First timer mistakes....

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kiss6669

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Joined
Apr 29, 2016
Posts
32
Location
Everett, WA
Over the three years we have had our RV I have really enjoyed coming on this forum and learning, laughing from others who are willing to share their knowledge in the RV world. So I was curious what mistakes or accidents did you make when you first started RV'ing?

1. Parked the RV in our side driveway a few times without incident, 4th time I gouged the side with the gutter pulling out of the driveway.
2. Due to a low battery on our second trip I didn't realize that the stairs were not fulling retracted, went over the spiked strip leaving a KOA and bent the stairs completely sideways and tore out most of the rivets for the steps.
3. End of last years season parking the RV in the driveway, clipped the fence and tore off the shore power cap.

So nothing really too major just cost us some money and time to fix and hopefully some learned lessons.
 
There are several past threads where we tell our various "wait 'til you hear what I did!" type of stories. Anyone who has been RV'ing more than a year or two is going to build their own special collection of tales!

Here's one of them: http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,89924.0.html (appropriately titled, "Oh bleep!! that just happened" ;))
 
Our new house is 1 block from the city limits on a neighborhood road 16 feet wide with deep ditches on each side. Didn't occur to me that meeting any oncoming car would be a real challenge. I had to learn really quick where my wheels would fall off the sides. Plus pulling out of that street onto a standard 2 lane street means I have to cross way over the center line to turn right. With only half a block view of any oncoming traffic in either direction its a thrill a minute. I've learned to get as far left as possible then roll down both cab windows and listen for cars coming before I turn. So I can only come and go during off peak hours.
 
I have 3 that come to mind.

1997---The first one was with my first 5er. I pulled into a pull thru in Shepard Of The Hills campground in Branson, MO. I forgot, or just didn't think to chock the wheels, and pulled the hitch disconnect. The trailer started rolling backward, fell off the 5th wheel plate onto the tailgate (it was still up), that probably kept it from rolling off the pad and down a 30' embankment.

2009---The second one was with my 3rd 5er. I turned too soon pulling out of my "carport" and pulled the bumper off of the trailer (tail swing). I was able to do the repairs on this myself and it was hardly noticeable.

2015---The 3rd event was similar to the 2nd one. Same carport, 2000 Southwind, turned too  soon and took the entire rear cap off the motor home. Well almost, the right side was still attached and there was a huge rip in the fiberglass about half way up. So it sort of looked like a toy hauler with the door hinged on the side.
 
Hello,

Here are some ideas on what to watch out for. I think I got them from our library but not sure so will just put the ideas down.

1. Skipping or not having a check list.
2. Talking with your camping neighbors before departing, missing important items by distraction.
3. Forgetting to close vents and windows.
4. RV Stairways out when leaving.
5. Forgetting to retract scissor jacks before leaving.
6. Forgetting to retract TV antenna before departure.
7. Ignoring weather warnings.
8. Ignoring strange sounds coming from your RV.
9. Pulling in without investigating first.
10. Driving around multiple times looking for a great spot to camp. (perfect spot syndrome)
11. Not securing your awning so it CAN'T come unwrapped!!!
 
My biggest mistake was trusting a dealer and not finding this forum in time. I was pulling my brand new to me never slept in 35 foot TT with my truck, I had no idea it was too heavy. We ended up in an accident that totalled my uninsured TT.
 
After living for the past 27 years in a county in Arkansas where no one ever locks their doors or their cars, I parked our Jeep near the motor home, in a National Park campground on the Natchez Trace Parkway, removed the keys from the ignition, and threw them under the seat for the night.
Luckily the Jeep was recovered 3 weeks later, but I lost my favorite tool bag.  The rest was insured, but not the tools.
 
Could be worse, I knew a guy about 20-25 years ago who was bringing his trailer, and ATV's home to Louisiana from his deer hunting camp in west Texas.  He stopped for gas just off I-610 on the south side of Houston, went into the store to get a snack, and on his way back out saw his rig pulling out of the parking lot without him, all he had were the keys (truck was hot wired and stolen in the time it took to walk in and grab a snack).  The truck was recovered, found stripped (I think in Brazoria County south of Houston), the trailer and the ATV was never found, his insurance would only pay the value of used parts for the parts missing from the truck.  I remember seeing him one day shortly afterward while he was on the phone calling junk yards to get prices on used steering wheels.
 
Am I the only one who will admit to driving off without retracting a slideout? I was the passenger at the moment, so I jumped up only to find that the slideout switch has an automatic override that keeps you from extending OR retracting the slideout unless the engine is off. We stopped and retracted without sideswiping anyone or anything. Really, really stupid feeling
 
camperAL said:
Hello,

Here are some ideas on what to watch out for. I think I got them from our library but not sure so will just put the ideas down.

1. Skipping or not having a check list.
2. Talking with your camping neighbors before departing, missing important items by distraction.
3. Forgetting to close vents and windows.
4. RV Stairways out when leaving.
5. Forgetting to retract scissor jacks before leaving.
6. Forgetting to retract TV antenna before departure.
7. Ignoring weather warnings.
8. Ignoring strange sounds coming from your RV.
9. Pulling in without investigating first.
10. Driving around multiple times looking for a great spot to camp. (perfect spot syndrome)
11. Not securing your awning so it CAN'T come unwrapped!!!
Click to expand...

#2 and forgot to release the parking brake on my jeep/toad before leaving the campground, remembered about 30-35 miles later.
#6 - fortunately it was unharmed when we remembered to lower it.
 

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Many years ago, I had my first TT camper. When winter came, I drained all the water lines, and added antifreeze to the traps. Too bad I forgot to drain the hot water tank. When spring came, I hooked up the water in my yard to fill the tank and fill all the lines. I became apparent quickly that I screwed up when water was pouring out from under the camper. Lesson learned the hard way. The tank had split about 6 inches long up the side of the tank.
 
We pulled in for gas on the end island, facing away from the store and had plenty of room. Just as I finished fueling, a car pulled into the parking lot ahead of us and the driver got out and went inside.  I thought I had enough room to make the swing away from the pumps and miss the parked car and rather than taking the extra 15 seconds to have DW get out and spot the rear corner of the trailer, I pulled on out and, you guessed it, the outside corner caught the brick barrier at the end of the fuel island. Bent the bumper, and a brick was punched through the side of the trailer. I was able to repair the hole in the side that evening at the campground with a piece of aluminum, screws and sealant that actually doesn?t look too bad. BUT, it would have been a much better move to have had a spotter as I pulled out.
 
Hardly a "first timer" but a mistake I'll never live down.  We've just downsized from a 40' Class A to a new 32' Class C.  I think we did this partly because of the "incident" as I like to call it.  We call it "10 Wheelin' in West Virginia".  Seems that being the cheapskate that I am, my DP needed fuel.  I saw a sign along the freeway for a Pilot station but just as I got off the Interstate I saw that diesel was 2cents cheaper at a local mini-mart.  Wellllllll of COURSE i want the cheaper fuel.  I pulled in and discovered that there was no way on earth Big Bertha and my toad was going to get through the short distance between the pump and the building. And since I was flat towing,  'backing out' was not an option.  Quickly I pulled a left and went out on to a small county type road thinking I could just get turned around behind the station. Uh...not so much. Turns out the road was just barely wide enough for the RV and there was no place to turn around.  DW looked at her GPS and it looked like about 8 miles down this little tiny road there was a cross over of the interstate and a road going back the other way. Sounds good.  Found the cross over, drove over it and instantly found myself on a one lane dirt path with (again) no place to turn around. I drove several miles scraping the sides of the RV and the car with trees and branches, over some rather large pot holes, and so forth. Put a good gouge in one tire just to add insult to injury. Finally, we see a lady in a pickup truck so we honked until she stopped. I asked about how to get back to the Interstate and she said, and I quote, "Well, you kin go straight but you got a couple a bridges to go over. I dunno if they'll hold that big thing."  Oh great but no other choice I could see.  Came to the first bridge - sign says weight limit 12 tons. I'm more than that with everything. The bridge was built in 1925 according to the sign. Ok nothing to do but hold my breath.  Made it.  Another mile and guess what - cross the same river again. This time, NO Weight Limit sign on this one -- no sides on the bridge, just wooden planks.  Made DW get out -- if it goes through no sense BOTH of us dying!  Well, I made it across although the bridge sure did 'groan' a lot.

Moral of the story. Don't be a cheapskate, don't bypass that Pilot or Love's truck stop, and DON'T let DW see what was on the seat of the RV after that!  :)
 
steve407 said:
Moral of the story. Don't be a cheapskate, don't bypass that Pilot or Love's truck stop, and DON'T let DW see what was on the seat of the RV after that!  :)
Click to expand...

And that's a good Moral....My wife is always trying to get me pull into the Quickie mart gas stations. She finely stopped doing so when I told her I could get us in but she would have to get us out.....LOL ... She has never pulled a trailer that I know of let alone a travel trailer.
 
RVMommaTo6 said:
My biggest mistake was trusting a dealer and not finding this forum in time. I was pulling my brand new to me never slept in 35 foot TT with my truck, I had no idea it was too heavy. We ended up in an accident that totalled my uninsured TT.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised they let you leave the dealer without insurance. Our dealer wouldn't let us leave until we had our insurance company on the phone and they had a copy of the insurance binder.
 
On our last trip, things were rushed getting out the door. My wife works third shift. she came home, and jumped in the truck. She threw the address of the destination in to google maps and off we went. I didn't pre read the route. It had us weaving through some incredibly tight, heavily wooded roads. I will never just throw an address in and not pre screen the route again. I also became slightly embarrassed when I set off the smoke alarm in our TT early saturday morning, cooking bacon. I believe everyone around us got a good chuckle.
 
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