Community Forums

kratzkr · 10-07-2013, 08:26 AM

It's been some 35-40 years since I did any RV'ing (and that was with my parents as a kid), but after a great deal of consideration and poking about, made the plunge into a 89 Itasca 32' Suncruiser that was in great shape at a great price. Whoopie! On the road again!

After the initial flush of the purchase, we flew out to Salt Lake City to pick up the coach and ferry it back to South Carolina; a typically uneventful endeavor that turned out completely otherwise. I won't go into details here, but suffice it to say that I highly recommend Bar M Diesel and Automotive in Beaver, Utah.. the guys there are outstanding!! (By the way... what is the typical going rate for a heavy-duty diesel tow rig dragging a Class A 72 miles to the shop? They hit me for just over 400 dollars and I was expecting 3-4 times that much...)

Finally got the coach home and have been playing with it everyday since.. and enjoying it greatly. Since I'm a retired guy, I am having fun tinkering around with and exploring all the systems, not to mention planning for the next outing in the very near future.

Now, if I can just figure out why the refrigerator isn't working....

bdickson · 10-07-2013, 08:31 AM

That does sound like a great price for a tow, but you might want to consider a Coach Net or Good Sam membership. Next time you might not be so lucky!

Ramblin · 10-07-2013, 08:32 AM

Your fridge not working might be a blessing in disguise, particularly if it is a Norcold model. The alarming frequency of those fridges to burst into flames and burn RVs to the frame rails in 10 minutes happens with monotonous regularity. If I were you, I would take this opportunity to upgrade to a {new model/residential/Dometic/amish cooling unit} and ditch ole sparky.

MartySQ · 10-07-2013, 08:43 AM

Did you turn it off when you were being towed? if the front was up at all in the air... then your rig was not level... a nono with fridges and working correctly.

MSHappyCampers · 10-07-2013, 08:51 AM

Welcome to IRV2! It's great to have you join the gang!

Hope you get all the bugs out of the new rig so you can enjoy her!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

**JohnRR** · 10-07-2013, 09:51 AM

I'd say you got a great price on the tow service.

kratzkr · 10-07-2013, 11:32 AM

Wow! Didn't expect to get this much of a response! I've been watching this site for a while and got the impression that there were some good folks involve, but I had no idea as to how good!

Heh heh heh... the frige is a Dometic RM2852 dual mode, apparently an '89 model, and no, the unit was not operating whilst being towed It gives weird electrical readings, almost like a floating ground or a wire that is not making a connection within the insulation. The "ON" light will sometimes come on, other times not, then, just for the heck of it, will come on weakly. Go figure. It has DC and AC inputs, so I'm guessing that it may be one of the two control boards, but I'll let a tech figure that one out.....

As to the towing, like I said, I was expecting it to be quite a bit more than it was! In fact, the whole bill, repair, parts, towing and getting to meet the shop cats was just shy of $1,500.. about what I was expecting to pay for the tow alone. Austin and Cody at Bar M are super! As far as the towing is concerned, luckily I had insurance coverage to cover the roadside stuff... so I'm only out of pocket for the repairs.

That's the one thing I had forgotten about RVing... you get to meet some great folks while out on the road... even with the unscheduled stop, we had a great time. The rig is, at the moment, over at the glass shop getting new windshields... road construction in Arizona took it's toll!

Anyway... thanks for the welcome! It's good to be aligned with a good group of folks!! I'm sure I'll have a ton of questions, but I'll try to post them in the appropriate areas!!

Thanks again!

Steve N Sal · 10-07-2013, 03:07 PM

Howdy and welcome aboard. Glad you joined us. Hope you get everything up and running. Good luck and enjoy all your future travels.

Medico · 10-07-2013, 03:17 PM

Welcome and glad to meet you!

Bruce C · 10-08-2013, 04:18 AM

from NH. It seems like your enjoying the good as well as the bad. A great attitude to have and it will give you great times ahead. Safe travels, and great memories.