Johnson RV Family Vacation number 2!!

[RiverDave]

MacGyver Dave's Place.

This motorhome has actually been pretty bullet proof.. anytime there’s a problem it is invariably operator error of some sort..

This and my last trailer have been extremely reliable. My rv experience has been pretty different than everyone else’s.. I will say that anytime I do have a hiccup I take it over to Trevor at first class and they comb through the entire rig and make sure it’s 100%.. great shop and great people over there.


My youngest daughter hasn’t quite figured out the motorhome toilet.. she will use a roll of paper like it’s nothing.. today we get to get out the “shit stick” and get it all down to the black tank..

Anyone else carry a “shit stick?” Lol. I had this problem once during the Yellowstone vacation.. so I keep one in the motorhome now.

 

[rivrrts429]

This motorhome has actually been pretty bullet proof.. anytime there’s a problem it is invariably operator error of some sort..

This and my last trailer have been extremely reliable. My rv experience has been pretty different than everyone else’s.. I will say that anytime I do have a hiccup I take it over to Trevor at first class and they comb through the entire rig and make sure it’s 100%.. great shop and great people over there.


My youngest daughter hasn’t quite figured out the motorhome toilet.. she will use a roll of paper like it’s nothing.. today we get to get out the “shit stick” and get it all down to the black tank..

Anyone else carry a “shit stick?” Lol. I had this problem once during the Yellowstone vacation.. so I keep one in the motorhome now.

I know the shit stick all too well. I finally had my daughter, and wife at the time, do it themselves which quickly changed the behavior. They use more paper than they do water and then you get the tee-pee effect in the tank of toilet paper.

Haven’t had that issue since the second or third time of making the girls make use of the shit stick lol

 

[rivermobster]

This motorhome has actually been pretty bullet proof.. anytime there’s a problem it is invariably operator error of some sort..

This and my last trailer have been extremely reliable. My rv experience has been pretty different than everyone else’s.. I will say that anytime I do have a hiccup I take it over to Trevor at first class and they comb through the entire rig and make sure it’s 100%.. great shop and great people over there.


My youngest daughter hasn’t quite figured out the motorhome toilet.. she will use a roll of paper like it’s nothing.. today we get to get out the “shit stick” and get it all down to the black tank..

Anyone else carry a “shit stick?” Lol. I had this problem once during the Yellowstone vacation.. so I keep one in the motorhome now.

Nope...

When I replaced the toilet in my toy hauler, I got one that has a small "shower head attachment" kinna deal.

I'll just wash push everything down with that. Well worth the extra money...

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Toilets/Dometic/DOM29FR.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20%7C%20Shop%20-%20Low%20Volume%20-%201000%20-%20All&adgroupid=108452021885&campaignid=11229265674&creative=468863949313&device=m&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=1014359&matchtype=&network=g&placement=&position=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwio6XBhCMARIsAC0u9aHEux12hQZF0f6lEpj75AF0TZzbg7-sUFeIJ6WO86cQuuuASS5aDYEaAnJeEALw_wcB

 

[RiverDave]

Nope...

When I replaced the toilet in my toy hauler, I got one that has a small "shower head attachment" kinna deal.

I'll just wash push everything down with that. Well worth the extra money...

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Toilets/Dometic/DOM29FR.html?feed=npn&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20%7C%20Shop%20-%20Low%20Volume%20-%201000%20-%20All&adgroupid=108452021885&campaignid=11229265674&creative=468863949313&device=m&devicemodel=&feeditemid=&keyword=&loc_interest_ms=&loc_physical_ms=1014359&matchtype=&network=g&placement=&position=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwio6XBhCMARIsAC0u9aHEux12hQZF0f6lEpj75AF0TZzbg7-sUFeIJ6WO86cQuuuASS5aDYEaAnJeEALw_wcB

I am going to try toilet education first.. if that doesn’t work I’m gonna put in the electric flush deal with the bidet option..

We really want to upgrade to a Thor Aria 4000 with two bathrooms.. and a few other things.. I’m just not sure if we are going to or not.. this thing runs like a Swiss watch, it’s actually pleasurable to drive.. rides smoother than any motorhome I’ve ever been (not saying much because I’ve only been in one other dp) in and it’s quiet on the road..

When I went with Steve to go buy it we went on a pretty rough freeway so he could show me why he hates the freight shakers.. while we were going down the free way he kept sayin “huh…”.

We went to lunch and he said someone musta modified something on the suspension because they don’t ride like that.. if you don’t buy it I am.. lol

I only ever rented one other diesel pusher and it didn’t ride like this.. but I don’t have enough experience in other DP’s so I am just going off what he said.

I can say that post with you envision mamma making Sammies when you buy a moho..

Reality things are crashing and you are screaming over the howling v10 etc..

Ours is more mamma making sandwiches and cutting up fruit and quiet. Kids are watching tv or looking out the windows..

 

[RiverDave]

This is what I want.. I am a little concerned it might be underpowered though.. it’s a much larger motorhome than mine with not much more hp..

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2019-Thor+Motor+Coach-ARIA+4000-5021242724

 

[rivermobster]

This is what I want.. I am a little concerned it might be underpowered though.. it’s a much larger motorhome than mine with not much more hp..

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2019-Thor+Motor+Coach-ARIA+4000-5021242724

HP means NOTHING in a diesel. HP is a calculated off engine RPM. The less RPM you have, the less HP you have. Most big diesels red line at 3k RPM.

That 800 ft lb of torque looks pretty good for a bone stock engine...

Is it enough for all that weight? Depends on the trans and drive train.

I'm sure Steve would know Way more about this than me.

 

[RCDave]

I dont flush TP down the toilet. LOL I left is dry and pick it off. JK wet wipes are the bomb

 

[RiverDave]

HP means NOTHING in a diesel. HP is a calculated off engine RPM. The less RPM you have, the less HP you have. Most big diesels red line at 3k RPM.

That 800 ft lb of torque looks pretty good for a bone stock engine...

Is it enough for all that weight? Depends on the trans and drive train.

I'm sure Steve would know Way more about this than me.

I don’t know why they rate them like that.. but generally speaking when it comes to pushers..

300hp
340hp (same motor usually flashed with a upgraded transmission)
400hp
450hp
500hp
550hp
600 (king nuts)

When you get into the 5’s-6’s those are the guys pulling monster stackers etc..

 

[rivermobster]

I don’t know why they rate them like that.. but generally speaking when it comes to pushers..

300hp
340hp (same motor usually flashed with a upgraded transmission)
400hp
450hp
500hp
550hp
600 (king nuts)

When you get into the 5’s-6’s those are the guys pulling monster stackers etc..

I don't know either. Doesn't make sense to me.

*edited for spelling*

 

[RiverDave]

I don't know either. Does make sense to me.

When you pull into the park all the dudes say “how much hp”. Lol

That said I can flash mine and have it make the 340 and a shit ton more torque.. @ONE-A-DAY always did it on his.. I am unsure which transmission we have so I wasn’t to quick to do that.

Besides I’m probably going to sell and move up to a two bathroom program so I think resale would be better stock.

 

[RCDave]

Its more important to look at displacement and TQ than HP.... You get better chassis with bigger motors too

Like the Cummins big block 8.9L. 1,250 lb ft of tq. HP is typically 450hp

 

[RiverDiva]

So I can’t find where these pics are going from the text message to my phone so I just took Stacy’s phone.. lol

Pics from the drive from Tahoe to mammoth.. incredible drive!! Easy in a motorhome as welll

RD

 

[RCDave]

Walker River!

 

[RiverDave]

So we were going here.. and it looked amazing..

But my youngest doesn’t eat sandwiches or soup.. lol.

 

[RiverDave]

Not a problem..

I got a recommendation off rdp.. best juevos rancheros I’ve ever had btw..

 

[BLOWN HOWARD]

This is what I want.. I am a little concerned it might be underpowered though.. it’s a much larger motorhome than mine with not much more hp..

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2019-Thor+Motor+Coach-ARIA+4000-5021242724

For that kind of money i would look more at Fleetwoods the newer Thor stuff is getting a bad reputation as far as quality goes

 

[RiverDave]

Anybody want a dog?

 

[RiverDave]

For that kind of money i would look more at Fleetwoods the newer Thor stuff is getting a bad reputation as far as quality goes

Fleetwood make something with two bathrooms / bunks and a drop down bunk in the front? Those are my main criteria..

 

[Singleton]

Anybody want a dog?

View attachment 1141693

Looks about as crazy as mine.
Mine has huge separation anxiety issues when I leave him

 

[BLOWN HOWARD]

Fleetwood make something with two bathrooms / bunks and a drop down bunk in the front? Those are my main criteria..

Honestly have no idea but i would imagine something close or possibly Tiffin

 

[RiverDave]

Looks about as crazy as mine.
Mine has huge separation anxiety issues when I leave him

Well we gotta fix this somehow.. this is fucking crazy

 

[Willie B]

Not a problem..

I got a recommendation off rdp.. best juevos rancheros I’ve ever had btw..

View attachment 1141687 View attachment 1141688 View attachment 1141689 View attachment 1141690 View attachment 1141691

… The last time I ate at the stove was about 1980…

 

[cxr]

LOL someone tell the newb how to resize pics

 

[rivermobster]

… The last time I ate at the stove was about 1980…

Went last summer. Was packed and I didn't wanna wait in line!

 

[SoCalDave]

So I can’t find where these pics are going from the text message to my phone so I just took Stacy’s phone.. lol

Pics from the drive from Tahoe to mammoth.. incredible drive!! Easy in a motorhome as welll

RD View attachment 1141666 View attachment 1141667 View attachment 1141668 View attachment 1141669 View attachment 1141670 View attachment 1141671 View attachment 1141672 View attachment 1141673 View attachment 1141674 View attachment 1141675 View attachment 1141676 View attachment 1141677 View attachment 1141678

That 395 is a beautiful drive. Back in 2006-07 the company I worked for was relocating to Reno and I commuted up there quite often with preference of driving over flying. The back entrance to Yosemite is quite the view as well.
Looks like a killer trip so far Dave, your doing it right!

 

[Singleton]

Well we gotta fix this somehow.. this is fucking crazy

Mine has a CBD cookie habit when we are in Havasu

CBD Dog Treats | Our Best Seller | Suzie's CBD Treats

Pet Tested & Approved. Buy all natural 4mg CBD pet treats made and baked in house by Suzie's Pet Treats. USDA Organic.

www.suziespettreats.com

 

[RiverDave]

So I’m running out of the motorhome every five seconds throwing up.. I’d just assume light this thing on fire than do this shit..

The whole vacation isn’t rainbows and lollipops

 

[Meaney77]

So I’m running out of the motorhome every five seconds throwing up.. I’d just assume light this thing on fire than do this shit..

The whole vacation isn’t rainbows and lollipops

Crate train!

What RV Park are you staying in?

 

[Willie B]

So I’m running out of the motorhome every five seconds throwing up.. I’d just assume light this thing on fire than do this shit..

The whole vacation isn’t rainbows and lollipops

… I hear you… I spent a lot of time out on the road in one of two motorhomes that I’ve had… Life on the road is not perfect…

 

[liquid addiction]

So I’m running out of the motorhome every five seconds throwing up.. I’d just assume light this thing on fire than do this shit..

The whole vacation isn’t rainbows and lollipops

What am I missing? Did your dog ?

 

[SoCalDave]

So I’m running out of the motorhome every five seconds throwing up.. I’d just assume light this thing on fire than do this shit..

The whole vacation isn’t rainbows and lollipops

???

 

[STV_Keith]

I don’t know why they rate them like that.. but generally speaking when it comes to pushers..

300hp
340hp (same motor usually flashed with a upgraded transmission)
400hp
450hp
500hp
550hp
600 (king nuts)

When you get into the 5’s-6’s those are the guys pulling monster stackers etc..

Dave, with a Cummins, look for at least an ISL (8.9L) or ISM (10.8L) engine. My FIL's rig has the ISL 400hp/1200ft-lbs. 2200rpm max. Runs good in his 36 footer. He can just pull away from me on the big hills. My rig has the ISM 450hp/1450tq, 2100rpm max. I wouldn't consider anything less than the ISL400 and an Allison MH4000 6-speed with retarder.

 

[Singleton]

What am I missing? Did your dog ?

His youngest is a heavy TP user and he had to pull out the shit stick to unclog the RV toilet line from toilet to tank.

 

[dirtslinger2]

Did it shit on the dash??

My dog wil jump up on the dash when we leave him in there, but he doesn't shit or anything.

So I’m running out of the motorhome every five seconds throwing up.. I’d just assume light this thing on fire than do this shit..

The whole vacation isn’t rainbows and lollipops

 

[MK1MOD0]

Dave, with a Cummins, look for at least an ISL (8.9L) or ISM (10.8L) engine. My FIL's rig has the ISL 400hp/1200ft-lbs. 2200rpm max. Runs good in his 36 footer. He can just pull away from me on the big hills. My rig has the ISM 450hp/1450tq, 2100rpm max. I wouldn't consider anything less than the ISL400 and an Allison MH4000 6-speed with retarder.

Totally agree. My last coach had the ISM 500. It was an amazing engine, and never gave a single problem.

 

[Riverryder]

His youngest is a heavy TP user and he had to pull out the shit stick to unclog the RV toilet line from toilet to tank.

my daughter is the same way shes 6. i taught my kids. no tee pee goes in the tiolet if they shit they throw TP in grocery bag and have to walk it to dumpster!

 

[stephenkatsea]

Our very first house boat trip, Willow Beach, 6 adults and 3 kids for one week. Explained to all use and function of the commodes and black tank. Always use minimal TP. About 30 mins into our trip south down Black Canyon my clueless SIL reports, None of the Toilets are Working. She had stuffed an entire roll of TP down one toilet, then went to the 2nd toilet and stuffed that one up also. My brother refused to do anything. He then yells, take this F’n boat back, I’m going home. I was the biggest fool. I didn’t take him up on it. SIL said she thought because it was early in our trip, she could use all the TP she wanted. WTF ! ! ?

 

[fmo24]

Fleetwood make something with two bathrooms / bunks and a drop down bunk in the front? Those are my main criteria..

Yes the discovery lxe has a floor plan like that
And they have the 8.9 isl motor. 380 hp 1150 tq

 

[RiverDave]

Ok so we left off with anybody want a dog.. Dog still available by the way. Lol. Little bastard ate my screen door. .

Upwards and onwards to Mammoth!!

We cruised up And checked out all the lakes.. very beautiful, surprised I have never been here before being that it’s close to so cal.

Saw a really cool retro trailer and spotted a deer cruising along the edge of a campground.

 

[RiverDave]

After that we were driving and I saw a trail marker on the side of the road, so we took the jeep off-roading for a couple hours.. trail was from mammoth to June lake. I followed all the markers but after a couple hours it dropped us back on a road.. so I dunno. Was cool to get out away from all the people though and just listen to the Forrest.

The pics always make the trails seem less then they are.. nothing was crazy hardcore, but it was a fun ride.

 

[RiverDave]

More pics from Stacy.. at the end I might just do a photo dump on here from her phone. Probably get some repeats but she’s got a ton of pics that are better than mine.

 

[RiverDave]

Spotted this guys work van.. pretty bad ass lookin..

We were planning on camping out in the Forrest the next day.. even scoped a couple legit remote spots with the jeep during the day.

Right about now in the middle of the night is when I was losing my mind on this server company as to why in the fuck my website is still down after they said it would be fixed in an hour… the day BEFORE..

 

[RiverDave]

Stacy has some real estate stuff that Wasn’t “dire” to come back, but between that and rdp going offline I decided it was time to come home to get the reigns around everything going on..

On the way home we stopped by Manzanar.. this was a war relocation camp for the Japanese during world war 2. Same as the one just south of Parker. This one still has structures and was a bit of living history.

Out front they had stones with markers of the other camps around the south west.. toon a pic of the poston one.

Really interesting exhibit if you ever get a chance to stop by I’d recommend it.

Pretty shitty deal for the Japanese Americans of the time, and to some degree even today.. weird when the subject of white privilege comes up nobody discusses that all these people had everything stripped from them and had to start over.

 

[RiverDave]

Running home we ran into a haboob!! There was weather (severe) pretty mucH surrounding Us and all the way to Havasu. We stopped at four corners and I took a nap. When I woke up an hour later it was clear sailing all the way in.. at which point I wanted to get home so the moho was running 75+ the whole way.. lol

Left the campground at 11:30.. after stops / smoke breaks / fuel / food we pulled in at 11:30..

And that concludes the second annual Johnson family vacation Motorhome trip! 3 weeks on the road..

 

[RiverDave]

Random pics I stole from Stacys fb including the trip log.. we missed Yosemite because of the fires.. but I think we saw plenty for our vacation.

 

[RiverDave]

 

[dread Pirate]

As far north as you were, you were still 2 hours from my place,,,

Glad your family got a taste of life behind the redwood curtain. Anytime you want to make it a destination I can get a hookup on an airbnb and show your around a bit more. Swimming holes, fishing, etc..

 

[Racey]

HP means NOTHING in a diesel. HP is a calculated off engine RPM. The less RPM you have, the less HP you have. Most big diesels red line at 3k RPM.

That 800 ft lb of torque looks pretty good for a bone stock engine...

Is it enough for all that weight? Depends on the trans and drive train.

I'm sure Steve would know Way more about this than me.

What? HP is calculated off an equation who's inputs are RPM AND Torque. For example 800ft lbs at 1,500RPM vs 800 ft lbs at 2,100 are a huge difference. One is 230hp, the other is 320hp. So HP is actually a very useful number as far as power rating goes in a Diesel. Because just having a torque number without the associated RPM is somewhat meaningless.

The transmission is responsible for making the HP useful.

Since Most coach size diesels develop their peak torque at similar RPMs and have similar redlines, HP is a valid comparison. HP is the ability to actually do work over time. Torque is only an instantaneous power measurement. They each have their usefulness in understand different engine properties.

 

[BTR]

You should do Hwy 1 from Ventura to Monterey one day. Epic views. Camp in Big Sur.

 

[RiverDave]

As far north as you were, you were still 2 hours from my place,,,

Glad your family got a taste of life behind the redwood curtain. Anytime you want to make it a destination I can get a hookup on an airbnb and show your around a bit more. Swimming holes, fishing, etc..

I might take you up on that!