Community Forums

kraig · 12-18-2012, 09:56 PM

As far as I am concerned,I did not worry about that. I carry the same things I carried in my 36 foot Alpine with no problem. This is a bigger tire than they used on the other coaches. As long you stay with the same size tires you should be ok. Goodyear G670 RV 295/80/R22.5, which are a 16 ply tire. Single load is 7830 pounds. Duals are 6940. I carry 120 pounds and check them every time I take it out.

Rusty Bear · 12-19-2012, 09:59 AM

Our Apex has been great at dry camping. Just finished an 8000 mile cross country trip this summer and had no problems. I do have a small hydraulic hose leak now and will get that repaired next month.

E-Mike mentioned the propane tank modification and I have been thinking about doing that to my coach. I have the Coach almost 3 years now and the propane still reads almost full. Does anyone know how much weight I will lose with that modification?

EngineerMike · 12-19-2012, 12:05 PM

I just weighed the tank I have in my yard (not same tank but close in size, so this is an approximation) at 85# empty.
Assuming 90% fills when you're down to 10% as a standard of operation, you will travel w/50% full tank or an average of 19 gallons of propane all the time at 4.23#/gallon, for an additional 80#. Then you will need to carry a 5 gallon bottle strapped in & hooked up, plus a 2 gallon bottle spare for when memory fades & you run the 5gal dry; add back ~40#.

So that's ~165 lost, 40 added back, 125# saved as a quickie estimate.
Then you will enclose the compartment & fill it w/junque you think you need to haul around, negating any savings & possibly more than negating.

But I need that junque. Its about space, the final frontier, not weight.

Cinequip · 03-12-2013, 10:42 PM

We own a 40' FDQS Limited SE, and have never encountered CCC issues. Fully loaded we always seem to be under 33k #, and I usually weigh myself when I see free scales on 2-lane highways. If I ever determine that I need more capacity on a regular basis, I will do the propane tank downsizing mentioned above, and remove the extensive ceramic tiling. We have a friend who installed hardwood flooring in place of tile. Very nice improvement and a MAJOR reduction in weight. I'll wager that there is 500-800lb of tile that I carry around! With the tank mod, I could gain a thousand pounds of CCC.

Wwemu · 08-16-2015, 05:51 PM

2006 Apex (504). Kitchen sink drain leaks. Liquid poured into sink comes out under the cabinet under the drawers and heat exchanger opposite the fridge. Pulled the drawers for inspection - cannot find any dampness or evidence of leak.
It seems logical that there is a flexible connection that allows the galley slide to move in & out. Any one know how to check/repair this. Email <wwemu1@gmail.com>

I am full time so need to find a fix.

George Lowry

bcbowers · 08-16-2015, 06:36 PM

George,

I sent you an email with an existing thread discussing kitchen drain repairs and included my personal experience while keeping in mind that my kitchen layout is probably different than yours. The repair is a PITA but doable.

Rusty Bear · 08-16-2015, 07:42 PM

Under the 2 drawers in across from the front of the refrigerator is where the flexible hose attaches to the wall behind the shower. The flex hose fitting is likely broken if you are lucky or the fitting coming out of the wall may be cracked or broken. The fix is fairly easy , just hard to get to. Pull out the drawers and you should see where the connection is broken.

Quiltlady · 08-16-2015, 10:48 PM

Just replaced the flexible connection. 2" to 1-1/2" reducing flexible coupler. Available from Home Depot with stainless clamps for about $5.00.Took about 30 minutes to replace after locating the coupler behind the flexible vertical seal. Bumped the slide in and out a few times foe better access.
Rod Sprague
07 - 40 foot quad slide SE

EngineerMike · 08-20-2015, 10:36 AM

At first, I did what you did Rod, but the new bell coupler pulled loose again, the "flexible" spa tubing was too strong for only that connection. Replacing the last ~ 24" of the spa tubing right where it goes into the ABS wall drain plumbing did the trick for me.

The Apex cabinet version has difficult access for this repair, but its do-able. You either need a helluvalotta patience, or you have to remove the AquaHot radiator above the spa tubing connection.

While in there, try to rearrange the wire/tubing/hose bundle a bit to relieve as much strain on the movable wad of stuff. I slipped some thin poly cutting sheets in between layers of the previously all-in-one-sip-tied-together bundle and things move a lot more freely. Had to punch & zip tie the sheets to parts of the bundle.

Renipladlo · 08-20-2015, 03:32 PM

Apex owner, so I will address the weight issues first:
1. I try to travel each day with a full fuel tank 143 gallons.
2. Depending on "how far and where I am headed" I travel with at least 50% in the fresh water tank or more.
3. The waste tanks are empty if I have enough in them to even worry about dumping, again, where I'm heading, and how far. I have traveled from Quartzsite with empty fresh water tank and mostly full gray/black, with the fuel tank down 1/4 or 3/4 full.
4. I carry a small compressor, spare filters for genset/engine, a reasonable amount of tools, and our "winter season SW clothes", with that, my weights are usually as follows:
Rear axle: 19,700.
Front Axle: 12,850.

I go through the smart beds annually to pull out stuff I have not used the past year, which pulls out several hundred pounds of stuff, this year the extra tool box came out, and I am not sure I will haul the compressor with me.

We don't use the RO system, but I do pre-filter the water coming into the coach (not installed filters) a filter housing outside and connected to the incoming hose. WHY?, the hose is plumbed to go through the solenoid valves before it goes through the installed sediment/taste filter assembly, any grit/sand/whatever will hit those solenoid valves first. I have changed them once, it was a job, the possibility of hooking them up backwards is very high, I did, and burned up a water pump. Since using the outside filter, I have not had any trouble with those valves since then.

Use dielectric grease on all the battery connections and make sure all the house/chassis grounds are well made, WRV had crappy electrical QA.
Check the electrical connections on the following items :(do a search here for electrical issues):
1. Generator to house connections junction box, WRV used incorrect sized wire nuts and they fall off, can cause fire. Do the generator slide service at this time and bi-annually after.
2. Transfer switch connections incoming/outgoing and points between.
3. Circuit breaker panel, all breaker wires, both inverter and main panel.
4. All 12V fuse connections in panel.
5. All 12V connections in junction block panel in the HWH bay, mine were the wrong sized wire nuts, some wires pulled out, replaced each one "one at a time" with the correct sized ones, using above mentioned grease on each one.
6. Three engine grounds, make sure tight, grease them when inspection is being done.
7. Might be 3 or 4 solenoids rear of battery compartment (in the area of the air filter), loosen each connection, grease, tighten up, and check annually after.
BIG ONE - BE SAFE - Turn off master switches, disconnect negative cable from starting and one on house battery bank. Then grease all those connections on the fire wall to keep corrosion from happening, do the battery terminals now as well, one at a time.

Which alternator does it have?? If the Leese Necell(SP) 160Amp, change that to 200 amp one from Delco Remy - search here for procedure and how to do it safely. I have procedure with pictures of mine, have friend help, and plan on all day. Most RV places don't have a clue how to do this correctly, the Swans had a nightmare when they had it done, and it was wrong.

More questions send me PM with email address I will try to answer off line from this forum.

Quiltlady · 08-20-2015, 10:21 PM

Our flexible coupler split at the reduction point. Connection on both ends were good, however will follow your comments and install a 24" more flexible section. The wad of electrical and plumbing is definitely a stiff unit to move

casper124 · 08-21-2015, 11:00 AM

The Apex is a great RV and if the price is right for you I would consider the purchase. We have had out 06 Apex for about 3 years. It had only 12000 miles on it, having been stored for about 4 years. We did have a number of the issues that are listed above to include having to replace our Xantrex Inverter with a Magnum for about $2500.00. That seems to be a common problem among the Alpines and I'm sure other makes of RV's. There are many postings on this subject in IRV 2, which is a excellent site and resource. As you can see many great people to get information and advice from. We have gone boon docking at Quartzite and have had no problems so, I really see this as a non issue as well as the long term travel/full time.
If you do purchase, I don't think you will regret once you get past a number of bugs that need attention. I would be happy to talk to you by phone and give some insight, just PM me if interested.
Good Luck !