The Fun Times Guide to RV Road Trips

By Curtis on Feb 9, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

VIDEO: How To Replace RV Windows Yourself

The sound of glass breaking is never a good thing. It immediately causes severe pain, usually right in your wallet.

RV windows aren't going to be found at your local home center. They're a special breed all to themselves.

When it comes to the windshield of large motorhomes, be prepared to spend a ton of money. The local auto glass installer will order your replacement through an RV dealer. This means everyone gets a piece of the action.

There are some RV window repair tips that can save you some money, especially when replacing RV windows other than the windshield.

For example, replacing side windows can be a do-it-yourself project. Replacement RV windows are available online. With careful preparation, and using the correct sealants, very few tools are required to remove and replace damaged RV windows.

Two keys to success are:

Doing a complete job of removing the old sealer.

Installing adequate new sealer to make a water tight installation.

This video shows the proper way to reset RV windows so they don't leak:

By Curtis on Feb 7, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

RV Driving Tips: Tight Turns & Making Corners In City Driving

Your first time experiencing city driving with your new RV will be a rude awakening.

Very quickly, you'll realize that you're not driving the family minivan.

Safely driving your new RV will take some adjusting in the way you approach different scenarios -- like making corners and turning in tight situations.

The pressure will be on immediately. Very likely, the RV dealer's lot will be surrounded by fencing, and you're going to be required to make a turn just to get out of the driveway.

Continue reading: Turning & Making Corners With Your RV In City Driving

By Curtis on Feb 6, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

DIY RV Toilet Replacement Is Half The Price Of A New Toilet

What's the one most important feature of your recreational vehicle? Of course, it's the RV toilet!

When that one RV appliance malfunctions, everyone's frustration and temper will quickly come to the surface.

RV toilet repair can be a messy situation. Limited accessibility usually requires you to unbolt and remove the toilet from the RV. That's just to gain access to the mechanical parts that make it function.

Before you head off to the RV dealer to have them repair your problematic depository, consider this:

Their labor rate is around $100 an hour. Just having them remove and reinstall your old RV toilet will cost you more than the price of a new RV toilet!

Man up and remove the old one yourself. It's only held in place with 2 bolts. You're better off to spend your money on a new toilet instead of repairing the old one.

You may want to upgrade to a nice porcelain RV toilet, while you're at it. For just a few more dollars you can have the same quality feel that you experience at home.

This video shows the process of replacing an RV toilet from start to finish:

By Curtis on Feb 5, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

7 Tips For Mastering RV Parking & Backing Into Tight Spots

Many new RV owners will experience their first reality check shortly after leaving the RV dealer's lot. For some, when you reach the foot of your driveway, it hits home that RV parking may not be as easy as you thought.

Watching a person backing up a trailer for the first time can be funnier than a night out at the local comedy club -- see-sawing back and forth, stop, pull ahead, back up again, you get the idea.

You need to get a handle on maneuvering in close quarters, because many RV parks pack 'em in pretty tight.

The following tips will help keep you from dinging up that new paint job the first time you try RV parking or backing up in close quarters...

Continue reading: 7 Best RV Parking Tips

By Curtis on Feb 4, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

The Hottest New RV: Sprinter Van Based Class B RVs

The price of gas and economic backsliding has opened up one bright spot in the RV world. Van-based, Class B RVs have become more and more popular.

With only one brand having made the transition to a full stand-up interior height, the Dodge Sprinter Van is taking over the market.

Powered by Mercedes-Benz, and manufactured by both Freightliner and Dodge, the Sprinter Van offers fuel economy the others can only dream about.

Without extreme body modifications (which is always good from a safety point-of-view), the Sprinter Van provides full stand-up headroom.

All this makes for an excellent base vehicle readily adapted to a fully appointed Class B motorhome. Manufacturers have taken notice, because sales of large ocean liner like Class A motorhomes have dropped off considerably.

Many people are looking for something easier to drive and that takes up less space. RV travel is still a big business, but the consuming public is looking to do it in a more cost-effective way.

A fully decked out Sprinter Van is one way you can travel in style and comfort, with all the amenities of a much larger RV.

By Curtis on Feb 2, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

See The Country Without Spending A Dime - Become An RV Transport Driver

What could be better than traveling the country in a brand new RV?

I'll tell you what is better:

Eliminating the expense of buying the RV is better.
Removing the cost of fuel, insurance, and upkeep for the RV is better.
Avoiding the outlay of cash for meals along the way is better.

Impossible, you say? Not when you become an RV transport driver.

New motorhomes and travel trailers don't magically appear on RV dealer lots. They are driven cross-country by independent contract drivers, from the factory to the RV dealer's showroom. Sometimes this is a distance of only a few hundred miles, while other RV deliveries can be 2,000 miles or more.

You can't expect this to be a lifetime career though -- because there just isn't enough money in it. Your average RV transport driver is someone who is semi-retired and looking to supplement an existing income. Many RV transport drivers are totally retired and are just looking for a way to travel without the expense of ownership. They aren't all that concerned about generating an actual income.

What you can expect is to have all of your expenses covered, with maybe a little left over when you get back home. (That's assuming you didn't blow your profit on a plane ticket for the return trip.) Getting home is the biggest problem. Those miles aren't paid, so finding the cheapest way to travel is a must.

Here are some of the companies around the country that hire RV transport drivers on contract:

By Curtis on Jan 31, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

RV Air Ride Suspension Levels The Load And Softens The Bumps

It seems 5th wheel RV travel trailers are getting larger and heavier every year.

Is it any wonder that many owners of these traveling luxury condos are less than happy with the stiff ride their tow vehicle gives them?

This is especially true when the trailer is parked and they're using the truck for local running around.

Air ride suspension has been around in the trucking industry for over 40 years. In place of stiff springs, their suspension consists of a set of rubber air bladders that can be easily adjusted to handle any load.

This type of suspension can transform your RV ride into a comfortable relaxing experience.

The passenger buses transporting crowds of people back and forth across the country every day are all riding on air suspension. Even some of the American-made luxury cars are equipped with automatic air ride suspension systems.

Here's how to add air ride suspension to your rig...

Continue reading: RV Air Ride Suspension Levels Your Load

By Curtis on Jan 30, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

How To Keep Loose RV Furniture From Flying When You Hit The Brakes

The first remodeling task my wife insists upon when we purchase a used RV is to remove the dinette, and often times most of the other RV furniture too. This is no joke, I've done it 3 times so far.

In many instances, the poor quality combination bed/furniture in used RVs is well worn and in need of improvement.

Repairing or replacing RV furniture is expensive, and in my mind just not cost-effective.

My wife likes to rearrange the furniture now and then, making the RV seem more like a home. Our preference is to replace the RV furniture with normal household furniture.

The trick is, how do you secure loose furniture so it doesn't become a missile, flying forward every time you hit the brakes?

By purchasing furniture that just fits in your slideouts, in some instances there is nowhere for it to go when the walls are sucked in for travel. This was the case for us -- because with slideouts on both sides they came together in the middle when retracted.

Since we prefer the flexibility of not having the furniture bolted down, we use bungee cords to secure things to the wall. With eye bolts screwed into the wall and blankets used to prevent chafing, loose RV furniture will stay in place.

For more permanent installation. simple metal brackets can be purchased from any hardware store to secure furniture to the floor.

This video has some great tips for replacing a dinette with table and chairs:

By Curtis on Jan 28, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

You Won't Forget Anything When You Use RV Maintenance Checklists

If I had worked from a maintenance checklist last fall when I winterized my RV, I wouldn't have needed a new fitting for the outdoor shower faucet this spring -- I forgot to drain it, because it was out of site, out of mind.

How often have you overlooked something that came back to bite you in the backside, when it comes to breaking camp or working on your RV? All it takes to eliminate any chance of forgetting something, is a simple checklist.

All the best checklists for RVers includes everything from campsite departure checklists to inventory checklists, so you don't leave home with only 1 roll of toilet paper.

The one I needed was the winterization checklist. Relying on my memory is always a mistake. I got off lucky since a new fitting was only a couple dollars.

When you drive off from that secluded campsite in the woods, you can plan on spending closer to $200 to replace that TV antenna you forgot to lower before leaving.

Next fall I will have my maintenance checklist in hand. I know how to winterize my RV water system, I just don't want to forget anything.

This video takes you through the process of winterizing your RV. You can use it to make up your own maintenance checklist so you don't forget the outdoor shower like I did:

By Curtis on Jan 28, 9:00 AM | Unpublish this post | 0 | 0 Comments

Heavy Snow Load Will Stress Your RV Roof To The Point Of Destruction

This is it, winter has settled in for the long haul. As you sit by the fireplace, watching the snow fall, are you looking out the window at your RV roof? Are you wondering to yourself, how much snow load can it safely handle?

The quickest way to drive the value of your RV into the ditch is to ignore it from the day you park it in the fall, until that first warm day next spring.

Winter snow load can seriously damage your RV. The weight of deep snow can distort, and possibly collapse the roof.

It can also open up seams, and let water migrate throughout the RV, causing serious structural and cosmetic damage.

Removing excessive snow should be done from a ladder. It's best to use a portable ladder that you can move around the RV. RV roof structures are generally rather light duty. You already have the weight of the snow on the roof, by adding your body weight to the problem you may cause damage by stepping in the wrong place.

Many rear mounted RV ladders are light duty and barely strong enough to handle the weight of a small person.

Always remember safety first. Make sure your ladder has solid footing, and take your time. Reaching too far off to the side can cause the ladder to slip, and down you will go.