newbie on board

[markdc]

We just started using our 2001 36' Landyacht last month with a trip to Atlanta. Love at the first turn! Planning on doing 2 weeks in MI in June and really looking forward to it. I just last week installed the brackets on my Caviler for towing and on its trial run, acted like it was on tracks! Also looking forward to going fulltiming in a year or so. My wife and I both grew up camping and really got to hate it, now here we are alot older and thinking on living "on the road" Who would have thought!
Mark C

[normandgrace]

congratulations on your purchase. i just bought my 33 land yacht in january. my wife and i have only made a couple of weekend trips so far. retirement is still many years away for us. we are planning to visit my oldest daughter, and my wifes daughter in cleveland and evansville this summer. that will be our first long road test in the coach. most of the postings on this forum site are by owners of airstream trailers. they are beautiful, and their owners are truly fanatical over them. most of the motorhome postings are for the older aluminum style motorhomes. their owners are truly in love with their airstreams. i have not found much info on land yachts that is useful so far, but that may be because i bought a new unit, and not used. so far nothing has broken that i have needed assistance with. their are many knowledgeable people who visit this site regularly. if you look long enough, you will find that their are those who really have good advice, and others just want to put in their 2 cents worth. as a land yacht owner, we are few and far between, but that is not necessarily a bad thing, is it? best of luck to you with your new motorhome. hope to see you down the road sometime.

[SilverToy]

Norm -

Glad that you joined the ranks of the confirmed AS lovers!

The fact that your LY is not an aluminum skinned AS is not a factor. It IS an AS by virtue of the construction, the quality and the badge on the front!

Me, however, I love the older aluminum skinned MH's. Just somethin' 'bout 'em.....

I know several folks that own the LY's and LOVE 'em. AS's afterall!!!

Just not my cup o' tea.

All the best of luck with your AS adventures!

Peace

Axel

[steelbird312]

Welcome Markdc,
Hope you enjoy your 36'. I have no idea what your previous, if any, unit was, however, having been the owner of Airstreams and 2 LY units , all of which I couldn't keep my hands off of, expect the unexpected!
While greasing mine last week, getting prepared for a planned 3 month trip, I found a single drip of oil on my A/C condensor fitting. That led to a 4 day A/c repair, which I finished last evening. It now blows 23 degrees colder than ambient temp! Yes, I'm proud!
My present MH is a 390, and it rides like a dream; I'm sure you will enjoy yours too!

[Chaplain Kent]

Welcome to the forums and the wonderful world of Airstreams. Maybe someday you'll even get to love Airstream so much that you will upgrade to a riveted aluminum model.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by steelbird312

Welcome Markdc,
Hope you enjoy your 36'. I have no idea what your previous, if any, unit was, however, having been the owner of Airstreams and 2 LY units , all of which I couldn't keep my hands off of, expect the unexpected!
While greasing mine last week, getting prepared for a planned 3 month trip, I found a single drip of oil on my A/C condensor fitting. That led to a 4 day A/c repair, which I finished last evening. It now blows 23 degrees colder than ambient temp! Yes, I'm proud!
My present MH is a 390, and it rides like a dream; I'm sure you will enjoy yours too!

Steelbird312,

Good work! Your A/C unit should be blowing between 18-22 deg. below ambient temp. for a perfect performance test! You're right on the money .

[gunworks]

To Newbes; Welcome aboard, it's a great ride!

For Lewster,

You seem to be pretty knowledgeable in AS repairs. I recently had dash a/c compressor replaced and we are having trouble getting the 12 volts to the compressor so the clutch will kick on. I have traced wiring down from compressor to large bundle that shoots to the front, but cannot locate where the particular wire ( one of about 50) comes out at the front. I have talked to both AS and ACME radiator (manufacturer) and the only solution is to replace the pressure switch. All other fuses/relays have been replaced. Only thing left is pressure switch. Is this a likely candidate or should I be prepared to continue searching? One suggestion was to run another line with goood 12v back to the compressor via the control head, but I would just like it to be correct before I start running separate wires from front to back. You can reply at penworks2@juno.com. Thanks for any input.

[steelbird312]

On the Acme system, normally they run a pressure switch just after you exit the dryer. It runs both the condensor fan as well as the relay for the compressor. Normally you will have a relay that is operated from those wires that feeds the full power to the clutch on the compressor. The wiring from that switch on mine was a dark blue and a black. The switch is about 2 1/2 inches on the line after exiting the dryer on the way to the expansion valve. The switch should have 4 wires coming from it, two blue and two black.
Good luck on your trouble shooting. Oh, by the way, if you look around on the firewall you may find a fuse block that A/S used to power these things with. It most likely will have two 20 amp fuses in it. Could it be one of those blown?

[gunworks]

Have not had time to install new pressure switch and thermostat. Fuses and relay have been replaced, so all that is left is the pressure switch and thermostat. After that, if it still doen't work then I'm at a loss. I'll post results after this weekend.

[landsteward]

Purchased our AS slightly used in March. Have taken it on a few short weekend trips and planning a long one from Texas to Michigan next week. The only challenge we have had so far is trying to figure out why our tow vehicle sways. In fact, the sway has bothered us so much that we have decided to leave the toad at home and rent an economy car when we get to Traverse City. If anyone has experienced this, would appreciate the response. At any rate, we are excited and looking forward to the long road in the LY. Regards, landsteward

[gunworks]

Pressure switch was bad and after replacing this, thermostat and relay, discovered crack in crimp fitting, so all freon leaked out. Local A/C shop rebuilt hoses recharged with R134. Work was no charge as tech did not leak test the system the last time they filled it. We are now blowing cold air to the point my wife had me turn it to low last weekend (90 degree weather) as she was too cold!

[vermonttroy]

Am contemplating a new 30' gas Landyacht in the next couple weeks Any comments and opinions are welcome per winter type conditions as I plan to use it for extended ski trips of two-three weeks in New England and out West. How do the plumbing, mechanics, etc., hold up in subfreezing condtions for two-three weeks trips? How does it handle on snow and icy road conditions? Do I need to switch tires, or will the overall weight and balance provide sufficient traction and balance?

Thanx in advance