go through it and replace any parts necessary, and they would “make it good.”
They did a quick turnaround and returned my ReadyBrake with some new parts, and it is as good as new. I was very impressed with the “can do” attitude of Tod and his staff, and by the excellent, speedy response. It is good to know there are still great customer-service-oriented RV product companies out there.
Barry Miller, F419316
Fairfield, California
Dear Editor:
As a newer member of FMCA, I am impressed with FMCA’s logo, which shows a Flxible bus conversion. My first exposure to the Flxible buses was seeing them in black-and-white movies. Around 2003 I had the opportunity to view a Flxible firsthand at an owners’ rally in Quartzsite, Arizona, and I was quite impressed with the conversions as private coaches.
Recently, I found an externally “stored” Flxible bus with the previous owner’s FMCA member plate attached. It is at the spot where I garage my motorhome, in northwestern Arkansas. I thought you might be interested to learn about “ol’ F36019.”
Jim Rixmann, F463016
Bella Vista, Arkansas
Editor’s note: It’s nice to hear that you appreciate FMCA’s Flxible bus logo. In 1963, when a group of “house car” owners gathered for a weekend in Maine and decided to form Family Motor Coach Association, the RV industry was in its infancy. You may already know that in those days, in the absence of production motorhomes, families acquired school buses, transit buses, panel trucks, bread trucks, etc. and outfitted them as homes on wheels. The Flxible must have been a popular choice.
Dear Editor:
Regarding the article about installing TrafficMaster Allure Vinyl Plank Flooring in an RV (“House Calls,” May 2017, page 22), I replaced all of the carpeting in our Holiday Rambler Endeavor in 2010. Instead of installing the vinyl as a floating floor, as the manufacturer recommends doing in stationary homes, I applied a premium water-based vinyl adhesive to the underside edges of each plank. I did this on every plank, including vertical pieces that I applied on the entry stairwell.
I always use scrap strips laid down under the slideouts in the coach so that the slides will roll over the strips and not scratch the installed vinyl planks.
The Allure vinyl flooring is good-looking and easy to clean and maintain. I applied it everywhere there had been carpet, even closets and bedroom slideout footings.
We recently had a couple of planks that were damaged due to wear and tear and needed to be replaced. I removed the old planks and replaced them with spare planks I had saved; they blended in beautifully with the existing plank flooring.
Norman Harrington, F430108
Port St. Lucie, Florida