Another Tiffin Factory Tour - 2018

One of the fun things to do in Red Bay is to go on the factory tour and see the motorhomes in various stages of production.

I'm not sure how many times I have done the tour, but it never gets old for me.  I learn something every time.

It begins every day (Mon-Fri) at 9:30 AM from the Visitor's Center.

Two people take the group on the tour through different buildings and they do an excellent job.

The tour takes you past the headquarters/main office building with Bob Tiffin and his three sons work.  At the other end of the inconspicuous warehouse-looking building is the entrance to the cabinet shop.

Tiffin uses mainly alder wood or cherry wood with different stains.

When we got into the main area, we saw planers, sanders and lots of saws cutting all kinds of wood to length.  They have a state of the art air filtration system to remove the sawdust.  What struck me was size of the woodworking area.

It seemed to me that it had double in size from six months ago when we were last there.  It was pretty amazing.  It always is.

We went past the sold surface area where the counter tops, sinks and shower units are put together.

Large computer-driven cutting tools make precise pieces for subsection unit of the motorhome.  I was thinking a study in systems management would be interesting to sort out how they tag each component of the motor home and assemble it during the build process.  It is a wonder!

There are 18 stations during the motorhome build process and showers, cabinets, or drawers show up on a cart for the unit that is being built.  It all runs like a well oiled machine.

Plumbing and wiring harnesses are tagged and threaded through the frame of the motorhome before the floor is attached.  The young man I watched wasted no motions and was working vigorously pulling this piece and stuffing that piece along its prescribed route through the frame.  Another interesting phase.

A thirty foot motorhome takes about two miles of wiring.  A 44 foot motorhome takes about three miles.

 The wiring harness area is another section of the plant that seems to have doubled.  Tiffin uses the concept of continuous process improvement and are not shy about expanding areas or moving work area to more efficient places.

A few years about we saw the Tiffin-produced Powerglide chassis being built in the area where some of the solid surface work is being done.  Since then, the chassis building process has moved to a build all its own that was erected on the north end of the plant property.

The tour ends at the punch list and cleaning station where each coach is checked over before delivery.   While walking by a 2019 unit, the cargo bay doors were open.

The first one had a slide tray with an automatic switch just in case you need some help pulling out the tray.

The other thing that was new were motion-sensor lights.  If the door are open the lights come on when motion is detected.  Nice touch!

That's a brief recap of the tour of the factory.  Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!~

Java and Jazz - New Coffee Shop in Red Bay

I previously mentioned I stopped by a new coffee shop in Red Bay and wanted to give Ken and Lara shout out this morning.

I like to promote small businesses and this is another worthy one in Red Bay.  If you like good coffee,  a pleasant atmosphere and good conversation, Java and Jazz is a great place to check out.  It is located down the street from the corner of the Red Bay Hotel.  The building previously housed a Snow Cone shop.

They have a FaceBook page that gives a little history.  They have have only been open a couple of months and already are establishing some traction.  Every Tuesday they offer free coffee to Veterans and First Responders.

They have a U.S. map on the wall as you enter, and encourage folks to mark where they are from on it.  They also created a group "Tiffin Travelers" which is pretty creative.

I like this place and wish I had visited our first day instead of near the end of the week before we left.  It has wifi, and is a nice place to get some work done, or reading.  Or, if you are like me, it is a great place to meet people.  I picked a good time to meet Ken and Lara and we hit it off as they explained their journey and how they were led to Red Bay.

Ken and Lara left Wisconsin and have a place out of town past where Bay Diesel is located. They attend a local church and heard that Red Bay needed a coffee shop and one thing led to another.

I found this on their FaceBook Page:

Why not check them out and tell your friends?

That's all for now. I just wanted to give them a plug and hope you have a great week!
Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

We Can See Clearly Now

After getting some work done at Brannon's on Monday, we returned to Bruce and Melody Deaton's Campground.

We needed make an unplanned stop at Bay Diesel to get the 'ride height' checked, so we called for an appointment and got scheduled for 1:00 PM on Friday.

Meanwhile, we contacted Waylon Burroughs (Burroughs Custom Upholstery, (662)687-1748), to get upholstery repair work done on our couch.  The middle seam was giving way.  It had a temporary repair, but after talking with Waylon, we wanted to get it fixed permanently.

He came over to our campsite and removed the back of the sofa.  We also saw damage where the back the of the sofa was rubbing against the window valance.  Years ago I kept a window screen behind the couch and tore a hole in the upholstery you can see below.

Wayne returned a day later with the repairs completed.

He took the whole piece of upholstery off the back and sewed the middle seam from the inside.  He also stretched the material so the worn area from rubbing against the valance was covered.  He replaced the torn area with a new, large piece that replaced the torn section.  $200 well spent.

With that done, we had time to get propane before our after-hours windshield replacement appointment.

I always feel for the folks that have to crawl under the back door to hook up the propane and fill it.  ($71.23)

Next, our major cost item ($1,600) this trip - a new windshield.  I contacted David Hestor who does windshield repairs and replacements.  We had made arrangements to be at Bunkhouse RV ( the former McKinney RV location) at $;45 PM.  When we arrived they were finishing up another windshield replacement.

We left the Roadrunner and drove over to Sparks Restaurant in Belmont for a quick dinner and returned about 6:00 PM.  David and partner Nathan had already removed the original windshield and were cleaning out the rubber trim gasket channel thing.   Once that was done they got the new windshield (which Tiffin buys from Turkey, something I found interesting) and hoisted it into place.

They sealed it with caulking and a secondary rubber trim gasket thing they glued into place.  It is always fascinating to me how these things go together.  Its fun watching the professionals do their thing.

We were at Bruce Deaton's to get two cracks fixed that were above the top corners of both front slideouts.

We also got a touch-up paint repair kit and Austin reinforced the DS front bay door area where the hinge attaches to the door.

He secured a piece of aluminum over the old area, then painted it before attaching a new hinge.  One more pesky item checked off of the "Red Bay Repair List".

The next day we called Bay Diesel and they moved up our appointment for 1:00 PM on Thursday.  That was the last item on our list (or so we thought).  We arrived about 12:30 PM the next day and pulled into the service bay.  Aaron, the tech and I agreed the coach looked as if it was lilting to once side noticeably.  uh oh.  It was more than a ride height issue.

After checking things about he determined the DS rear ride height controller was not working and needed to replace it.  Yikes, I wondered how much that was going to be?  (not too bad - the part was $101).

It took a couple of hours to get the part replaced and then the ride height adjusted.  It works perfectly now.  The automatic leveling is on the mark and the coach doesn't lean while stationary.  ($330.42)

We always love coming to Red Bay and this visit was another great experience.
Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Red Bay Times and Repairs at Custom RV

 We love coming to Red Bay and are here again to spend some time and $$.  We love the people and have become familiar with many of the businesses.  There is nothing like taking the Roadrunner to a professional and getting work done right.  

Our campground of choice this time is Bruce Deaton's. We have full hookups and it is at the corner of Second Street and Fourth Ave (the main street running through downtown Red Bay).  We hear a lot of traffic but it is not a problem for us.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon and still had plenty of time to drive around town and see if things had changed.  I noticed a sign at the edge of town for "Java and Jazz".  Sounded like a coffee shop and sure enough it is.

Looks as if it may have potential.  I'll have to check it out. It places like this that I love to support.  Don't know much about the owners or how they decided to get going but I admire their effort.  Without small businesses, where would our country be?

We drove over to the Tiffin RV Campground, aka at Allegro Campround, and were surprised to see the motel next to it, gone.

It's been scraped!  

Around the other side of the Tiffin Campground on Gates Road, we saw an RV repair shop and two more RV campgrounds that have popped up.

Double B RV

Convenient Camping

1st Class Campground

We drove over to Bunkhouse RV (formerly McKinney RV) and saw they major cleanup that has happened.  The property has been transformed after a couple of years.  They have done major work and it looks better than ever.

On Monday morning we were at Brannon's Custom RV for our list of things to check out and / or fix:

• DVD player quit working and we were prepared to have the whole Surround Sound replaced.  A new set up is available through the Tiffin Parts store and we expected it to cost at least $500. (Brannon said he'd check it out and sometimes its just the cables that need to be replaced.  Turns out it was wired up incorrectly both at the TV and on the back of the player. Not sure how that happened?  45 minutes later after pulling both the TV and DVD player, it was rewired:  $63.75).
• The air horn and electric horn both needed to be checked.  It was fun dealing with it when it sounded off while driving in New York and again a few days ago,  (Brannon checked the fuses, looked at the relay, did some other magic things and it was working fine.  No need for a horn or relay: $21.25).
• Entrance steps/step cover was sticking and not working at times.  (Brannon lubed it and it works great now: $21.25).
• Shower door was sagging and hitting the bottom corner. (Brannon noticed the bottom frame was curling up slightly causing the contact.  He put a well placed screw into the bottom tray.  Door swings freely now: $5.14).
• Front awning strap wearing out.  The loop where we insert the rod to pull the awning out was missing the rubber protective loop. (Brannon replaced it with a new one: $26.39).
• The jacks seem to level with the PS always needing to be manually raised. (Brannon adjusted them: ($21.25).
• Chassis batteries were drained when we tried to leave Virginia Beach 10 days ago. We have not had the slightest problem with them since then. (Brannon checked the batteries to see if they were still go and they are fine. He also checked a fuse but suggested we start up the coach once a week). 
• Water leak down near clear water tank. (Brannon found that they water pump was leaking.  It was several years old so he replaced it: $83.75).
• Passenger side blinker camera has never worked correctly and now there is no picture at all from the camera when the right blinker goes on.  We went over to the Tiffin spare parts store and were told those Sony cameras for our 2007 Allegro Bus are no longer available.  They searched a few bins and found a Sony camera.  (Jason looked it over, took off the old camera and found the new camera set up was considerable larger.  He worked with it and re-engineered it to work!  For the first time ever both side cameras are working.  I went back to the parts store and told them it worked and they said, "No charge, glad it worked out." Labor only: $42.50).

We were prepared to buy a new sound system for the coach ($500+), a new side camera ($300), a new battery, and whatever else needed to be replaced.  Instead of $800+ we ended up with a bill of $316.  As my friend John said, "You're in good hands with Brannon". That is an understatement.  Brannon is simply the best in the business. We love getting work done with him.  It seems he'd rather troubleshoot and fix something than yank it out and put in a new one.  

We are off to a great start in Red Bay and have a few other things to get done.  More on updates to come.  

Thanks so much for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Even if we don't get a comment from you, we know you are out there and we thank you!

A Motorhomer's Day in Red Bay

If you've been a Chronicles reader for a while, you may know that we love Red Bay.  It is the home of the Tiffin Motor Home company and the mecca for Tiffin RV owners.  It is a small town with lots going on.

I realized many do not share our love for the town because it is a small town.  Years ago I responded to the notion, "There's nothing to do in Red Bay" with a post of "Nothing to Do in Red Bay?  Here's 101 Things to Do".
Not all the things listed are nearby and maybe not directly in Red Bay, but we love it here anyway.

We also love it here because we can get things fixed on our motor home.  The Roadrunner always senses when we head this direction and two days ago was no different.  We had a low air pressure gauge act up and the red light on the dash indicated an issue.  And the alarm was beeping!  So we have an appointment with Bay Diesel to get that fixed.

The issue presented itself in Oklahoma.  The red light and beeping and gauges would intermittently sound off.  Besides being a little unsettling, we wondered how serious the issue was and if there was some damage going on.  We took the Roadrunner over to the Cummins center in Oklahoma City and the tech assured us it was probably a loose wire or a controller issue and no imminent serious issue.  We continued on I-40 to Memphis, then down to Tupelo where we stopped in to see our friends at MCH Kenworth.

Their analysis matched those of the techs in Oklahoma City so we are looking forward to our appointment tomorrow at Bay Diesel.

Today we are scheduled into Custom Paint and Body to get new air horns on top of the coach.  Our current ones are pitted and rusting badly, so we are getting new aluminum ones.  Melody tracked some down for us at the Tiffin Parts Dept and Bruce or one his guys will install later this morning.

We also chipped/crack the corner piece (some call it an arrowhead) of trim on our DS front slide.  The trim piece is right above the bay door which can touch it if we are parked on an uneven site.  Most of the time I watch it carefully when I open that bay door next to the wet bay door, but a few months ago, the bay door 'touched' the corner piece and it cracked.  So Bruce will replace that and rivet it into place.  And give us an extra one in case it happens again.

Yesterday we had an appointment at Brannon's Custom RV in Vina, Al.  It was about a 20 minute drive from our campground (Red Bay RV Park at the edge of town) and Brannon and Jason went over our list.  We needed our Travl'r DirecTV satellite dish re-calibrated.  Our Winegard Rayzar Over-the-air TV antenna wasn't working, so we wanted them to check that out too.

We also had a problem with our Driver Side (DS) rope lights up near the ceiling.  A loose connection made them inoperable.  Our bathroom shower door was not closing correctly and we had a loose wire down below that we found in the bay area.  We wondered if that had anything to do with our low pressure issue.  We weren't sure but asked Brannon to check it out.

We also had a problem with the new/updated LED headlights.  We had those installed last fall but had a fail on the DS with one of the projector bulbs.  Brannon replaced that as well as the same bulb on the Passenger (PS).

Brannon is the best.  He gets the job down quickly and professionally.  He called about 10:30 said he had re-calibrated the DirecTV satellite dish and found the settings were not correct on the Razor.  He also repaired the rope light and was going to replace a couple of small braces on the inside of the shower door which was causing it to be a little uneven.

After lunch we picked up the coach at Custom RV.  Brannon confirmed the loose wire was an extra bay door wire and not related to our air pressure problem.  We left feeling great about that and the other things he fixed.  He always fixes things right and at a fair price.  We also asked about our AGM batteries.  They are about 6 1/2 years old and we wondered if they were nearing the end of their life.  Brannon said the rule thumb is 6-8 years of life for Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) batteries and 4-6 years for regular batteries.

Yesterday after we dropped off the Roadrunner at Brannon's (at 7:00 AM), we went over to Belmont, MS, for breakfast at Sparks Restaurant.  It has the best breakfast in the area.  The ham and cheese omelet I ordered was larger than I expected so it was all I could do to eat it.  Pam had bacon and scrambled eggs and wheat toast.

Along with some coffee, we enjoyed the food and did some local people watching, The big table in the restaurant is where the daily locals come.  They had 8-10 good ole boys that obviously meet for breakfast and sit at their own table marked "SMART persons table".  ?  Not sure what that means but it is probably some private joke.  Or it means the things they talk about rise to the level of smart people.  I think they were probably solving most of the worlds issues.  It is a fun place.

Next we went over to the Tiffin Service Center.  We ran into Glenda and say hi to her.  She used to run the parts store but now does the cleaning with another lady.  Next I went back into the cabinet shop near bay 26 and said hi to Tanya.  She has been there 4-5 years and is liking the woodworking.  She and another fellow install the shades in the road runner back when she was doing that work.

We had time for the morning tour at the Tiffin Visitor Center.  Pam stayed in the car and took a little nap to help her get over her cold while I went on the tour.  I always love hearing the story and I learn something every time we walk through the many buildings on the tour.  The tour has improved over the years and is the best in the RV industry.  Bar none.  It is definitely worth the time and effort to come and see how these things are built.

After the Tiffin tour we went to the Piggly Wiggly market deli for lunch.  We had mashed potatoes, gravy and friend chicken with a small portion of cherry cobbler for dessert.  Next we went over to the Allegro Club at the Tiffin Service Center.  And we went over to the Parts store to find a few things.

Brannon finished up about 2:00 PM so we went back and picked up the Roadrunner and took it back to the campground.  Later I joined Gerri and Art for happy hour at their site where we talked with some neighbors and socialized for a bit.  Pam fixed a great dinner of fish and a baked potato with some steamed broccoli.

We watched the news and then some baseball before turning in.  It was a beautiful day in Red Bay.  We always enjoy coming here.  Not only for the people but also because we get things fixed which brings a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Our Time in Red Bay

We arrived in Red Bay on Monday, Labor Day.  If we had been planning a little better we could have gone to the Coon Dog Cemetery Annual Celebration like we did last year.  That was a hoot.  But we we glad to arrive safely.

We left a nice overnight stop in Forrest City Arkansas.  While packing up, our Driver Side (DS) slide did not want to retract.  I got a couple of neighbors to help me push it in while Pam pressed the 'In' button.

We pulled out and I thought better about it and we stopped in the big parking lot nearby and we cut up a piece of 2" x 6" that I had and used it for blocking.  That prevented the slide from moving out as we drove down the road.  Not sure we needed it, but we felt better with the preventive safety steps.

Once in town, we found the spot we had reserved was occupied so we went over to Downtown RV Park and called Vickie.  She indicated or favorite site #3 was open for a couple of nights and we took it.  We had learned earlier friends Bob and Marty were at the park and we ended up right beside them as we had done last year about this time.  Turned out great.

Our satellite dish worked fine and we enjoyed some U.S. Open tennis.  The matches this year on prime time have been really good.

We enjoyed happy hour together and were missing some friends from last year who were here - Steve and Karen and Dave and Nancy.

 We got up early on Tuesday morning and had the Roadrunner over at Bruce Deaton's shortly after 6:00 AM to get our window replaced.  Next, we drove over to Mississippi and had breakfast at Sparks Restaurant.  It's a local hangout and has good food.

That done, we went by Deaton's and the Roadrunner was finished.  That was quick!  I am guessing it may have taken then less than 30 minutes to change out the window.

 The old one was discarded waiting for someone to carry it off to disposal.

 We are quite pleased to have that checked off the list.

Tiffin customers waiting for service can be at one of the five or six campgrounds in Red Bay.  Part of the check-in process is to have Jason or Norris come to your campsite, verify the work you are needing.  You are either scheduled to be seen by Tiffin RV maintenance folks in one of two vans who come to do the work at your site; or you will be called by the Express Bay where your work will be done by two technicians is a three hour window.

While we waited to be seen by Jason or Norris, we had time to replace the water heater anode rod.  That is a fairly simple process and needs to be done about every 12 months.

.

Once the old one is out, it is best to flush the area out with a pointed spray tool.  The residue washed out and I gently twisted the new anode rod into place.

It was good to get another one checked off the list.

We were up at 5:30 AM and rolled out shortly after 6:00 AM.  Early yesterday morning we drove from Red Bay to Simmons Tire near Tuscumbia AL.  It is about 35 miles away and we wanted to be there when they opened at 7:00 AM.

We bought our Michelin tires through the FMCA Advantage program and saved some money there which was nice.  Got our paperwork all squared away, left the keys and then found a Cracker Barrel for breakfast in Florence a few miles away.  Some nice friends gave us a gift card and this was the perfect time to use it.

After a leisurely breakfast, we made a stop at Aldi and then also one at Publix (home of that incredible Key Lime pie).

We went back to the tire store and they were finishing up.  We got out of there by 10:30 and made it back to Red Bay by noon.

We wanted to stay at Downtown RV Park but the only space available was #2.  Our Winegard Trav'ler was not locking on.  The large tree was in the way.  So we packed up and moved over to Deaton's RV park and set up and it all worked.

I ran out to Brannon's for a couple of parts and on the way back I got a red light on the dash indicating the Electrical System was not charging.  Uh oh.

We thought about what to do and talked with Deaton's and they suggested Red Bay Body Shop.  Really?  I did not know they had a garage.  Sure enough.  They jumped on it

and in 10 minutes I was told I needed a new alternator.  Yikes!  What are the chances I could get one for a 2009 Honda CRV any time soon?

Chances turned out to be good in fact!

They ordered a part and said it would be there at 9:00 AM on Thursday.  I went over this morning at 8:30 and it was already there.  I left the car and William worked on it for a couple of hours.  It was a beast to remove.  We were in no rush so we told him not to hurry and we'd pick it up before they closed.

Meanwhile, shortly before 11:30 we were notified to report to Bay #10 for our Express Bay Service call.  We were told by the mobile maintenance the slide gears were slipping and we'd probably need a new motor.

After the lunch hour was over (which currently is 11:20-12:00 for the workers) we pulled into the bay and met Charles and Mo.  They checked out the slide and determined a pin was missing causing the gears to turn and not engage.  We wandered off while they worked on it.

When we returned 20 minutes later the slide was fixed.  They checked the wipers as a recall item and replaced those.  Total bill:  $48.97!  I couldn't believe it.  What a surprise! That was a welcome result.

We drove the Roadrunner back over to our spot at Deaton's campground and then I walked over and picked up the car.  William did a fantastic job.  24 hours after being 'out of airspeed and ideas' -- we had a fixed car!  Not only that, William and used Purple Power degreaser on the whole engine and it looked like a new car under the hood.

And the total bill for a new alternator:  $246.98.  Another nice surprise!  I was expecting $400-$500 but didn't quibble over that bill either.

So that means we're done this time in Red Bay.  We got to see some friends who work in different places around town.

And we also had the good fortune to meet up with Linda/Bill, Bob/Marty and Carlene.

We walked over for happy hour at the Downtown RV Park and spent a little time with them before we said our goodbye's.

Its been a quick four days, but we got everything done and time to move on down the road.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!