First Overnighter in RV

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The ice trick is one I have passed on to many others. ?Great one and learned it here first. ?MANY years ago! ?The gas lighter, not a cig lighter is best to keep around anyway. ?In time you will add the citronella, plus a gas grill, so it will be needed for all those tasks as well. ?The twist igniters on the stoves aren't perfect, so it is handy whether you have them or not.

That chassis is most likely a 5000 lb hitch, not necessarily having the capacity, but most likey the cap. ?You need to see what all the ratings are to determine the cap you can pull. ?You using an enclosed trailer? ?The single axle units have a 2990 cap typically, mainly because that is 10 short of the max without electric brakes. ?This is trailer weight plus load. ?Careful with all this. ?

 
We've had 3 different Space Saver coffee makers and the first two worked just fine on the inverter but the current one runs the clock at double speed on the modified sine wave.? It does make coffee however :)

The two failures had nothing to do with the power source, and we took them to a Black & Decker store and they exchanged them for new ones with no questions.? So if it really has failed, take it in and ask for a replacement.
 
About the photo re-sizing.  I have attached a write-up that I did on this subject.  You should not have any problems in the future.

 

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I would only add one thing, resize to 640x480 (small) rather than 240x320 (handheld) when using the MS PowerToy resizer.  The images are easy to view in the larger size and still small enough to download quickly.
 
Ok, I think that I got the resizing trick right.  Here are pictures of my son, Gregory, his friend Austin, and my Japanese exchange student, Yuzo, on our first overnighter in the RV.

Jozee
 

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  • Resize of 2006-03-26  Yuzo, G, and Austin 2.JPG
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Jozee,

You did just fine with the resizing.  Nice photos, nice kids.
 
Hi jozee,

Glad everything went well. Yes, 4 wheelers don't know how close they flirt with disaster when they give no regard to the size of our rigs. I've had two slam on their brakes after cutting in front of me. You just can't figure them out sometimes.
 
Karl said:
Jozee,

The coffee maker - is it one of those that has an electronic timer you can set to brew coffee automatically? If so, the electronics probably will not work with a modified sinewave inverter and can be damaged by it. Try setting the clock and brewing a pot while running on shore power or with the generator. If that doesn't work, you'll probably have to replace it. Get one of the manual models with just an on/off switch. But first make sure you check the circuit breakers and any GFCI outlets to make sure they haven't been tripped. Oh, and make sure it's plugged in ;D
   
I was hooked up to shore power.  I suspect that the unit is old.  I don't even have an inverter :'(.  The hot plate came on under the pot, but the water never moved from the resevoir to the coffee ground holder.  I know that with those that have the "sneak a cup" feature, the pot must be all the way into the unit, or the hot coffee will not drip into the coffee pot.  This was not the case.  The plate got hot, but the water in the resevoir just sat there.  I suspect that it is an old appliance and just worn out.  I may take it apart anyway, just for fun.  Maybe I can test my new voltmeter! ;)
 
Take it to a Black and Decker store.  As I said, they will probably replace it for no charge.
 
Decided to make coffee on the stove top, but need matches to light the burner.  I didn't have any.  One more thing for my check list.

The butane BBQ lighters you see in stores are safer to carry than kitchen matches and are cheap and available everywhere.  They are useful to light water heaters and, wow, BBQs!
 
After a great deal of searching, I found out that the closest Black and Decker store (to me) is in Las Vegas.  There is another in Northern CA, but it is even farther than the Nevada store from my home here in San Diego.  I think that I will just have to get along with making stove top coffee (not really a set back, I am good at this) until I repair or replace my black and Decker coffee maker that came with the Tiffin RV.

The '98 Allegro that I bought is an entry level RV, so, I have discovered that it does not have an electric start or pilot light for my stove burners.  No problem, I bought the long "bar b que" type lighter to start my stove  (as suggested by you pro's).  I must have missed it on previous check lists.  It is certainly a "must have" for RVers, for many reasons.

I am still confused a bit about the need for the water regulator (do I have one built in, or should I buy one, and should it be with a gauge, or just adjustable???) , but will start a separate topic regarding this.

I begin my trip to the Colorado River next Sunday.  I am sure to post many questions between now and then about, well, everything.

I was amazed at how long it took me to "pre flight" for my overnight trip to Camp Pendleton.  I allowed two hours to get out of my driveway, and it took almost four.  I need to include that factor, times six, into my six day trip to the river.  I have given myself a day to load up and double check everything.  I have decided not to tow.  I will have a dirt bike and a quad on a rack mounted to my hitch.  I will save these questions for another discussion as well.

jozee
 
Josee,

Here is a list of driving tips that I compiled after taking the RV Driving School 1-day driving course.

JerryF
________________________________________

                      RV DRIVING TIPS

Stay in the center of your lane.  One idea is to put two 1/4 inch wide

strips of white tape about six inches apart on the defroster vent at the

bottom of the windshield so you can quickly glance down to see them

without moving your vision very far from the road ahead.  Place the tape

so your MH is in the center of the lane when the painted center line in

the road is between the two strips of white tape.  You may not use them

all the time but when you need a quick check of your position in the lane

as in heavy traffic or especially in a narrow construction zone the tape

marks will tell you if you're centered in your lane faster than checking

your mirrors.  Another idea is to imagine your right foot on the dark

streak (oil deposits) in the middle of most lanes where the tires don't

run.

On the highway look 15-20 seconds ahead (15 seconds is a quarter of a

mile at 60 MPH).  Stay 4 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.  The

California Class C drivers handbook says to add 1 second more if you are

driving over 40 MPH so maybe 5 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you

is better.  To determine this watch the vehicle in front of you pass a

post or sign and count the number of seconds until you reach the same

post or sign.

In city traffic look ahead one block.

If a vehicle is stopped alongside the road move over a lane to give them

room.

Cover the brake if a traffic light is "stale."  Stale means that you do

NOT know how long it has been green.

Cover the brake if you feel something is wrong.  Covering is placing your

foot on top of the brake pedal.

Plan ahead, notice roadside signs, changing traffic patterns, traffic

slowing, lane merges or splits, turning lanes and so forth.

When there are 2 left turn lanes, use the right-most lane for your left

turn.

When there are 2 right turn lanes, use the left-most lane for your right

turn,

Left Turn when there are two lanes on your side of the highways center

lane:  Drive until the front wheels are even with the center line, turn

it full & fast, and go slow.  If there is only one lane on the highway

you are turning onto, drive until the front wheels are even with the curb

(or an approximate curb if none exists) and than turn it full and fast. 

Right Turn when there are two lanes on your side of the highways center

lane:  Drive until the front wheels are even with the curb or left side

of a parked car, turn it full & fast, go slow.  If there is only one lane

on the highway you are turning onto, drive until the front wheels are

even with the curb (or an approximate curb if none exists) and than turn

it full and fast.

Mirrors:  Scan your mirrors (both flat and convex).  Look for shadows. 

For perspective, adjust mirror so about 1-inch of your coach shows in the

mirror. 

As you pass another vehicle, when you can see the passed vehicle's tires

on the road surface in your flat mirror you can safely move back into

your lane even if you're towing a car.  Also, you can leave your back up

camera on to help judging when to pull back into your lane.

As you approach freeway ramps look (glance) 3 times.  (1) Check the exit

lane as you approach.  (2) Look at the top of the overpass.  (3) Check

the incoming merge lane as soon as you can for entering vehicles.

Backing & Turning: Drive close to the edge of the road or curb.  Then

back until the rear wheel is where you want to start the turn, turn it

full & fast, and go slow.  If you're not making it, stop, turn the wheel

in the other direction and pull forward as in a Y turn.  Then turn the

wheel back the other way and continue backing.  You may want to tip your

flat mirror or mirrors down so you can see better.

Backing straight:  Choose a high easy-to-see object in your flat mirror

(left mirror is best for this) and keep it in the same location in the

mirror as you back up.  This will keep you going strait.

Campground maneuvering:  Watch for tail swing, overhead branches, and

look down low for short tree stumps, large rocks and electrical/water

hookups.  You may want to tip your flat mirror down so you can see

better.

Streaks of rust coming from the lug nuts may be a sign of loose lug nuts.

 
The regulator is not likely to be built in.  It will protect coach plumbing from too high pressure, or a sudden surge in pressure from a campground.  They are inexpensive and every coach ought to have one in the box.

Looks like you may already be gone on the trip, hope you had a wonderful time!
 
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