RVIA Expo, Nov. 30, 2010

Greetings from Louisville, Kentucky! Today was the opening day for the annual RVIA trade show here, and our initial impressions are that the industry is very upbeat about the future.  The day started off as usual, with the opening breakfast and industry presentation by the RVIA.  The reports indicated that all segments of the industry, motorhomes, towables, etc, experienced a significant increase in sales compared to 2009.  Of course, 2009 was by all reports, a disaster, so beating that sales level wasn’t too difficult.  Forecasts for future sales do indicate future growth, and hopes are high that will in fact be the case. Read more  Read More →

RVIA Expo. Monday Nov. 29

Greetings to all from Louisville, Kentucky!  Linda and I are parked at the Expo center campground.  (Under the topic of “name dropping”, we are next door to Bob Tiffin’s son’s motorhome)  It is nice to see that at least some of the manufacturers actually “go rv’ing”! Since  the actual show doesn’t start until tomorrow, we went over to the center, registered, and then went on a tour of Louisville, and our main objective was to visit the Louisville Slugger factory and take the factory tour.  If you are in the Louisville Ky area, and if you have ANY interest in baseball (and what good American doesn’t?), this is the place to go.  The factory, museum, and gift store are all located together, downtown, near the Ohio river.  The downtown area is very clean, and parking in this area is plentiful.  We parked right across the street from the museum, and of course took the requisite photo of the world’s largest baseball bat. Read more  Read More →

RVIA EXPO, LOUISVILLE KY

Linda and I are getting the motorhome ready for our annual trip to Kentucky to attend the RVIA show in Louisville to gather information on the general state of the RV industry, and to view new products at the show.  We will be reporting on events as they occur, here on RV.net blog. Read more  Read More →

Tips on choosing an RV dealer

Would you purchase a recreational vehicle from any RV dealer? Does the dealer make a difference? You bet it does! Not all dealers are reputable or have good customer service records. Ardell Brown RV Camping World, Draper, Utah. Photo courtesy KSL Choosing the right RV dealer is important both at the time of sale and later down the road when you have your RV serviced or repaired. Following are seven things to look for when choosing an RV dealer: 1. Customer service Unfortunately, a common complaint in the industry is that RV dealers are more interested in selling you a product than keeping it serviced after the sale. Finding an RV dealer with a proven track-record of customer service is of utmost importance. When you spend thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on an RV you want to ensure before the sale that the dealer will provide outstanding customer service. After your RV breaks down is not the time to learn that the dealer is more interested in your money and getting you off the lot than providing quality service. One way of determining an RV dealers value is by finding out if they’ve received any manufacturers’ customer service awards. Do your homework before the sale and choose an RV dealer with a proven track record for quality service. 2. Dealer’s history Secondly, taking time to research the background and history of the RV dealer could save you money and heart-aches in the long run. The longer the RV dealer has been around, better! If a dealer has... Read more

RV Recall Notifications – A Must Have for RVers

RV recalls happen. When they do, it’s imperative that RVers know about the recalls relevant to their RVs. Did you know that RV.net keeps RVers informed of RV Recalls by partnering with the Good Sam Club and the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to gather RV recall data and then distribute it to RV owners in a relevant and timely manner? Read more  Read More →

Shrinking Trailers, Shrinking Cars, Shrinking Hitches

It seems, my friends, that the sun blotting trailers of yesteryear are quickly giving way to the sub-compact micro-trailers. While I’m all in favor of increased fuel economy and parking in one zip code, I wonder how far this trend will go. While perusing the new units at the Hershey RV show last year, I asked a dealer why there were holes in the wall at the end of the bed. “Feet,” he replied. And so it goes. As I pondered the idea of waking up in the wee hours with an unknown creature of the wild licking my toes, I had to admit that some of these manufacturers were getting downright crafty in their designs. I saw outside kitchens, TVs that dropped from the ceiling, and a dinette that expanded into a dance floor, complete with the cheesy DJ. Okay I made that last one up. But you get my drift. I assume, the laws of physics being what they are, that we’ll eventually hit a minimum size trailer. Unless you work for Ringling Bros. and wear a red nose, you might demand enough room to inhale (insert Bill Clinton joke here). But why fight it? If you can get a 20′ trailer with all the modern luxuries and tow it with your Moped, rock on! We’re certainly not fighting it. For sixteen years Hensley Mfg. has built trailer hitches geared toward the mobile estate. And we’ve built them well. So well, they’ll work on any sized trailer. “But it looks so big on my trailer!” you cried. Fair enough. Aesthetics are everything. So we designed... Read more

RVIA Show, Louisville Ky, Salem Ice Cabin

Well, the show is over, the booths are closed and the weary sales reps are packing their roll on bags and preparing for the trip home.  All in all, the prevailing attitude seemed to be that the worst is over the long climb back to a vibrant RV industry has begun.  Most vendors and manufacturers are willing to acknowledge unticks in sales and production.  Several new RV models were unveiled from the likes of Fleetwood and Tiffin, along with a couple of new chassis models from Spartan and Freightliner.  Attendance at the show was respectable and RV industry economists are forecasting modest sales growth next year assuming there are no major shakeups in the economy. One thing we will be seeing in the near future will be new ads from the RVIA in the “go RVing” model.  There was one very unique RV model featured at the show the likes of which I had never seen.  Not being an ice fisherman I was not aware of this, or it is new, I’m not certain which.  I thought this was worth looking at to show the range of options open to RVers. Salem Ice Cabin   This is the Salem Ice Cabin.  As you can see from the next photo, the plan is to tow this RV onto the frozen lake, and then lower it down onto the ice to facilitate a comfortable winter fishing trip. Lower the tires   The tires stow safely out of the way. stowed tires   As does the two hitch. the hitch is stowed   Let the fishing fun begin! ready for fishing   This is a closeup of the holes in the RV floor which... Read more

RVIA Show, Louisville Ky Opening Day

Well, the first full day of activities has now concluded here at the RVIA show and Linda and I are worn out from walking and talking.  We are somewhat overwhelmed with the size of the show and amazed that this show is less than half the normal size.  I told Linda there is no way we will be able to see and absorb all that is here. Today started out at 6:30 AM with the opening breakfast and associated ceremonies including entertainment and several speeches by industry dignitaries including Jim Sheldon RVIA Chairman, pictured below: Chairman Jim Sheldon This activity was very upbeat and positive, with information about the current state of the RV industry and predictions regarding future sales.  I will be devoting more time to the opening activities in a later post. The show actually opened at 9am, following the breakfast and we began to explore the many RVs and vendor booths at the show.  There were three events scheduled for this day that we didn’t want to miss.  First one was at 11am where the new Fleetwood RV was to unveil their first new product, a “crossover” motorhome known as the Encounter.  Here is a brief video of the Encounter. This RV was introduced by John Draheim COO of Fleetwood RV, and then a tour followed.  I will have more on this RV in a later column. Next we visited the Tiffin area to see Bob Tiffin unveil his “BIG” surprise.  This was certainly the most clever event we will see at this show.  Tiffin had the new RV covered... Read more

RVIA Show Louisville Ky, Ready for Opening Day

Registration Entrance Well, our first full day in Louisville is drawing to a close with the only thing left to do being watching New Orleans and New England play football tonight.  We managed to get a bit of exploring done today, and yes, we did make it to Walmart to do our part to keep the local economy going here in Louisville.  I have also noticed that as the day has gone by, the RV park here at the Expo Center has started to fill up.  I was concerned that I would be the only “dedicated” RVer at the show, but that is not to be the case. Read more  Read More →

RVIA Show in Louisville Ky

It is Monday morning, Nov. 30, 2009, and we have arrived in Louisville to attend the RVIA show at the Kentucky Expo Center.  The show actually starts tomorrow, but we are taking this day to find our way around, sort of get the lay of the land.  We were originally planning to stay at a trailer park about 2 miles from here, but at the last minute we discovered that the Expo Center has its own RV park within walking distance of the show.  So, we are now parked at the Expo Center Rv park with 50 amps and full hookups.  I wouldn’t call this a “destination” RV park, given that it is really a parking lot with hookups, but the convenience is great, although a bit pricey at $50/nite.  The park is well lighted and at arrival we were greeted by a friendly attendent and then after registration was complete, we were ushered around the park on a golfcart, and allowed to select our “space” where it would be convenient to plug in and hook up. Since we arrived yesterday, after we got set up, we went exploring, and located the registration area and picked up a show program with the phrase, ” MOTORVATION” on the cover.  Inside there is a complete listing of exhibiters, including RV manufacturers and other vendors to the RV industry.  There is also a nice map of the convention floor with the names of the various manufacturers and the area where they will be located.  I went through the list of exhibitors which is a real “who’s who”... Read more

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