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Photo by H.S. Cooper © OH NO!
Photo by H.S. Cooper © North Carolina
Photo by H.S. Cooper © Thanks, Eddie!
Photo by H.S. Cooper © There it goes!
Photo by H.S. Cooper © So long!
We were on I-85 when we heard an odd noise. Looked in the mirrors and saw our fender torn and hanging off, while chucks of tire were flapping about. Something on the road must have hit the tire. Got the rest of the fender off without damaging the rig more… but boy, oh boy, do we have a mess to buff out from that rubber! Anyway… traffic was going over 80 mph and it was unsafe to be in the rig. So we waited alongside the highway in 96 degree temps until the road service could come out.
Even though states have laws regarding getting over for disabled vehicles, not one vehicle did for us! I can’t believe how thoughtless people are on the roadways these days. Kudos to Eddie the repair guy for braving that speeding traffic while working under our rig. He even guided us in to the local Goodyear dealer so we could replace the spare with a new tire. Fortunately we are safe… buffing and ordering a new fender is not a problem. Easy fixes compared to our safety.
For those who follow TMN, you probably recall our May Day blow-outs on I-35 and I-30 several years ago and know we are experienced at replacing tires and fenders. We just wished Cedar Creek would discount the fenders since we buy them annually. HAHA 😉
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Well, it’s been several weeks since I’ve had the opportunity to sit down and post. The holiday season was a little more eventful than we had originally planned!
It started with having to move to a different RV park (that story is worthy of its own posting later on) in the middle of the season… and it continued as our rig needing some attention…
It started with the need for a new door handle. We went to do some holiday shopping and locked the door. Only the door didn’t really want to lock. So the holiday shopping got postponed and we headed for Camping World for a replacement kit.
Then there was the truck… the computer was alerting us that the trailer brakes needed serviced. So we scheduled an appointment with the closest Chevy dealer. Fortunately they got us in quickly and repaired the part which wasn’t “communicating” between the truck and fifth-wheel.
And what is a new year without a new tire? We were in the middle of Austin when we had a very large screw puncture our back inside dual-tire. Luckily we had a safe place to pull over and put on the spare tire. Although I will admit, we aren’t pit crew material when it comes to changing tires. I think it took us twenty minutes. Yet that speed will probably increase since now there is an impact wrench on board!
But no rest for these nomads… we found our lights flickering and although we replaced both RV batteries… well, it was another trip to Camping World for a new converter.
Oh, and you would think that the “it comes in threes” principle would at least kick in on the sixth thing… yet it didn’t.
There was a problem with the radio in the truck… and some hungry little critter chewed through a handful of wires! So those had to be replaced and sprayed so the toothy critter wouldn’t return. Thankfully this wasn’t more of a problem!
And… that doesn’t include the email and login issues…. So if you have emailed at the previous address and didn’t receive a reply, I apologize as they were lost. Please note there is a new contact address.
With all that aside, now it’s time to start planning for the next long haul… what other adventures await us in 2012? 😉
Clear skies in the forecast for tomorrow's long haul...
A few days ago we got up in the dark AM hours to hit the road… 8 hours later… we found ourselves setting up at another RV park.
Unfortunately, a thunderstorm was rumbling in the distance and we had to set up as quickly as we could before the rain came pouring down.
Imagine our surprise on the following day when we realized our 50 amp electrical cord was damaged… but closer inspection revealed this wasn’t our electric cord! This cord appears to have been clamped at one time as well as being extremely faded on the RV plug (female) end.
Now at the previous campground we took the truck and did some all-day sight-seeing one day. The day before (at this same campground), a man came around to our site to install an electric meter at the pole. Our first thought was perhaps the maintenance man removed our cord and somehow damaged it. But again, at closer inspection we realized it wasn’t ours at all.
Even if the maintenance man somehow damaged the cord and tried to fix it with a clamp, then removed the clamp… the impression dug so deep into the cord and the fading of the plug at the RV (female) end could not have happened overnight.
Although at this point it didn’t matter, we needed to have a safe electrical cord. Of course, when you need a RV part, there are no dealers around! Fortunately we found a mobile home repair supplier with a selection of RV parts about 50 minutes away. They did not have a replacement cord, but had a new 50 amp (male) plug for us to fix this one. It will have to make do until we can get to a RV dealer or supplier and replace the entire cord.
We have heard crazy stories and experienced equally crazy things during our RVing years, but this… well, we are still amp’d up over this.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Fortunately the forecast is for clear skies… 😉
May Day 2009
You might recall our May Day blow-out (https://hscooper.wordpress.com/articles/may-day-blow-outs/) last year. On the open road and in need of RV tires is not a situation I’d wish upon anyone.
After we got settled in Virginia last summer, we decided to have all our RV tires replaced. In June we made a trip to the Camping World store in Roanoke. At the time we found a helpful staff member who went over the price, labor costs and taxes with us, as well as tire availability and appointment scheduling.
We told him we would rather wait until November when we were going to be putting serious mileage on again. He said it would be no problem for us to call ahead and we would be in-and-out in no time.
A week before we were planning on leaving Virginia, we decided to return to Camping World in Roanoke and schedule our tire appointment, as well as make a few purchases.
What a difference time makes!
What a WORLD of difference customer service makes!
Now the helpful staff were gone… no one would wait on us or several other customers.
Finally, after some grumbling, staff emerged.
When it was our turn, we learned that the company no longer made those tires. We questioned this so the staff member waved another employee over. Number 2 said he wasn’t even sure those tires were even made at all – ever!
Huh?
We pulled out our CW quote sheet printed out in June showing they indeed had the tires at that time and that we were told this was pretty common for Camping World. So after getting the attention of yet another employee, we learned that apparently their Camping World rarely had sets of tires (that matched) in stock.
What?!
Number 3 said he could go look and see what they had in stock and took off.
A fourth employee arrived and suggested we order them from a RV dealer somewhere.
Okay…
So we took our money and headed out the door in search of a Goodyear dealer. We found a dealer, pulled in the parking lot, and told them what we needed and they said, “No problem”.
They said they could put them on for us when we left, however we weren’t crazy about the idea of driving our rig into downtown traffic at the start of our journey. It was decided that we would take the tires with us and they loaded them into our truck.
When we returned the campground we asked around and found a local garage that would be open early hours the morning we left. We went down and made an appointment and they said it would be no problem putting on our new tires.
That morning we didn’t even have to pull into the garage – the gentlemen did it right from the parking lot in a matter of minutes!
Our initial quote for tires at Camping World was over $1200, plus we had an additional $300 of items we were going to purchase during our trip. Camping World – the “Walmart of RVers” – lost our business that day.
If we need anything now, our first thoughts go to supporting small, local businesses. They know their stock and they know how to treat their customers. There is a World of difference in customer service at a small business.
It’s a beautiful Sunday in Texas and we thought we would sit outside in our lawn chairs and read. A few of our fellow Full-Timers came over and started up a conversation that went from books to favorite flavors of ICEEs. Just a relaxing Sunday…so we thought.
We had been talking a few minutes when a woman walked up to the group and said, “How long are you folks staying?” We all replied a few more weeks. The woman said mumbled something about it must be nice to be on vacation that long, when one of the group members explained we were Full-Timers.
Now, imagine our surprise when she said, “Oh, well you’re trash from where I come from.” Then she walked away with disgust.
We were absolutely shocked. We all watched her walk away. No one said a thing. In fact, the only thing you could hear at the time was our jaws dropping.
Personally I thought that it was a joke. I looked around for cameras – surely someone was filming a hidden-camera show and we were the next skit? No, no cameras. The woman was for real.
She knew nothing about any of us, yet she blatantly called us trash. No, excuse me, she said we were trash.
I’m not a confrontational person, but this was rather upsetting to me that someone would make such a bold judgment and not even allow a response. I was curious and decided to see where this woman was from.
I saw her several sites down by a fifth-wheel – she was sitting on a lawn chair and drinking a can of soda. I never said anything to her but glanced at the pickup truck beside the rig and saw it had Texas license plates and several Austin stickers on the tailgate.
The group was still gathered near our site and several other Full-Timers had emerged to listen to the tale of the hit-and-run trash-talker.
I mentioned what I saw and one person said, “Oh, well, if they’re from Austin, that explains it.”
Well, I don’t quite understand what that means and find myself not really caring. I mean, why should I fall into the stereotype trap as this trash-talker?
As a Full-Timer I feel that we are a benefit to society. We bring money to local communities. From buying local produce and eating at local restaurants to visiting local attractions and attending local events – Full-timers are adding revenue to each area they visit.
They also help promote communities – they either tell other travelers or share their photos and stories online about the areas attractions and help increase tourism.
When staying in an area for an extended stay, many Full-Timers contribute to the community by volunteering their time or donating money or goods to local charities. I personally have over 350 hours of volunteer time – from the State of Florida to the State of Washington.
We are big on community. People in stick-houses go years (or decades) without knowing their neighbors. Full-Timers know their neighbors, be it for a day, a week or a year. We are there for our neighbors – we don’t ask for anything out of it. It’s just something we do to help our fellow RVers.
Full-Timers may not have stick-houses, but we do pay taxes. From Federal taxes to local sales taxes to toll road fees, we are paying our share to help keep the country running.
You will find that most Full-Timers are in support of parks and environmental-related causes. We help maintain our national and state parks by purchasing annual park passes and volunteering at them. We contribute to eco-charities and causes and encourage others to do the same. Many of us pay fees or buy permits to hike, camp or fish areas – with the money going back into preserving these areas.
We have much smaller carbon footprints than those in stick-homes. Yes, we may put more mileage on, but we also take better care of our vehicles. Most Full-Timers are aware of their vehicles needs and constantly make sure they run as efficiently as possible. Those of us who need trucks to tow our fifth-wheels and travel trailers have newer diesels that run on bio-fuels. Those who have tow vehicles (“toads”) for their motorhomes or motorcoaches have hybrids or vehicles with a better gas mileage than standard vehicles.
Full-Timers live by the code – recycle, reduce, reuse. We recycle everything we can because if we can’t recycle it back into society it’s trash. We don’t like trash! Rarely will you see a Full-Timer with more than a tiny bag of trash. Reducing is automatic for us. Needless packaging and extra “stuff” is just a waste of space and energy to us. And we reuse like you wouldn’t believe! If we can’t reuse it ourselves, we’ll find a good home for it (often sharing it with other RVers or passing it on to a local charity).
Chevy Silverado
We also buy American-made RVs and vehicles. Drive through any campground and you’ll see the overwhelming majority of fifth-wheels and travel trailers are being towed by GMCs, Chevys and Ford trucks. Toads vary, but favorites include Saturns, Jeeps and hybrids. We take great pride in our rigs and you can usually spot a Full-Timer by the blinding glare of polish on their RV. (Currently ours has 3 coats!)
And then there are those Full-Timers who rebuild or renovate RVs. These conversions are the ultimate in recycling, reducing and reusing! These folks use their know-how to take an older RV or bus and convert into something amazing. They buy local products and use local services to achieve their custom dream.
This is just a few of the many ways Full-Timers benefit American society. You can talk-trash me, but I really don’t care. I’m proud to be a Full-Time RVer!
Right now with the scary economic situation, many folks are looking into becoming RVers. The RV lifestyle is a cheaper way to live, yet there things to keep in mind before making that lifestyle leap.
Even if a Full-Timer doesn’t own a stick-house, doesn’t mean they don’t have monthly payments to make on their rig and/or tow vehicles, as well as credit cards, food and medical expenses and any other regular bills. Even used RVs can cost more than the average house. And unlike thirty-year mortgages for stick-houses, you can usually only extend your payment to ten years on a RV.
Campgrounds or RV resorts vary in monthly or annual rates – some can be as low as $150 a month (in Texas, if you’re curious!) and exceed $2800 a month (Key West). Keep in mind this is just “rent” you pay to park your RV. It should include sewer, water, garbage service and electricity. However, electricity may be metered – so you may find yourself with a monthly electric bill. Extra amenities, such as Cable TV or SAT TV, WiFi and park activities are usually free, but many parks are now charging modest fees for monthly and annual stays. Always check into this before committing to a particular campground or RV resort.
And don’t forget you need fuel and propane. Right now the prices on both are going down, but that is always subject to change and does vary area-to-area. We paid $5.29 for diesel leaving California and are now paying $1.89 for it in Texas. Big difference! Propane in Washington was $3.50 and in Texas we have been paying $2.20. So it makes budgeting difficult.
Yet you can save money while RVing or living the RV lifestyle! The most popular is to be a Camp Host or work at a campground or RV resort to get a free (or reduced) site space and utilities. Often these positions come with additional perks, such as free Cable TV, WiFi, discounted propane, laundry allowances and even pay. This alone can say you hundreds to thousands of dollars each month and basically give you free living.
If you find a camp hosting position that provides discounted propane or provides a propane allowance (meaning you are allowed so many free fill-ups per month), then that helps reduce propane costs. Another way to save on propane is to shop around. Some campgrounds provide propane services and often this may be more expensive than traveling a few miles into town. If you have a motorhome and rely on a propane truck to come into the campground to fill your tanks, you should consider getting a spare that you can take elsewhere to refill until you can drive your motorhome to propane dealer. For example, our motorhome neighbors who have to rely on the propane truck are paying $3.50 for propane and we take our tanks into town (6 miles) and pay only $2.20.
Another thing to mention is if you are not paying for monthly electricity and have everything on propane (hot water heater, refrigerator, furnace) then you should switch it to electricity to save your propane. If your not in an extremely cold climate, consider getting a ceramic heater to help reduce use of the furnace. If you are paying for monthly electricity usage, then you may want to do the opposite and switch them over to propane. It depends on what it is costing you in the long run. Do the math and see which is best for your situation.
You can save money on fuel several ways. First and foremost – pay cash! Most fuel stops are now charging for credit card purchases. It may be faster to put your credit card in to pay, but if you’re barely making your credit card payment… the interest is going to increase your fuel costs even more… so keep this in mind when you pay at the pump. Secondly, consider joining frequent fuel-er programs. Many are worth the saving involved. Most larger truck stops and travel centers have some sort of program. And often there are additional perks to these programs. For instance, Flying J has a frequent fuel-er program, but if you upgrade to the RV card you also get a discount on propane! And the more you fuel up, the more savings you get. Some programs include other services, such as store purchases and restaurant visits. Nothing beats a fuel stop than the clerk telling you that you have a free pizza owed to you or you just saved $15 with your card! And if you are planning to make a long haul through remote regions, consider purchasing a few fuel cans. When you arrive at a place with cheaper fuel, fill them up. This way when you travel and see the insane “only gas station for 300 miles” prices, you can toot your horn and keep driving by. Even if you aren’t making a long trip, filling up your extra tanks before prices rise (especially at the holidays) can save you a few extra dollars. Just make sure your extra tanks are secure and if visible, have some sort of chain-lock through them. If your rig or tow vehicles don’t have locking gas caps, you should look into that as well. While parked in the campground you can save money on fuel by car-pooling with a camping neighbor. This sort of arrangement is always appreciated and can be alternated between neighbors. If you’re close to town consider using local transportation, such as a shuttle or bus service or ride your bike.
Camping supplies can be costly, especially if you buy them from a camping store. Shop around! For instance, those quick-flick lighters RVers love to ignite their gas stoves can cost $5 in a camping supply store, $3 at Wal-mart and only $1 at the Dollar Tree. It’s pretty much the same thing – may not be the designer color you want – but still fits the same purchase. If there is something camping-related you need – such as a folding bike or lounge chairs – check your campground bulletin board. Often RVers upgrade (or downsize) and have items to sell or even giveaway. If you need some sort of part for your rig – contact your RV dealer and see if you are still under warranty. You would be surprised how many people forget that certain items are guaranteed longer. If not, ask the dealer about a customer discount. Sometimes they will take a percentage off your bill for purchasing a RV through their dealership. They recognize your patronage and want to keep you as a customer.
Campground pecans - free food!
Food expenses have been a recent concern for folks as fuel prices have fluctuated. Many campgrounds offer coupon exchange areas (usually located in the laundry areas). Don’t be too proud to use coupons! And if you have extra, share them with your fellow Campers. If you belong to a wholesale or discount club, make sure you really are getting a deal. Sometimes you’ll find that they are actually higher on bulk items. If bulk is a better deal, but you have no extra space, consider going in with a neighbor on the deal! Most Full-Time RVers belong to either Costco or SAM’s Club and love sharing deals with other Campers. And sharing a meal or having a weekly potluck with your camping neighbors is a great way to help cut food costs.
Also, take advantage of local farmer’s markets and flea markets. If you are getting ready to move on, stock up on the local fare. While in Washington we bought twenty pounds of potatoes for only $2. Before we moved on, we made sure we had plenty. Our next stop we found that twenty pounds potatoes would cost us $6. When we left California, we made sure we had plenty of citrus and olives on hand. Before our next move we will have about five pounds of Texas pecans (free for the picking here in the campground) ready to go with us.
Living the RV life can be more affordable if you keep your eyes on the road ahead and wisely manage (and limit) your expenses.
Most Full-Timers are friendly folks and will assist their camping neighbors anyway they can. Sometimes it is something simple, like helping them back-in their rig or helping them put up a stubborn awning. Yet sometimes it can be more involved.
The other day we found ourselves in an all-day situation. The neighbors were frantic – their black water (sewage) tank was full to the neck of their toilet despite having their tank open and directly connected to the sewer.
Their motor home is new and our first thought was a similar problem we had with our new fifth-wheel. A piece of circular plastic from the tank (we assume from where they drilled one of the openings) was wedged at the opening of the tank that releases into the sewer hose. Several attempts at auto-flush and a couple reverse-flushes managed to clear out the plastic piece. We actually retrieved the plastic piece and sent it to Forest River to let them know about the problem we had, in hopes they would check tanks for this prior to installation.
If only that would have been the problem…
Now our neighbors are not only newbie Full-Timers, but also newbies to the world of RVs. We found they had no extra hosing and no other tank accessories that are pretty crucial for Full-Timers. We loaned them all we could and tried all the tricks we know.
Water pressure at this particular campground is a bit low, making flushing your tanks a pain. You have to really let the water run to keep your sewer hose clean of waste.
I’ll spare you all the crappy details, but after several hours the tank was finally emptied. What filled up their black water tank? They were flushing those thick hand wipes down the toilet!
Now we realize that people flush things down the toilet they shouldn’t, but when you have a RV, you really shouldn’t flush anything that is not biodegradable. In fact, you should use RV toilet paper or a thinner toilet paper that will break down. If you aren’t sure if your favorite brand is okay, grab a piece and place it in a bowl of water. See if it breaks down after a little while. If it doesn’t, then it will lay in your tank if you don’t use enough water to flush it out.
The RV neighbors also didn’t know they needed to treat their tanks and didn’t even know they had an auto-flush system. Needless to say, they were flushed (sorry, can’t help myself!) with embarrassment and are going to dig out their owner’s manual to educate themselves on their RV.
So if you are new RVer, you should take the time to find out about your rig. You don’t want to be caught with a full tank! 😉
We recently went to a RV dealership to pick up some light bulbs ( why is it RV light bulbs all go out at the same time? ) and decided to look at some of the newer models on the lot.
We have a newer fifth-wheel (2007 Cedar Creek Silverback) and are very happy with it. Our next one – we thought – would be smaller, as 38′ and 4-slides is a lot to handle, especially since the majority of campgrounds are designed for smaller rigs.
Our "bear" of a rig!
We were curious about the new layouts and options and began roaming the RV lot. Imagine our surprise when we found (and fell in love with) a newer Cedar Creek – 40′ long with 5-slides! We inquired about the price and were amazed to hear a cut of $25,000 in price. In fact, the salesman told us that the majority of RV dealerships were dramatically slashing prices.
Of course, we aren’t going to rush into anything, especially since we love our current home. But it is a good time to buy if you are in the market for a RV! However, watch the extended warranty.
Yesterday, the Campers beside us went to take in their 2008 motorhome for its yearly service (part of the extended warranty). They got up early, packed up their stuff for the journey to the service center and waited for their appointment. They were rather shocked when they found out their warranty was “no good”.
A paperwork typo – one number – caused the problem. Unfortunately by the time the error got straightened out, the service center was closing. Now they have to reschedule for another time and make another trip into the city. All because they of a typo in the VIN number.
If you are in the market for a RV, it is a good time to make a deal. Just make sure to double check your warranty paperwork and verify information, including the VIN number.
