How old are my batteries?

[Robin97396]

I've had no problems getting anything from shocks to serpentine belts at Napa, although they have really expensive batteries. I like buying certain things like batteries at the farm or tractor shops. You can get tires from Les Schwab unless you want to go with import knockoffs at half the price.

The biggest problem I've had was going to home stores and deciding what materials to use on the inside.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

I've had no problems getting anything from shocks to serpentine belts at Napa, although they have really expensive batteries.

Really? I've always liked NAPA since they seem to carry rotary parts. Those ain't always easy to find either. Do you tell them you have a '97 Blue Bird or do you know the secret decoder that your bus is the same a a '93-'95 Peterbuilt or whatever?

I like buying certain things like batteries at the farm or tractor shops.

I dunno if Tractor Supply has batteries. I'll have to check them out. There's one near teh base where I'm moving the bus to this weekend. Also one near the gf's which we frequent regularly.

You can get tires from Les Schwab unless you want to go with import knockoffs at half the price.

Never heard of him but that's no surprise either. Ironman, the Chinese knockoff was $260 a tire at a local shop. I don't remember my tire date codes but I've got a couple of years left on them anyway. Oldest was an '09 I think.

The biggest problem I've had was going to home stores and deciding what materials to use on the inside.

Materials or appliances? Or are you talking paint, primer, etc.?

[Robin97396]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Really? I've always liked NAPA since they seem to carry rotary parts. Those ain't always easy to find either. Do you tell them you have a '97 Blue Bird or do you know the secret decoder that your bus is the same a a '93-'95 Peterbuilt or whatever?

I dunno if Tractor Supply has batteries. I'll have to check them out. There's one near teh base where I'm moving the bus to this weekend. Also one near the gf's which we frequent regularly.

Never heard of him but that's no surprise either. Ironman, the Chinese knockoff was $260 a tire at a local shop. I don't remember my tire date codes but I've got a couple of years left on them anyway. Oldest was an '09 I think.

Materials or appliances? Or are you talking paint, primer, etc.?

When looking for parts I first use the direct approach asking for parts from a '97 Bluebird TC1000. If that doesn't work I ask for Dodge Cummins parts for the mechanical issues.

Yes, tractors use batteries but not necessarily an 8D. I've always seen 8D batteries in the farmer's co-op and tractor stores. Anyplace that services larger equipment, including truck stops, seem to have various large batteries. Not hard to find.

It's the same with tires. Anyplace that services trucks is going to have a range of tire prices. I've learned to pay attention to the sidewall strength on tires as an indicator of their durability. You can feel how soft some sidewalls are compared to more expensive tires. Personally I don't like changing a tire while I'm out somewhere so I invest in good quality tires. My second hand commercial tire information comes from truckers who are not at all concerned with the cost of tires.

On building materials I'm talking about rigid insulation, plywood or whatever else you need to construct the interior of your bus. I'm impressed with some of the builds I read about here, sometimes having 2" of rigid insulation in the floor. No cold fee there. I'm not a tall person, but if I insulated with thick rigid styrofoam panels I'd need to raise my roof. That would be quite a project to do alone in the woods. If I had a family with me and needed more space a roof raise would be more than a consideration. Since I already have nearly 1/3rd of my bus devoted to being a garage, I don't really need the extra space even in a medium 26' bus.

My family is grown and gone. Even my x-wife grew up and went. I'm adjusting nicely to being single but still tend to cook for five.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

On building materials I'm talking about rigid insulation, plywood or whatever else you need to construct the interior of your bus. I'm impressed with some of the builds I read about here, sometimes having 2" of rigid insulation in the floor. No cold fee there. I'm not a tall person, but if I insulated with thick rigid styrofoam panels I'd need to raise my roof. That would be quite a project to do alone in the woods. If I had a family with me and needed more space a roof raise would be more than a consideration. Since I already have nearly 1/3rd of my bus devoted to being a garage, I don't really need the extra space even in a medium 26' bus.

Apparently I'm taller than 74" with shoes on. That or 74" buses aren't 74".I'm fine if I slouch but I don't want to live that way. So a raise is in my future. The question I haven't found an answer to is how much of a raise. Two inches of ridig sounds great!!! I don't want to have to follow the truckers looking for the 13'6" bridges tho. Granted I have 3 feet to play with but the shorter overall the better while keeping the interior as tall as possible. 7 foot cabinets might be nice. Guess I need to wander thru Lowes/HD too.

My family is grown and gone. Even my x-wife grew up and went. I'm adjusting nicely to being single but still tend to cook for five.

I've got a daughter I need to get off my couch. And tougher still, a house to sell that is upside down. The daughter plans on moving in with the ex once the ex gets out of her 2 bdrm apartment which requires the selling of the house. My son is already living with her. Son will be 22 this year, daughter will be 21. Time for both of them to hit the bricks.

[EastCoastCB]

I swear my Rural King batteries are AMAZING. They're $75 apiece for g31's!
If you got a rural king anywhere near check em out. Awesome prices on oil, batteries, and all that stuff.

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I swear my Rural King batteries are AMAZING. They're $75 apiece for g31's!
If you got a rural king anywhere near check em out. Awesome prices on oil, batteries, and all that stuff.

Checking now but the name doesn't ring a bell.

Nearest is Front Royal. About 100 miles or so I guess. Probably eat any savings but it is a nice area so if I head out there for camping, I'll have to remember.

[Robin97396]

I haven't been able to find 31s for less than $300 around here. No Rural King stores around here. We have Coastal Farm Supply, but I haven't checked battery prices there yet. I could use about 8 of those g31s.

[Stu & Filo. T]

Originally Posted by Brewerbob

Only read some of that page. Enough to know the guy makes bad jokes or doesn't know car radios. I don't think they ever had vacuum tubes. They filaments wouldn't stand up to the vibrations.

Aside from that, nothing I didn't already know,

If I had electric, I'd use a trickle charger.

Didn't Caddy's used to come with a record player in the dash??

[Brewerbob]

Originally Posted by Stu & Filo. T

Didn't Caddy's used to come with a record player in the dash??

Phonograph.

[Booyah45828]

Napa batteries are so expensive because they are made in the USA. We stock deka (made by the same place, East Penn MFG) but use napa on occasion and have had 0 problems with them. I can't say that for some of the walmart specials and other no name junk that comes into the shop.

[tobeamiss]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

I've had no problems getting anything from shocks to serpentine belts at Napa, although they have really expensive batteries. I like buying certain things like batteries at the farm or tractor shops. You can get tires from Les Schwab unless you want to go with import knockoffs at half the price.

The biggest problem I've had was going to home stores and deciding what materials to use on the inside.

Good to know...parts and maintenance for my bus is my biggest problem. I have zero knowledge in that department. I've worked at HD for 13yrs so the inside stuff for me is the easy part

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[Robin97396]

Just try out your favorite parts store like you would for any POV. If you have a copy of the factory recommended maintenance schedule it should help you figure out what to be concerned about. Probably the annual or bi-annual maintenance schedule if you're not sure how it was maintained before you got it. Pretty simple after you've gone through things once. You shouldn't have problems.

All while the rest of us continue floundering at HD.

[Brewerbob]

Caddi,
Looks like I can get my hands on teh 31 battery for $100 as well. What's teh difference between the XHD and the XHE? Same CCA, same reserve capacity.

What about the 4DLT? Much larger footprint but the reserve capacity is 250 min vice the 180 min for the above. Four of those suckers is 100amps.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...-battery-f4dlt

[Brewerbob]

Also, what does everyone recommend for a solar trickle charger?

This guy sounds fancy and expensive.
BatteryMINDer Solar Battery Charger/Maintainer/Desulfator — 12 Volts, 15 Watt Panel, Model# SCC-015 | Battery Maintainers| Northern Tool + Equipment


This guy is cheaper.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...ry-charger-kit


I'm fairly sure the difference between good and cheap is in the controller. All I want to do at this point is keep the batteries from needing a jump all the time. To that point I'm also thinking about throwing in an isolation switch. Would something small on the ground wire do the trick? I don't know that I'm leaking any current but for $20 or so, I think it would be worth it just to make sure.