THIS IS HOW IT ENDED - SHE HAD TO GO

This was a very popular listing on Craigslist.. got a lot of responses.. not offers.. just folks saying that they really enjoyed the listing? Anyways.. I hated to see her go.. but, I really would like to get a wife someday and women seem to like a home with a bedroom that ain't part of the living room. So.. you know.. it ain't good for a man to be alone and all that.. .. oh.. yea.. stay tuned readers.. I got me another one now with a real bedroom, too!

youngstown craigslist > for sale / wanted > recreational vehicles


1978 25' ITASCA CLASS A RV MOTORHOME - $700

MOTIVATED SELLER

UPDATE:

SOMEBODY COME GET THIS THING ALREADY - VERY MOTIVATED SELLER!

This camper needs a new owner. The current one is worn out and needs one less project to work on.

92,096 miles on a Chevy 454 engine and 400 turbo/hydromatic transmission. It starts, runs good, and stops.

4 excellent tires, 2 fair tires and a spare.

Everything in this motorhome needs a little fixing except for the stove/oven.

Update:
The bathroom door fell off.

From the top down.

The roof has leaked and may or may not leak depending on the day of the week - yes, I've sealed it every single year for the last century but either I ain't too good at it or the stuff they sell to seal roofs is garbage because it seems I have to seal it every year to keep it waterproofed.

The roof A/C does not work. The engine A/C never worked as long as I've owned it since '95 - actually, I don't even think the A/C stuff is even on the engine anymore.

Only 1 of the roof vents works - another is sealed shut - another is missing (where the wood burner smokestack used to exit)

Some of the exterior lights work. Some don't. Nothing wrong with the fixtures, just the bulbs burnt out.

The interior paneling is worn out and/or damaged in spots like the ceiling above front pull down bed.

Most of the screens are damaged/worn out. All of the windows work with a little effort.

The original interior has seen extraordinary wear of every imaginable type and is certainly not one of her selling points.

The refrigerator does not work.

The furnace is disconnected.

The water pump leaks.

The water tank leaks.

The hot water tank is gone.

The propane tank is there but bypassed to hook the LP feed directly to bbq sized tanks which are easier to refill.

The kitchen and bathroom sinks, the shower/tub, and toilet all work but both the gray and black water tank valves leak.

The generator needs the carburetor rebuilt and re-installed - it's got low hours cause it hasn't been fired up since 96.

The dashboard is in sad shape and the instrument cluster needs to be reattached which I may or may not have a little time to get to before you come to see it (I had to get the kittens out from behind it last year).

The driver and passenger seats are in horrible shape.

The driver's left side armrest fell to the floor last month - it's not really needed. I don't know why they put one there like that. I can reattach it if I get a minute.

The carpet is just terrible.

The passenger side windshield has a crack that has been there for longer than I have owned her. Cops never hassled me about it.

The entrance step is broke and held up with a rope on the one side.

The awning blew away four years ago in a blizzard, the retractor spring sprung out last year when I was trying to hang a tarp on it, and the whole thing is just messed up now although it is still attached to the side of the motorhome.

The aluminum siding is pitted and patched and was painted years ago, but, the paint is now peeling in spots.

The bumpers are rusting in spots.

The dual exhaust system is exhausted and the tailpipes both folded up a couple weeks ago backing it out of the mud it was stuck in.

One of the fuel tanks leaks at the line or on top someplace?

The starter motor needs shims because it makes a grinding noise when starting? I may or may not crawl up under there to shim out that starter so people don't get that funny look on their face when they turn her over.

The battery for the engine starter goes flat unless the negative cable is removed whenever it has to sit for a long time.

The hitch works fine and it has easily towed my 3500 pound house boat.

The john boat on the roof may or may not go with the motor home. Not sure, yet. Either way, it is covering the vent opening that the wood burner used to exit through. The wood burner may or may not come with the motorhome. It's not good for going down the road with, but, if you're holed up somewhere in the winter with a good supply of firewood that little steel stove sure comes in handy.

There are a few other things not right with her, but, I don't want to list every little jot and tittle and end up discouraging somebody from giving her a new home.

I've owned this rv for a long time. I've lived in it for several years. I hate to see her go. But, you know. That's life.

Somebody please make me an offer. We both might be surprised by my response!

          AND LO AND BEHOLD!

                                                      

AWAY SHE WENT

GOOD BRAKES ARE GOOD IDEA ON 25' MOTORHOME

How To Change Truck Drum Brakes
By Jeff Williams

Thanks for taking the time to post this easy step by step guide to doing a brake job on a full float GM. Me, my P30 chassis 1978 25′ class A Itasca motorhome, and the other motorists on the road appreciate it.

"Now I know for most of you out there changing you own brakes, chances are you will not have to do a rear brake job on a" 1978 MHC 25' Itasca Class A Motorhome ", but if you are lucky enough to try one on your own, I will show you how easy it is and along the way give you some free tips on how to make that rear brake job a snap."

WHEN THE POWER GOES OUT

What Will You Do When the Lights Go Out?

"When the power goes off leaving you with no TV, Internet, or email you have a lot of time on your hands. Thankfully there are batteries, so my trusty computer will still work for a few hours, and I can follow my fingers into my thoughts. Looking out my window I can’t see any lights in the neighborhood so at least I know it isn’t just our house that’s in the dark. In addition, there are cars running up and down the street, so I know at least it wasn’t the dreaded EMP blast. The wind was making a strange noise but stopped, so we have come out from under the table since there’s no indication of a tornado on the way. All these kinds of thoughts run through your mind when the lights go off. In other words, when you’re in the dark there’s little light."


That actually has happened quite often to me. The forest surrounding me is full of mature and past-mature trees that frequently bring power lines down. The quiet peacefulness is wonderful. There are only a few neighbors in the wooded cul-de-sac, so it is usually void of noises anyways except for an occasional chainsaw or shotgun in the distance.

Actually, with the power off, I can hear the coyotes or deer calls better. And, the wind! I love the sound of the wind as it moves through the trees.

Got plenty of firewood for the stove for heating and cooking. Batteries run the laptop (yeaaah!!!) which can be recharged. And, got kerosene lanterns for lighting to read my Bible by.

There is something actually to be said for the quiet. God's voice seems to be so much clearer without all of the worldly distractions.

VAN DWELLERS - LIVE IN YOUR VAN (or car, truck, camper, motorcycle, bicycle?)

ALTERNATIVE LIVING

Description

How to convert a van (or truck, car, bicycle or ???) to live in or camp for extended stays.
Do you "Live in your Van" or want to? Post ideas about how to convert standard vehicles into custom live-aboard units. More than just an RV, a personal expression of your freedom!

"alternative mobile living"

"We were an island of misfits, a family, a tribe. much like i imagine more primitive and wise cultures lived. anyhow, i feel that way about vandwellers. we are drawn to a way of life on the fringes of the common culture. some of us seek solitude, some community. we have times of incredible peace, and sharp loneliness. we are all such different individuals, bound by a passion for the adventures in life, as experienced from our little mobile dwellings. at vandwellers, we find a place to give support/get support..... a tribe of our own." SOURCE

"Any Place I Hang My Hat is Home" Barbra Streisand

The first fun thing about full timing in Ohio over

the winter is staying warm and, not going broke
about it!

This season I was fortunate enough to come across a little wood burner which fit my little home just so perfectly as almost one might think it was constructed exactly for the application. The firewood is in such fantastic abundance here where I'm settled that I wonder if this is to be my winter base for some years to come and, in the warmer months, when most snowbirds are heading north I may find myself either heading south or, maybe, farther north.



At the start of the winter season I was not sure just how much wood I would actually burn and that, together with my friend's cottage wood burner whether I might need to bring a few more of the dead oaks down. Now, months into the season and maybe only a good fat month to go of wintry conditions, I was fairly sure what was already down was enough.




Then a wind storm came. An expert could not have dropped this sixty footer more perfectly! Narrowly missing my friends boat, the yard furniture, only nicking my outdoor fire grille, and comfortably dropping about fifteen feet from my friend's cottage, this ready-to-burn dead oak came down with barely a sound. The way it is laying smack dab in the middle of the fire pit has me planning on sawing it to both ends leaving that log right where I'm gonna burn it this spring.



By the way, notice the huge dark furry looking vine running the length of this sixty footer? That, is poison ivy. It is everywhere, here. And, seemingly quite useless. You can't even burn the stuff. The smoke from the ivy can be lethal if inhaled!



Back to the particular subject of this blog, and that is the second most fun thing about full timing in Ohio, which is keeping a supply of unfrozen water. With no utility supply, nor a well, I had devised a rain water collection system last summer which worked just great and, even better still, was cheap to build and free to replenish - one of those best things in life that are still free - rainwater.



The system is made from two large non-metallic garbage cans (new, of course) ; seventy five feet of water hose (which I already had from years of full timing - the safe potable type) ; two water filters - the first in line a simple screen type filter; the second in line a RV in line charcoal type of filter; a drop-in general purpose water pump; an outdoor type extension cord; chlorine bleach.



Simple and inexpensive setup, which, is great for me. The garbage cans collect water off of the roof via gutters and downspout. When the water is needed to fill up my RV's water tank I hook up the hoses to the water pump and in line filters, drop the pump into the garbage can, stick the other end of the hose into the RV water tank supply fitting, plug the pump in and in about fifteen minutes it is all done. For the sake of safety I dress up my supply of rain water with just a splash of chlorine bleach.



Over the years, I've just gotten into the habit of buying my drinking and cooking water. I suppose I could drink the rainwater with a bit of filtering refinement, but, for now the rainwater is for washing and toilet duty.



My concerns that all the water would be completely frozen this winter soon melted away. The garbage cans do not stay constantly frozen. With a little bit of rationing, the water available is just enough to make full timing in Ohio through the winter a reasonable sport. Maybe, at some future blog, I might get into the challenge of keeping the waste lines unfrozen.

I hate being cold. Aspirations of becoming a 'snowbird' someday still fill my horizon as life travels along. In the meantime, I have developed a new hobby... chopping and splitting wood to stuff into my little camp stove.
It all started last summer as I was cutting up a heap of felled dead oaks on my friends property. The plan was to install a wood burner in her cottage and put all that wood to good use. The search was on to find a bargain wood burner for her. While looking for her wood burner I came across some Mil-Spec camping stoves made for tents... and, that's when the ol' noggin began to do some figgurn'.
Being able to 'fly the coop' for the winter was not looking too promising for the upcoming season. And, there sure is a lot of firewood available where I am settled. And, that little Mil-Spec stove sure looked like it might fit just right with a few modifications. So, I did it.
Today, the temp outside is about 10 degrees (F). I am sitting here in a tee shirt and pajama bottoms with an inside temp of 80 degrees (F)... and, I don't even have this little stove stoked to it's potential.
The manufacturer of the stove would probably not advise the stove for this kind of installation. Actually, my advice is not to put a wood burner in a motor home. It's kinda weird and may not be the safest thing to do. But, for me, it works great and, with a bit of common sense care and caution, confidence against the cold is a go!
As you can see in the pic to the left I am well equipped with staying warm contraptions - wood burner, kerosene heater, electric heater, propane furnace (not shown - OEM built in). I love working this wood burner so much that I may just put off my 'snowbird' plans for a few more years...at least, until the wood runs out.,, or global warming kicks in.. ?

HOW I MOVED MY STOVE INTO MY MOTORHOME

HOW I MOVED MY STOVE INTO MY MOTORHOME (click title for complete story)

I heated my 25' motor home last winter and am absolutely sold on this stove - liked mine so much I started selling them. I was not even chilly on the coldest windiest days and my motor home is drafty - lots of places heat can escape but I kind of like it that way. Just an extra precaution against monoxide dangers in small sealed spaces (recommend buying a detector).

The stove was not made to be installed in campers. I decided to try it in my motor home for the heck of it and with many precautions taken, was more than satisfied with the result. Still, I cannot recommend using it in your camp trailer - if something went wrong and you were hurt I would be horrified. I am only telling my story of how I did it. Again, I am not recommending you try this. I did it with several precautions. But, cannot recommend you do it.

Follow this link for the complete story - http://portablewoodburningstove.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-heated-my-25-motorhome-last-winter.html