Things we learned on our 2nd trip!

[A32Deuce]

A little too for backing a tt. Put your hand at the bottom,of the steering wheel. You want T the tt to go left, move your hand to the left, tt right, move your hand to the right. Makes it easier to learn.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

If he reads this...he may possibly have a different perspective on how calm I was.

First time we parked this rig, my first triple axle, we were going very slow to make sure we had a handle on it. Neighbor came out and offered help. I "calmly" told him that we had it.

My wife mentioned to me that it wasn't "calmly".

I had a chat with said neighbor and apologized.

[Cowracer]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

I was pretty proud of how calmly I told my husband that maybe he should just go around the @%#&ing circle again and start over.

It's not like I'd have done any better. The important thing is, he still loves me.

My wife's job when I am parking is to sit somewhere away from me and look cute. That's it. Despite having the best of intentions, her help is universally unhelpful. Unless you count things as blocking my mirror while I am backing up so she can get a better look, or shouting "STOP!!!" because she thought 4 feet was too close for the nose of the truck to get to the guy across the drive as "helpful".

And as far as setting up or tearing down, I have an order I go by. I do it the same way every time, so that I don't forget a step. When she tries to be helpful, she winds up doing say... step 6 when I am still on step 3, and I then have to do things like putting in my x-chocks after the slides are all open.

It goes straight up her rear to sit there and watch me without helping, but I really prefer it that way, and she is doing good to fight that urge. Now if I can get her to stop with the "I just gotta pee one more time" after I get the sewer hose all packed away...

Tim

[Brother Les]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

1. Other drivers suck a LOT.

It is ok... those drivers think the same thing about you...

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

My wife's job when I am parking is to sit somewhere away from me and look cute. That's it...It goes straight up her rear to sit there and watch me without helping, but I really prefer it that way, and she is doing good to fight that urge.

I had a friend in college who wouldn't do simple things like pump gas or put washer fluid in her car. I always did it for her (she always drove so it was fair). I even had to show her how to pop the hood! I finally asked her why on earth she didn't just do these things herself? She said, "If I learn how, then my husband will expect me to do it."

It's so cute you think your wife really wants to help. JK

Originally Posted by Brother Les

It is ok... those drivers think the same thing about you...

No...they think that about my husband. He does the driving.

[busch543]

We have a system that works for us . I get it 2/3rds into the site then my better half gets behind the wheel and I go back next to the TT and tell her which way to turn the wheel and how far to turn it .That way there is no guessing about where the TT ends up. So I'm to blame.

[Hoglou]

We bought a laminater and a label maker four years ago, nufsaid. We toad behind a coach so for lack of a better term, the (V) horizonal AoA lines (angle of attack) with the clear label tape on the back up screen saves the jeep in tight turns for DW. Flat lines the bottom of the screen solve the reverse toad hook up "op".

For the laminations go ahead and get a hole punch, rings, and a few dry markers, you will end up getting them anyway, 4 x 7 sheets seem to work best for us. Whatever fits best in your glove box. Avoid future issues, number and date the sheets.

We have coach launch, camp set up, camp break down, (hot/cold) coach storage, inventory/stores in coach, inventory parts/tools bays, and brick motar shut down/start up.

Am too old or too lazy to remember, I just follow the lists. Oh, and we keep three copies in play....coach, toad, and house..

I am that guy...

[McCormickJim]

Ms. Shockley, Love your post . . . all of it. Should be required reading for all newbies.

[larryo]

You're funny. Sounds like you guys are having fun.

[JWood422]

Originally Posted by A32Deuce

A little too for backing a tt. Put your hand at the bottom,of the steering wheel. You want T the tt to go left, move your hand to the left, tt right, move your hand to the right. Makes it easier to learn.

This is the best advice so far. Works every time. And by every time I mean EVERY time.

[JWood422]

Our system involves my wife and me and our cell phones. Her job is to tell me where the trailer is and where it needs to be. My job is to get it there. She never tells me how to do it. I get out and look a LOT. So far so good. (Slow is always good.)

[Skip12]

Quote:
Originally Posted by A32Deuce View Post
A little too for backing a tt. Put your hand at the bottom,of the steering wheel. You want T the tt to go left, move your hand to the left, tt right, move your hand to the right. Makes it easier to learn.

QUOTE=JWood422;2181082]This is the best advice so far. Works every time. And by every time I mean EVERY time.[/QUOTE]

For some reason, the hand under wheel advice never clicked for me. What works for me is, hand on top of the wheel and push the camper out of the mirror.

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by Hoglou

.

We have coach launch, camp set up, camp break down, (hot/cold) coach storage, inventory/stores in coach, inventory parts/tools bays, and brick motar shut down/start up.

Am too old or too lazy to remember, I just follow the lists. Oh, and we keep three copies in play....coach, toad, and house..

I am that guy...

Would you be willing to share? I'm a sucker for a good list.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

1. Other drivers suck a LOT.
2. We REALLY need to learn to back up!
3. They should put flags on those little two-foot tall wooden posts they use to mark campsites.
4. The insurance deductible to fix our truck is $100.
5. The material that the black tank discharge pipe is made of is TOUGH! (Thank GOD!)
6. One set of leveling blocks is not enough.
7. Running out of fresh water will happen before you run out of gray and black tank space…which is simple math but somehow escaped me.
8. We are capable of emptying a 45 gallon water tank in a weekend even when we’re trying to be conservative.
9. A good checklist for set-up and break-down really does help. We plan to laminate ours.
10. You cannot check your hitch connection enough times!
11. There’s a reason they use “safety pins” to hold your sway bars onto the hitch.
12. Two people + close quarters = Air Freshener. (What is the deal with a 3” gaps top and bottom on the bathroom doors anyway?)
13. Black tank flush is AWESOME.
14. Sewer hoses still don’t fit in the bumper no matter how many times people keep telling me they do!
15. 3 inch memory foam toppers RULE!
16. A checklist of things to take with you might be a good idea.
17. Dollar General is open until 10 p.m. on Fridays.

I'm pretty sure we'll get the hang of this eventually.

All of those have been experienced by most of us who camp. Let me add one more for you.

Both you and DH do a walk around from opposite directions before you start the truck and begin to drive after hooking up to insure EVERYTHING is connected/disconnected. This has saved us several times.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Crap. That was us. We run laundry even when we aren't on sewer.

I know it wasn't you. Nebraska is like Kyptonite to you. You avoid us at all cost. as our current slogan states...."Nebraska, it's not for everyone." Honest to God, it's a current slogan.

[Larry0071]

Originally Posted by Mrs.Shockley

1. Other drivers suck a LOT.
2. We REALLY need to learn to back up! Comes with time and doing it.
3. They should put flags on those little two-foot tall wooden posts they use to mark campsites.
4. The insurance deductible to fix our truck is $100. O.O What is the rest of the story?
5. The material that the black tank discharge pipe is made of is TOUGH! (Thank GOD!)
6. One set of leveling blocks is not enough. I bought the Anderson levelers, they make leveling extremely fast and easy. Check them out and consider them instead of playing with blocks.
7. Running out of fresh water will happen before you run out of gray and black tank space…which is simple math but somehow escaped me. Hate to say it... but "told you so!". My wife and I learned this on the first weekend with our camper that has a 50 gallon fresh tank. We also were being very careful with water... and barely made the 3 days with 3 of us.
8. We are capable of emptying a 45 gallon water tank in a weekend even when we’re trying to be conservative.
9. A good checklist for set-up and break-down really does help. We plan to laminate ours.
10. You cannot check your hitch connection enough times!
11. There’s a reason they use “safety pins” to hold your sway bars onto the hitch.
12. Two people + close quarters = Air Freshener. (What is the deal with a 3” gaps top and bottom on the bathroom doors anyway?) Consider the "Fan-Tastic Fan", we recently installed 2 of them, one in the bathroom in place of the joke factory provided fan, ad the other in the front master bedroom in place of the plain vent lid. The AC and 12V wires were already there for installing a fan or second AC unit. So it was not a big job. They move enough air to suck the walls in on the trailer! No more bathroom odor! Cooking heat is sucked out before it heats up the ceiling and kicks the fire detector on.
13. Black tank flush is AWESOME. Yes!!! I drain black tank at the end of the trip, then do 4 flush spray cycles to 2/3 full before we unhook. By the 3rd flush spray and drain we are pretty much seeing clear water with no solids. I do one more to make sure. Then I spray 60 seconds to leave a bit of water in the black tank, drop a bio-pack into the toilet and go home. I have my wife go inside and watch the meter while I use my phone stop-watch to time the flow to 2/3 full. Typically 7.5 minutes depending on site water pressure. Then she can go do her clean up procedure while I repeat this process of filling and dumping 4 times.
14. Sewer hoses still don’t fit in the bumper no matter how many times people keep telling me they do! Mine are tight, but fit if I get them in the correct position and start with the correct end.
15. 3 inch memory foam toppers RULE!
16. A checklist of things to take with you might be a good idea.
17. Dollar General is open until 10 p.m. on Fridays.

I'm pretty sure we'll get the hang of this eventually.

See bold responses added to the quote above :-)

[Brother Les]

Always look up in the trees when in a campground, going forward and backward. There is a reason that some trees have no bark on them.... (they were bit by someone's unit... )

[A32Deuce]

One thing I learned back in 1972 when I started a new job was the Circle Check. It was drummed into us every year for the 37 years I worked there. Really helps with RVing!

[cavie]

Always back up DRIVERS SIDE when possible. You do not need help to do this. Once you see you get out and look at clearance on the passenger side it won't change. No tree is gonna jump out in your way. Learn to turn your wheels and learn to use your mirrors.

Door clearance is for air flow. Does the clearance in a public restroom bother you?

[Mrs.Shockley]

Originally Posted by Larry0071

See bold responses added to the quote above :-)

The insurance deductible to fix our truck is $100. O.O What is the rest of the story?

Well, those little two-foot high timbers I mentioned need flags - the ones they use to mark camp-sites...one somehow ended up between the tire and the running board on the passenger side of the truck. Not really husband's fault - you can't see them from the driver's seat if they're close enough to the passenger side. Quarter panel may be fixable - or we may need another.

One set of leveling blocks is not enough. I bought the Anderson levelers, they make leveling extremely fast and easy. Check them out and consider them instead of playing with blocks.

You know, we considered those. But with our TT you have to cut them off because the space between the axles is too narrow. Plus, this trip we had five of them under the tongue jack! Front to back was way more unlevel than side to side.

Running out of fresh water will happen before you run out of gray and black tank space…which is simple math but somehow escaped me. Hate to say it... but "told you so!". My wife and I learned this on the first weekend with our camper that has a 50 gallon fresh tank. We also were being very careful with water... and barely made the 3 days with 3 of us.

LOL! I really thought we'd do great. We're used to primitive camping, toting water in and using porta-johns. We have a 5 day trip coming up. Guess we'll buy a portable dump tank on wheels and I'm pretty sure our 75 feet of hose will reach the closest hydrant.

Two people + close quarters = Air Freshener. (What is the deal with a 3” gaps top and bottom on the bathroom doors anyway?) Consider the "Fan-Tastic Fan", we recently installed

We actually have either a Fan-Tastic Fan or a MaxxAir, not sure which. But I'm thinking some Febreeze air effects will add to my comfort level.

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

All of those have been experienced by most of us who camp. Let me add one more for you.

Both you and DH do a walk around from opposite directions before you start the truck and begin to drive after hooking up to insure EVERYTHING is connected/disconnected. This has saved us several times.

That's the plan. One thing I'm sure of is you cannot inspect your hitch enough! We got to our campsite and found one of our sway bars was sticking out at a 90 degree angle from the hitch...in other words, just hanging there doing nothing at all. Hubs had missed putting the holding bracket on it and I missed that he missed it (truly, I hadn't looked). He'd wondered why it wasn't feeling the same when driving.

I now have "Inspect the hitch" three times on my checklist.