Community Forums

Superslif · 08-14-2016, 02:04 AM

Get used to having a dirty looking RV & tow vehicle. I'm usually one to keep my tt and truck waxed and shiny. I brought a bottle of car wash and a sponge along for opertunities to give her a good wash. Was at a campground two days ago with a free RV wash. Only second time in almost 2 months it been super clean. Before I left I made sure everything was well waxed. With a little extra scrubbing all the bugs came off. I applied more wax to all the front surfaces. I did notice, there are some small speckles of road tar down the drivers side of my truck. I'll take care of that at home in mid Sept.

For the inside of my truck once a week I'll use one of those dusting handle things to wipe down the dash area.

BRex45 · 08-14-2016, 09:47 AM

OP,

A very complete picture of next years travelogue, 2017.
I hope it holds true for us when we reach 2017. Alas we are stuck in 2016, NO AK trip in sight!

CHS32 · 08-15-2016, 12:33 AM

I'm not the picky type when it comes to a clean vehicle. My cars get washed every June, even if they didn't get dirty the previous year. In Alaska, I washed the toad about 4 times and the RV once. It was really a waste of time, but did make me feel better for about a day, until it got filthy again.

I thought my toad would never be the same. I did buy one of the car bra's by coastline, which was worth every penny. Not because it kept my car clean, but because it stopped all the paint damage from gravel. I saw one toad that had the entire front end just pocked with gravel marks. I have quite a few on my rear fender guards, but the front end came out great. When I got home, the car was trashed, but my detailer worked miracles and it looks as good as new. He has a lot more patience than I do.

Charlie

jpharley · 08-15-2016, 08:07 AM

We washed our RV and truck 5 times while on our Alaska trip. It was so dirty by the time we arrived at Watson Lake that we could not even see out the windows. For us, it was worth the time and it kept if from becoming impossible to get clean.

twogypsies · 08-15-2016, 12:11 PM

We washed our motorhome once and that was in Smither's B.C. Why wash? It's looks the same way a couple days later.

We did wash the bottom bay door areas as that's what we sat outside next to but having the brown paint on the top, it really didn't show the brown dirt.

Washing the bugs off the front window was a daily chore. We learned from truckers to just put about 12" of water in a bucket and approx. 1 cup of windshield washing fluid. Using the long-handled RV brush, the bugs came off effortlessly from the window and the front of the motorhome.

jpharley · 08-15-2016, 02:45 PM

We wash the bugs off the front on every travel day. We could not see out our windows because they were so dirty. Washing the truck and 5th wheel was the only thing that could remedy that.

MrsChilerick · 08-16-2016, 10:22 AM

Question: we'll be towing the jeep wrangler up there next year, should we put the hardtop back on or will the soft top be ok?

twogypsies · 08-16-2016, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsChilerick

Question: we'll be towing the jeep wrangler up there next year, should we put the hardtop back on or will the soft top be ok?

How do you tow it in the lower 48? There shouldn't be any difference. Yes, it will definitely get dirty so if the soft top is difficult to clean then use the hardtop.

MrsChilerick · 08-16-2016, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

How do you tow it in the lower 48? There shouldn't be any difference. Yes, it will definitely get dirty so if the soft top is difficult to clean then use the hardtop.

Oh, ok, based on how I interpreted some posts, I was concerned about damage to the soft top from rocks being thrown up from the road. It's a jeep, it's in the dirt more often than not, so "dirty" isn't a concern. Thanks

twogypsies · 08-16-2016, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrsChilerick

Oh, ok, based on how I interpreted some posts, I was concerned about damage to the soft top from rocks being thrown up from the road. It's a jeep, it's in the dirt more often than not, so "dirty" isn't a concern. Thanks

Do you have the stiff mud flap across the rear of your motorhome? If so, it's quite possible that you'll get rocks thrown at least on to your hood and windshield of the Jeep...don't know about the roof.

When we got to Whitehorse two motorhomes traveling on the same area of construction before us were removing that big flap. They showed us the layer of 1/2" rock laying at the base of the windshield.

We just had the mud flaps behind each tire and didn't get any rocks thrown onto our Jeep the whole trip.

pointrow · 08-16-2016, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

Do you have the stiff mud flap across the rear of your motorhome? If so, it's quite possible that you'll get rocks thrown at least on to your hood and windshield of the Jeep...don't know about the roof.

When we got to Whitehorse two motorhomes traveling on the same area of construction before us were removing that big flap. They showed us the layer of 1/2" rock laying at the base of the windshield.

We just had the mud flaps behind each tire and didn't get any rocks thrown onto our Jeep the whole trip.

I know for a fact the mud flap troughs rocks up on the toad. After removing mine the rocks disappeared from the toad windshield.

Superslif · 08-18-2016, 05:06 PM

Buy a good 12 volt air pump (ViAir) from Amazon. Came in handy with the slow leaker I had in one of my tires ( 2 screws in tire) from Top of the World. A bottle of Gorrilla Glue has come in handy.

S Bradley · 11-08-2016, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPA48

Just wondering why the Alaskan Gov. wouldn't of paved all there roads by now, since they have so much money from oil that they pay each Citizen a certain amount of $$$$ each year just for living there????? Yes jeously is living in California and paying and paying road taxes while hitting all our potholes in my Motorhome!!!!!!!

Steve::

Those roads are pristine for about one summer after they are paved. After a winter with frost heaves, water formed pot holes, and grader chewing up the road edge; the roads look like they have been in service ten years.
Winter is tough on the surfaces up here and in Canada that is why you are seeing more chip seal being used on the Alcan and in Alaska. It is cheaper and faster (short construction season) to surface a road with chip seal than pavement, it contributes to the chipped windshields.

Superslif · 11-09-2016, 06:45 PM

By the time we entered Alaska in mid June you can tell the road crews have been hard at work.

Frost heavies tend to strike or are more prevalent in the low laying sections of road between the slightly elevated sections on either side. Many times there will be a marshy area on both sides of the road at a frost heave. One frost heave might have been repaired last year 200' up the road, the year before 500' further down the road. So along a 1000' of low laying roadway there might be a patched area every year, just in a slightly different spot on the road.

All over AK. there was a major construction project about every 100 miles. Major might mean there will be "pilot cars" for 1000' or a few miles to guide you thru the construction zone. You will be riding on freshly rolled gravel. Alaska, Yukon and BC. do spend a lot of money and man power on roads.

Other minor sections of roadway, might have been regraded, fresh chip-seal and gravel laid down and rolled in. They will leave this rolled gravel "loose" for a period of time (few weeks?) I believe to have the road traffic and heat from the summer sun to grind the loose gravel into a "home-made" pavement. Then maybe a month later a sweeper will brush the loose small gravel off. Presto...asphalt Alaska style. You might run into ten 500' sections of this type of repair over a 20 mile section, or one or two 1 mile sections here and there. You will see a lot of this the farther you get away from population centers where there are real asphalt plants.

Because of the greatly reduced drilling and pumping of Alaskan oil because of the price of oil, the state had a $4 billion budget deficit this year. So besides cutting the dividend check to $1000 it might cut into future road projects. We will see, but with Mr. T in power it may go back to a "Drill baby drill" mindset....