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Want to drive the safety point home? Take a trip to an RV graveyard, aka RV junk yard where you go to look for used parts. You can see first hand the RV’s totaled by accidents, and other mishaps. For example fires. I was told tongue in cheek, that it was O.K. to run my refrigerator on propane while driving. When you look at the RV fires, you can see as you walk around that they almost always start behind the refrigerators. It’s an eye opening experience, every RV tells a story.
You are so correct. We tested out our rv in our driveway. We forgot so many things we needed in the house. During our first weekend trip we learned how important pillows are because we forgot them. We also needed a water bandit to help us at the dump station. Thank you for that video about the water bandit. Thanks for all your help. Safe travels.
We had a problem with one of the wires hanging down below the slide out. There was also a screw that was coming out and when we brought the slide in, it got caught on the wire that was hanging down and ripped out of the motor. We had to manually put the slide in and call someone to come and fix it.
Made the mistake of traveling too far and arriving at campground after dark. Narrow road, trees close together, darkness and a big rig, not a good combination. Got started into site, stopped to move the picnic table and discovered that the awning was right up against a tree. Was able to back up off tree but the damage had already been done. Abrasion holes in along about 6 foot of the awning. Next attempt went better as I had 2 spotters with lights to keep watch along both sides of trailer. Not havi ng TPMS , resulted in being pulled over by a cop, I'm thinking what the heck is he pulling me over for? The first thing he said is " Did you know you lost a wheel about a tenth of a mile back? It rolled into the ditch in flames! A very expensive lesson.
Good ideas for big camper thing but I'm not worried about it cuz I have teardrop trailer camper. And loves to drive at night cuz less traffic but watch out for animals. So I have bar grill guard on my truck. So it is safe than sorry but I had hit a deer but tiny damaged is light was out.
I enjoy all your videos. I wanted to add a few tips: 1) When adding: fuel (gas -6 lbs, diesel 7 lbs and water 8 lbs all per gallon average) you must factor in for max weight. 2) when doing the walk around, you can check wheel bearings by grabbing the wheel well (pull) and foot on the tire (push) and rock it a couple times, Feel for clicking. That would be a sign that something is loose or wearing out. Doesn't hurt to check. 3) for those who don't think weight matters... If your brakes can't stop you, especially on a hill, you will know why it matters. That and your tires will blowout much sooner. Your transmission will overheat or seize up. Not to mention the poor engine. The costs and inconvenience of repairs vs not overloading, easy choice. Enjoy your journey vs stressing over it. Never max out your load, keep it safe.
Has RV Trip Wizard ever steered you down a road your RV should NOT have gone down? I put in a fake route, near my home to see where it would take us and it took us over our mountain on a windy road I KNOW we should not go down in a fifth wheel, it could have picked a much straighter road but it seemed to take us the "shortest" distance. That makes me wonder when we really get on the road if that will happen to us in unchartered territory.
Tires. Definitely have a tire monitoring system. I was driving home from work the other day. There was a Class C in front of me. We got to a passing lane area and they went in the passing lane- presumably to make an eventual left turn toward the national forest. FYI it was closed because of high fire risk, so another thing- check before you make a destination.Sooo As I passed on the right, there was a loud "Shotgun" blast and a concussive feeling and I looked back "Did they just take a shot at me or someone?" What I saw was the back bumper and pieces of their RV blowing off. I guessed either a gas line or tire blew and really badly. The next day going back to work, I saw tire shreds where it happened. LITTLE tire shreds, The blown tire cause major damage to the back of their RV too. So moral is, get a monitor and use it.
I have to tell you, one of the many mistakes we made is arriving at night and picking a site with an uphill back-in. We had a heck of a time getting our 30ft 5th wheel in this site. My husband tried to follow my directions but I think I was giving them all wrong. We ended up so close to the posts that mark the site that we couldn't move any more. We were stuck and didn't know how to get out of our self induced standstill. Luckily for us the campground host was very sympathetic, came and looked the situation over and told us not to worry he would get us out. He left and came back with his chainsaw and then cut about 5 posts down so we could maneuver our way out of our precarious predicament. We have never tried an uphill back-in again. We were so thankful for such an understanding host. We can laugh about it now but at the time it was more of a cry. Don't arrive at night is great advice but sometimes it just happens that way. Keep up the great videos and safe travels!
We've just got a class A after a TT. The storage is amazing, but that just means more weight we can stash. You have reinforced that we need to find a place to weigh our rig so we actually know.
Tried to make a too narrow u-turn going downhill on a two lane road in a 38 foot class A as a newbie years ago. Almost ended up in a 6 foot ditch within about 1 inch. Some nice truckers stopped and drove us out, thankfully.
Got tired of fuel prices on the interstate. Installed a sixty gallon auxiliary tank in my 3500 Rams bed, upping fuel capacity in my truck to just over 90 gallons. Last trip was 600 miles to the park I stayed at. Drove around for five days before filling up my auxiliary tank the night before coming home. Fuel prices away from the interstate are generally $0.25-0.050 cents per gallon cheaper. Last I heard from TSD Loves now only gives a $0.10 per gallon discount. Price at my local Luvs is $3.44 per gallon. Murphy and Kroger both have diesel for $2.99 per gallon and are only half mile down the road. I’ve had my auxiliary tank in two trucks now. Well worth the price. I rarely travel faster than 60 mpg. Added benefit of this speed is fuel economy. I average 11.3-11.5 mpg pulling a fourty one foot fifth wheel. Not a fan of RV Trip Wizzard. Planned two trips with it. Not pleased with the narrow switchback roads(had many 250-300 degree turns) in the mountains. Last trip I planned using RV Wizard took me down narrow two lane roads in the mountains of north Georgia. Also had to go through an arched over pass 14 feet 6 inches tall. My fifth wheel is 14 feet 5 inches tall. Everyone pulling fifth wheels ( there were four in line) took turns going down the middle of the road dead slow. Last trip I planned with trip Wizard. I now only use US routes or interstates when there available. Roads are wider, bridges are higher and the roads are generally better condition. Just my experience with the ap. Good to hear someone likes it and gets good service from it. Just the experiences of an old man. Love your videos lots of good advice on them.
@@kayci2058 yes it does, but even with full tanks I’m still within my trucks nameplate data for weight. Might not be true for others and is something others should think about. Even with the added weight of fuel my truck settles less than an inch when I hitch up. The manufacture of the tank I purchased offers tanks of varying sizes from approximately 20 gallons upwards. I originally purchased this tank for an F-250 which only had a 20 gallon tank. At 9 mpg I was stopping about every 125 miles for fuel. Usually my trips are about 600 miles one way which means I usually only fill up once for my trip with the addition of my auxiliary fuel tank. My wife almost had the big one first time I put fuel in the tank. After making one trip the advantages of the shorter travel time and convenience of not having to deal with the fuel pumps on the big truck islands every 125 miles were greatly appreciated. Thank you for your reminder of the weight penalty of fuel weight. It is something to remember and certainly take into consideration if you care thinking on purchasing one of these tanks.
Cool video. Iam a Class A guy. Tow our jeep. I can eat go to the bathroom in traffic. Light turns red I go to the head. My wife says traffic moving l run back to the captains chair. lol. Plus I like to talk to my wife and be with her while we travel. Plusfor eyes are better than two. I don’t want her driving behind me with no view. But you two rock hope to run into you on the road someday. That would be cool. Be safe.
Comment via Jamie Williams not Jack. I learned.to keep my hand gestures to myself. I rolled and jack ķnifed my last travel trailer. By the grace of God nobody was hurt...ìt was truly a miracle!
Great tips. As for the cooling of the refrigerator, you say to cool it the night before you leave. Do you then run it on propane while you are traveling to keep it cool? From what I have heard that is not something you should do. My assumption then is once it is cool you just keep it shut and off while traveling to your destination. Your thoughts on that? Thanks,
I wired a separate outlet in back of the fridge directly to the inverter so I can safely power the fridge while traveling on A/C. A little inconvenient to plug/unplug the fridge but works great and totally safe
Sandra Westley from the UK it’s against the law to travel with your gas on, here, all our fridges can run on battery, so we have a trickle feed to keep it working while towing, we get the fridge really cold 2 days before we travel, load it with already cold food, then even the freezer stays frozen, the battery is topped up with a solar panel on the roof. Also use frozen ice packs to help.
Awesome video thank you so much. we are hitting the road next month. I have one question do you keep your refrigerator running when traveling 🤔 . Everyone told us not to use propane to dangerous.
Sandra Westley from the uk it’s against the law here to run on gas, with have a trickle electric feed from the battery which is topped up by the solar, and so long as we get it really cold before we set off, we also pack the freezer solid with frozen foods I have made in special plastic containers we use again and again, also use ice packs in the fridge itself to help with the journey.
Wow you surprised me lol good tips know them all. But weather, just came thru Colo i70 at exit 129 10 hrs before the slide, lucky is the word of the day
I hate towing at night. It is pitch black, your gps and rear view camera ruin your night vision and you are usually on unfamiliar roads. We always make sure we arrive before dark.
ha, already messed up and I'm only 3 minutes in to the video! Wife and I took delivery of a 2021 travel trailer on a Thursday. We pulled out of the dealer at 7pm and drove home, quickly loaded stuff up and my first time backing it in was that same night at 9:30pm in the dark with 2 kids and a dog LOL. Fortunately everything went smoothly but I will admit I was very anxious about everything.
My biggest mistake: we had reached our camping destination after a rather short travel day that did require using our restroom a couple of times along the way. I removed the cap from the sewer drain and quickly learned that I had forgotten to close the black tank valve after flushing from our previous camping trip.....not pleasant
About keeping fuel tanks at least 1/2 full, nearly all modern cars and trucks have the fuel pump inside the fuel tanks. This is to keep the pump cool, and without enough fuel, the pump can overheat. On diesel rigs, the only thing that lubricates the injector pump is the fuel that goes through the pump, so, NERVER RUN A DESEIL RIG OUT OF FUEL!
The tail swing applies to EVERY single RV of every kind! As one who drives for a living (CDL) it doesn’t matter if it’s a 5th wheel, class B, or TT, you DO have swing and will cross over lanes so be aware and don’t turn with something right next to you on the left, wait until that vehicle passes!
Before I buy an rv, i want to rent one for a moth or two so I make sure the wife is happy with the lifestyle (she is not 100% sure yet), but any ideas on how to avoid those mileage surcharges that the rental places charge? they can get out of hand (I like to put miles on my trips..] Any suggestions will be appreciated! Safe travels.
I cook ahead of time, we aren’t full timers yet (another year and a half to until my BFF retires). So I cook the entrees and sides before we leave in separate, microwaveable containers, and freeze them. Then we don’t have to cook and we toss the environmentally safe containers so no water waste for dishwashing either.
Sandra Westley from the UK I cook a lot of our meals before hand, we are not full timers we do either 2 weeks to 4 weeks each month, so I freeze our meals and pack them into the freezer and also run the fridge on electrics for a couple of days even put ice packs in the fridge to help. It’s worked out fine with all these restaurants closed due to COVID-19 over the last 18 months. We also now pack our own coffee and lunch for the journey, since the madness of the last 18 months queues for anything in the rest areas are crazy.
Great Tips!! My husband does the driving so now I know why he takes the turns he does. I chuckled when you said you were driving through North Dakota (I live in ND) I knew exactly what you were talking about. As for We-Fest , they pack you in like sardines! A person will need to use all the tips on parking. ENJOY!!!
I agree with taking a shirt shake down cruise (sorry for Navy lingo, I’m was a Navy brat for the first 28 years of my life (Daddy had 41 total years in) and that’s what he always called it., but I disagree about leaving the pets at home. Will try some of the trip sites though.
We are parked at a seasonal spot right now but I’ve learned so much from you…someday I will be on the road utilizing your tips!! Oh and I’m anxiously awaiting that cookbook talked about in previous video!!
We eat well on our trips, but I don’t cook on vacation. We are full timers, yet, but for now I cook ahead and freeze the dinners so all we have to do is pop them in the microwave. Great meal, no cooking, toss the container away so dishes to do either.
Great information thanks for sharing. We found out the hard way when we ran out of gas due to high winds and to low amount of gas .we were in Texas and thank goodness we had road side assistance. It was very scary along the highway with trucks going by at 70-80 mph. 😜
Great advice. Don't forget the SLIDE OUTS, don't hit anything or impede on another site in those tight spots. Therefore, park within the space. Not too left or right. Breaking down again is not fun. Didn't happen to us, but the neighbor had too. OUCH. That doesn't make a friendly time.
If I ever manage to get a rig, I'll be on the road right away because I'll no longer have a sticks and bricks: it will take the sale of my house to afford the RV and possible new truck (if I don't get a class A, B, or C). I'll want to pay cash and not have debt on the road--that's why. At my age, I might not ever see the final payment date otherwise. ;-) Tools! Ohmigosh! I'll have a lot of trouble paring down my tools to just basics...I'm used to an entire 1200 square foot workshop full! I did a lot of travel--tent camping--with my kids, and I never, ever let my tank get below half when I'm out on the road. Never. I also check tire pressure, coolant, oil, and transmission fluid daily. I haven't liked driving at night for some years, now. The most I'll do is run a couple of miles to the grocery store. But travel? Nope.
Renting out your home as a vrbo using a property management company is an option. Sell and buy smaller and rent that out. Making an income while rv'ing is best.
Don’t wait to replace your propane or carbon monoxide detectors until they FAIL. 😯 Not only will it nearly give you heart failure when the unit shrieks at you that it’s about to die (exact same alarm as the “Get out right now!!” alarm), but it’s unsafe! These detectors mostly have a lifespan of approximately 5 years. That’s from installation, not from when YOU bought the RV. I say this from experience. Yikes!
Imagine having to park that thing next to others..it’s like being in a city..I don’t see the attraction of these huge things..don’t get to the real adventures.
When driving on a two lane highway, know the rules of following cars for the state you are in. In CA, if there are five cars behind you, you are required to pull over and let them pass, even if you're driving the speed limit. You don't have to wait for a turnout if the breakdown lane is wide enough to allow people to pass safely, and you don't even have to stop if you have room to just move slowly along the lane. Just be careful not to get into gravel and watch for debris.
Gail: wow 5 cars is not that many. I am in Florida and drive my suv the speed limit to the store appox 8 miles and there is always more than 5 cars behind me. Pulling our 25ft Dutchman at 50 mph does back up traffic but oh well.
@@gigiis526 From the CA driver handbook "If you are driving slowly on a two-lane highway or road where passing is unsafe, and 5 or more vehicles are following, you must drive into the turnout areas or lanes to let the vehicles pass." Please note it says you MUST. That is for turnouts. I suggest using the breakdown lane if there is no turnout, just for keeping people safe from the ragers.
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Great tips!
Want to drive the safety point home? Take a trip to an RV graveyard, aka RV junk yard where you go to look for used parts. You can see first hand the RV’s totaled by accidents, and other mishaps. For example fires. I was told tongue in cheek, that it was O.K. to run my refrigerator on propane while driving. When you look at the RV fires, you can see as you walk around that they almost always start behind the refrigerators. It’s an eye opening experience, every RV tells a story.
Can you send me how you added the trailer hitch to me?
Thanks for sharing!!
Love your video! Noticed you changed your kayak set up. Can you link what you used to set that up please? Thank you!!
Thanks Tom and Cheri.
Blessings always ☝🏼💯🙏🙏🙏💯☝🏼
Good job
You are so correct. We tested out our rv in our driveway. We forgot so many things we needed in the house. During our first weekend trip we learned how important pillows are because we forgot them. We also needed a water bandit to help us at the dump station. Thank you for that video about the water bandit. Thanks for all your help. Safe travels.
When I back into a site I nail it the first time almost every time. My wife gives me back by telling me when to stop on the two way radio
Great information. Thanks!
We had a problem with one of the wires hanging down below the slide out. There was also a screw that was coming out and when we brought the slide in, it got caught on the wire that was hanging down and ripped out of the motor. We had to manually put the slide in and call someone to come and fix it.
Thank you again. I'm trying to build a 40 slip park and all this info is a lot of help!
Glad to help
Cool! Where will the park be?
Good info Tom.
Another great video!!
Great video!!
Made the mistake of traveling too far and arriving at campground after dark. Narrow road, trees close together, darkness and a big rig, not a good combination. Got started into site, stopped to move the picnic table and discovered that the awning was right up against a tree. Was able to back up off tree but the damage had already been done. Abrasion holes in along about 6 foot of the awning. Next attempt went better as I had 2 spotters with lights to keep watch along both sides of trailer. Not havi ng TPMS , resulted in being pulled over by a cop, I'm thinking what the heck is he pulling me over for? The first thing he said is " Did you know you lost a wheel about a tenth of a mile back? It rolled into the ditch in flames! A very expensive lesson.
Trying to stop short with a travel trailer..not good
Good ideas for big camper thing but I'm not worried about it cuz I have teardrop trailer camper. And loves to drive at night cuz less traffic but watch out for animals. So I have bar grill guard on my truck. So it is safe than sorry but I had hit a deer but tiny damaged is light was out.
Because of your videos, I think I will be more prepared than the average newbie when I buy my RV next year. Thank you for all you do and show us.
Excellent video, Tom! I think you really covered it. 😎
I enjoy all your videos. I wanted to add a few tips: 1) When adding: fuel (gas -6 lbs, diesel 7 lbs and water 8 lbs all per gallon average) you must factor in for max weight.
2) when doing the walk around, you can check wheel bearings by grabbing the wheel well (pull) and foot on the tire (push) and rock it a couple times, Feel for clicking. That would be a sign that something is loose or wearing out. Doesn't hurt to check.
3) for those who don't think weight matters... If your brakes can't stop you, especially on a hill, you will know why it matters. That and your tires will blowout much sooner. Your transmission will overheat or seize up. Not to mention the poor engine. The costs and inconvenience of repairs vs not overloading, easy choice. Enjoy your journey vs stressing over it. Never max out your load, keep it safe.
Where are u at? Sturgis? Looks like a fairground the way they r packed in.
somewhere in corn country
@@kevio6868 I saw
Been rving since 1968, have seen or done all the mistakes you talked about
Always great info. We're you filming from a county fair?
Has RV Trip Wizard ever steered you down a road your RV should NOT have gone down? I put in a fake route, near my home to see where it would take us and it took us over our mountain on a windy road I KNOW we should not go down in a fifth wheel, it could have picked a much straighter road but it seemed to take us the "shortest" distance. That makes me wonder when we really get on the road if that will happen to us in unchartered territory.
Great tips and reminders
Tom, I noticed your front awning arm sticking out. Is it bent?
Tires. Definitely have a tire monitoring system. I was driving home from work the other day. There was a Class C in front of me. We got to a passing lane area and they went in the passing lane- presumably to make an eventual left turn toward the national forest. FYI it was closed because of high fire risk, so another thing- check before you make a destination.Sooo As I passed on the right, there was a loud "Shotgun" blast and a concussive feeling and I looked back "Did they just take a shot at me or someone?" What I saw was the back bumper and pieces of their RV blowing off. I guessed either a gas line or tire blew and really badly. The next day going back to work, I saw tire shreds where it happened. LITTLE tire shreds, The blown tire cause major damage to the back of their RV too. So moral is, get a monitor and use it.
I have to tell you, one of the many mistakes we made is arriving at night and picking a site with an uphill back-in. We had a heck of a time getting our 30ft 5th wheel in this site. My husband tried to follow my directions but I think I was giving them all wrong. We ended up so close to the posts that mark the site that we couldn't move any more. We were stuck and didn't know how to get out of our self induced standstill. Luckily for us the campground host was very sympathetic, came and looked the situation over and told us not to worry he would get us out. He left and came back with his chainsaw and then cut about 5 posts down so we could maneuver our way out of our precarious predicament. We have never tried an uphill back-in again. We were so thankful for such an understanding host. We can laugh about it now but at the time it was more of a cry. Don't arrive at night is great advice but sometimes it just happens that way. Keep up the great videos and safe travels!
We've just got a class A after a TT. The storage is amazing, but that just means more weight we can stash. You have reinforced that we need to find a place to weigh our rig so we actually know.
OMG OMG OMG TOM thanks for saving us for this horrible mistake OMG
You just blasphemed the Lord four times. WOW! How awful :(
Tried to make a too narrow u-turn going downhill on a two lane road in a 38 foot class A as a newbie years ago. Almost ended up in a 6 foot ditch within about 1 inch. Some nice truckers stopped and drove us out, thankfully.
Got tired of fuel prices on the interstate. Installed a sixty gallon auxiliary tank in my 3500 Rams bed, upping fuel capacity in my truck to just over 90 gallons. Last trip was 600 miles to the park I stayed at. Drove around for five days before filling up my auxiliary tank the night before coming home. Fuel prices away from the interstate are generally $0.25-0.050 cents per gallon cheaper. Last I heard from TSD Loves now only gives a $0.10 per gallon discount. Price at my local Luvs is $3.44 per gallon. Murphy and Kroger both have diesel for $2.99 per gallon and are only half mile down the road. I’ve had my auxiliary tank in two trucks now. Well worth the price. I rarely travel faster than 60 mpg. Added benefit of this speed is fuel economy. I average 11.3-11.5 mpg pulling a fourty one foot fifth wheel.
Not a fan of RV Trip Wizzard. Planned two trips with it. Not pleased with the narrow switchback roads(had many 250-300 degree turns) in the mountains. Last trip I planned using RV Wizard took me down narrow two lane roads in the mountains of north Georgia. Also had to go through an arched over pass 14 feet 6 inches tall. My fifth wheel is 14 feet 5 inches tall. Everyone pulling fifth wheels ( there were four in line) took turns going down the middle of the road dead slow. Last trip I planned with trip Wizard. I now only use US routes or interstates when there available. Roads are wider, bridges are higher and the roads are generally better condition. Just my experience with the ap. Good to hear someone likes it and gets good service from it. Just the experiences of an old man. Love your videos lots of good advice on them.
Keep in mind that extra tank of fuel adds 7 lbs per gallon to your max weight.
@@kayci2058 yes it does, but even with full tanks I’m still within my trucks nameplate data for weight. Might not be true for others and is something others should think about. Even with the added weight of fuel my truck settles less than an inch when I hitch up. The manufacture of the tank I purchased offers tanks of varying sizes from approximately 20 gallons upwards. I originally purchased this tank for an F-250 which only had a 20 gallon tank. At 9 mpg I was stopping about every 125 miles for fuel. Usually my trips are about 600 miles one way which means I usually only fill up once for my trip with the addition of my auxiliary fuel tank. My wife almost had the big one first time I put fuel in the tank. After making one trip the advantages of the shorter travel time and convenience of not having to deal with the fuel pumps on the big truck islands every 125 miles were greatly appreciated. Thank you for your reminder of the weight penalty of fuel weight. It is something to remember and certainly take into consideration if you care thinking on purchasing one of these tanks.
Cool video. Iam a Class A guy. Tow our jeep. I can eat go to the bathroom in traffic. Light turns red I go to the head. My wife says traffic moving l run back to the captains chair. lol. Plus I like to talk to my wife and be with her while we travel. Plusfor eyes are better than two. I don’t want her driving behind me with no view. But you two rock hope to run into you on the road someday. That would be cool. Be safe.
Who uses the most hand gesters Tom, Mark (KYD), or Nathan (Less Junk, More Journey)? 😁
Trump wins hands down.
Comment via Jamie Williams not Jack. I learned.to keep my hand gestures to myself. I rolled and jack ķnifed my last travel trailer. By the grace of God nobody was hurt...ìt was truly a miracle!
Very informative, that's for all the heads up.
Great tips. As for the cooling of the refrigerator, you say to cool it the night before you leave. Do you then run it on propane while you are traveling to keep it cool? From what I have heard that is not something you should do. My assumption then is once it is cool you just keep it shut and off while traveling to your destination. Your thoughts on that? Thanks,
David; I have the same question. Would you risk food spoil after 6-7 hours of the frig being off while traveling.
When I have a propane fridge, I've always let it run ALWAYS! If the piolet goes out, it won't start anyways.
I wired a separate outlet in back of the fridge directly to the inverter so I can safely power the fridge while traveling on A/C. A little inconvenient to plug/unplug the fridge but works great and totally safe
Great idea.
Sandra Westley from the UK it’s against the law to travel with your gas on, here, all our fridges can run on battery, so we have a trickle feed to keep it working while towing, we get the fridge really cold 2 days before we travel, load it with already cold food, then even the freezer stays frozen, the battery is topped up with a solar panel on the roof. Also use frozen ice packs to help.
Awesome video thank you so much. we are hitting the road next month. I have one question do you keep your refrigerator running when traveling 🤔 . Everyone told us not to use propane to dangerous.
Sandra Westley from the uk it’s against the law here to run on gas, with have a trickle electric feed from the battery which is topped up by the solar, and so long as we get it really cold before we set off, we also pack the freezer solid with frozen foods I have made in special plastic containers we use again and again, also use ice packs in the fridge itself to help with the journey.
Wow you surprised me lol good tips know them all. But weather, just came thru Colo i70 at exit 129 10 hrs before the slide, lucky is the word of the day
Fond out about all the devastating slides the next day. I was rushing but stayed at that rest area
I hate towing at night. It is pitch black, your gps and rear view camera ruin your night vision and you are usually on unfamiliar roads.
We always make sure we arrive before dark.
Absolutely break your journey on the way, so you do not get there when it’s dark. We set a rule 300 to 400 miles per day.
Garden yard check list. Forgot to mention about backing in you got lots of blind spots
ha, already messed up and I'm only 3 minutes in to the video! Wife and I took delivery of a 2021 travel trailer on a Thursday. We pulled out of the dealer at 7pm and drove home, quickly loaded stuff up and my first time backing it in was that same night at 9:30pm in the dark with 2 kids and a dog LOL. Fortunately everything went smoothly but I will admit I was very anxious about everything.
Aug 14. Were you on the CBBT from VB to the Eastern Shore today? If not, it was another Bird !
Drove down a dirt road by Yellowstone half a mile in and had a backout a 1/2 a mile pour in a trailer 32'
I like the pace, annunciation and dictation you use. 👍
My biggest mistake: we had reached our camping destination after a rather short travel day that did require using our restroom a couple of times along the way. I removed the cap from the sewer drain and quickly learned that I had forgotten to close the black tank valve after flushing from our previous camping trip.....not pleasant
About keeping fuel tanks at least 1/2 full, nearly all modern cars and trucks have the fuel pump inside the fuel tanks. This is to keep the pump cool, and without enough fuel, the pump can overheat. On diesel rigs, the only thing that lubricates the injector pump is the fuel that goes through the pump, so, NERVER RUN A DESEIL RIG OUT OF FUEL!
great info!
The tail swing applies to EVERY single RV of every kind! As one who drives for a living (CDL) it doesn’t matter if it’s a 5th wheel, class B, or TT, you DO have swing and will cross over lanes so be aware and don’t turn with something right next to you on the left, wait until that vehicle passes!
How can a class b have tail swing? Id be interested in hearing your explanation.
A class B is akin to a school bus, there IS swing.
Before I buy an rv, i want to rent one for a moth or two so I make sure the wife is happy with the lifestyle (she is not 100% sure yet), but any ideas on how to avoid those mileage surcharges that the rental places charge? they can get out of hand (I like to put miles on my trips..] Any suggestions will be appreciated! Safe travels.
Thanks for sharing some good helpful advice. Actually had the wrong size truck once. I've learned a lot by watching you guys, and other rvers.
I cook ahead of time, we aren’t full timers yet (another year and a half to until my BFF retires). So I cook the entrees
and sides before we leave in separate, microwaveable containers, and freeze them. Then we don’t have to cook and we toss the environmentally safe containers so no water waste for dishwashing either.
Sandra Westley from the UK I cook a lot of our meals before hand, we are not full timers we do either 2 weeks to 4 weeks each month, so I freeze our meals and pack them into the freezer and also run the fridge on electrics for a couple of days even put ice packs in the fridge to help. It’s worked out fine with all these restaurants closed due to COVID-19 over the last 18 months. We also now pack our own coffee and lunch for the journey, since the madness of the last 18 months queues for anything in the rest areas are crazy.
I unhooked in the rain and forgot to put my tailgate down. Cost me $400 to fix my dumbass mistake…
Great Tips!! My husband does the driving so now I know why he takes the turns he does. I chuckled when you said you were driving through North Dakota (I live in ND) I knew exactly what you were talking about. As for We-Fest , they pack you in like sardines! A person will need to use all the tips on parking. ENJOY!!!
I don’t dive my 24’ trailer at night. Can’t see and somethings if you had an emergency the help is closed. ie tire shop.
Tom i have a 28 ft Reflection and it too being small you have to watch your tail swing..great video...
I agree with taking a shirt shake down cruise (sorry for Navy lingo, I’m was a Navy brat for the first 28 years of my life (Daddy had 41 total years in) and that’s what he always called it., but I disagree about leaving the pets at home. Will try some of the trip sites though.
We are parked at a seasonal spot right now but I’ve learned so much from you…someday I will be on the road utilizing your tips!! Oh and I’m anxiously awaiting that cookbook talked about in previous video!!
We eat well on our trips, but I don’t cook on vacation. We are full timers, yet, but for now I cook ahead and freeze the dinners so all we have to do is pop them in the microwave. Great meal, no cooking, toss the container away so dishes to do either.
Great tips! We were in Detroit Lakes for the weekend. We didn’t go to WE Fest, but heard it was good.
Great information. Thank you. Too many ads ruin the experience. Fyi.
Wonderful tips! Question: what is considered a bigger rig? Over 30 feet or more? Thanks for all you do! 🖖🏻🙏🏻👍🏻😘
Great information thanks for sharing. We found out the hard way when we ran out of gas due to high winds and to low amount of gas .we were in Texas and thank goodness we had road side assistance. It was very scary along the highway with trucks going by at 70-80 mph. 😜
I do a walk around every time I leave our RV, because you never know.
measure when hooked up when empty and when full loaded then you know your height
Great advice. Don't forget the SLIDE OUTS, don't hit anything or impede on another site in those tight spots. Therefore, park within the space. Not too left or right. Breaking down again is not fun. Didn't happen to us, but the neighbor had too. OUCH. That doesn't make a friendly time.
Bent awning arm???? Oops
We love you both! Thank you for such great travel tips! We go full time in January! Excited & nervous! Be safe! Both of you are looking keto!!! 😎👍🏻🇺🇸
Not only is there tail swing. Watch driveways with a slope. I had a tail drag.
You guys are so close! I'm from Fargo and we are full timing in Oct with our GD Momentum 376ths. Enjoy We Fest!
If I ever manage to get a rig, I'll be on the road right away because I'll no longer have a sticks and bricks: it will take the sale of my house to afford the RV and possible new truck (if I don't get a class A, B, or C). I'll want to pay cash and not have debt on the road--that's why. At my age, I might not ever see the final payment date otherwise. ;-)
Tools! Ohmigosh! I'll have a lot of trouble paring down my tools to just basics...I'm used to an entire 1200 square foot workshop full!
I did a lot of travel--tent camping--with my kids, and I never, ever let my tank get below half when I'm out on the road. Never. I also check tire pressure, coolant, oil, and transmission fluid daily.
I haven't liked driving at night for some years, now. The most I'll do is run a couple of miles to the grocery store. But travel? Nope.
Renting out your home as a vrbo using a property management company is an option. Sell and buy smaller and rent that out. Making an income while rv'ing is best.
yep.
It is best to never let any car truck or vehicle get low on fuel because of condensation in the tank
A good eating place in Williams Arizona
Don’t wait to replace your propane or carbon monoxide detectors until they FAIL. 😯 Not only will it nearly give you heart failure when the unit shrieks at you that it’s about to die (exact same alarm as the “Get out right now!!” alarm), but it’s unsafe! These detectors mostly have a lifespan of approximately 5 years. That’s from installation, not from when YOU bought the RV. I say this from experience. Yikes!
Thanks for sharing!
I have had CO2 alarms fail after only 3-1/2 yrs..
I would not watch if there no CC
Imagine having to park that thing next to others..it’s like being in a city..I don’t see the attraction of these huge things..don’t get to the real adventures.
👍😎🍻🇨🇦
When driving on a two lane highway, know the rules of following cars for the state you are in. In CA, if there are five cars behind you, you are required to pull over and let them pass, even if you're driving the speed limit. You don't have to wait for a turnout if the breakdown lane is wide enough to allow people to pass safely, and you don't even have to stop if you have room to just move slowly along the lane. Just be careful not to get into gravel and watch for debris.
Gail: wow 5 cars is not that many. I am in Florida and drive my suv the speed limit to the store appox 8 miles and there is always more than 5 cars behind me. Pulling our 25ft Dutchman at 50 mph does back up traffic but oh well.
Ill have to look into this to verify. Sounds whacky even for Ca!
@Tall RVr One lady said this. Verify!
@@gigiis526 From the CA driver handbook "If you are driving slowly on a two-lane highway or road where passing is unsafe, and 5 or more vehicles are following, you must drive into the turnout areas or lanes to let the vehicles pass." Please note it says you MUST. That is for turnouts. I suggest using the breakdown lane if there is no turnout, just for keeping people safe from the ragers.
Leave your pets at home that's the stupidest thing I ever heard why would you want to do that
TOMS RV Consultant Co???Maybe??
thanks Tom great video