Towing Guide Update
The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Limited was inadvertently left out of Family Motor Coaching’s “Towables for 2016” towing guide (January 2016, page 44). The front-wheel-drive vehicle is equipped with a 2.5-liter engine and an automatic transmission. To prevent the battery from draining while the vehicle is being towed, remove fuses 8, 22 (Key Access only), and 24 from the instrument panel fuse block. The towing speed should not exceed 65 mph. The approximate curb weight is 3,393 pounds, and the length is 191.5 inches.
RV Marketplace Addition
The January 2016 magazine’s RV Marketplace listing of FMCA commercial members should have included OneXtreme, C13066, under the subcategories of Coach Body Repair, Furniture/Upholstery, Interiors, and Murals & RV Graphics. The company is at 483 W. Esplanade Ave., Hemet, CA 92543; (951) 201-8676.
FMC regrets this error.
Gas Chassis Power
Dear Editor:
In the January 2016 issue’s “Rear View” column (page 312), Jim Stoodley replied to the question regarding gas or diesel motorhome preferences, stating the Workhorse gas engine in his 35-foot motorhome “does not have enough torque to ascend a mountain.” We made four round trips over the Rockies in a fully loaded 38-foot gas motorhome weighing 22,000 pounds while towing a 3,500-pound Honda CRV.
The motorhome had a Ford chassis with a 360-horsepower V-10 engine. We had added a Banks Ram-Air Intake System. We were almost always able to hold at least 55 mph in the tow/haul mode. In that mode, oil, coolant, and transmission oil temperatures were fine on long upgrades. The engine braking was excellent on steep downgrades.
I agree with the original letter that engine noise is annoying at high rpm. We added additional padding over the engine cover, which toned down the high notes. Also, I agree that fueling a 38-foot gas motorhome with a towed car attached can be a problem. The Pilot/Flying J app shows which truck stops have an RV lane. Canada has few truck stops, but gas stations are usually configured for cars and trucks.
Steven D. Norton, A401067
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Christmas Day Kindness
Dear Editor:
On Christmas Day we left Des Moines, Iowa, at 6:00 a.m. We needed to get to Dallas, Texas, about 900 miles away, in two days for a very important 50th anniversary party for my wife’s sister. Forty miles from home, our coach blew a hydraulic hose. While waiting for our roadside assistance service to call back, I searched online for heavy truck repair facilities in the area. The first one that came up was MAD J Repair & Towing Inc. in Ankeny (a suburb of Des Moines). I was hoping to be towed to a facility that might be able to repair our coach the following day. John, the owner, said he could tow us in. We were 80 miles away. We waited eight hours, because he was on call for the Iowa Highway Patrol.
John arrived and carefully hooked up our coach. He crawled underneath and found a hose that had rubbed and worn through. He told me that he knew a person who would custom make a hose. However, our coach was so heavy, his 45-ton tow truck could barely handle it. So, an employee met him with a 75-ton tow truck, and they transferred our coach to the bigger truck so he could get it to his shop.
I asked John if his friend would be around on Saturday the 26th to make the hose, and John told me, “I already called him and he said he’d do one tonight.” This was still Christmas Day! They visited three convenience stores to buy all the automatic transmission fluid they had, as our engine took 3.5 gallons of the stuff, more than was in the shop.
At 11:00 that evening, we were fixed, left Des Moines, and drove a couple more hours. We made it to the party in Dallas on time.
I can’t begin to express how grateful we were for this help from John, owner of MAD J Repair & Towing (716 S.E. Creekview Drive, Ankeny, IA 50021; 515-975-1897; www.madjrepairandtowing.com). If there ever was an example of going above and beyond for a customer, this had to be it, and I don’t think they charged anything extra for the holiday or the late work.
Mark Birdnow, F421142
Jesup, Iowa
Dandy Dump Pulls
Dear Editor:
We have owned a 2005 Monaco Monarch SE motorhome since it was new. The model came with a cable–operated pull mechanism for dumping the black- and gray-water tanks. It has caused some consternation over time, and this past football season, the cable on the black-water dump broke.
I took the coach to Bennie Johnston at Bunkhouse Conversion RV of Alabama (315 Hospital Road, Red Bay, AL 35582; 256-356-8634). His reputation preceded him, and he was good.
Bennie got rid of the cables for us, and now our motorhome has the dump system it should have had when it left the factory. The dump pulls are directly on the dump plumbing.
Hope this helps someone else with the same challenge.
William A. Frohn, F182966
Oxford, Mississippi
Notice Of Annual Membership Meeting
Family Motor Coach Association’s Annual Membership Meeting will take place on August 6, 2016, during FMCA’s 94th Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase in West Springfield, Massachusetts.