Getting Ready for the 2015 Camping Season

[Jim Stoltz]

Spent some quality time with the Allegro this weekend.

Installed an Oxygenics shower head. But of course it didn't work well with the 30-year-old stock hardware so I had to replace that too.

The Oxygenics shower works great. Amazing pressure with very little water use (2 GPM max). The old shower would empty the hot water tank within 2 minutes. My first trip out this year will be boondocking at the Pocono Raceway. I needed something that would conserve water and slow the filling up of my gray water tank.

[Cristina Gouin]

Mine is a 28'.  yes on the under kitchen furnace PITA....  only have the one. 

[Jim Stoltz]

I have another question for you. My bud's '87 is also a 28' model. What size wheels do you have? His are 16" which he (and I) find odd. Mine are 19.5". Did they move to smaller wheels between '84 and '87?

[Cristina Gouin]

Mine are 19.5 as well on a P30 chassis. 

[Jim Stoltz]

Thanks. I don't know if the smaller wheels are anything to be concerned about. Researching the subject, a lot of other brands on P30 chassis back then had 16" wheels. The tires are cheaper and easier to get than the 19.5" ones - maybe the previous owner switched the wheels?

[Russell E Johnson]

That they were switched is my my concern, smaller tires mean less CCC.  I would go back to the 19.5s.

[Rich Thomas]

Hi Jim, I'm guessing the 19.5's to be an option upgrade and the 16" to be a standard offer. Like you mentioned 16" tires came on a lot of heavy haulers back in the day. Another thing that may be a factor is the type of use the rig was planed to service ( over the road long trips  Vs local jots across a state or two) I don't think the 16" tires would be of great concern. Its the construction of the tire that determines the worthiness to a particular use. I would consider 16's to be an upgrade to my 16.5's if I could afford them. but I really like the 16.5 Transforce tires I am currently running.    

[Jim Stoltz]

Turns out my buds is a 27 footer. Maybe that was the crossover point for the bigger wheels? I asked him to dig out the Allegro manual. Mine has the wheel and tire info in it. I assume his would too.

[Jim Stoltz]

Found out my friend has 8-lug wheels so those 16" rims are probably stock. The 19.5" are 10-lug (mine are anyway).

[Russell E Johnson]

Good observation Jim, 8 hole would make the 16" wheels standard.

[Cristina Gouin]

19.5's were put on them for a reason I would go back as well. 19.5 are standard tractor trailer tires and are fairly easy to find at places that work on big rigs. 

[Jim Stoltz]

I showered at NASCAR and it was great. I did a "Navy shower" but it was still decent and didn't fill up my gray water tank.

I had full hookups at Hershey last weekend and got to use it again. It really does save water. I took a "normal" (not Navy) shower and had plenty of hot water. My kids used it too and really liked it. The only downside is the ridiculous placement of the shower head. As I said before, it's on the wall opposite a "hump" for the wheel well (which doesn't need to be there - apparently they used the design from the shorter Allegros). The plumbing should be on the wall where the hump is because that will put you a lot farther from the shower head. So, you're standing there with the shower head literally in your face. I may remove it and reinstall it on the other side and tack the hose to the wall somehow. The shower will be on one side and the controls on the other, but I think it would be okay.

[Jim Stoltz]

Here's my 1,000 words on the subject. The shower head is opposite that "step", which consumes 1/3 of the already small shower. Waaayyyyyyy down on the to-do list is to take that fiberglass out and build a residential-type enclosure (with lightweight, composite materials, of course).