It Could Always Be Worse

[JohnD]

John,

You touched on a thought I've been having lately. I always teased my boating friends that a boat is a hole in the water you pour money into (but worked hard on earning my seat, especially during end-of-day clean up).

Now that I'm only a few weeks into TT ownership I'm thinking of replacing "water" with "driveway" for the above saying. Of course my goal is to quickly determine the right number of key accessories and stop buying "extras" for a while.

Luckily all my newbie mistakes have been small so far.

Best regards,
Chris

Well . . . let me put it this way . . .

When we bought our house on the lake . . . we suddenly had all kinds of friends we never knew we had!

Friends of friends of friends that knew my real friends who supposedly gave them permission to just pull up to our dock and tie up without permission . . . even when we weren't home!

And others who were just people who we kind-of knew (or didn't know at all) that would just show up without towels, beer or gas money that expected us to just provide for their needs.

Crazy, I know . . . but this did happen almost every weekend during the boating season!

 

[123camper]

Last trip home, end of last season, we got up on Sunday morning to a down pour. Checked radar with no end in sight. Had to go home! Hooked up to the truck and pulled forward off our plastic leveling blocks (grand kids call em grandpa's Legos) . Didn't want to get the inside of storage compartment wet I thru the blocks in the back of the truck planning to dry them and put away when we got home. Going down the interstate we hear a thump, thump,thump. Pull over check the trailer and all is fine. Get back on the interstate and we hear thump, thump, thump, thump. Again check and every thing is fine. Needless to say when we got home and the rain had stopped I went out to put things in there place and a hundred bucks worth of blocks are missing. I never heard of any accident or damage due to flying blocks and hopefully no one was hurt by them. Lesson learned- put things back where they belong no matter what!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JanAndBill]

Boat ownership is actually a good analogy, as there are a lot of boat owners who shouldn't own boats either. Case in point when we lived on lake, the association owned the docks and ramp, our neighbor bought his first and only boat. First time he backs it down the ramp he was nervous (everyone watching him), after several attempts he managed to get the trailer in far enough to float the boat. He shoved it out against the dock, tied it up and pulled the truck up to park. In the meantime someone noticed how "low" his boat was in the water (he forgot to put the drain plug in). He did manage to get the front up on the bank before it sank completely. So then he bails the water and managed to get it back on the trailer, so he could take it home to clean up. Next weekend again he tries it. As he gets almost to the water he remembers the plug and jumps out of the truck to run and check, not thinking to set the brake. This time truck, trailer and boat roll down the ramp and into the water. Luckily it stopped before the engine went under water, so he was just out a tow bill, and the expense to dry and clean the carpet in his truck. Think that was the last of the boat.

 

[oldmannj]

This is real recent, like two days ago. I am in Elkhart having warranty paint repair done. Pick up coach and happy than a pig in poop. Next stop, MOR/ryde for IS and disc brakes. Pull into over night lot, back up like I really know how to handle my big rig everyone watching, you know the feelin right? Get out walk around PERFECT, enter camper extend slides, all goood. Go outside to relax and have cigar and see where my living room slide is less than 2" from an electric panel. You now can call me SKATER, as I skated on this one. Camping should be defined in Websters as: a daily challenge to avoid damage and incurr cost realted to failure to evaluate your environment.

That my friend is called "no harm no foul" a credo you live by when you drive a big truck for a living. ED.

 

[Sans1]

Was all excited to take the camper (5th Wheel) out for memorial day weekend. It was our third or fourth trip with this rig. Had a boat reserved so needed to make two trips. Before headed to work Friday morning, decided to pull the camper out from next to the house so there was enough room load up. No Spotter, but hey, I've done this so many times I'm OK. Since I didn't want to block the sidewalk, I needed to be pretty close to the house when I moved it over to clear the bushes adjacent to my driveway. When it looked like I was getting close to the house while backing, I got out walked 3/4 the way to the back of the trailer, verified i had at least foot left between the RV and the house, then got back in and backed up a few more inches. The back wheels of the truck were on the rounded over curb (we didn't have driveway cuts) so I thought strain was the truck trying to push the camper in the river rock while climbing the curb. Gave it more gas and heard a loud crunch. Looking in the mirror I thought I should have had plenty of room. I walked around to the back and saw the ladder which I had forgotten about had made contact with the house and had pushed one of the upper anchor point right through the wall of the RV. I went inside and could see the 2x4 that framed the window had on that side had separated from where it was attached and pushed through the inside wall. This also happen to be where the window valance was connected so that end had come off of the wall and was sagging a few inches. I had to remove the ladder standoff because the bent ladder would not allow me to push the 2x4 back into the wall. The worst part was explaining to my wife that the camper was not falling apart but that I had backed into the house. A nice "I told you to wait for me" moment. Thankfully a I caulked the holes where I removed the standoff, put a small piece of white duct tape on the crack on the inside and unless you knew it was there likely wouldn't notice.

 

[Miltp920]

Brand new camper, maiden voyage from home. Had put up the antenna at home to test reception. Had what I thought was an uneventful tow until we were 1/2 mile from the entrance to the campground, and THAT is when I remembered I left the antenna up at home. Stopped on the side of the road, climbed up the ladder to the roof. Sure enough, NO antenna remaining, just bent up square tubing and the end of a cable. Also, there were small tree branches/twigs caught up in the A/C unit. The part of the ladder that extends onto the roof was also bent. Now we a Jack Antenna that does not require lowering. We are more aware of how low trees seem to hang over the side of the roads. We now have a check list for each departure, lesson learned.

 

[kakampers]

I learned the hard way...don't unplug shore cord while the automatic satellite dish is in "stow" mode!! DH did this to me...thought the dish was down as I heard it start. Didn't realize he was unplugging and plugging back in to put away the autoformer. Got to our next location about an hour away. Got out of truck to guide him into our spot...that's when I looked up and saw the dish laying "backwards" on the roof!! Apparently got caught on some trees as we towed it down the road and pulled it backwards, laying it on the roof...Ugh!! Fortunately only a cosmetic piece was broke off the LNB and it still works and will deploy and stow properly....live and learn!!

 

[porthole]

The dish is not 12 volts?

 

[brianharrison]

The dish is not 12 volts?

Dish is probably 12V - control box is 120V and loss of power stops 12V to dish motors? At least that happens with my Trav'ler.

Brian

 

[AAdams]

We are having a Trav'ler installed on the Bighorn we just ordered a few weeks ago. I learned something new today, so I don't make the same mistake

 

[DocFather]

We are having a Trav'ler installed on the Bighorn we just ordered a few weeks ago. I learned something new today, so I don't make the same mistake

What mistake are you referring to? Unplugging shore power while the Dish is being stowed? If so, yep, that is not a good thing to do.

 

[Westwind]

Confession - Pulled out of the driveway without disconnecting power cord - excuse, it was dark. Started to pull offsite without lowering antenna - neighbor saw it. Excuse - None!
Not bad for 13 years of Rving.

 

[olcoon]

DW & I were on our way home from the farm & stopped to eat lunch & saw someone apparently trying to fish on the highway. I'm sure he forgot to secure his boat before he left the lake. I'm sure he was proud of himself!

 

[AAdams]

What mistake are you referring to? Unplugging shore power while the Dish is being stowed? If so, yep, that is not a good thing to do.

Yes, that is what I was meaning. I have never had a Trav'ler so everything concerning it will be new to me. So learning what not to do is also important.

 

[DocFather]

Yes, that is what I was meaning. I have never had a Trav'ler so everything concerning it will be new to me. So learning what not to do is also important.

Removing shore power will not affect the operation of the Trav'ler Interface Box otherwise, just if it is already retracting in the stow sequence. This is all spelled out in the user manual including "Emergency Manual Stow."

 

[JohnD]

DW & I were on our way home from the farm & stopped to eat lunch & saw someone apparently trying to fish on the highway. I'm sure he forgot to secure his boat before he left the lake. I'm sure he was proud of himself!

View attachment 35599View attachment 35598

That made me think of this photo that I shot a few years back . . .



Notice the front tire still spinning!

 

[porthole]

Dish is probably 12V - control box is 120V and loss of power stops 12V to dish motors? At least that happens with my Trav'ler.

Brian

Good to know. One more item that would definitely be wired into the inverter

 

[brianharrison]

Good to know. One more item that would definitely be wired into the inverter

I have. I watch satellite when boondocking.

For clarification, the control box and dish are 48V; the 120V power converter output to control box is 48V, 120W.

Brian