Alligators Along the Highway

Have you ever seen an alligator along the side of the highway? No, I don't mean real live gators with reptilian eyes, and crunch-o-matic teeth. I mean those discarded black bits of disintegrated truck tires that you see along the breakdown lanes on the interstate highways.

Long-haul truckers usually refer to these rubber remnants as "alligators"; mostly because from a distance they can resemble alligators at rest.

I tell you this because we were attacked by one of these terrible lizard-like abominations along northbound I-95 in South Carolina, about 5 miles north of the Georgia line.

It was early May. We were headed from Florida to Maine. The day was sunny with temperatures hovering around 80 degrees. I'm driving in the right lane at about 62 mph on cruise control when an 18 wheeler passes the coach and slams into my lane about 3 feet in front of the coach. (I sometimes wonder how some truck drivers earn a CDL license.) I immediately released the cruise control. The exhaust brake engaged and I began to slow. The tractor-trailer was now about 8 to 10 feet in front of the coach and appeared to quickly swerve (like it was trying to avoid something).

Suddenly, a large strip of tire tread comes flying out from underneath the right rear wheels of the trailer. I had no time to react. My wife and I held on while the front right then the rear right of the coach shuddered violently.

Then the engine lost power. I was able to coast onto the breakdown lane and come to a stop. The diesel engine dies and would not start.

On most diesel engines there is a water separation filter. It is mounted low on the chassis. It has a knob you turn to release the water, if any. Well the alligator ripped off the knob and and the filter (always full of fuel) emptied. The engine lost prime.

After a call to our road service - Good Sam ERS - and a two hour wait a huge tow truck arrived. You can't have just any tow truck when your rig is 38 feet long and 27,000 pounds. We followed our home on wheels and tow truck 50 miles north to the repair shop where they replaced the filter. I turned the ignition key and . . . nothing. The 11 year old chassis batteries were dead. I guess running the emergency flashers for 3 hours did them in.

So, the technician jumped the battery. After several attempts, the engine started. I paid the bill and headed across town to the local campground where we spent the night.

The next morning I turned the ignition key and . . . nothing! Again! While the batteries would charge overnight while the rig was plugged in, what I didn't know was that the campground power had been out for several hours due to thunder storms. My 2,000 watt inverter had been running all the electric in the coach and now the 4 coach batteries were in need of charging!

So, I called the shop repair shop and waited for a tech to deliver and install two new chassis batteries.

By 10:00 AM we were back on the road and lighter by several hundred dollars. I ran the generator during our 5 hour and recharged the house batteries.

We also lost the chrome tip to our exhaust pipe. But, that's a story for another day.

A 32" HDTV where a 20" CRT TV Goes

In July of 2005 While in a North Stonington, CT campground our front 20 inch CRT TV died. So, I went shopping for a replacement. I had been hearing about these new fangled LCD flat panel TVs and decided to visit the local Best Buy Store.

I knew absolutely nothing about flat panel TVs, except the obvious, they were flat. Well, they were about 4 inches thick. I made my choice based upon the dimensions of the center open TV cabinet hanging in front of the windshield. I was clueless about contrast ratios and all those other measurements that we judge HDTVs by today. In fact, I don't really remember any discussion of HDTV or even digital TV back then. Those discussions might have taken place but, I was not party to to them.

After installation we happily watched our satellite TV channels and the occasional campground cable TV. We didn't notice it at first, but the screen wasn't quite as bright as the old CRT TV and there was little or no detail in on-screen shadowed areas. Then, while in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee it happened. . .

On our first morning at Walden's Creek Campground, the sun rose directly in front of our windshield. It was then that I learned how NOT bright our LCD TV was. The screen looked washed out. It was difficult to see the images and anything in shadow just looked black.

It was at this point that I began to research new HDTVs. Along the way I figured out that LCD TV I had purchased was analog and wouldn't receive digital broadcast signals without a converter.

I followed Yahoo email RV group threads about upgrading TVs and read about all those upgrades that involved rebuilding the cabinets up front. I didn't want to go through that, especially as we lived in the coach fulltime and this kind of a build would take several days.

In December of last year I discussed the situation with Mark, our Service Manager at the dealership where I work as Webmaster and "Doer of Many Things." He told me of a recently completed similar install using an articulating arm mounted in the original cabinet. I liked the idea and started shopping for the TV and the articulating mount.

Now, armed with good data, I went shopping. I chose a 32" Sony Bravia HDTV (720p) along with an articulating mount that weighed almost as much as the TV. I was prepared to pay cash but Best Buy offered 18 months with NO interest. So, the incentive to pay-in-full evaporated.

I brought the coach to the dealership one morning and the Service Department went to work. You can view the installation process at the J.D. Sanders RV Center website.

Now, while we're in transit the new TV sits against the original cabinet tied down with two $4 battery straps. For viewing, the TV can be manuevered to the left or right allowing access to each of the front cabinets. Sometimes I pull the TV straight out for closer viewing.

I am very pleased with the TV and the installation. Mr. Sun can rise as brightly as it wants in the morning and I will still see the detailed images on my HDTV!

RV Oven to Dishwasher Surprise

My wife and I have been fulltiming in our 38' diesel pusher since April, 2006. Come to think of it, in just a few days we will have been on the road for three full years.

Our coach came equiped with a separate washer and dryer. So, we had almost all the comforts of home, except one . . .

My dear spouse (She who must be obeyed) had let me know on many occasions that she desired an automatic dishwasher. You see, although we shared the cooking duties (I'm really a pretty good chef) she almost always did the cleanup.

Every now and then we'd see a dishwasher in a new coach at this show or that but at $900 dollars or more plus installation we would lower our heads (hers was especially low) and move on.

Well, as it happens, I now work for an RV dealer as Webmaster and "Doer of Many Things" during the winter months. So, shortly after our arrival back in Gainesville, Florida last fall I asked our Parts Department Manager about dishwashers. He showed me our catalog page with the VESTA dishwasher. The retail price was about half of the other units we had previously seen.

I'll pause for a moment and describe my observations and idea. . .

Our rig came with a factory installed propane oven and cooktop. The cooktop was great. But, the oven was useless to us, except for storage. There were two reasons for this: (1) the heat was not evenly distributed in the oven and everything got burned on the bottom and (2) we have a good size convection microwave oven that made baking and roasting a breeze.

So, the plan was to remove the cooktop/oven combo and replace it with the VESTA dishwasher and a new cooktop.

Now, my wife often climbs aboard a jet plane and travels to Long Island to visit our grandbabies for several days at a time. Before one such trip (about 3 weeks before her birthday) I told her that while she was gone I would take the rig to the shop for some needed service.

After she arrived in Long Island I drove the rig to work and our service team went to work. The dishwasher had arrived two days earlier. By the end of the day the old oven and cooktop were gone and the new dishwasher and cooktop were installed. Unless you looked closely, you couldn't tell that the oven was gone as both units are black. I hung a dish towel on the cooktop towel rack. It looked like nothing was changed.

I then went to the store (Wal Mart, of course) and bought dishwasher gel and the smallest bottle of rinsing agent I could find. I put the gel in a cabinet and proceded to gift wrap the rinsing agent. I laid the "present" on her pillow and headed for the airport.

When we returned to the rig she headed for the bedroom without even looking at the "oven." She was surprised to find her gift and tore off the wrapping. Before she saw the label she asked "You bought me mouthwash?" I said "read the label."

As she read the label her eyes almost exploded out of her head. "I have a dishwasher?" she screamed as she jumped past me to the kitchen and looked. She could not tell that the oven was gone. I pushed a button, the door opened and she saw the inside of the washer. I thouht she was going to pass out!

I think she was happy. Don't you?

The 3 Most overlooked RV Pre-Trip Tasks

Once again the dark, dreary days of winter have given way to the promise of renewal that springtime brings. Spring is when most RV owners perform annual RV maintenance. Below are a three of the easiest, yet most important things you should do yourself or have done for you annually or more frequently:

First, if you own a travel trailer, fifth wheel trailer (or any kind of trailer) you should have the wheels packed (clean out old bearing grease and pack in new grease) have the brakes checked, adjusted if necessary and replace the spindle seals. Here at J.D. Sanders RV Center packing wheels and checking brakes is an annual right of Spring. Most RVers opt to have this work done by a specialist. So, check with your local RV dealer.

Motorhomes are different. Motorhome chassis should be lubed annually or more frequently (based on usage). The engines, transmissions, radiators, steering and differentials must be maintained according to the manufacturer's guidelines. Oh, and don't forget to inspect the brakes!

Second, before every trip you should check the air pressure in each tire. Pressure should be checked while the tires are cold. Either fill the tires to the maximum recommended psi (pounds per square inch) as printed on the tire or consult the tire manufacturer's air pressure tables based upon (the fully loaded) coach weight. These pressure tables are usually available in PDF at the manufacturer's website.

(Have you ever weighed your coach? No? Then I urge you to drive to the closest scales - furniture moving companies usually have them - and weigh your trailer or 5th wheel.)

Third, before every trip and at least once every month (if you keep your coach plugged in) check the battery fluid level. Check each cell. Never allow the fluid level to drop below the top of the metal plates. Fill the cells with distilled water when possible. Fill to just under the fill tube - never to the top of the cap. Finally, clean the battery connections. This simple task will help your batteries last longer.

Remember: (1) it costs a lot less to have your trailer wheels packed than to replace burnt bearings and brakes; (2) low tire pressure is a leading cause of blowouts AND vehicle fires while going down the road; and (3) batteries can last for many years if you take care of them. Distilled water is way cheaper than buying new batteries.