Thursday, September 13, 2012

RV: Trailer Thieves. Black Water. Weather Station. DIY. Towing! 120v RV. Backing Up. Driven By LP Gas. RV Basements. RV Levels. Mice! Hugo. Dee and Jim. RIP Dave.

For “tRaVersing, or RV Day:

Deter RV trailer theft inexpensively

“ How can you protect your RV from being stolen?

“For trailer owners the addition of a simple and not-real-expensive hitch lock can make a big difference. For travel trailers, a simple device locks into the hitch in the place of a hitch ball, and locks over the top of the hitch lever. Less than $30.

Fifth wheel owners will find a locking collar that goes around their trailer king pin. This collar prevents the king pin from coupling up with a fifth wheel hitch. Again, an inexpensive solution, some selling for less than $20.

Are the crook-proof? Nope, a determined thief can eventually cut through either of these type of devices, but most would rather not run the risk of getting caught with the amount of time (and noise produced) in trying to defeat a hitch lock. They'd much rather move along to easier pickin's.” From:  http://www.rvquicktips.com/2012/08/deter-rv-trailer-theft-inexpensively.html

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Holding tank tips for the stationary RV

“While the term "recreational vehicle" fosters visions of hitting the open road and exploring new sights, new civilizations, we don't always boldly go where we haven't gone before.

Sometimes we may be "stuck" in the same place for a couple of weeks--even months. Having a "stationary RV" means special care of the black water holding tank.” Read more.

 

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What's It Like Outside? - Weather Forecasting For Non-Meteorologists

Installing a "weather station" in your RV

Weather Station With Backlight On, Mounted

”The Wanderman, as you probably know, does nothing the easy way. Or should we say the simplest way? When he does something, he wants it to be right. Here, he explains how he installed a basic weather station and atomic clock in his RV. Now, he says, "a simple glance up before walking outside" will tell him what to expect. And then he adds, "I sort of had that before. It's called a window!"” Read more.

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Website helps do-it-yourself mechanics perform their own repairs

“Website helps do-it-yourself mechanics learn how to repair their vehicles

You can save a lot of money performing your own RV repairs. AutoTap can help. The website provides advice about how to do your own repairs.” Learn more.

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The Little Engine That Couldn't

“Right Tool For The Job?  Make sure your tow vehicle isn't under powered for the load and factor in added power (and braking) required to traverse mountain roads.  Here's a worse case scenario to illustrate our point.”

 

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How to install 120-Volt RV shore power at home

“I would like to install an electrical outlet at the house to plug our Class A motorhome into when it is here. I only want 30-amp service. Should I install a 30-amp, 3-wire, 120-volt outlet or a 240-volt, 30-amp outlet?” --Robert

Read Gary's response.

 

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Don't Stress Over Backing a Trailer

“For many RVers, the thought of backing a trailer into the campsite makes their palms start to sweat and their stress level go off the chart. When I worked for an RV dealership we were constantly rearranging the sales lot, moving and backing trailers. When we set-up RV shows, in an effort to use all available space, we would back units within inches of walls, RVs and other obstacles. The technique we used for backing trailers was almost fool proof, when there were two people working together. If you have trouble backing your trailer or pop-up try this.”

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RV alternative energy--a practical fuel cell

“RVers who look to travel and stay away from utility hookups have long been interested in alternative power. Generators, solar panels, even wind turbines are often seen on RVs providing power away from "the grid." A German company, Truma, may have the latest practical alternative energy producer for RVers: A fuel cell powered by LP gas.”   Read more.

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How To Organize an RV Basement

“The RV Geeks write: "If you think you can't accumulate (and misplace) a lot of "stuff" in a space as contained as an RV, think again. We're approaching our 10-year anniversary of full-timing, and have found that lots of things often can't be... found that is... especially in the basement. If you have the same problem we sometimes do, locating the wide variety of things you keep squirreled away in your RV, a selection of plastic bins in various shapes and sizes can help a lot."” Read more.

 

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New RVer asks: Where do I put levels on my RV?

“Having your RV level when parked not only makes it easier to get around in, it's also critical for keeping your RV refrigerator alive. Most RV refrigerators can be damaged if run off-level, so keeping them happy is a first priority. Leveling your RV is a lot easier if you have levels mounted outside so you can "eyeball" them when setting up camp. But how and where do you mount outside levels?”

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Keeping mice out of your RV: What works, what doesn't

“Mice or other rodents in an RV can create more than just a mess. While some actually carry a fatal disease called hantavirus, even non-carriers can raise all kinds of trouble by chewing on water lines or electrical wiring. Imagine the damage water can cause if a mouse chews through a pressurized water line. Or worse -- a rodent gnawing through a live wire could lead to a fire that totally destroys your rig. What's to do?”

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On This Day:

Devastating storm heads toward Caribbean, Sep 13, 1989:

“Hurricane Hugo approaches the Leeward Islands on this day in 1989. Over the next 12 days, Hugo would kill 75 people from the island of Guadeloupe to South Carolina.

Beginning as a thunderstorm that formed off the west coast of Africa on September 9, the storm slowly gathered strength as it moved across the Atlantic Ocean. It attained hurricane status on September 13 and two days later was a full-blown Category 5 storm with wind gusts of up to 190 miles per hour.

On September 16, Guadeloupe bore the full brunt of Hugo's 140-mph sustained winds. About half of the town of Point-a-Pitre was destroyed, four people were killed and 84 others were seriously injured. On Monserrat, 10 people lost their lives and $100 million in damages were incurred due to Hugo.

On September 18, Hugo slammed into the Virgin Islands. Ninety percent of the buildings in St. Croix were damaged. Ten people died and $200 million in damages were suffered, while phone service there was not restored until the following March. St. Thomas, however, was spared serious destruction.

Hugo's next target was Puerto Rico, where its powerful winds and rain killed 22 people. Thirty-five towns lost electricity and water service and 10,000 people were left homeless. The hurricane then moved west toward the North American coast; it was a Category 4 storm when it reached Charleston, South Carolina. Already, nearly 200,000 people had evacuated Charleston by order of the government, which proved fortunate when almost half of the homes there suffered serious damage. A 13-foot storm surge devastated the coastal area and killed six people. Heavy winds also killed another seven people in other parts of the state.

The environmental toll in the Carolinas was severe. The storm caused extensive beach erosion and one national forest lost about 70 percent of its trees. In the United States alone, damages from Hugo reached $5 billion.”

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Yesterday:

My doctor’s appointment was for 10.00AM, so I leisurely got ready, and then took Misty for a walk. Ray came over to do a couple of jobs and mow while I was gone.

I didn’t have to wait too long to see the doctor.  She had a ‘learner’ in there too, so they both examined me and said that I was in good shape. My BP was 126/74, so that it is good, too.  Now she will order the bone density test and mammogram.

After I had called Arlene to let her and Dee know that I was on my way, I stopped to pick up my new glasses.  I tried them out on the way to Thousand Trails Willis, but they just don’t ‘see’ right.  It’s almost like they made the bifocal prescription upside down.  So I had to go back to my old glasses.

As Arlene was visiting Dee and Jim, too, she gave me the code for the TT gate, but I didn’t know where they were.  I knew I had to look for a Cameo Fifth Wheel trailer, a truck, and two cars. (One is Dee’s and one is Arlene’s.)  Then I finally met Dee, who I have ‘known’ in the RV chat room for over 5 years, and her husband Jim.  

In-the-fiver.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We chatted for a while in their beautiful Cameo trailer, and then we went to Schlotzsky's in Willis for lunch.    We sat there gabbing for ages, and then it was time for me to come home.  I have met Arlene several times, as whenever someone comes to our area we visit them, and it was great to finally meet Jim and Dee.  Golly, she is tall!

What a special day! 

PS. I just found out that our friend Dave (Thunder) passed away.

1 comment:

Dizzy-Dick said...

Glad you got to meet some other RV bloggers. That is always fun.