Preparations for the BIG Retirement TRIP

Well, here we are, less than a month away from leaving on our big retirement trip of a lifetime and Debbie and I have been organizing the stuff we need to load aboard Knot At Sea, cooking accessories, tools, clothes, batteries, phone chargers, first aid kits, etc.  While we were parked up in Hutchinson Island last month, I decided to take advantage of a nice clean slab to crawl under the coach and see about changing the oil and filter for the big Cat diesel engine in the back.  A couple of calls around the Stuart area and I located the oil filter at a NAPA store.  I looked up the capacity for this big beast and it holds 19 quarts, 17 in the pan and 2 for the very large filter.  That means I needed five gallons (20 qts) and that left one gallon spare to carry with us on the trip.  Then it dawned on me that I needed an oil drain pan that held five gallons to drain the used oil.  Equipped with all this information, I made a trip to the NAPA store and bought the drain pan, oil, filter & wrench and cleanup rags to get the job done.  It was a cinch, drained the oil after a short engine warm up run and the filter had easy access from underneath.  Mind you, I've changed the oil in a lot of cars over the years, even changed 10 gallons of oil in the big 47' motor yacht we use to own, but having to crawl around on my back up under this big beast wasn't as easy as it use to be when I was younger.

That task was now complete and I decided to wait until the next day to do the auxiliary generator.  So more phone calls around town and I found all the oil, fuel and air filters at NAPA.  Off to the store again and will all the parts in hand I drained and changed the oil and filter, fuel filter and air filter, once again crawling, this time, under the front of the coach and completed the job easily.  The only problem was dealing with the sore muscles from the day before, but a little rum toddy made me feel a lot better and I was happy that job was complete.

Debbie and I decided not to plan any trips in the month of June to get everything done before we leave on July 1st.  Being the techno guy I've always been, I wanted to equip our coach with some technology to make our trip safer and more convenient for being on the road for four months and traveling more than 10,000 miles all across America.  We were originally going to tow our Chevy HHR, all four wheels on the ground (4 down) and have been towing it for the past 6 months.  Since we retired, we were looking for ways to trip our budget and looked into trading our Ford Flex for a new car that could be towed 4 down.  I did a lot of research and the list is long, but budget wise, we ended up trading for a new 2017 Ford Edge SEL with the 3.5L V-6.  Some of the other engine/transmission configurations don't allow towing 4 down.  We made a good trade with towing in mind and that started a whole new process of equipping our brand new car for towing.

More research on who would be the best shop to install a base plate on a brand new car.  After watching several YouTube videos on what it takes to install Blue Ox base plates on the Edge, I realized I wanted someone who had done this before and was a good car body shop, this install requires the whole front bumper assembly and headlights to be removed.  I left a few messages on the Discovery Owners Forum, and one of the members suggested I contact American RV and Marine in Fort Lauderdale.  After discussing it with them and talking to others who had work done there, I had American RV order the base plate and made an appointment to get it installed.  They told me it would take most of the day, so I planned on driving down and spending the day there at the shop to watch over the install.  Five hours later, I had the base plate installed that would hook up to my Blue Ox Aventa II tow bar and there was another task complete.  Here's a few photos of the install:

















I also had planned on replacing all the tires on the coach, considering all the things I've read about RV tires and what could happen with a blowout, especially on the front.  I looked at the DOT stamp on the Michelins and they were 7 years old, still good tread, but I was worried about dry rot from the inside and who knows how many times the side walls hit curbs and such.  So off to the Tire Store and I made an appointment with Callighan Truck Tire shop just a few miles from our house and they quoted me $325/tire plus $550 for install and balance Sumitomos, a brand several RV'ers have recommended.  I made sure they provided valve stem access for the inner duals and allowed for tire pressure monitor senders on the stems.

Here we go again, more research on tire monitoring systems.  I scoured the RV Forums and read and watched lots of YouTube reviews and being the all Apple device nerd that I am, I selected the TireMinder Smart TPMS that displays tire pressure/temperature on my iPhone or iPad.  I ordered this system on Amazon for six tires and added four more to monitor the tires on our new Ford Edge.  I received the whole package in a couple of days and installed the Smart TPMS on my coach and I was really surprised how easy it was to config this product.  I mounted the included Rhino Signal Booster underneath the cabinet that houses the Xantrex Inverter/Charger for a clear view of all tires, including the towed vehicle, as recommended by TireMinder instructions for diesel pushers.  I suppose that big chunk of iron diesel motor could block the signal from the tire transmitters.  Everything works as advertised.  I have a higher level of comfort being able to see tire pressure/temperature on all wheels both underway and every time I get ready to hit the road, no more checking each tire with a manual pressure Gage.  Here's a photo of the system:

And now, after reading and studying more about towing a vehicle that many miles, and with a brand spanking shiny new Ford Edge back there, we were worried about gravel, rocks and dirt chipping up the new car, so I finally decided to order the Blue Ox KarGard II Protective Shield that mounts on top of the tow bar that stretches from the back of the coach to the front bumper of the towed car.  I will be receiving it the end of the week and have plans to install this weekend.

That should do it, hopefully I have thought of everything, but I'm sure Murphy's Law will strike when we least expect it and I will of forgotten something.  We will deal with it as Murphy sees fit.