Where is the Spare?

Why don’t some RV manufacturers include a spare tire with a new RV?  Is it a liability issue or a cost issue? I have heard both sides of the story over the years, and it usually depends on what type of a RV you are talking about. I have owned three towable RV’s and two motorized RV’s. Two of the towable RV’s came with spare tires when I purchased them and I ordered a spare tire as an option on our Class C motorhome, but I could not get a spare for our Class A motorhome. It seems ridiculous that you buy an RV, designed for traveling all over the country, and the one thing not included is a spare tire. Let’s try to find out why there’s no spare! It has been rumored that many years ago an RV owner got hurt while changing a tire on his motorhome and that he sued the RV manufacturer. This is supposedly why many motorhome manufacturers opt not to include a spare tire, especially on larger motorhomes.   Admittedly changing a spare tire on a large motorhome is not the same as changing a tire on your automobile. From a liability standpoint the argument is because of the size on the RV and the weight of the tire and rim it can be dangerous for an individual to attempt changing a tire. Plus you would need to carry some special type of equipment to safely and properly change a tire. I would have to agree, but why not include a spare (without a jack or the other necessary equipment) and have a mandatory warning label stating the dangers of changing a tire along with a recommendation... Read more

Diesel Pushers Owners. What The Manuals Don’t Tell You.

Operation manuals are a great help in getting the most out of a product.  By studying these one can learn how to properly use the product without exceeding its specifications and causing damage.  However, there are things that are not necessarily covered and are either common sense, assumed knowledge or just plain missed.        So, let’s look at a modern class A diesel pusher.  It has air suspension and air brakes.  In most cases the manuals do not state the following.   Air Brakes: Do not exert hard pressure on the brake pedal while the park brake is applied.  Doing so may multiply the power of both the park brake spring and the air brake chamber which could cause damage to the mechanical portion of the “S” cam assembly.  Light to moderate pressure only is required while disengaging the park brake. Airing Up:  This is when you air up to ride height from a height lower than that used for travel.  Do not drive the vehicle until the suspension is fully inflated and at ride height.  This can generally be confirmed by in-dash indicators, if so equipped, or the sound of the compressor unloading.  This requirement is to avoid two possible issues.  The first is the possibility of contacting the fender with the front tires if steered to either side.  The second issue is the acute angle that the drive shaft U joints are at when aired down.  High torque at this steep angle may cause premature U joint failure.  Moving a short distance relatively straight under... 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

When Will We See Hybrid Motor Homes?

If you are hoping to reduce costs by buying a hybrid motor home in the near future, you had better not hold your breath.  If such a vehicle does become available, you  may  need to have deep pockets.  While an electric/gas hybrid may very well cut your fuel consumption substantially, you will probably never reach a ROI (return on investment).   In fact you will probably lose big time.   Basically, this is the way they operate.  They are propelled by either an electric motor or a gasoline engine, depending on the current circumstances.  The battery pack only receives a charge while the vehicle is coasting or braking.  When additional power is required, the gas engine takes over.  While the gas engine is propelling the vehicle, no charge is supplied to the batteries.  The gas engine will actually shut off, if and when it is not required, for example at a stoplight.  It will restart automatically when needed.  Many hybrid automobiles today are basically short time vehicles, or better put, disposable.  This is largely due to the cost of the prime battery pack that powers the vehicle while it is in the electric propulsion mode.  These batteries generally are covered by a 100,000 mile warranty and can cost anywhere from about $3,500 to $8,000 to replace.  The suggested life of the battery packs are anywhere from 8 to 10 years, based on 10,000 to 12,000 miles per year.  Higher yearly mileage would of course reduce this.  When this vehicle reaches 10 years old it... Read more

RVIA Show in Kentucky next week

Today is Tuesday Nov. 24, and for the last week or so I have been busy getting the motorhome ready for a trip to Kentucky next week to attend the RVIA show.  This is the annual “industry only” trade show that usually features what is new and exciting for the upcoming year in the RV industry.  We will be staying at a trailer park near the expo center where the show is going to be held and plan to spend as much time as we can, visiting various exhibitors and talking with industry insiders about their view of the RV market.  I am hoping to gather enough information to write a few articles on what we see and hear, and hopefully we will also post some photos of the new “hardware”. While talking to various attendees from the RV manufacturing segment, I would like to ask them questions that RVers are interested in asking.  If you have anything you would like to know, please leave a comment.  I am also planning to discuss the future of RVing and would like to pose any speculation readers might have about the future of our lifestyle. My wife will be with me and will be providing a woman’s perspective as well. Please leave your thoughts and comments and I will try to find out more information if I can. Larry  Read More →

Pre-Departure Maintenance Checks

When you head out on a trip in your RV you look forward to the sights and scenery along the way, and to the fun you will have when you arrive at your final destination. Nothing will ruin all of the fun and adventure quicker than an unexpected breakdown.    There are three basic types of maintenance for your RV, preventive maintenance, scheduled maintenance and emergency maintenance. The lack of preventive maintenance and/or scheduled maintenance will eventually result in emergency maintenance. If you don’t check the air pressure in your tires (preventive maintenance) the under-inflated tire over heats and prematurely fails resulting in emergency maintenance.  There are pre-departure safety checks and pre-departure maintenance checks you should make on your RV prior to leaving on a trip. Today we are going to concentrate on some of  the maintenance checks you should make before hitting the road.  Check all fluid levels: a      Engine Oil: Automotive wise this is perhaps the most important PM check you can make. Check your engine oil on a regular basis. Add oil as required, but do not overfill. Consult your owner’s manual for the type of oil to use. Have the oil and oil filter changed at manufacturers service intervals.  b.      Transmission Fluid: Transmissions in motorhomes and tow vehicles get worked extremely hard. Transmission fluid cools and lubricates the transmission. Checking and maintaining the fluid will extend the life of the transmission. Follow... Read more

RV Winterizing 101 (Part 2)

We enjoy using our RV as much as possible throughout the year.  But when you can’t use your RV, for whatever reasons and temperatures are approaching freezing, it’s important that you protect it. Last week I talked about preparing your RV’s interior, exterior and chassis for storage during the colder winter months. I mentioned at the beginning of the article that the RV plumbing system is the most vulnerable to damage caused by plummeting temperatures. The good news is it is really quite easy to protect the RV water system from this potential threat.  I am including a checklist from my “Checklists for RVers” eBook to help walk you through the winterizing process. Read more  Read More →

Check the Chassis

It’s a fact of RVing life: Things wear out and break on your rig, and require maintenance and replacement. When it’s something you can see, it’s no problem—it’s what you can’t see that can fail and cause a potentially dangerous situation. We’ve been reminded of this numerous times in the past, but the most recent example is the rear control arms on some Monaco motorhome chassis, which have a tendency to crack or even fail completely. The chassis in question is the Roadmaster RR4R with the four-airbag “Monaco Gold” suspension. I’m not about to speculate on the cause of the problem, and I’m not going to suggest that the part was improperly engineered, but the fact is, the problem exists. We’ve seen it in our shop several times over the last couple of years. If you own one of these coaches, there is good news. Source Manufacturing, LLC offers heavy-duty rear control arms for these coaches under part number TRA-1002. These arms are a direct replacement for the factory components, and include upgraded axle mounting hardware. Even if you have already had these parts replaced under warranty, Source warns that the replacements are the same design as the original, and therefore are susceptible to the same problems. The TRA-1002 control arms are designed for Monaco Knight (’02-’04), Monaco Cayman (’02-’09), Holiday Rambler Ambassador (’02-’04), Holiday Rambler Neptune (’02-’09), Safari Cheetah (’02-’04) and Safari Simba RD (all years). We have... Read more

RV Winterizing 101 (Part 1)

It’s always sad to come to the realization that another camping season is winding down.  Part of this realization is preparing the RV for winter storage, so it will be ready to go camping again next spring.  My guess is that most RV owners, especially those in cold climate regions, refer to this winter storage preparation as winterizing your RV.  When you hear the term “winterizing” the first thought that comes to mind is to protect the RV water system from potential damage caused by exposure to freezing temperatures. Frozen and damaged water lines are in fact the most common problem related to not winterizing your RV, or not properly winterizing your RV; but there is more to winterizing your RV than just protecting the water system from freezing. Read more  Read More →

Battery Voltage, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This column is in reply to a question about the charging voltage being delivered to batteries while driving. The question from Bill is “I would like to know what the maximum battery charging voltage should be when the engine is running. My rig runs around 14.4 volts at anything over 1000 RPM. Is this voltage going to shorten the life of the battery? We usually drive 5 hours or so between camping stops. The coach battery is a group 24 deep cycle flooded cell type.” Read more  Read More →

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