Tow Ratings Standardization: Comparing Apples to Apples

Have you ever wondered if 10,000 pounds of towing capacity means the same for trucks manufactured by GM, Ford, and Dodge? Towing Capacity Overkill. What could possibly go wrong here? (Credit: tacomaworld.com) You will soon know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Automotive manufacturers agreed in 2008 to standardize tow ratings as specified in the SAE’s Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice J2807 to take effect by 2013. The industry alliance includes Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, and Honda, along with several leading trailer and hitch makers. Until now, each manufacturer was free to test using proprietary conditions ideally suited to a truck’s towing strengths and decide their own maximum trailer rating. They could pretty much advertise whatever ratings they wanted since there was no “apples to apples” comparison between brands or models. Each company designed its own test, and—surprise, surprise—their trucks always aced the tests. Imagine the EPA didn’t exist, and car companies could just make up fuel-economy figures to boost sales. Kinda like, catch me if you can—on my towing ratings! Makers would boast about the pounds their pickups and SUVs could tow, and their exhaustive testing used to determine the towing capacity. But when a new truck claimed a higher number, the other manufacturers would rewrite their spec sheets with increased towing capacity and, as if by magic, match or beat the new kid on the block. And there was nothing... Read more

Put Woodall’s Info in Your Pocket *Free* Just in Time for Labor Day Travel!

Download our FREE Mobile App for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad in the iTunes Store Today! Before you hit the road this labor day, download Woodall’s RV & Camping Copilot, free! You’ll have access to all of Woodall’s RV parks and campgrounds, on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch!  It can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and provides complete campground information, including amenities, services, types of campsites, on-site recreation and identifies many camping discounts offered at parks. Private campgrounds also include Woodall’s 5W/5W Rating System, which is the most trusted consumer campground rating. Here’s a peek at what’s included, absolutely free! Search nearly 12,000 campgrounds and RV parks from Woodall’s extensive database. Toggle between list search results and map search results. Campground details pages reflect extensive campground information such as amenities, services and recreation. Plus, Woodall’s 5W/5W rating system helps you pick the right park for your needs. Help and settings screens let you personalize the Woodall’s iPhone App to save time, every time you use it. Plus save your favorite campgrounds or share them with friends on email, Twitter or your Facebook account! Download it for free from the Apple App Store The Woodall’s mobile application interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. It will offer the ability to search campgrounds by city, state/province, nearest location or by campground name in an... Read more

New battery design could be game changer for electric vehicles

By Bob Difley A radically new approach to the design of batteries, developed by researchers at MIT,” reports Physorg.com, “could provide a lightweight and inexpensive alternative to existing batteries for electric vehicles and the power grid. The technology could even make ’refueling’ such batteries as quick and easy as pumping gas into a conventional car.” The new battery uses a method called a semi-solid flow cell, where solid particles are “suspended in a carrier liquid and pumped through the system. In this design, the battery’s active components — the positive and negative electrodes, or cathodes and anodes — are composed of particles suspended in a liquid electrolyte. These two different suspensions are pumped through systems separated by a filter, such as a thin porous membrane.” The report states that “one important characteristic of the new design is that it separates the two functions of the battery — storing energy until it is needed, and discharging that energy when it needs to be used — into separate physical structures. (In conventional batteries, the storage and discharge both take place in the same structure.) Separating these functions means that batteries can be designed more efficiently . . . ” If this design works out as tests have indicated, it will have the effect of reducing the size of EV batteries to half their size. It will also reduce the cost making EVs more competitive with gas or diesel... Read more

GPS Coordinates with Google Earth and Streets and Trips

This article is going to explore the different notation used for entering Latitude and Longitude coordinates to find places in Streets and Trips. Sometimes you may need to convert the coordinates you have to the format that Streets and Trips understands. This article will show you how to make the conversions using Google Earth. Question: My Garmin says N 36 degrees 37.458′ W 92 degrees 08.017′ The Garmin will get me right here to the entrance of this ranch. But when I try to put it in Streets & Trips 2011, I keep getting an error each time. I am trying to locate Cloud 9, Caulfield, MO. Cloud 9 Ranch is a membership park in the Ozarks and we are planning some events involving Geocaching. We want to be able to provide people with the correct coordinates for whatever device they are using. Decimal or Degrees Microsoft Streets and Trips recognizes two types of GPS Lat/Long notation: 1) Decimal or 2) Degrees/Minutes/Seconds. Decimal: 36.624300° -92.133617° Degrees/Minutes/Seconds: 36°37′27.48″N 92° 8′1.02″W To enter the coordinates into Streets and Trips, you click on the Tools menu, Find, and click the Lat/Long tab. You can enter the coordinates in either of the formats above, but Decimal is the simplest. You don’t need the degree symbol – in fact, if you do include the degree symbol, you’ll get an error. Just use numbers, decimal points and the minus sign to show a West longitude. No symbols, no spaces. Degrees... Read more

Should campgrounds segregate tenters from RVers?

By Bob Difley Raging discussions continue between real campers (tenters) and behemoth campers (us RVers) about annoying each other. Tenters complain about giant RVs (that’s anything larger than a tent) pulling into a campsite next to them and so that all they can see is a giant hunk of shiny metal from their campsite. Then they complain about RVers running their noisy, smelly generators exhausting fumes into their campsite, and playing their TVs too loud. On the other hand, RVers get annoyed by tenters walking about right outside their windows, talking, laughing, and making too much noise. Besides, they build fires with the smoke blowing in their windows, and they stay up late at night with loud talking getting louder as the amount of alcohol consumed rises. For one side of the debate, consider what Jeremy Klaszus wrote in an opinion piece on July 25th in the Calgary (Canada) Herald called Keep it down, fellow campers: Camping is an opportunity to get away from the noise and chaos of urban life. A chance to unplug, unwind and so on. These days, however, more people seem to be hauling the city to the campground, unable to live without modern luxuries (heat, electricity, TV) for even a weekend. Earlier this month, I spotted a satellite dish at a campsite. A few campgrounds even offer wireless Internet, a terrible idea. The goal, it seems, is to convert boring old campsites into urban residences. It’s baffling. Why go to the trouble and cost of hauling all that stuff... Read more

Fleetwood RV Introduces the 2012 Bounder

Fleetwood RV, Inc., a Decatur, Indiana, producer of Class A Diesel and Gas motorhomes, and Class C Diesel and Gas motorhomes, announced Wednesday (August 24) the release of the 2012 Bounder—the Company’s most recognized motorhome brand. 2012 Bounder (Credit: Fleetwood RV) “Bounder has been a household name in the RV industry since its debut in 1985 and is best known for its high-function, no frills features,” said John Draheim, President and CEO of Fleetwood RV, Inc. “For 2012, we focused on updating and elevating Bounder so it would appeal to a younger buyer so we added two new floor plans and upgraded the interior décor. This is definitely not your grandfather’s Bounder anymore,” Draheim added. Top features on the 2012 Bounder include: Sony electronics, Sony Blu-Ray surround sound system (optional) Electronic fireplace (available on 33C and 35K only) Exterior entertainment center (available on 35H and 35K only) Standard full-body paint Halogen lighting throughout King bed (optional) 2012 Bounder Interior (Credit: Fleetwood RV) The 2012 Bounder line-up includes four floor plans: 33-foot, dual-slide floor plan with a 40-inch Sony mid-ship LCD TV and Ultraleather transform-a-sofa (33C) 33-foot, full-wall-slide floor plan with a 32-inch Sony mid-ship TV (33U) 35-foot, dual-slide floor plan with a large master suite (35H) 35-foot dual-slide, bath-and-a-half floor plan with a 40-inch Sony mid-ship LCD TV and Ultraleather transform-a-sofa (35K) Fleetwood RV, Inc.... Read more

Highline RV Luxury Equal To Top Coach Converter

A Lug_Nut view.   5th wheel trailers are going to new heights and rival highline motorized coaches like the Prevost conversions.  Like the Canadian built Prevost Coach, this 5th wheel is also being designed and built by a Canadian company.   This two story fiver is 53 feet in length and 13 feet 6 inches in height.  It will weigh in at about 40,000 lbs. when completely outfitted.       Specifications: Trailer Length: 53’ Over All Length: (Trailer/Tractor) 70’ Trailer Weight: Appox. 40,000 lbs. Over All Height: 13’ 6” Number of Slides: 4 The rear conversion type cap powers open to reveal a garage that will accommodate a medium/small automobile.  Ahead of this area, and still on the bottom level, a bedroom, bathroom and micro kitchen suitable to accommodate a driver or for a guest suite is present.                             A curving stairway from the bottom level leads to the kitchen and dining area of the upper level.  Heading toward the rear brings you into a spacious living room that expands on both sides with large slide outs.  The master bedroom and bath are located in the rear of the coach.  This area also has two large slides.    This unit employed a 535 horse power Volvo diesel powered tractor with a 10 speed auto shifting transmission.  The extended cab tractor was luxuriously appointed with leather sofa and lazy boy like chairs.  So, how much will this set you back when they become available?  Better count on spending upward... Read more

Michigan: Best Casino RV Park

Midwest Gaming & Travel, a premier source for information about casino gaming in America’s Heartland since 1995, published the winners of the 10th Annual Readers’ Choice Awards for Midwest commercial casinos in the July issue of the magazine. The Readers’ Choice award winners are selected by Midwest Gaming & Travel readers, based on their experiences in Midwest casinos during the preceding 12 months. This annual survey by the Waseca, Minnesota-based magazine covers a nine-state primary area, extending from Missouri to Minnesota to Pennsylvania. The awards are presented in a state-by-state list that includes several gaming and hospitality categories including “Best RV Park.” Each category represents a specific facet of a property’s overall appeal and charm. Island Resort and Casino The Island Resort and Casino in Harris, Michigan, was selected the Best RV Park in Michigan by readers of the Midwest Gaming & Travel magazine. The casino’s 53-site RV Park is open May 1 through November 30. The Island Resort and Casino were also voted as Michigan’s Best RV Park in the 2010 Midwest Gaming & Travel Readers’ Choice Awards of Native American Casinos. In the survey, readers rated 20 Michigan casinos in 35 detailed gaming and amenities areas. The casino is also the statewide winner of awards in eight evaluation categories. The Island Resort and Casino in Harris, Michigan, was selected the Best RV Park in Michigan by readers of the... Read more

Mark’s RV Garage Episode #15 RV Intenet Show Released

RV Education 101 releases Episode #15 of the new Internet based RV How-To series titled “Mark’s RV Garage.” The new episode is available for viewing at www.rvconsumer.com and on  You Tube            * Polk installs the exterior metal and windows in the vintage trailer restoration project.  * Watch the installation of a Voyager Digital Wireless Observation System with WiSight technology  * Find out what Polk considers to be RV Maintenance Mishaps and see what you can do to avoid them.  *All of this and more on this episode of “Mark’s RV Garage”  If you missed previous episodes of Mark’s RV Garage they are archived at www.rvconsumer.com for easy retreival and viewing Episode # 16 will be available for viewing on 05 September 2011. Happy RV Learning, Mark Polk www.rvconsumer.com www.rveducation101.com  Read More →

Centenarians on the increase in Arizona

By Bob Difley Want to live a long time? Drive your RV to Arizona. The US Census reports that there were 832 centenarians in the state in 2010, a 27% increase since 2000. According to Anne Morrison, director of education for the University of Arizona’s Center on Aging, “Once they’ve hit 85, the healthy ones have shown they’re strong enough to overcome problems,” Morrison said. “If something hasn’t taken them before that, they’re good beyond 100.” In all, residents between 100 and 104 increased from 598 in 2000 to 772 in 2011. Those from 105 to 109 increased from 42 in 2000 to 53 in 2010. There are a lot of contributors for the increase in old folks, like the improvements and discoveries in medical care, nutrition, and exercise. People smoke a lot less than previously, eat healthier food, and are generally more knowledgeable about their health and how to maintain it. And, believe it or not, falling down from slipping on ice or snow and breaking bones was a contributing factor to a shortened lifespan–and one of the reasons Arizona had such good numbers, there is not much of that down there. “They’re starting to experience the vulnerabilities of aging, but they’re camping, hiking, biking,” said Melanie Starns, assistant director of the Arizona Department of Economic Service’s Aging and Adult Services division. That’s good news. It means that a lot of the things that we RVers like to do–camping,... Read more

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