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Old 04-01-2015, 09:40 PM   #81
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JamieGeek, that is a nice photo.

But you know I have to show some of my photos now.

Photography is my other passion, but unfortunately, I have learned to not post many of my photos on line for others to see. People have stolen my photos and drawings, so I have to be very careful.

I recently found one of my drawings on Photobucket, put there by someone not having permission to do so.

I'll post a couple of low-resolution Airshow photos though, as I have reduced the photo sizes so they are not very useful. I suppose I should start watermarking them.



I'd like to say I did this on purpose, but it was not until I got home that I saw the moon in the photo.



I must have taken 100 photos before I got this one just right. The flag is on a 20ft pole, attached to my motorhome. I was standing about 50 ft behind it, and would run left or right to compose where the flight formation would appear, then put the camera on burst mode and fired away.

It was last year during an air show that allowed boondocking with RVs on site at the airport. So I had ample time to setup the shot. Still, it was very difficult to achieve.

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Old 04-01-2015, 10:15 PM   #82
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I would imagine that would be a hard shot to get (the flag). Great shots, both of them.
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Old 04-01-2015, 10:16 PM   #83
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Air shows are fairly difficult, even with a DSLR.

Sometimes my wife thinks our coach is just a camera platform...
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Old 04-02-2015, 02:28 PM   #84
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Nice Shots!

Nice airshow shots!

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Blue Angels at Fleet Week in San Francisco 2014 taken with my iPhone.
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Old 04-05-2015, 01:57 AM   #85
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Have you looked at RV Service Reviews?
RV Service Reviews

There is a similar and much better one for campgrounds:
RV Park Reviews
The last service review for Camping World in New Braunfels, Texas was 03-30-2012, and it was not a good review. I can state categorically that things have not improved. We have had our Miramar 32.1 93 days and it has been in Camping World for warranty repairs all but 12 of those days. Hoping for better days to come, but so far it has been a horrible mistake.

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Old 04-05-2015, 03:46 AM   #86
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Oh, not good to hear you say that!!! We bought our Hurricane 34E there...I have to take it in for some minor issues, and am delaying because I don't want to leave it there! Actually, the only thing of significance is the awning did not work on delivery....they said it was the circuit board that needed replacement and parts were on order. Now 2 months later, nobody knows anything about it, and I will have to take it in for a new diagnosis, and then return for the repair
I will be glad when the warranty period is over, and then hopefully the extended warranty will cover minor things to be repaired at a local RV center here in San Antonio.
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Old 04-05-2015, 12:46 PM   #87
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We purchased an extended warranty through the Good Sam network. There is a RV repair place here in Canyon Lake that has been recommended to me by a couple of friends. If I can get through the first year, I'll be letting them help me. There seems to be a general consensus on this forum that most little "routine" projects are done by the owners and the BIG problems are handled by CW or another warranty repair center. I understand the logic that says it's just like a second home and things need to be done. But I haven't had to do much to a home we had built by Design Tech in San Antonio. And I haven't had to do anything but regular maintenance with my Toyota Sienna with over 150k on it. So I guess I was expecting a brand new RV would be in better shape when it rolled off the factory floor. I was laboring under a gigantic misunderstanding.
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Old 04-05-2015, 01:44 PM   #88
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We purchased an extended warranty through the Good Sam network. There is a RV repair place here in Canyon Lake that has been recommended to me by a couple of friends. If I can get through the first year, I'll be letting them help me. There seems to be a general consensus on this forum that most little "routine" projects are done by the owners and the BIG problems are handled by CW or another warranty repair center. I understand the logic that says it's just like a second home and things need to be done. But I haven't had to do much to a home we had built by Design Tech in San Antonio. And I haven't had to do anything but regular maintenance with my Toyota Sienna with over 150k on it. So I guess I was expecting a brand new RV would be in better shape when it rolled off the factory floor. I was laboring under a gigantic misunderstanding.
Same as you, I was expecting better....but have resigned to that notion that it is easier for me to do the little things. I am going to a place called Iron Horse here in San Antonio that was recommended to me on another forum. I'm going to have a Safetplus installed, and my tow bar package installed by them sometime in the next month or so
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Old 04-05-2015, 01:48 PM   #89
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But I haven't had to do much to a home we had built by Design Tech in San Antonio. And I haven't had to do anything but regular maintenance with my Toyota Sienna with over 150k on it. So I guess I was expecting a brand new RV would be in better shape when it rolled off the factory floor. I was laboring under a gigantic misunderstanding.
lol,unfortunately RV quality isn't even a dot on the map to car quality. I have owned 7 new ones and had to fix multiple items on every one. I don't mind it but for new people to the RV lifestyle it can be very frustrating and misleading to think it is ready to go off the showroom floor.
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Old 04-05-2015, 03:07 PM   #90
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Same as you, I was expecting better....but have resigned to that notion that it is easier for me to do the little things. I am going to a place called Iron Horse here in San Antonio that was recommended to me on another forum. I'm going to have a Safetplus installed, and my tow bar package installed by them sometime in the next month or so
What is the "Safetplus"? I'm not familiar with it. Also, finding a Ford pick up to tow behind "dinghy" style is becoming a challenge, too. I'm exploring so many different things at once that I confuse myself sometimes. If I pull a trailer so I can have my motorcycle, I don't have a car.....and vice versa. I was looking at a ramp that installs in the bed of a truck for the motorcycle. Then I could pull the truck AND have my bike. But now I have to have 4-wheel drive truck that I didn't need before. Having fun is always expensive, and often complicated. Then, I sometimes feel guilty for having so much. But I worked hard and long all my life to get here. I'm trying to enjoy all I can before the lib-tards "redistribute" it.
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Old 04-05-2015, 03:33 PM   #91
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What is the "Safetplus"? I'm not familiar with it. Also, finding a Ford pick up to tow behind "dinghy" style is becoming a challenge, too. I'm exploring so many different things at once that I confuse myself sometimes. If I pull a trailer so I can have my motorcycle, I don't have a car.....and vice versa. I was looking at a ramp that installs in the bed of a truck for the motorcycle. Then I could pull the truck AND have my bike. But now I have to have 4-wheel drive truck that I didn't need before. Having fun is always expensive, and often complicated. Then, I sometimes feel guilty for having so much. But I worked hard and long all my life to get here. I'm trying to enjoy all I can before the lib-tards "redistribute" it.
Safety Plus is a steering stabilizer for the RV.

A member of an FMCA Chapter I belong to came up with an ingenious solution to a problem similar to yours. He tows a Ford Transit van and loads his Harley in the back of the van. He does however have a diesel pusher RV so his GCWR is higher.
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Old 04-05-2015, 05:52 PM   #92
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LOL......yep, in the process of redistributing it now to my wife and me we got the kids through college, out the door, and now it is the wife and our turn for some fun!!

I have a Jeep wrangler that will be my Toad. Search around some forums, and you will find info on the Safetplus....that is just one brand, there are a few different companies that make them.


As far as the minor repairs go...to be honest, I kind of enjoy it! Nice to go out to the RV stoage and crank up the gen, turn on some music in the coach, and spend the afternoon working and helping my wife clean and organize.
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Old 04-05-2015, 08:28 PM   #93
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One thing we have to remeber is that the engine and chassis is auto quality, made by Ford, Chevy, Freightliner or whomever. However, the coach itself is another story. If you were to put your stick house on wheels and rolled it down the California Highways, it wouldn't last a mile (Thanks Arnold!). The problem, as I see it, is you shouldn't take your coach in for every minor problem. I think it is fun and way more satisfying to fix things myself. Of course, "Minor" is relative. There is not many things that I would take my coach in for. When I was much younger, I worked at a large Motorhome dealership in LaMesa, California. I won't say their name but the location is a big hint. Most of the repairs that I did were more common sense than expertise. Unless you like spending more on gas than the repair would cost, I'd say attempt it yourself. There is plenty of advice available on this and other forums.
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Old 04-06-2015, 12:08 AM   #94
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One thing we have to remeber is that the engine and chassis is auto quality, made by Ford, Chevy, Freightliner or whomever. However, the coach itself is another story. If you were to put your stick house on wheels and rolled it down the California Highways, it wouldn't last a mile (Thanks Arnold!). The problem, as I see it, is you shouldn't take your coach in for every minor problem. I think it is fun and way more satisfying to fix things myself. Of course, "Minor" is relative. There is not many things that I would take my coach in for. When I was much younger, I worked at a large Motorhome dealership in LaMesa, California. I won't say their name but the location is a big hint. Most of the repairs that I did were more common sense than expertise. Unless you like spending more on gas than the repair would cost, I'd say attempt it yourself. There is plenty of advice available on this and other forums.
X2, in the 20 years I have been Rv'ing and buying Rv's I have had to go back for service 3 times, brake recall on a monacrapo knight, frame crack on 5th wheel and a suspension realignment on a 5th wheel that dog tracked. Everything else I have fixed myself and actually enjoyed it. Unfortunately not all of us like to tinker and I feel bad for those that rely on the dealer.
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Old 04-06-2015, 06:17 AM   #95
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At the entry level motorhome price points, you are buying Toyota... it's just a 1970 Toyota.

Many people today don't realize that in the post-war period until the early '70s, Japanese automobiles were a joke. If you are old enough, you probably remember that about everything made in Japan prior to 1980 was junk.

...except for Godzilla. That was the only good thing from Japan in those days.

They made junk with a capital "J". I remember some of the engines in those cars would not last much more than 30,000 miles before needing major repair. A friend of mine had a 1970-era Toyota, and like clockwork, every 30,000 miles he had to have the engine rebuilt.

It was only in the '80s when Japanese manufacturers overhauled their quality of manufacturing and started making better products.

To get higher quality in a RV, you cannot buy an entry level coach. You have to pay significantly more (which even then is not a guarantee of high quality).

While I am not letting RV manufacturers off the hook for shoddy quality, they do have a price point to make, especially in the over-inflated Class A market.

$100k for a new 32ft Class A is not a lot of money.
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Old 04-06-2015, 07:01 AM   #96
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Also, finding a Ford pick up to tow behind "dinghy" style is becoming a challenge, too. I'm exploring so many different things at once that I confuse myself sometimes. If I pull a trailer so I can have my motorcycle, I don't have a car.....and vice versa. I was looking at a ramp that installs in the bed of a truck for the motorcycle.
I think you are going to find that it's going to be a challenge towing a pickup with motorcycle in the bed and remaining under the RV's CGWR.

Your Miramar is built on a 22,000lbs GVWR chassis, with a 26,000lb CGWR. If you fully load the coach to it's GVWR, you only have a 4,000lb towing capacity. To tow any more weight, you'll have to keep the coach lightly loaded.

Even then, until recently, Thor only put 5,000lb rated hitches on the coaches, so depending on the year of manufacture, you may have that limitation as well.
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Old 04-06-2015, 01:36 PM   #97
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As far as the minor repairs go...to be honest, I kind of enjoy it! Nice to go out to the RV stoage and crank up the gen, turn on some music in the coach, and spend the afternoon working and helping my wife clean and organize.
That's where I am at, too.I enjoy going to the storage facility and tinker. I also bring it here to the house when I need extended tools for the repairs/mods or more time than I care to spend at storage. I don't live in an HOA and all of my neighbors are great (we all watch out for one another). I don't overstay my welcome, but sometimes I enjoy having it here to do the work.

I should add that I don't have a toad....yet. To be honest, it scares the hell out of me towing one. I'm sure I'll have one (sooner than later) and look back, and like most things, wonder why all the fuss. But until then, I'll just pucker every time I think of it.
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Old 06-11-2015, 09:03 PM   #98
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Just to pass along, that was the first thing I did on my new MIramar is insulate the dog house. I purchase CSI Heat Shield from Amazon for $32.00 in a 4'x 6' roll, and a can of 3M heat resistant adheasive spray at Lowes, and went right over the 1/4 inch aluminized bubble wrap that was there.

I taped up the seams with aluminum tape and put the thing back on. Took me 45 minutes. To be honest, I think it cut the noise in half, and last weekend on a trip in Florida, the wife was riding with her foot on the hump, so I know its cut the heat significantly.

For what its worth.....
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Old 10-25-2015, 11:14 PM   #99
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Just now the first trip in a pre-owned 2014 ACE EVO 30.1. Loved it. Up the Blue Ridge Parkway (narrow and no shoulders) from the Pisgah Inn to Peaks of Otter and then western Virginia back roads. Beautiful country and great ride. Great handling machine.


We put in a Roadmaster Reflex Steering Stabilizer and it makes a big difference in any complaints one reads about handling. Also did the "Cheap Handling Fix" by moving the sway bar links to the inner set of holes.


Did have one problem - the front driver's side power leveler hydraulic line had a leak. But all camping sites were somewhat level so it wasn't an issue.


As we traded in a travel trailer on the Coach, we were used to the routine. Once one is used to the routine of driving and using a campground, it is much fun. The Thor ACE is a pleasure. Many added functions that make it elegant and fun.
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Old 11-08-2015, 01:04 AM   #100
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Back to the ACE 27.1:

I have a 2014 which I bought from Giant RV in Corona. We have about 8,500 miles on it and on a recent 3,600 mile trip to Canada we averaged 8.5 mpg. When we picked up the coach the battery was dead, Giant RV doesn't keep the batteries charged and they really were not able to diagnose or fix most of he minor problems.
Bad slide controller - diagnosed with Thor Warranty Servce and myself, replaced and works great since.
Bad filing panel, replaced by Giant.
Rear camera problems, diagnosed with TWS and myself. Thor sent a new Jensen 215n radio with adapter harness and I replaced it yesterday - took about 90 minutes.
Dash fan went by by Thor sent me a new motor and Redlands RV installed it.

I installed 2 Trojan 6v 360 Ah batteries. 3,000 watt Xantrex inverter, 480 watts solar.
Redlands RV installed front and rear track bars and Front Summo springs. Handles much much better now in heavy freeway truck traffic and 30 to 40 mph winds - common in our area.

We love the coach. It's length is perfect for the USFS high alpine lakes we dry camp at. The king size bed is great and there is lots of storage. The front drop down bed is perfect for our granddaughter. I also have to say that Thor Warranty Service has been very helpful and expedient.
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