Tire Dates. BBQ Grills. Coin Toss Walk. Check Valve. Fulltime? New or Used? Class B w. Slide. First Tank. Princess Diana.

For “tRaVersing Thursday”, or RV Day:

How to determine the age of your tires

“Do you know when your tires were made? Do you know how to find out on a tire you plan to buy? Our RV tire expert and blogger Roger Marble explains what you need to know about the age of tires. It can sometimes be confusing if you don't know how to read the tire's manufacturing date code, but Roger explains that for you.”

This first example shows the 3rd week of 2001 and we also know the plant code is W2

 

 

This example has 39th week of 2008 with the manufacturing code of 8x

 

 

 

This example on the left is 41st week of 1994 or possibly 41st week of 1984. This is a good example of why the date code was changed to four digits.

and below we have an example of 37th week 1998 on the left and 7th week 2009 on the right.

 

 

Do not confuse the fact that the 6E7378 ends with four numbers as there is no 73rd week of the year 2078.

 Read the article.

 

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Compact BBQ grills that work

”Our do-it-yourself guru Rich Miller, the Wanderman, takes a break from modifying and/or otherwise improving his motorhome to discuss compact barbecue grills that he can easily carry in his 24-foot RV. He's got a rundown of some good ones. Maybe you'll want one for your very own.” Read more.

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Wacky coin toss walk

“Most kids resist going on walks under the guise of being bored. Add some interest to an ordinary walk around the campground by letting a coin determine where you’ll end up. Campgrounds make an ideal place to try this activity since there are so many paths and roads. Just remember not to walk through any campsites! Start at your RV campsite by having a child toss a coin. “Heads” means you start walking and turn left. “Tails” means you head to the right.
Walk in the direction indicated on the coin until the next cross street or trail. Again, flip the coin to see which direction you’ll go. You may be surprised where you end up! Let kids take turns flipping the coin. Watch what happens when you are at a cross street and a “Tails” gets you to turn into the campground snack bar featuring ice cream.

As you walk, take time to explore. Point out various styles of RV’s. Check out the colored maps some people have on their RV depicting states they have visited. If you happen to pass by the camp host’s site, chat with them about why they volunteer. Keep letting the coin toss determine where you walk. Hopefully you’ll get back to your campsite before midnight!” From:  http://family-rving.blogspot.com/2012/08/most-kids-resist-going-on-walks-under.html

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I Need a Complete New Water Assembly

Posted by RV Doctor

“I am wondering if there is a replacement backflow valve for the city water hookup. It looks like I will have to spend $60 to replace the entire hatch for the freshwater city and tank fill. Any suggestions?” Rick M., (Baldwin, WI)

“Rick, I've got some good news for you. If all you have is a faulty backflow preventer (check valve) in the existing city water assembly, simply install a second backflow preventer just downstream of the city water entry. This only applies if the fault is that the existing check valve will not close properly. The symptom would be that water exits the city water entry when the coach is on pump pressure. But there’s no need to remove a check valve that won’t close. Just install a second one inline and just downstream of the first one. Now if it is stuck shut, then yes, that old one will have to come out. But typically the fault is that it no longer seals when the coach is operating the on-board water pump.” From: http://www.rvdoctor.com/2012/08/i-need-complete-new-water-assembly.html

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So exactly what is a full-time RVer?

Dear RV Shrink:
”We are new at all this RV lingo we hear around the campground. We have people tell us all the time that they are FULL-TIMERS. We finally figured out that meant living in their RV year-round. We live in our rig year-round but some of that time is in our driveway at home. We found it so easy to live in our rig we stopped moving back into the house when home. We think of our property as one of the nicest campgrounds we stay in. When I explained this to a campground neighbor, she said, "Well, you're not a full-timer if you still own a home and go back there for a few months every year." Now I'm afraid to open my mouth when the subject comes up about full-timing. Can you define the term more precisely for me?” --Fully confused in Folsom. Read the RV Shrink's response.

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Should you buy an RV new or used?

“The cost of the RV and how much you can afford to pay each month are important factors when deciding between a new or used RV, but there are several other factors to consider too. If you are only going to use the RV two weeks out of the year, a used RV might be your best decision. On the other hand, if you are planning on going fulltiming or traveling cross-country, a new RV with a full warranty would be a more logical choice.” Read more.

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Trivia
”This year's drought is expected to ruin many crops and increase food prices, but perhaps not much. According to the August 6, 2012 issue of Time Magazine, "Americans are comparatively well insulated from the increase in crop prices, largely because our diets are so full of processed goods that only about 15 cents of every dollar we spend on food actually goes for food. (Most of the remainder goes to packaging and advertising.)"

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Random RV Thought
”When pulling over to let a slower vehicle pass, try to do so on a downhill stretch of road. When you get going again, gravity will give you an extra push, saving you fuel as you return to your cruising speed.”

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Class B van conversion RV features slide-out and more

“Class-B "camper vans" have come a long way since the days of the old "hippie conversion." Now comes an upstart idea from Canada: A Class B with a slide-out and a dry bath. Leisure Travel Vans announced  the release of their "Free Spirit SS" on a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van chassis.   For RVers who don't mind a minimalist space environment, there are a few things almost just too good to be true: Picture getting 19 to 22 mile-per-gallon. Need a little fresh air while napping? Just open the sliding door at the foot of your bed for a bigger-than-life view of the outdoors. Need to head off to 'powder your nose'? Stand ready for a porcelain toilet, shower--even a vanity.

 

The Free Spirit SS adds a few other features:
- V6 turbo diesel
- Rack and pinion fiberglass slideout--just to the rear of the driver's seat
- Leather sofa bed, folds down to 54" x 80" with memory foam topper
- Under the sofa bed, a pedestal table, 'erects in seconds'

- Corian countertop, stainless sink, cabinets, refrigerator/freezer, convention-microwave oven equipped galley
- 16,000 Btu furnace
- 600 watt inverter
- Full width sliding screen door.
Expect sales to start this fall at less than $120,000 (US).  From: http://www.rvnewsservice.com/2012/08/class-b-van-conversion-rv-features.html

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On This Day:

First tank produced, Sep 6, 1915:

“On this day in 1915, a prototype tank nicknamed Little Willie rolls off the assembly line in England. Little Willie was far from an overnight success. It weighed 14 tons, got stuck in trenches and crawled over rough terrain at only two miles per hour. However, improvements were made to the original prototype and tanks eventually transformed military battlefields.

The British developed the tank in response to the trench warfare of World War I. In 1914, a British army colonel named Ernest Swinton and William Hankey, secretary of the Committee for Imperial Defence, championed the idea of an armored vehicle with conveyor-belt-like tracks over its wheels that could break through enemy lines and traverse difficult territory. The men appealed to British navy minister Winston Churchill, who believed in the concept of a "land boat" and organized a Landships Committee to begin developing a prototype. To keep the project secret from enemies, production workers were reportedly told the vehicles they were building would be used to carry water on the battlefield (alternate theories suggest the shells of the new vehicles resembled water tanks). Either way, the new vehicles were shipped in crates labeled "tank" and the name stuck.

The first tank prototype, Little Willie, was unveiled in September 1915. Following its underwhelming performance--it was slow, became overheated and couldn’t cross trenches--a second prototype, known as "Big Willie," was produced. By 1916, this armored vehicle was deemed ready for battle and made its debut at the First Battle of the Somme near Courcelette, France, on September 15 of that year. Known as the Mark I, this first batch of tanks was hot, noisy and unwieldy and suffered mechanical malfunctions on the battlefield; nevertheless, people realized the tank's potential. Further design improvements were made and at the Battle of Cambrai in November 1917, 400 Mark IV’s proved much more successful than the Mark I, capturing 8,000 enemy troops and 100 guns.

Tanks rapidly became an important military weapon. During World War II, they played a prominent role across numerous battlefields. More recently, tanks have been essential for desert combat during the conflicts in the Persian Gulf.”

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Some 2.5 billion TV viewers watch Princess Diana’s funeral, Sep 6, 1997:

“On this day in 1997, an estimated 2.5 billion people around the globe tune in to television broadcasts of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, who died at the age of 36 in a car crash in Paris the week before. During her 15-year marriage to Prince Charles, the son of Queen Elizabeth II and the heir to the British throne, Diana became one of the most famous, most photographed people on the planet.

England experienced an unprecedented outpouring of public grief over Diana’s death. On September 6, 1997, hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of London to watch the former princess’s coffin being transported to Westminster Abbey, where politicians, celebrities and royalty gathered for her funeral. Elton John performed a re-worked version of his song “Candle in the Wind,” which he and Bernie Taupin had originally written about Marilyn Monroe. Diana’s brother, Lord Spencer, spoke at the funeral and blamed the media for his sister’s death, calling her the “most hunted person of the modern age.” Diana was buried at Althorp, her family’s estate in Northamptonshire, England.

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Yesterday:

Jay didn’t call me to ask me “You on schedule?”, and as it was shopping day, that surprised me, so called his cell.  He said he was in Houston!  That meant I could get ready at slower pace.  I didn’t leave here until 10.00 AM, and I went straight to a government office to turn in some paperwork.  I really wanted them to check it and see if I had filled it out correctly, so I took a number, and I was there for an hour.  Not too bad for a walk-in, I suppose.

I had some things to take back, and needed to buy some transmission fluid, and oil at Walmart.  That wouldn’t have taken very long, except I decided to have the prescription for my new glasses filled while I was there. 

After a lot of decision making, I ordered wrap-around red frames with no-line bifocal, tinted and polarized lenses for day driving.  I only use my bifocals for driving, so I keep them in the van.  The glare of the sun really hurts my eyes, so these should be a lot better.   Usually, I have to take my prescription glasses off to back up, as the frames get in my peripheral vision, but I can’t see the frames on these.  My insurance paid for all but $25. My present glasses just have tint at the top, which has faded, so I can use them if I ever drive at night.

Stupidly, I bought some “natural” creamer there, and when arrived home, I looked up the ingredients.  It isn’t natural at all, and even has some carcinogens in it.

By the time I had shopped at Petsmart it was time to get home for a late lunch, and to let Misty out, so I didn’t even go to a thrift shop or grocery store yesterday.