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I believe most Jeep steering wheel locks were removed around 2008. If your Wrangler has a steering wheel lock, it has been changed for 2014. With my 2012 Liberty, I shift the Transfer Case to Neutral, put the transmission into Park and remove the key. I have been towing it for a year and a half in this manner.

I have also heard good things about the park in Williams. Perhaps next year if we are able to take our western trip we will check it out. Thanks for the recommendation.

There are many mail forwarding services around. We personally use St. Brendan's Isle in Green Cove Springs, Florida since we also used this address as our physical address when we changed our Domicile to Florida. I wonder if the 15 site campground will be closed as well??? this was a great member benefit as well.

I think what upset me the most was the poor reaction to my complaint. "Oh Well!" That's the same as take it or leave it. In the service and entertainment industry, companies make their livings off return guests, not new guests. If these industries had to rely on new guests, just imagine their advertising costs. The service we received when we lodged a complaint does not make me wish to return. Also these type industries rely on word of mouth advertising. Just look at the word of mouth advertising they are receiving now!

This is the first time I have ever left a negative comment about a park, but I felt I had to about this park. I am refering to Ramblin Pines in Woodbine, Md. This is our second week long stay at this park. The park itself is basically OK, although pricey in my opinion for what it is. They do not offer discounts for weekly stays either. I had my daughter, 2 year old granddaughter and sister-in-law and brother-in-law visit from 3 PM to 7 PM yesterday. The park charged them $5 PER PERSON for a 4 hour visit. When I complained about it there response is that is the policy. (The policy states $5 for visitors. It DOES NOT specify $5 EACH). I then stated I was a bi-annual weekly camper and would not be back. Their response "Oh well!" I cannot recommend this park. On my next visit I will be looking elsewhere. When I said I was going to post my negative comments to the various forums I am a member of their response was again "Oh well!" The guest service demonstrated by the staff at this park and by the rules of this park was sorely lacking. I worked in guest services for several years and indeed taught our companies guest service program to ALL employees. This was an example of the exact opposite of what we taught and is an example of very poor guest service. The average I have seen at other parks is $5 per car. $5 per person for a 4 hour visit where NO SERVICES were used is excessive IMO. I can see why this park only is getting a 3.4 rating. IMO guest service includes explaining why a policy is in place and working to solve a reported complaint, not "Oh well!" We always taught people to attempt to work with a guest to solve complaints not just to have an "Oh well" attitude. The attitude was even worse than the policy. By the way, no petting zoo (they have 2 goats fenced in with a sign saying they bite), there is also a farmers field close by that on occasion has a few cows within sight, miniature golf is an extra charge (the $5 per person visitor fee does NOT include this), we did not use the pool and had no intention of doing so. The cable is basic 20 channel, non HD cable that does not work well at all sites. I never was able to connect to their network with my WiFi Ranger Go/Mobile system. kept getting Filtered connection. Thank goodness for my Jetpack. Yes, the sites were mostly level, but they are really crowded together and all the best sites are used by seasonal campers. I did ask for the manager and was informed that the 2 ladies in the office were the managers and they both had the "Oh well" attitude. I believe the biggest problem is that there is not a lot of competition in Md. That's why the many seasonal campers are here. There is no place else to go. And yes I did leave a review at RVParkReviews.com.

Jim and Carol, I would also like to add my welcome to FMCA!

I also have my camera view on whenever my coach is started. One of the first things I do is to activate the camera. I guess just over compensating the distance is the best policy until you learn from experience what the clear opening looks like in the mirror. I can see in my mirror when I clear the passed vehicle. At that point I usually give a little more space, then signal my intention and wait a while to ensure that intention will warn the passed vehicle, then slowly change to the lane. Don't put your turn signal on until you are actually ready to change lanes as the camera view changes and I do not believe the side view is as easy to see if there is space to make the move.

I would definitely have an independent mechanic check it over. The money will be well spent to have this done. You might find the rattles are very simple fixes, but something else more serious is hidden.

Try filling the toilet a few times then flushing that amount of water. This will dump a larger than normal amount of water directly onto the area where the toilet normally flushes. Quite often this extra water directly on the spot might loosen it enough to get it cleaned out.

First, both the axles on the tractor are drives and (I'm not sure of exact verbage) drive axles have variable differentials That change speed of tires that are turning a shorter radius. For the trailer, your talking 4 tires per side, And possibly the same type differential axles??? that the tag axles (with one tire per side) do not have. These are somewhat guesses, but reasoned guesses based upon driving both tractor trailers and tag axle coaches. The tag tires will not flat spot each time the are turned short while on the ground, but they may have a cumulative affect. Again, just guessing. Also coach tires sit in one spot for long periods, sometimes months at a time. A tractor trailer tires will be rolling continuously in most cases and will continuously exercise the sidewalls of all tires.

It's something that's very easy to forget, believe me I know from personal experience. Like I said it's worse on paved road, but even gravel roads can cause problems. These tires are way too expensive to let something like this ruin the tag tires.

You will find, however, that the ride will be MUCH improved on the diesel, causing less driver fatigue that your old coach. Fatigue can lead to errors. Less fatigue equates to fewer errors. Your offtracking (the amount of space the rear tires turn inside the front tires on turns) may be greater because the rear duals and tag are further from the front tires. Plan your turns so you don't run over something with the rear tires when turning a corner. Your new coach will have a tag axle. Remember, in slow maneuvers, raise the tag. This will result in less "scrubbing" of the tag tires. So when maneuvering into or out of a parking spot, lift the tag, especially on paved roads and sites.

I also decided to bank the premiums. My BEST ESTIMATE was for $3400 premium for a 2 YEAR POLICY! This was with a $500 deductible! I decided that was entirely too high. And this was the best price from one of the less desirable companies. I had some estimates that were $5K. In the first year I spend, maybe, $100 for repairs. So even if I have to pay $3K this year, I am even. I realize this is defying the odds. I large repair would really hurt. That's why I consider maintenance so important. Even though I only traveled 5000 or so miles this year, I had the engine oil and all filters replaced after a year, using higher end Rotella oil (could not justify the price of synthetic oil). Maintenance can minimize your exposure to those high cost repairs. I guess it's up to each individual whether these insurance policies are worth the expense. On my 8 year old used high end coach the cost was just too high. Had the premium been considerably lower I probably would have gotten the policy.

Salesmen can say anything. They tend to be more quiet when it comes to providing facts to back up those claims. I would definitely stay away from that salesman!

There have been MANY Newmars sold with Comfort Steer, from Dutch Star all the way through to Kingaire. I do not remember ever reading of a problem with the Comfort Steer system. I am a member and read 4 different RV Forums plus all the favorite magazines. I think the salesman just wants to sell you and as such is "blowing smoke" you know where.

No comparison in my book. The fit and finish of the Dutch Star is higher than the Tuscany in my book. Since they are both similar price points, choose the Dutch Star.

If you are just staying for the night, just check to ensure nothing has come loose (lights and aux. brakes work) and that no one has tampered with your setup. There generally is not a reason to unhook unless you are planning to drive somewhere that night. I have friends that someone loosened the lug nuts on one of their toad wheels. The wheel came off. What a mess! Only takes a minute to check the lugs. If they are loose enough to come off, just checking by hand should be enough to ensure there is not a problem. If you feel better, keep a ratchet and socket on hand to check them.

Yea, somewhere in 2008 Jeep had the foresight to remove the steering wheel lock. Perhaps this was after urging by the RV community as it seems Jeep is one of the popular toads on the market. You just have to be sure you get the transfer case that can be shifted to Neutral.

Make sure the model has a transfer case that can be shifted to Neutral. If it does not, it is NOT flat towable.

Your Magna most likely has air leveling as does mine. Does the coach appear to be level or close to travel Mode? Does manual leveling work? I know my computerized leveling system has malfunctioned during this trip, but I can still manually level the coach and it does go into travel mode when driving. I am hoping the computerized leveling just needs calibration. If you can manually level the coach, you should be able to get the coach into travel mode as well. Press the main air switch on your computer head in the dash once to activate it then try to press the front/back/side buttons up or down to manually change the system to see if this works. Just pressing this switch once puts you in manual mode. In your case this may or may not work. If not the tow scenario may be needed.

I found for my case Blue Sky was the best for the coach, but NOT for the toad. I had to split the 2 apart for the best coverage and rates. This is in Florida. Other states may be different.

Bill, I really think you are off the mark here. As far as family, the demographics are that most MH owners are also empty nesters. The association was original set up for motor coaches only. That was a choice the original organizers decided on, and for the most part they have held to that, and it seems to work IMO. You compare FMCA to Escapees and GS. Fair enough. I am a member of both, a life member at GS. I have not attended an Escapade yet, but I did attend the Syracuse GS Rally. From what I read, the Escapade had quite a few complaints, at least in the forum. The Rally we attended had lots of rain (not the organizers fault) and they had to really scramble to find sites for many of us. We were off site and had to be bused to the Rally. Was not really conducive to attending entertainment venues. I do not see where these organizations were any better prepared for their perspective rallies. 2000 attendees seems like a good attendance. Did you ever think that due to economic and other factors, many people no longer drive the long distances to attend these rallies. This is my take on rally attendance. The FMCA Magazine is very similar to, with similar content to either of the other 2 organization magazines. I do get all 3. In fact Escapees magazine is NOT published each month, but rather bi-monthly. Both Motorhome (which is a subscription paid magazine) and FMCA Magazine have some advertising, but do have what I consider good topics and info on places I want to visit. Both include fair reviews of coaches, not only positives. The bi-monthly Escapee magazine does have the same content as well. I appears to me that all of these organizations have similar problems, similar magazines, and similar membership. All 3 run very informative forums that I frequent each day. IMO FMCA is doing a fine job. The economics in todays environment may not allow the same level of membership interactions, but this is similar for all 3 organizations.

I would definitely look at used in your price range. You will be surprised on the increase in quality and features you can afford by going used 5 or 6 years or so. You can get bigger and higher end with used. Mileage will be entirely dependent on weight and torque. In used, you might even find some nice diesels in your price range. The already listed 6 to 10 mpg seems very reasonable to me.

When bad weather is approaching which is the easiest to move to a new location? I believe most, if not all, will say the MH is quicker to get ready to move. I also believe a large MH such as you are considering will give more storage space for your "stuff".

I stopped at a Flying J just short of Columbus, Ohio 2 night ago, and the area we parked was right along a curb near the assigned RV parking area. I could hardly hear any noise from outside, I did not smell any of the "bad smelling diesels" and we had quite a restful sleep. We had an emergency and I did not have time to preplan the way I generally do so this was a great place to overnight. Yes I did observe common courtesy and shut the generator off when we went to bed (before 10 PM, we were tired), but I did run all 4 of my slides out and caused NO problems for anyone else staying there. It is a truck stop, so if you do hear noise from other trucks or RVs coming in or out, get over it after all it is a TRUCK STOP!