Where is the Spare?

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 AdminWhy 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... Read more

Cost Effective Weekend RV Fun

Sometimes spending your weekend at home is just plain boring. There really isn’t much to do, but on the other hand you don’t have much of time before the weekend is over and it’s back to work again. How about a weekend RV getaway close to home? Not only can a quick RV trip alleviate the boredom, but it is cost effective too. A 200 mile, or less, round trip from home won’t cost much in fuel, food or campground fees and it might be just what the doctor ordered for some well deserved relaxation and time to recharge. Read more  Read More →

RV Doctor – Slideout Catching on Linoleum – Can I Replace It and How?

Dear RV Doc, The kitchen area in my motorhome is linoleum and the rest carpet. The factory replaced the linoleum once under warranty due to buckling and fracture. This was caused from the kitchen slideout roller coming across the linoleum when the slideout was moved in for transporting. Now, six years later the linoleum is doing the same thing and curling at the edges under the kitchen slideout causing the slideout to catch the edges when moving in and out especially in cold weather. I must replace the linoleum again as it is damaged from the above explanation. If I replace with linoleum again is it a good idea to glue it down? The factory did not do so either originally or with the replacement. I am also thinking of maybe going to a floating laminate flooring which might be better to resolve my problem. What is your opinion? How difficult is it to remove that kitchen slideout to properly get the new flooring under the slideout? I contacted the factory for information but received no answer whatsoever. Your opinion and help would be greatly appreciated. - Larry Reeves, (Metamora, IL) Answer: Larry, I’m not fully convinced every single factory actually glues the complete floor area due to the time and effort involved. If the edge of the linoleum is exposed to the slideout floor it is bound to start catching and peeling eventually regardless of how it is fastened. A properly designed slideout should have a wedge of Teflon or other low friction material running along its entire... Read more

Who is that driving the motorhome?

Over the weekend we started planning for an RV trip we are taking later this summer. It’s about 6,000 miles roundtrip. We are on somewhat of a timeline and I wanted an idea on average of how many miles we would travel each day, based on our schedule. It seems like more often than not we are on a tight schedule, forcing us to put in more miles per day than I would like. I want this trip to be more leisurely when it comes to how many hours you are behind the wheel each day. Admittedly I am one of those people who likes to do all of the driving myself. I just feel better if I know I am behind the wheel. I know my wife, Dawn, is a competent driver (she even has her CDL) but I still prefer to do the driving. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is extremely important that both individuals are capable of driving or towing the RV. You never know when your wife or husband will need to drive the RV and they should feel comfortable and confident in doing so. As we were planning the trip it brought back a memory of a past trip we took in the RV. We were stopped in traffic because of an accident, and had sat in the same spot without moving for at least 30 minutes. I told Dawn that I was going to run back and use the bathroom and if traffic started moving to just get behind the wheel and drive. The boys were in the back bedroom playing X Box. The motorhome started moving about the same time that I came out of the bathroom. Both boys looked up at me with their eyes wide open and... Read more

Extended Warranties: How To Protect Your Investment

Last week we looked at the cost effectiveness of extended warranties.  This week we will discuss what the vehicle owner is responsible for during such a warranty. If you elect to purchase an extended warranty on your RV, you need to protect that investment.  This requires regular maintenance at the frequency rate recommended by the manufacturer.  It also requires you to have the documents confirming the service was carried out.  So, keep all these receipts in a safe place so you can produce them if ever needed.  This maintenance file is also good to have when selling your RV down the road. Additionally, you are expected to operate the vehicle within its specifications and take the necessary steps that may be required once a failure has occurred.  For example, if on a motorized RV the oil pressure alarm sounds, you must stop the vehicle and engine immediately.  Damage caused by the engine operating any duration after the failure may not be covered by the warranty.  Say you saw a service station a mile down the highway and you decided to try to nurse it the extra mile.  If the oil pressure is low, not just a sensor failure, the crank bearings and the cylinder walls and more may be damaged. There are two ways the warranty shop can tell that the engine was run after the oil pressure ceased.  First, by inspecting the internal parts in the motor.  Secondly the ECM (Engine Control Module) records all engine events and would probably show that the oil pressure was low... Read more

Some Interesting RV Poll Results

The outcome of any poll depends on several factors like; what type of poll it is, how the questions are worded, who is asking the questions and of course who does and does not participate in the poll. Each week we conduct an RV poll in our e-newsletter. The RV poll is not a scientific poll, a political poll or a marketing poll. It is basically used to give me some idea of what our newsletter readers are interested in, how they use their RVs  and just for the fun of it. I  thought it would be interesting to look back at some of our past RV polls and see how the participants responded. Here’s what I found out. 85% travel with the refrigerator on and 15% travel with it off 53% prefer diesel and 47% prefer gas 79% eat more meals in the RV and 21% eat more meals out 89% conduct a spring check-up on their RV before using it and 11% don’t 67% said the recession won’t change plans to use the RV and 33% said it will 72% said their average RV trips are one week or less and 28% said their average RV trips are two weeks or longer 54% own motorized RV’s and 46% own towable RV’s 91% plan two or more summer RV trips and 9% plan only one 63% store the RV on their own property and 37% make other storage arrangements 82% check the tire pressure before each trip and 18% don’t 24% said a hybrid RV chassis would affect their buying decision and 76% said it wouldn’t have any affect 90% said they use environmentally friendly holding tank chemicals... Read more

Update: My Predictions for Future of the RV Industry

In February of 2009 I wrote an article titled “My Top 5 Predictions for the Future of the RV Industry”. I thought that since nearly a year has passed this would be a good time to take a look at how my predictions faired. In the original article I mentioned that the RV industry has endured many hardships in the past; recessions, high interest rates for consumer lending and dealer floor plan payments, the high cost of fuel and that it has always rebounded. To come back stronger than it was before requires innovation, change and forward thinking on the part of its leaders in all sectors of the industry. To read my first article go here Now let’s take a look at my past predictions and current conditions. My #5 Prediction: The weak will not survive. Whether it is a manufacturer, dealer, campground or aftermarket supplier only the strong who are committed, determined and willing to change with the times will survive this current downturn.  It will require downsizing operations, inventory, and making good solid business decisions. Back to the basics! In the long run this will make the remaining companies better, stronger and more adaptable to change. #5 Update: The list of U.S. RV manufacturers that are no longer in business or have filed bankruptcy has exceeded 20 since the recession began. As of June 2009 approximately 160 RV dealers across the country closed their doors for good. The remaining 95 or so U.S. RV manufacturers and 2,900 RV dealers have done what was necessary... 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

Why Filter your RV Drinking Water?

 Over the years I have written numerous articles about water filtration, water quality and sanitizing your RV water system. There are lots of reasons to be concerned about the water we drink, especially when it comes to RV’s. When you travel in your RV and stop at different destinations on a regular basis you don’t know anything about the quality of the water you are using or drinking. It seems like every day you hear more and more about what is in the water we drink and how it can impact our health. I have always been an advocate for filtering the water in our RV and I am always on the lookout for the best possible method for filtering water.   Read more  Read More →

RV Water & Waste Issues

WATER AND WASTE ISSUES: Please follow these instructions; You or your loved ones could become ill from miss-handling of the sewer and water hoses. Reduce the threats from e-coli, germs and bacteria when handling the sewer hose by following these tips: SEWER HOSE USE: Throw-away Gloves should be worn while handling the sewer hose and its fittings. Remove the gloves, without touching the outside of them and properly dispose of them before starting other chores. Tanks should be drained, in this method; Black Water (toilet), then Gray Water (sink water). Additional flushing of your sewer hose can be done by opening faucets in the RV and/or stepping down on your stool valves. WATER HOSE: Before we hook up the Water Hose, we should use a spray bottle to disinfect the area. The threat of cross-contamination from improper sewer hose use may be eliminated by following these safety tips. Beware, as past campers, using the site may have washed their sewer hose at the faucet, causing contamination. A backflow preventor may be installed on your campground faucet. Your RV fluids cannot contaminate the campground water system when the campground water pressure is lost, or is lower than your tank pressures. PORTABLE DRAINAGE TANKS are used to transfer waste from your RV tanks to the nearest sewer drain. Be sure and follow good practices while using these tanks. Do not spill the contents on the ground. Be sure and open the vent on the tank before filling, and close it while transporting. DISINFECT... Read more

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