Long trip, nothing broke!

[smlranger]

Well, we just returned home from a 6,000 mile, month-long trip to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and other wonderful places between there and home. We ate elk in Wyoming, great steaks in St. Louis, and barbecue at Neely's in Memphis . We used 747 gallons of diesel, averaged 7.8 mpg, and paid an average of $3.93/gallon. The weather was wonderful except for a couple of rainy days on the way out and some killer cross winds on I90 between Mitchell and Rapid City, SD. The wind blew so hard from the curb side, it was pushing the top of the living room slide out 3 - 4 inches. We tried opening windows but nothing seemed to help. I thought about stopping but was determined to get to Rapid City for the night. That was a wrestling match I'd prefer not have again.

I consider any trip of that length a real success when nothing breaks. I am continually amazed how well the 'entry-level' Journey holds up to the abuse of the roads in America. While we have a few squeaks and rattles, nothing came loose or fell off. I did develop an issue with both slides creeping out slightly (1" or so) which I attribute to a slowly leaking check valve (due to the stress caused by the aforementioned wind). I will be checking with HWH and likely ordering a new valve.

I did do some minor damage to my coach . On the first day of the trip, I slightly 'kissed' a previously-damaged and poorly-repaired crash barrier at a toll booth on I-77 in WV. I did not think I was that close and felt nor heard anything. That evening I saw the damage....a deep scratch that extends about half the length of the coach on the curbside. One compartment door has a crease in it. I will be looking for a body shop in my area who can do the repairs/painting.

Off to work tomorrow but certainly happy to be back on line with the great folks here on IRV2 and the Winnebago forum.

[smlranger]

Well, we just returned home from a 6,000 mile, month-long trip to Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Bryce Canyon, Monument Valley and other wonderful places between there and home. We ate elk in Wyoming, great steaks in St. Louis, and barbecue at Neely's in Memphis . We used 747 gallons of diesel, averaged 7.8 mpg, and paid an average of $3.93/gallon. The weather was wonderful except for a couple of rainy days on the way out and some killer cross winds on I90 between Mitchell and Rapid City, SD. The wind blew so hard from the curb side, it was pushing the top of the living room slide out 3 - 4 inches. We tried opening windows but nothing seemed to help. I thought about stopping but was determined to get to Rapid City for the night. That was a wrestling match I'd prefer not have again.

I consider any trip of that length a real success when nothing breaks. I am continually amazed how well the 'entry-level' Journey holds up to the abuse of the roads in America. While we have a few squeaks and rattles, nothing came loose or fell off. I did develop an issue with both slides creeping out slightly (1" or so) which I attribute to a slowly leaking check valve (due to the stress caused by the aforementioned wind). I will be checking with HWH and likely ordering a new valve.

I did do some minor damage to my coach . On the first day of the trip, I slightly 'kissed' a previously-damaged and poorly-repaired crash barrier at a toll booth on I-77 in WV. I did not think I was that close and felt nor heard anything. That evening I saw the damage....a deep scratch that extends about half the length of the coach on the curbside. One compartment door has a crease in it. I will be looking for a body shop in my area who can do the repairs/painting.

Off to work tomorrow but certainly happy to be back on line with the great folks here on IRV2 and the Winnebago forum.

[becks]

Glad to hear you had a great trip. You're right that the trips always seem greater when no breakdowns happen. I know what you fought with those winds on I90. They can be as bad as anywhere in the country. I travel I90 every year to and from the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Its a rare year that I don't end up fighting the wind either going out or comming home. We saw a fellow MHers awning unravel on that stretch of road one trip. Good luck at the body shop.

[John_Canfield]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by smlranger:
--snip--The wind blew so hard from the curb side, it was pushing the top of the living room slide out 3 - 4 inches. --snip-- </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Gary - great trip report! We also have had many thousands of miles of pleasant travel with nothing more than minor things to deal with - knock on steel, no show-stoppers so far.

It looks like you have discovered why Winnebago now installs slide locks This is exactly the scenario Paul Smith of HWH talked about in the HWH seminar at GNR. The purpose of the strap on the LR slide (strap from the molding to the floor) is to supposedly prevent the slide creep due to wind action. This was the first I'd ever heard about that, but your experiences just validated his point.

Sorry you're back to the grind tomorrow

[wagonmaster2]

Smlranger - You certainly took a very nice trip and much be extremely lucky to have nothing go wrong on that long a trip. I have a 2004 Meridian, we take two 7-8 week trips and a couple 1-3 week trips a year and always have something leak, break, fall out, or fail to work each trip.
I think any of the east/west Interstates across the plains states are a pain, weatherwise. We travel I-70 across Kansas in the spring and fall and if the weather is cool/cold the north cross wind is terrible. If the weather is warm/hot the south cross wind is just a bad. Just once I'd like to have a good 15-25 MPH tail wind for a couple days, would really be nice. Wonder what kind of trip it would be to travel with a tail wind each day, whichever way the wind was blowing that day.
Wagonmaster2

[Fakrwee]

Great trip and better yet nothing breaking. That there is some beautiful country you went thru.

Best thing yet fuel didn't skyrocket over $5.00 like the nay Sayers were predicting but just the opposite. A lot of people canceled trips waiting to see what would happen; unfortunately one worry was supplanted by a bigger one, but that too will pass.

I'm at the tail end of my own 2 month trip and have had only 3 minor breaks, will number them when I do my own trip report.

Tom

[Rocket Heart]

Great job Gary! The "Hawk" in So. Dakota is a bear to drive through. Was stationed there in the service ans as you recall I drove through there this summer - don't think my wind was anything like yours though.

The creeping slide thing is a hydraulic problem or can the electric slides creep too? Never have had the problem so curious to know?

Welcome back and don't work too hard.

[smlranger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The purpose of the strap on the LR slide (strap from the molding to the floor) is to supposedly prevent the slide creep due to wind action. This was the first I'd ever heard about that, but your experiences just validated his point. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

John,

That puny strap would have been no match for the force on the slide. The bottom of the slide held tight but the top was pushing out. I am assuming the slide locks on the newer rigs are designed to secure the slides at or near the top.

If I had a 2 X 4 and a handsaw, I would have stopped long enough to make a couple of 'slide locks' to wedge the slide.

[John_Canfield]

Gary - absolutely! I was having a very difficult time assimilating what Paul claimed.

We have punched through strong (30-40) winds literally hundreds and hundreds of accumulated miles in our travels out west and never a slide movement problem.

Jane forgot to check for the strap (in spite of a label I posted right by the slide switch ) and the slide easily pulled the screws out of the floor. That was early in our ownership and I haven't reinstalled it.

There are telescoping poles that are marketed for slide locks (wedged between the slide and the wall), so that would be a viable option to the problem.

I heard from an Alaskan Winnebago owner (when we were there summer of '06) that several Winnebago's sold there had slide creep problems that defied all attempts to resolve.

Anyway, only Winnebago really knows what the issues are that predated the strap.

[blucrabbie]

Gary, glad you had a good trip. We have had "creeping" slides ever since purchasing our Journey. They creep out when in storage. We can retract them a couple days after returning from a trip and then they stay put. I know some hoses have been replaced but at the moment, don't know what else.

[cbeierl]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by smlranger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The purpose of the strap on the LR slide (strap from the molding to the floor) is to supposedly prevent the slide creep due to wind action. This was the first I'd ever heard about that, but your experiences just validated his point. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

John,

That puny strap would have been no match for the force on the slide. The bottom of the slide held tight but the top was pushing out. I am assuming the slide locks on the newer rigs are designed to secure the slides at or near the top.

If I had a 2 X 4 and a handsaw, I would have stopped long enough to make a couple of 'slide locks' to wedge the slide. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

We've never had a problem with 'creeping' slides, but on one of our trips across the country we had significant winds and at one point they did cause the passenger-side forward slide (Pantry, Fridge, Dinette, Euro chair) to tip out at the top by a couple of inches, despite two people sitting in the dinette! I agree that there is no way the strap with its tiny screws would have held it in, especially from its location down near the bottom of the slide.

[smlranger]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by blucrabbie:
Gary, glad you had a good trip. We have had "creeping" slides ever since purchasing our Journey. They creep out when in storage. We can retract them a couple days after returning from a trip and then they stay put. I know some hoses have been replaced but at the moment, don't know what else. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

According the the HWH Troubleshooting info I have, if both slides creep out equally (mine are now doing that), the most likely cause is a leaking check valve on the pump manifold. When I get some time, I plan to call HWH and confirm that and get a new valve. It looks fairly easy to get to and replace.