A FEW SITUATIONS OF OUR OWN

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our E-mail Digest or RSS Feed. We will then send you the stories that are posted each day in an e-mail digest. We use a service called Feedburner for delivery of these emails. You will receive an e-mail from Feedburner after you subscribe and you must click on that email to activate your subscription. Thanks for visiting and enjoy all the information! RV.Net Blog AdminBy Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers Dear Lug_Nut, We cringed during yesterday’s posting, wondering how we get ourselves into these no-going-back & no-going–forward situations.  We had a few, but, honestly, none that I can remember as harrowing as your knuckle-whitener.  Good writing, Lug! Since “Comments” aren’t active these days, a victim of spammers (who sent me over 400 messages at one time), I’ll relate a few of our experiences in this blog.  I wrote this same type column about a year ago, but Monique urged me not to run it.  I must have erased it, because it has disappeared from my files. First incident happened about the fifth day of our RVing experience, so naturally I was still nervous.  We approached a long, narrow bridge pulling our 22-foot Starcraft Antigua travel trailer.  As we moved on forward, I realized there was a truck with a wide load heading toward us !!! at a high rate of speed !!! and weaving a bit.  I truly white-knuckled it, hanging onto the steering wheel for dear life. We must have made... Read more

Decreasing The Risk of RV Accidents

A Lug_Nut point of view.   Vehicle accidents are unfortunately all too common, especially minor ones, often referred to as “Fender Benders.”  These types of incidents are both costly and inconvenient, not to mention possibly dangerous.  Many insurance policies provide for a loaner, or rental car, while your vehicle gets repaired.  This certainly eases the inconvenience somewhat, but still disrupts one’s life, albeit briefly. Such a safety net does not exist for most, if not all, RV’s.  If your trailer or motor home is involved in a collision, you will inevitably be without a temporary replacement while it is fixed.   But, unlike an ordinary auto repair, the repairing of these specialized units takes a considerable period of time. Additionally, RV’s are generally larger, and some greatly so, to that of a normal automobile or light truck.  To manage the weight for these oversized vehicles, lighter body materials are often used.  These lighter materials can suffer far worst damage in an impact with an object or another vehicle.   Also, the nature of RV applications may often require maneuvering in close proximity to a host of objects while backing into a relatively small space.  All of these things increase the risks of physical damage to the unit. This can be very stressful if such an event happens just prior to, or while, on your vacation.  It can ruin your plans and spoil your entire holiday.   Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed way of avoiding these... Read more

Your Next DP May Have Spark Plugs!

Lug_Nut, with a look at what’s coming.  In the near future your new Cummins powered coach may have spark plugs or like designed igniters.  It will also operate a whole lot cheaper.  It will be like lowering the price of diesel by $1.50 to $2.00 a gallon.  It will not need a DEF system that current produced large diesel engines require.  It sounds too good to be true?  Read on! Cummins Westport has developed and tested a natural gas (CNG) powered engine using the current Cummins series diesel engine line up.   The ISL G, natural gas powered prime mover has been tested and run since 2007 with about 13,000 in operation today.  The ISX 12 G will be marketed to the trucking industry in 2013.  This engine size, the 11.9 liter, is the biggest selling over the road mill.  While both the ISL G and ISX 12 G will be available in North America in 2013, it is not clear if the “B” and “C” series will be. One of the biggest issues currently is the availability of fueling stations throughout the country.  The majority of these are in southern California at this time, but that’s about to ramp up.  Until now, CNG powered vehicles were confined to urban areas where services were readily available. Some big name truck fueling stations, like the Flying J, have already installed the needed equipment and tanks at some locations, with more following. Environmentally, this fuel burns green, with little to no pollutants.  However, there are concerns over the leakage of unburned... Read more

The Weak Link In RV Dash Instrumentation

A Lug_Nut Thought.  Dash instrumentation has become more and more precise over the years.  Complex informative data can be displayed with near pin point accuracy.  Full “Glass Dashes” like that used in aircraft today are finding their way and showing up on some high end motor coaches.  Digital readouts have become common place in everyday automobiles over the past decade.  Engine temperatures can be observed to the single degree as can speed, engine RPM, manifold pressure, boost pressure, transmission temperature and much more.  In the average vehicle, these multitude of real time data information readings are of little value, outside of a cool looking gimmick.  In most cases “Idiot Lights” would probably suffice.   However, for large vehicles, like heavy motor homes and truck trailer combinations, this information can be vital and of great value.  Observing various data trends and digital readout behavior while travelling, can reveal issues that require attention.  That attention may necessitate an operation strategy change, or, if necessary, a physical investigation. But, there is one instrument that every vehicle has and is used daily.  It has not really evolved operationally over that available when we were born.  While some sensor changes have been made, it is still about as inaccurate as they were 30 years or more ago.  That instrument is the fuel gauge.     Every vehicle I have ever owned, or driven, seemed to have the same inaccurate tendency. ... Read more

An Innovative Idea For RV Transmission Control

  An innovative product idea from the Lug_Nut file. Automatic transmissions are quickly replacing the mechanically clutched manual gearbox in the world’s high performance automobiles. While many are equipped with single or dual action hydraulic clutches, all are capable of shifting gears automatically. For the positive control of spirited performance shifting, these newer systems employ steering wheel mounted paddle switches. These spring loaded momentary contact levers are located behind the wheel at about nine and three o’clock. They are easily operated with your fingertips while your hands are comfortably gripping the steering wheel. The left one toggles the downshift while the right the upshift. The main transmission control provides a selection of either fully automatic or paddle control shifting. The automatic or manual modes can also be toggled back and forth on some models using just the paddles. Generally the paddle shift feature is not available on the average automobile, other than as a sales gimmick, as it would have little operational value. But what about a large vehicle like a truck or motor home? The ability to manually select the gearing, in this type of unit, is often a need when operating in very hilly or mountainous terrains. Currently, diesel pusher owners control user input shifts by depressing one of two buttons on the Allison keypad. The control keypad is generally located to the driver’s left, often near waist level about equal to the operator’s... Read more

The RVs We Drive – Woodall’s Bloggers Discuss their Personal RV Choices

The RVs We Drive | This Week Only at Woodall’s Campgrounds, RV Blog and Family Camping Blog! This week in the Woodall’s Blog – The RVs WE Drive! Read our expert bloggers as they share the pros and cons of various camping units – from their own personal experience. These posts are about their favorite RVs! What is your RV of choice, and why do you choose that vehicle for your camping trips? Tell us by submitting a guest blog about it at http://blog.woodalls.com/authors/guest-blogger-submission/ . Here’s what one blogger had to say: Looking for Fun with the Fun-Finder How did we select our current RV? Well, I’d like to report that we had unlimited funds and time to select nothing but the very best that satisfied our every whim and need. I’d like to tell you that, but it wouldn’t be true. Instead, I’ll tell you what is probably a common story. We had camped for ma… READ MORE  Read More →

RV Driving On Extreme Mountain Grades

A Lug_Nut point of view.  Extreme mountain grade driving is something most RVers prefer to do in their towed vehicle rather than with their motor home or truck trailer combination.  Steep climbs and drop- off downhill grades can turn a pleasant days run into a white knuckle survival experience.  So what exactly is considered extreme mountain grades?       Interstate highways and the majority of state routes are generally limited to 6% to 7% grades.  This means for every 100 feet travelled you would climb or descend six or seven feet.  A long downhill grade of this descent requires a constant resistance of lower gear operation, Pac Brake, Jake Brake and or service brakes.  The heavier the vehicle the harder it is to maintain a reasonable speed.  While you can generally use your brakes to check and maintain your speed in your automobile or light truck, the same cannot be said for most RV rigs.  Brake friction to slow a heavy rig quickly produces excessive heat that may lead to poor braking efficiency or even full brake failure.  While drum type brakes are perhaps more affected by this, disc systems can also overheat and fail. Extreme mountain grades can be upwards of 18%, well over double what you would normally encounter in the U.S or Canada.   These can bring the climb speed of a heavy motor home or trailer combination into single digits on the speedometer at full throttle.  Likewise on the descent an extreme resistance will be required to hold back the vehicle. ... 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

Homemade Teardrop Trailers Make Comeback

Gary Daniel and Don Wheeler are two -it-yourselfers who built their own teardrops—compact, efficient travel trailers measuring just 4 feet by 8 feet. Central Illinois Recreational Show David Clemente of Janesville, Wisconsin, built a teardrop trailer from the information in a 1939/1947 Mechanix Illustrated magazine. It is nicely finished and used regularly for camping. Photo courtesy Allen Penticoff and Rock River Times Daniel and Wheeler will be among teardrop owners who will display their rigs at the Central Illinois Recreational Show at the Peoria Civic Center from Friday (March 4) through Sunday, the Bloomington Pantagraph reported. The show used to be just for motorhomes, travel trailers, and fifth-wheels, but it has expanded in recent years with the growth of the Civic Center. Now, besides recreational vehicles, vendors will represent campgrounds, tow-vehicle dealers, boats, three-wheeled motorcycles, trail bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and even golf carts sales. This year’s highlight will be the small pull-behind trailers known as “tear-drop trailers.” Teardrops have been around since the 1930s—many were home-built—and were popular because of their sleek, aerodynamic design and lightweight materials. Several tear-drop trailers designed by local campers will be on display at the show. What is a teardrop? (The following information on teardrop trailers courtesy teardrops.net) Anyone who has ever owned (or used) a teardrop trailer can tell you that the most... Read more

Freedom, Travel, and the Good Life: New RV Magazine to launch March 1

Today’s fifth wheel trailers are truly a home away from home with large kitchens and even larger living areas. The units range in size up to 40 feet and are able to carry motorcycles, ATVs, and other small vehicles while still having adequate space for the family to camp in style and comfort. A press release earlier this week announced the launch of a new magazine for RVers. To be launched March 1, Fifth Wheel Magazine will focus on keeping fifth wheel and toy hauler owners up-to-date with the latest industry trends and new products and accessories that are making fifth wheeling easier and safer. Fifth Wheel Magazine will review current and new models, provide product information, photographic and video factory tours, fifth wheel safety and general tips and advice from industry experts. In addition to industry news, Fifth Wheel Magazine provides product tips, safety information, and expertise from professionals in the industry. This information will assist current and prospective RVers in making informed buying decisions and staying current with the latest trends and innovations in the industry. Fifth wheel interior. Photo courtesy Fifth Wheel Magazine A stated goal of the new Fifth Wheel Magazine is to bridge the gap between the manufacturers and fifth wheel and toy hauler owners and new buyers. By keeping up-to-date with what the manufacturers are doing and how they are working on new designs and features, the magazine intends to keep fifth wheel owners and buyers informed... Read more

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