Maumelle Park, Site B31



Got the fifth wheel out for the first time this year. We are checking everything out in preparation for our summer trip which should begin the first part of June.  Slide seems fine for now. I made reservations for site B31 which backs us right up to the Arkansas river!  We love this park.

 

RV (Voyager) Slide Motor Issue

We have a 3-day stint at our favorite local park as part of getting ready for the New England & Canadian Mari-times summer voyage. Got everything loaded and went to pull in the slides. All fine except the door side. I could tell it was slipping (grinding/not engaging). Did a little research online and found a guy on RVeCafe website. I used two of his pics as he had the same exact problem and has the exact same parts. Wanted to give credit to the photo-man although I added text and arrows. I got under the RV and found the zippered area that gives you access to the motor. Unzipped, moved insulation, and looked at the assembly for some time. I Removed gear cover plate (see pic) which is held in place by 4 phillips-head screws. The top two take a little work, but not too bad. With plate removed, you can then access the 5 bolts holding the motor in place and aligned with the main slide cog (big one). Again, see pic. My problem was that all 5 of the motor mounts were loose and the assembly fell enough to disengage. I adjusted, tightened, and put everything back together and it works again. Now, with my looking, peering, grunting, and swearing, I managed it all in about 2 hours. Note: There's always swearing. I'm waiting to see if it loosens again as there was some wear on the motor cogs. If it does, I'll order a new cog and use some blue sealant to keep things tight.

French Drain - Part 2, Some Assembly Required

Continuing with the French Drain, you can see in the pic how I put felt down, then some rock, then the drain pipe, filled with rock over the pipe, covered with felt to keep mud out, and finally covered the felt with some rock.  I'll leave the rock exposed.  Dirt will fill the top enough for grass to cover it and it won't be noticeable in a year or so.

I haven't completed the drain yet.  I tweeked my back so I'm going to let it heal first.  It's about 1/3 done.  Spring is keeping this old man busy and tuckered.  But, I love it.

And a Bee-e-e-eh-e in a Pear Tree

Ok, not much of a Christmas tune, but it'll do.  Was out in the yard again as I often am and noticed the bees in the Cleveland Select flowering pear.  Ran and grabbed the camera.  Took a short vid--not sure why I'm whispering--and a couple bee pics.  Enjoy.

Flowering Pear is in Blossom

Our version of Callery Pear is the "Cleveland Select."  It is not a fruiting pear, but rather a flowering pear.  I'm sure you've seen them everywhere.  They are shapely and beautiful in blossom.  Most folks know them as the "Bradford Pear" as that is the most common of the Callery Pears.  The Bradford is more of a bowl shape while the Cleveland is more of a tear drop shape.  The Cleveland was bred to overcome some of the issues of the Bradford which is prone to snapping limbs and trunks under weight of ice or heavy winds.  Some states have labeled them invasive because they propagate rapidly under certain circumstances.  All of the Bradfords in our area flower 2 to 3 weeks before ours every year.  I can safely conclude that we are unique in our selection of the Cleveland Select because I don't see any flowering when ours do.