danddferr

Best wishes as you head out on your adventures. Lots of information to be learned on different forums. From driving tips to how to deal with blank tank smells , they have all been discussed on the forums. A great way to get lots of first hand advice on the life style! Have fun, be safe, and enjoy! Wishing you many happy miles and smiles! Dan

I use the TST 10 system. ( Their old one ) for two years now and love it. It has already saved me from an issue by alerting me to a low pressure situation while driving. Many good ones outn there. Having a tpms is a must for my peace of mind. Dan

Another area to check is the duct work in the RV. Pull off a couple of your Ac vents and look at the inside of your ducts. Might have some mold growing in there. Cleaning that out will be difficult but necessary for your health. A plumbers snake with a white t-shirt attached to the end might tell you if you have mold in the system.Good Luck . Dan

Just added multi-color led ligths under the rig. The sets are water proof so no issues with rain. Just drilled a small hole in one of the bays to run the lights from the control box and zip tied the lights to the two main rails. The color can be red, blue, green, white or transition through all four. You can even set it up so the lights change to the beat of the music you can listening to. Yes people stop and ask what is going on under my rig! It is easy to find my rig in a strange campground at night! Dan

Don't know much about Rhode Island campgrounds but, Normandy Farms in Foxboro, Ma can handle big rigs. You would be about an hour from the Newport Mansions. Not sure how long you are planing on staying but, this is my neck of the woods and there are some great places to visit within a short distance of Normandy Farms. ( I live in the greater New Bedford Area ) From Battleship Cove in Fall River to the Whaling Mueseum in New Bedford , to too many places to mention in the greater Boston area. Depending on what your interests are I could offer some suggestions. Feel free to contact me. As far as Normandy farms goes, it's one of my favorite campgrounds. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for. Any questions feel free to ask. http://normandyfarms.com/ Dan

Welcome to the forum and the life style...and it is a life style. The DW and I still work but we are teachers that have the summers off. We love traveling during the summer. Dan

I like the way you think Herman! Zip lock bags sounds good. Dan

I tow a Honda Fit. I have done almost 500 miles without pulling the fuse and not had an issue. Dan

If you are using it and want the slides out, then I would put the jacks down. I have 2x6 boards under my jacks. I agree that if you are not using it why leave the slides out? More exposure and the chance that the wind will hurt the slide toppers. Full timers have the slides out all year. I agree that the wisdom you gain from forums like this one is huge. I have been Rving since 1988 but when I bought my Class A in 2008 I started looking to forums for help. I didn't know how much I didn't know!!! Kind of like going to an RV show and finding toys for your RV that you didn't know you really need!!!! Dan

We will be attending our first FMCA rally this July. Looking for some ideas or places just before or after the rally. Mostly before as we only have five days till we have to be home for a family commitment. It's just the DW and I. We are both teachers who travel for the summer. Last year it was a great seven week road trip. This year we are not doing a detailed plan. more like whereever the rig leads us. Meeting up with new people is always a good idea. Dan

Personally I like towing 4 down. I bought my last car with that in mind. It had to have 4 down capability. If you already have a car and it can't do 4-down then a tow dolly is your best bet. I'm not a fan of transmission pumps. Dan

Any idea when they send out the documents for the rally? Just planing out or summer and determining when we'll be home. Dan

Same here. No chemicals just plenty of water and don't let it get full! OME gauges still work after 4 years too! Dan

It's a life style! The memories are priceless! We have gone camping on Thanksgiving day in the snow, enjoyed the warmth of a summer day with swimming and everything in between. Now that the kids are on their own we have empty nest and we hit the road for the summer. ( We are both teachers. ) In five years when I retire we will hit the road semi fulltime. I can't wait! Dan

I'm with Herman on this one! First you can't take it with you, I've never seen a hearse with a luggage rack! Second buying slightly used RV or Car can be a real bargain if your careful. Best wishes... Last words... GO FOR IT!!!!!!!! You only live once! Dan

An RVer who was in the tire business told me that wheels on asphalt is the big concern. The natural oils from your tires can interact with the asphalt. Concrete or grass should not bother the tires. For what it's worth I live in the Northeast and I don't use a cover. Brush off the heavy snow, give it a good cleaning and hit it with NuFinish when I winterize it. It's an 08 and some people think it's new. Dan

Hope this year's rally is just as good. It will be our first rally and we can't wait. Dan

Thanks for the great input. Dw and I are teachers so volunteering is sooo normal for us. Is there some place to sign up to volunteer? Of course perhaps I should check with the DW and check with her. Can't wait to get the rig unwinterized. The DW has knee replacement ( her second) coming up March 30th. Hoping to do our first camping of the season during April vacation. See you there! Dan

I have a 32ba Open Road Allegro towing a Honda Fit. It is a Fred ( front end diesel ) and I had no issues with 9 % grades last summer. Except for the fingernail indentations on the copilots seat! Take your time and read up about climbing hills. If third gear is what you needed to climb the hill then put it in third and let the engine brake do it's job going down. Use the service brakes as needed to decrease speed. Dan

We just registered for the Vermont Rally in July. It will be our first FMCA Rally Looking forward to meeting new people and perhaps joining a chapter. Anyone else going? Any info you can share about past rallies, arriving early,staying later etc. greatly appreciated. Dan

I've had the Ready Brake by Night Shift Auto for over a year and I love it. Surge brakes work fine and doing 9% grades last summer we had no issues. Easy to set up and beats the heck out of some of the setups I've seen. Go for it you won't regret it. Dan

I tow a Honda Fit. It can be towed 4 down and weight in at only 2500 # . Dan

In the North East there is plenty to see. As far as campgrounds go to Normandy Farms in Foxboro, MA. It is open year round right now-- changing in 2012 it will be closed Dec-March. From there you can easily visit Boston, The Newport Mansions, The New Bedford Whaling Museum, and Battleship Cove in Fall River, plus numerous shopping outlets. Anyone need more info please feel free to contact me. This is our neck of the woods and we love to share our gems. Dan

DW and I are planning a 6 week trip this summer. Going to Lake George, then Buffalo NY, down to Canton OH Area then to Pa. probably Lancaster/ Gettysburg PA area then to Williamsburg,VA. Any suggestions on campgrounds to stay at or avoid as well as special gems in these area that are must sees would be appreciated. We live in Southeastern Ma. If anyone is planing a trip through or neck of the woods please feel free to drop us a line and we be glad to share some of our gems for you to see. (Cape Cod and RI too). Thanks for any input that you give. Dan

I live in New England and yes it gets cold here! ( Had snow yesterday! ) The cost of RV antifreeze is cheap insurance. Never had an issues in any of my rigs when I've used it. Did lose a fixture when I just drained the lines. ( Then I started using the antifreeze! ) Now it doesn't take that long to clean out and sanitizing in the spring. Dan