Newby RV 2020 Greyhawk Prestige

[jellyjamblue]

Hello everyone. Some questions from the newby. I appreciate any assist.

1) The black tank flush ( dont know why they have the water connector white but i actually used a black marker to make it black ). After i drain the black tank and then close it - do i just connect the water to this connector and let it run a few minutes to clean the black tank and then release the black lever again to drain it ? I read something about being careful not to overfill whereby it comes out of toilet etc....do not understand how to prevent that other then only running for a few minutes.

2) i have one onboard battery. How long will that last before i would need to plug in ? Does that battery charge when i run the greyhawk engine or does it charge by being plugged in ?

3) ethanol in the gas - seems to be a big problem now adays, i currently add the additive only when im not running it and it will sit for a while...what do you recomment ? Its epensive adding this for the 45 gallon tank.

4) the onboard Onan 4000 generator , i have altready experienced where it will not start and i have to keep trying to get it to start. Is there a procedure inside the coach when you press the start button ? DO you just press it and wait or is there a procedure ?

Thank you for any assistance. I am sure to have more questons. thanks again

3

[RetiredOne]

1) Correct. Unless you have a meter that measures gallons going in, the safe way is to flip the water on for a few minutes, then pull the lever to drain. You can repeat that process a few times. It also helps to get a clear elbow at the end of the sewer hose, then you can see when it's running clear.

2) There's no set time frame, it depends on the load. Some appliances (like the furnace) pull more from the battery then others. The best thing to get is a digital volt meter, and you can periodically take readings to see what the voltage level is. If you have space (not sure which rig you have), you might want to consider adding a second battery.

The house battery charges when the engine is running, when the genny is running or when plugged into shore power.

3) Ethanol is in most gas, so you might just have to deal with it. During short down times (a month or so), gas doesn't have to be treated. We normally only treat it for over the Winter storage.

4) Sometimes the genny needs to be primed to get it to start. You hold the switch down in the STOP position for 30 seconds, then push up to START. It should fire up then.

[jellyjamblue]

Thank you retiredone. I saw another youtube clip where the guy leaves the black tank open and hooked up and hooks up the water to the black flush and just lets it run. Is that also ok ?

Only other question, i noticed driving to PA from FL when tractors passed me i felt a pull towards the tractor and had to have both hands tightly on the steering wheel...its actually a bit scary. I saw some people mentioning to add:
Hellwig 7718 Front Sway Bar for Ford Van 150-350 ( We need to make sure this is the right part since the chassis I have is the 2019 E450 ) the guy said this is the part also for the E450

Safe-T-Plus RV Steering Stabilizer 31-140 Silver (RV Steering Stabilizer, RV Steering Control, RV Safety, Truck Steering Stabilizer)

Do you have any knowledge on this ? By the way, i have the 2020 Greyhawk Prestige 30XP

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by jellyjamblue

Thank you retiredone. I saw another youtube clip where the guy leaves the black tank open and hooked up and hooks up the water to the black flush and just lets it run. Is that also ok ?

You can do it that way too. I do it like explained above. Close the valve, let the flush run for awhile to fill the tank partially, then pull the lever, and leave the flush on the whole time, to keep flow going. Also, what I do sometimes is get a gallon bucket, and pour a full bucket down the toilet when I'm flushing, to give a big "surge, to push any material out the sewer hose.

Only other question, i noticed driving to PA from FL when tractors passed me i felt a pull towards the tractor and had to have both hands tightly on the steering wheel...its actually a bit scary. I saw some people mentioning to add:
Hellwig 7718 Front Sway Bar for Ford Van 150-350 ( We need to make sure this is the right part since the chassis I have is the 2019 E450 ) the guy said this is the part also for the E450

Safe-T-Plus RV Steering Stabilizer 31-140 Silver (RV Steering Stabilizer, RV Steering Control, RV Safety, Truck Steering Stabilizer)

Do you have any knowledge on this ?

Ahhhh.... the wandering E450.... Yes, I have a lot of experience with this. That is the exact sway bar I installed on my front (7718). Since I have a Redhawk, I had to install the rear too... (the Greyhawks come with the upgraded rear). I also installed a steering stabilizer, this made a HUGE difference too. Many of us installed the Roadmaster Reflex spring stabilizer. This was an easy add-on.

Between the upgraded sway bars and steering stabilizer, it eliminated a ton of those "white-knuckle" experiences.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by jellyjamblue

Thank you retiredone. I saw another youtube clip where the guy leaves the black tank open and hooked up and hooks up the water to the black flush and just lets it run. Is that also ok ?

If there's no one behind me waiting to use the dump, then my procedure is:
- dump the tank, close the valve
- run the water for several minutes to fill
- redump the tank


i repeat this three times and by the third time the water coming out looks pretty clear.






The last thing I do, is let a few gallons of fresh water back into the black tank. I do this so there's enough liquid down there for the first few uses.

[JmsNMar]

Hello. Something else to consider that's rarely talked about regarding the generator... There's an altimeter dial on the generator behind the cover door that would need adjusting depending on the elevation of your location. On my previous class C with a 4500 Onan generator, the gauge was set at 1k feet, and we were in the mountains at 6k feet. Wife turned generator on, which proceeded to spew heavy smoke out the exhaust pipe. Totally my bad. Just something to consider. Happy Trails...

[t18skyguy]

Thank you retiredone. I saw another youtube clip where the guy leaves the black tank open and hooked up and hooks up the water to the black flush and just lets it run. Is that also ok ?

I think this is the better way. If you let the water build up the impact of the spray becomes less. Get the clear elbow and you can see when it's clean. It does take a few minutes of waiting but you can see when clean.

The genny usually takes a few tries to get going. Wait a few moments for it to stabilize before putting any load on it. It's ready when you see the microwave clock come on. In the off season, before putting the rig to bed for the winter, buy a bottle of marine brand Stable. It's a dark bluish color. This is highly concentrated. Dump a bottle in your tank before the last fuel up. Let it mix while your driving, then when you get home run the genny for 10 minutes so the Stable gets in it. I've never had any trouble with my genny in the spring with this method. Don

[Harvard]

Originally Posted by jellyjamblue

....?

Only other question, i noticed driving to PA from FL when tractors passed me i felt a pull towards the tractor and had to have both hands tightly on the steering wheel...its actually a bit scary......

You probably have too little positive caster. Some E350/E450 have handling issues, some do not, the following may explain the difference:

Ford ships all E350/E450 cut aways with identical fixed, non adjustable
caster/camber sleeves, "one size fits all". You can recognize these sleeves because they are keyed and cannot be rotated. They are marked "F8UA-AA 0+.25" on the passenger side and "E97A-CA +0-0" on the drivers side.

The RV builder almost never changes the Ford sleeves, as a result:

If the final RV build is nose down one degree then the runtime caster will be about +3.5 degrees. These units can have a real wandering problem.

If the final RV build is nose level then the runtime caster will be about +4.5 degrees. These units are probably indifferent.

If the final RV build is nose up one degree then the runtime caster will be about +5.5 degrees. These units are probably just fine.

So, some RVs have a problem with wandering at highway speeds and some do not have a problem.

POPULAR MECHANICS MAY 1973:
START QUOTE:
If too little caster exists, the car will wander and weave,
thus necessitating constant corrections in steering.
END QUOTE:

[PinotandPaws]

Hi JellyJamblue -
Sooooo following this post and need sway bars too and whatever else will help with the whiteknuckling before I kill myself or someone else on the road. Just drove from Tampa to Lake Wallenpaupack in the Pocono Mountains of PA. The big rigs up here are no joke!! Looking forward to hearing what you ended up buying. I also just bought the 2020 Greyhawk Prestige 30XP. Bought it from RV one in Tampa/Plant City... not a fan of them at all but I liked this rig so i'm sucking it up. hopefully we can connect! Dawn @pinotandpaws

[COCamping]

I thought the greyhawks come with a front sway bar similar to the safe-t ones? It looked like it when I crawled under my 2020 31f. I'll try to post a picture in a bit.

We had a bit of push/pull from the semi's coming back from KY. It was enough I wanted two hands on the wheel to be steady, but not scary.

[COCamping]

Here is the picture

[JimD]

I am lucky to be able to flush my tanks at home. For the black I will fill up the tank to at least 2/3 full before dumping, sometimes even fuller. Then pull the handle and watch for the flow to stop in the clear sewer elbow connector.

When it stops I close the drain and fire up the hose into the flush fitting for 2 minutes and then open the drain while the hose continues to spray inside the tank. This process is repeated until things run clear, usually about 3 or 4 times.

I added a SeeLevel gauge system to my rig with a second display in my water fill/outside shower cabinet. I can easily see how much water I have pumped into my black tank so I don't blow the toilet off the floor.

[mini4mw]

Originally Posted by pconroy

If there's no one behind me waiting to use the dump, then my procedure is:
- dump the tank, close the valve
- run the water for several minutes to fill
- redump the tank


i repeat this three times and by the third time the water coming out looks pretty clear.

The last thing I do, is let a few gallons of fresh water back into the black tank. I do this so there's enough liquid down there for the first few uses.

Yes. As many times as it takes to get clear. Fill it up to at least 3/4 full before flushing. Even if there is a person or two behind you, I'd still take your time and flush it well if you are not going to be able to clean it out again within a few days. Don't want anything getting crusty up in there. I usually put ~5 gallons back in from toilet or flush valve (use toilet if you have people waiting and fresh tank has it available). Black tanks take a while to fill up. Dont forget you blue packet or 'happy camper' deodorizer in the black tank or your bathroom will stink as soon as you flush.

Also, always close the black valve before opening the gray, don't want any backwash in your gray. Only one should be open at anytime. Always empty black first. You want to have a decent amount of gray in the tank (at least 1/4, preferable 1/2) and always finish with the gray. Its just sink/shower water. That cleans out your sewer pipes before you put them away in the bumper or some other container.

[mini4mw]

For the sway, make sure you check tire pressure. I had a rear tire flat from RVOne and didn't know it until I put on pressure sensors when I got home. Whole ride home (8hrs) I thought it was going to be a bear driving with the way it was swaying around. Took it to mechanic and he found the stem extender was just leaking.

It still sucks in and push when big guys pass, but I've gotten used to it and keeps me more alert to what is going on around me.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by COCamping

I thought the greyhawks come with a front sway bar similar to the safe-t ones? It looked like it when I crawled under my 2020 31f. I'll try to post a picture in a bit.

The greyhawks come with an upgraded rear sway bar. The front is the OEM Ford Econoline sway bar, which is way undersized for the new load. Many of us have installed upgrade Hellwig sway bars, which made a big difference. Look at the picture below for the difference. Plus, I believe the OEM bar is hollow, where the Hellwig is solid.

Plus, you should consider upgrading the OEM Ford steering damper with a Roadmaster Reflex steering stabilizer.

[COCamping]

Originally Posted by RetiredOne

The greyhawks come with an upgraded rear sway bar. The front is the OEM Ford Econoline sway bar, which is way undersized for the new load. Many of us have installed upgrade Hellwig sway bars, which made a big difference. Look at the picture below for the difference. Plus, I believe the OEM bar is hollow, where the Hellwig is solid.

Plus, you should consider upgrading the OEM Ford steering damper with a Roadmaster Reflex steering stabilizer.

Thanks RetiredOne, that's really helpful!