Tip of the Month

This past Friday I had a call and it went something like this.  “Hello Gary, I think we need your services!”  This always means only one thing; someone has had an accident with their RV or Mobile Clinic.  (For those of you not familiar with Mobile Clinics, they’re just RV’s with medical exam rooms and dental chairs instead of bedrooms and kitchens)  In this particular situation it seems the driver drove off with the awning extended, which tore the awning totally off the unit!  So much for a Pre-Trip Inspection or Safety Check.

There is a safety protocol that all commercial drivers are taught to do in order to keep safe and that is the Pre-Trip Inspection.  A PTI is always done at the start of a drivers shift and at the end.  It begins with an ENGINE CHECK, checking the engines fluid levels, belts, hoses and making sure there are NO leaks.

Next is the LIGHT CHECK.  Starting at the front and top of the vehicle you check the clearance lights, five amber in the front, five red in the back.  Working your way down the front of the vehicle you check the left and right turn signals, 4-way flashers, high and low beams on your headlights and your horn, (you never know when you’re going to need it).  Going round the vehicle, in a counter-clockwise direction you then check the vehicles Marker lights, (amber on the side, red at the back).  At the back of the vehicle you check running lights and work your way down the vehicle to the left and right turn signals, 4-way flashers, brake lights and license plate light and license plate sticker.

Last but not least, do a SAFETY CHECK.  For an RV or Mobile Clinic start your SAFETY CHECK at your entrance door, closing the door to make sure the steps retract.  Moving in a counter-clockwise direction check the passenger (Curb Side) front tire for I, C, D. - Inflation, Condition, Depth of Tread.  Check to make sure all of the wheel nuts are tight and all there. Check to make sure the Oil Hub is NOT leaking.  Check your Curb Side mirror for adjustment and that it is tight.  At the front of the vehicle make sure the windshield is clean, the wiper arms are tight and the wiper blades are in good condition.  Going down the driver’s side of the vehicle (Road Side) check the Road Side mirror for adjustment and that it is tight.  Check the front tire for ICD, check that all compartments doors are securely latched and locked.  Check that the slides and awning covers are secure.  At the rear tires check both the outside and the inside rear tires for ICD.  Check that the power cord is fully retracted and the compartoor is locked.  At the rear of the vehicle, if it is a diesel pusher, make sure the
engine cover is securely latched.  On the Curb Side check the outside and inside rear tires for ICD, check that the compartment doors are latched and locked, check that all awning covers are tight and secure.

Now for the MOST IMPORTANT check of all, make sure the levelers are fully retracted, the awning is retracted and secured, the power cord is stowed, all antennas are down, all slides are fully retracted and the vehicle clear of any obstructions in your departure path.  If you do these simple checks every time you return to your vehicle, I guarantee it will save you BIG BUCKS.

Download your FREE Pre-Trip check list,  Our Pre-Trip check download is in PDF format, to download a PDF for viewing on your computer normlly requires a "Right Click" save as or depending on your browser the wording may be different.

Gary Lewis, The RV Guy

Boot Camp

I drive a Jeep Wrangler. It is small. It fits about anywhere I want to take it or park it. RV’s are big. And scary. And are limited where they will fit, where you can park them, and where you can drive them. Needless to say I WAS scared, maybe even terrified to drive the thing.

A few years back when we started researching our dream to be fulltime RV’ers we attended a Life on Wheels seminar. While eating lunch at table with another couple, I asked the wife if she drove the RV too. “Of course!” was her answer. “Really???” I responded.

That is when the husband chimed in and said that she had attended an “RV driving school” and was better than he at driving and could do things with the RV that he could not. Hmmm.

Now that the RV is sitting in the driveway I figured, I guess it is time for me to go to school. I searched the web and found http://www.rvbasictraining.com/ and sent off an email to see if I could get scheduled for “Boot Camp”. The nice thing about this company is that the trainer comes to you not the other way around. Which is nice if you aren’t comfortable driving the RV in the first place.

Wendy and instructor Randall – the hat is hiding all the hair he pulled out while teaching me ;)(kidding)

 Randal was our instructor and I have to say he is a very calm and patient trainer. He explained everything very clearly before having me do the driving exercises.

We spent the morning in a parking lot while he taught me where my tires are how to center my RV in the roadway, how to back into a campsite, left turns right turns….and get this….how to parallel park the RV. Yeah, parallel park the RV! It was not as hard as I had anticipated. Once he helped me establish reference points, it wasn’t bad!

After that it was on to the open road. We started with the highway. By the time we were done with that part, I was comfortable with how the RV drove and handled. We went on and off the ramps and I got better at slowing and stopping smoothly. Then it was time to go home and do some in town driving. That was a little more scary because of all those little cars!. But I managed not to hit anyone, take out any telephone poles or fire hydrants.

With John and Randall’s help, I even backed it into our driveway with very little problems. Can’t wait to get my certificate of “graduation”! I HIGHLY recommend RV Boot camp!!

Coming soon to RV Basic Training, Driving Tips, the Video!  

Checkout Frank, a recent trainee parallel parking a 38 foot mobile clinic, and he learned how to do this in 10 minutes!