In addition, a special selection of 37 patriotic quilts was sent to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, for its Quilts of Valor program.
The Six-State charity quilt program has been very successful since its introduction in 2005. These lap-size quilts are truly needed and appreciated by the charities as well as the individuals who receive them.
My goal is to have many more quilts given to charities in the area where the Six-State Rally is held in 2009. I am pleased to announce that Tom and Rosa Truhe, F288221, have donated 24 boxes of beautiful quilting fabric, ready to be used for this purpose. These boxes weigh between 15 and 35 pounds and will be shipped free to any chapter within the South Central Area of FMCA (Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas) whose members would like to participate in this project. For more information, contact me at (903) 564-6228.
Ann Bailey, F298361
Sadler, Texas
RV body repair
Dear Editor:
We damaged the bay doors on our coach while we were in Utah and needed to have them repaired. Yingling Auto Body Inc. in Topeka, Kansas, was recommended by another FMCA member. All during our drive across Colorado and Kansas, we e-mailed photos, measurements, and insurance information to coordinate our arrival with the parts in Topeka.
Clay and his crew made the entire experience enjoyable. Their motto, “Where we meet by accident and part as friends,” is very true. We highly recommend their facility for any type of auto/RV body work. We were extremely pleased with their service. Their phone number is (785) 232-0484.
Frank and Dixie Proulx, F377078
FMCA Mail Forwarding
Steering weel tick
Dear Editor:
It’s been mentioned in Family Motor Coaching that some motorhomers have trouble seeing the steering wheel of their towed car as they are driving down the road. We have found a good solution for that. Cut a strip of white paper 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Cover it with clear, heavy, waterproof laminate material. When you are ready to tow, fold it over the steering wheel and attach it with a clothespin so the edges stick up. Put it in the center where the steering wheel will be when the towed vehicle’s wheels are straight. You will be able to see it move as you drive the coach, unless you have your window covered. We drew a smiley face on the edge of ours. Have fun!
Charlie and Elaine Rose, F319796
Prosser, Washington
Back on the road quickly
Dear Editor:
On October 31, 2008, I was headed to Norman, Oklahoma. In El Reno, Oklahoma, my motorhome began to have an engine fuel delivery issue and couldn’t go more than 45 mph on the interstate. I called ahead to Camping World in Oklahoma City and was referred to Price RV Repair.
I arrived around 1:30 p.m., and Roger immediately pulled two techs off another job to fix my motorhome. The job was done in approximately three hours for a reasonable price. I was very grateful to Price RV for working me in and getting me back on the road.
Please keep in mind Price RV Repair, 1021 S. Rockwell, Oklahoma City, OK 73128; (405) 495-4308.
Larry A. Barry, F386852
Amarillo, Texas
Repaired in time for the weekend
Dear Editor:
On a Friday in October while we were returning to Florida from Michigan, our coach had engine trouble and struggled to make it up the hills in Tennessee on Interstate 75. Luckily we were near Freightliner of Chattanooga’s facility in Ringgold, Georgia, and they immediately put the coach into the service bay. They replaced clogged fuel and water filters, and we were back on the road later that day.
We had visions of being stranded someplace over the weekend, but they took us right in and treated us with respect and kindness.
We highly recommend Freightliner of Chattanooga: 137 Gateway Drive, Ringgold, GA 30736-7319; (866) 719-5973, (706) 937-3700; www.thetruckguys.com.
Richard and Roberta Waite, F312445
North Port, Florida
Weep no more
Dear Editor:
Regarding John McHale’s letter in the December 2008 issue (“Clean Those Weep Holes,” page 18), I have a 1990 30-foot Xplorer Type A motorhome. It is leaking somewhere at the base of the front windshield, which puts water on the passenger-side floor. It is not coming from the side window that slides open and closed. I put sealer around the window, so if there were holes to weep, they would really be plugged up now.
Also, I don’t have any plastic wind deflectors such as those Mr. McHale mentioned.
I need to know: What do weep holes look like? What do they “weep”? Where are they? It seems that if a hole that lets in rain is plugged up, it would let in less rain, not more.
Charles L. Smith, F347459
Waynesboro, Virginia
Mr. McHale replies: Weep holes are on many types of RV side windows. To my knowledge, no weep holes are on front RV windows. They divert the water from the inner slide windows that seeps under the rubber molding and are located on the bottom of the slot (trough) where the window slides. On the outside of the vehicle, the holes can be seen below the non-slide windows. They are slots about an inch long and about as wide as the lead in a pencil. Usually, there are two or three per window. The slots usually are covered by a plastic insert designed to reduce air noise that results from the velocity of the vehicle. They facilitate a venturi (sucking) effect to draw water out of the trough.
When the weep holes get clogged, rain goes down the outside of the slide window, seeps into the trough, and then pours into the vehicle.
In your case, the leak is either around some of the exterior running lights or, if the Xplorer has a front cap, the seam leaks. You may want to use Eternabond tape to seal the front cap. I am a former Xplorer owner, by the way.
Satellite srvice coachside
Dear Editor:
I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to the owner of a satellite company who has gone out of his way twice to provide service beyond the norm. Two years ago, while visiting the Boston area, I forgot to lower my 3-foot Internet satellite dish at an overnight stop a few miles from our campground. As I drove into the campground, the dish hit a crossbar at the entrance and bent the main frame of the dish. The dish would deploy but could not locate a satellite because of the bent frame. I called Ben Soussan, owner of CommSat, a high-speed satellite communications company in Hampton, New Hampshire, for help. He immediately came and did some bending, grinding, and I don’t know what all to the mount so that it could work again.
Then this year while again visiting the area, my TV satellite dish would locate only one of the two satellites I normally lock onto. I lost a number of my favorite stations; most importantly, it was just a few days before the first presidential debate, which I wanted to watch on C-SPAN “” one of my “missing” stations. I was able to again call Ben Soussan for help. And again he came out and spent most of a day figuring out the problem, which involved a number of unusual factors. He not only fixed everything but also adjusted his bill to a very reasonable amount for all the hours he spent at my motorhome.
I advise anyone in the Hampton, New Hampshire/Boston area who needs satellite dish or TV dish repairs to contact Ben Soussan, owner of CommSat, at (877) 266-7289; (617) 590-2468.
Julius Hjulian, F350603
Livingston, Texas
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