RV'ing goofs & confessions

Don't feel bad if you had an oops with your RV or tow vehicle. Forum members have owned up to some of their mistakes, and they are documented in the library file on Classic RVing goofs. All of these boo boos are worthy of a HFWPOH (hit forehead with palm of hand) award.

Do have some mistakes/stories to share with forum members? If so, post them as a reply to this message.

This one was so embarrassing it has taken us years to be able to laugh about it.    We recently owned up to it at lunch with the Brewers, Brinks and Wainwrights, so I guess I can take it public now.  :

We were preparing to leave Camp Runamuck in Hyder, Alaska.  While hitching the toad we remarked to each other how quickly the preparations seemed to be going.  We then proceeded to pull out in front of everyone watching still hooked up to water and electricity.  People were chasing us down the street hollering and pointing.  Thank God we weren't attached to the sewer.

And, we weren't even newbies.  We had already been on the road five years. 

Margi

Last summer in Alaska, as we were traveling one morning something kept nagging at me.  I finally thought I had it figured out after about 50 miles, and I told Lorna to stop the motorhome.  I went back to the Honda in tow and sure enough, the parking brake was set.  The rear wheels were quite hot and there was a strong odor of burnt brake lining.  The reason I had forgotten was that we hadn't unhooked the night before and I had put the brake on in the morning to run the engine and transmission through the gears before leaving and forgotten to release it.  The brakes still worked, although with a lot more pedal travel than usual, until we left Anchorage.  That night, when I unhooked the Honda, the brakes were almost non-existent.  The Honda stayed hitched up until we got to Seward where we were fortunate to find a shop that could replace the rear brake cylinders and bleed and refill the brake lines.

Even though the parking brake was set, the rear wheels still turned when we did our final departure check of lights, etc.  After that incident, I double checked the parking brake every morning before departing, sometimes triple checking.

Ned said:

Last summer in Alaska, as we were traveling one morning something kept nagging at me.  I finally thought I had it figured out after about 50 miles, and I told Lorna to stop the motorhome.  I went back to the Honda in tow and sure enough, the parking brake was set...

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I did the same thing a few months ago, having been distracted answering questions from the guy on the site next door.  Fortunately, I remembered after going about 25 feet.

It took me 50 miles to remember the parking brake also. Burned out the linings on our brand new Suburban. Fortunately, the service brakes on the same wheels have separate brake pads. I now check the transfer case and the parking brake 3 times before moving off.

Sam & I have avoided these experiences with the toad probably because we both make a final check before we move the rig after hooking up.

Blew an engine when we drove off with a stick shift toad in first gear. Unlike an automatic in Park, the wheels still turn on a stick shift and it tows OK at 10-15 mph. But somewhere around 40 mph in first gear was more than that poor little 4 banger could handle and there was a bang and cloud of steam as the rod penetrated the radiator after passing right though the crankcase.

I've got an lame excuse about how I got distracted and made that mistake, but it's all 20/20 hindsight now.  You can bet we are real careful when getting ready to tow now.  Nancy has pretty much over the job, since I obviously was not trustworthy! She double or triple checks anything I do and her own work as well.

Sam & I have avoided these experiences with the toad probably because we both make a final check before we move the rig after hooking up.

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Jerry and I also both do a final walk-around after hooking up the toad.  Mine is the last and I touch everything to make sure nothing is loose.  We also check to be sure the slides are completely secure, the windows and vents closed, and the awnings in place.

ArdraF

The problem with walk-arounds is that they easily become routine and you see what you expect to see. You have to keep reminding yourself to LOOK closely and think about what you are actually seeing.

Perhaps this is a good place to pass on a piece of RV etiquette to newbies: Please refrain from interrupting others when they are hooking up or doing a walk-around - the break in the process leads to mistakes that an be expensive or even catastrophic.  Even an offer to help is not a good idea, unless you see someone struggling with something.

That was an excellent piece of info - not to interupt someone when they're doing their set up or tear down - I wouldn't have thought of that.  I think I'm going to make printed check lists for the first 1,000 times i do this so I don't forget something.  At least I hope I don't forget - sounds like it happens to everybody

This was mentioned by me, somewhere in another thread, around a year ago. But, here goes, anyway.

Not long after we bought our new motorhome, I decided to back it onto the new concrete pad, in the back yard where we had recently installed a new fence with a rolling gate. Nice! We love the setup. I was to do it alone, as DW was ill and wanted to go to bed, immediately. And, I had done it alone, several times, successfully.  :

I badly misjudged the tail-swing/overhang! Took out the brand new rolling gate and most of the street side of the new fence. Destroyed it!  Did only $2,000 worth of damage to the rear end of the MH. Worse, as I started backing, a city bus approached and not to delay him unnecessarily, I picked up a little speed.  :-[

I developed an aircraft pilot type checklist for starting, stopping etc, with separate lists for different types of stops and starts.  I go through the start-up list, three times, checking as I go - on every start-up. If I am interrupted, I start over, at the beginning.

Different types of start-ups: Starting from a full service campsite - or my back yard is different from starting up after stopping for a rest break or after refueling.  ;D

Checking three times for start-up: Full check of everything before starting engine. Walk around and touch everything I can reach, as it is checked. Start engine and check again - second walk around - no touching required. Third check is done from driver's seat, requiring moving/adjusting/readjusting mirrors to assist in the check. I am not inspired to skip any of the check-list. Too expensive.

Or, restated - first check is to actually do the required adjustments - pull in the slides - disconnect the shore power - store stuff etc. Start engine and let it warm up while doing the check, again, and any corrections as necessary. Third check, using mirrors, is a kind of sort of comfort check and to make me adjust the mirrors, everytime, whether I want to go to the trouble or not. Getting used to adjusting the mirrors for each new activity, now. Used to be too lazy! A mirror adjustment might have saved my fence!  Might have saved two $500 deductibles, one on the coach and one on the fence! 

Ray D  ;D