Newbie to Motorhomes

[Trynforpar]

I am a newbie to Motorhomes and recently purchased a new 40' Winnebago Itasca. For the last 10 years we had a 40' Fifth Wheel so I am used to towing. Are there any helpful articles that can prepare a newbie on things to do before you get on the road. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated.

[hermanmullins]

Trynforpar,

Welcome to the Forum. Your 5th wheel has give you a lot of experience and you can grow from there.

Lower your antenna.

Don't forget to set the Parking Brake, your DP doesn't have a park position in the transmission.

Do your walk around as you have always done.

Oh yeah! Don't forget the DW.

Experience will be your best teacher. As you will see here on the Forum we all learn something new all the time.

Again welcome.

Herman

[Trynforpar]

Thanks Herman. My wife and I are very excited to begin our next journey by touring this wonderful country.

[tbutler]

Having owned 5th wheel trailers, you will be familiar with many of the systems and features common on motor homes. A built-in generator and inverter system that are integrated into your vehicle may be new and may take some time to figure out. Leveling will be a new and should be simpler process now. You may find that the ability to level isn't quite what you are used to with 5th wheels.

A big one, assuming that you are towing a car is that you won't be able to back up easily. Backing up for us means unhooking and if continuing on our way, reattaching the toad. Given this information, you learn to be slower and more judicious about pulling into unknown areas. I was observing yesterday, the campground we are in here in St. John's, Newfoundland is a bit confusing. Those towing 5th wheels came rolling in at a good pace and weren't pausing to look things over. Motor homes were coming in slowly, pausing to figure out the road system and then proceeding slowly toward their assigned parking spot. You really don't want to be driving around a lot in tight spaces like campgrounds and parking lots.

You are driving a much heavier vehicle now. I would guess the total weight is 70% to 100% greater than the typical pickup truck and 5th wheel combination. Adjust your following distance and stopping distances accordingly. Start thinking of yourself as a truck driver, not an auto driver. You will accelerate slower and stopping takes longer. When I drive I tend to follow the truck rules and directions, speed limits, route restrictions, road construction lane designations, etc. Know the height of your vehicle and watch the roof at service stations and bridges, etc. This is likely to be easier as you will be sitting in the nose of your coach, near the roof. You may have second thoughts about some clearances now that you see them closer to roof level. Trust the numbers but slow down and be ready to stop if in doubt.

Driving a diesel pusher puts you in the drivers seat in front of your front wheels. That can be a bit disorienting at first. You will adjust your thinking to account for this. When they teach driving for these coaches, they will tell you to realize and think of the wheels being just behind your seat when making turns. The sharper the turn, the more extreme this affects your planned turn. You are driving a long wheelbase vehicle now and there are no sharp turns. You've been thinking in terms of the trailer, now you have to consider the vehicle you are driving. Here you are much more like a bus than a truck driver. You have to swing wide to get the rear wheels to clear the curb. Left turns are generally easy if you don't cut the turn short and get into the left turn lane of the cross road. Right turns in some cases will require a clear left turn lane in the cross road so you can swing wide enough to clear a curb. Positioning yourself away from the curb before a right turn can help. Sometimes that even means taking part of the left lane next to you. Unlike driving with a trailer, the motor home won't bend in the middle!

At FMCA Family Reunions or Conventions there is usually a safety class run by the RV Safety and Education Foundation, RVSEF. They conduct classes for motor home drivers at those conventions. It is a paid class and is well worth the money. When I took the class it was 8 hours over a two day span. They were very thorough covering many aspects of vehicle safety. They also offer weighing for coaches at these rallies. Usually at the end when you are packed up and on the road they will have a location where you can get your motor home weighed. Unlike a truck stop weigh scale, these scales are put under each individual wheel. It s very easy to load the coach in such a way that one wheel may be carrying much more weight than another. In addition our vehicles vary considerably in weight due to changes in fuel, propane, fresh water and waste water carried at any given time. Tire care and tire pressure are critical. You need to know what weight you carry and have your tires inflated to the proper pressure to support that weight. If you run your tires with lower pressure than needed, they will fail. Tire failure is more exciting in a large heavy vehicle than most people want to experience. RVSEF has videos and also lists rallies where they will be attending to offer classes.

Also at FMCA Rallies there are classes for your driving companion which include a chance to drive a coach with an instructor. It is always a good idea to have two trained and experienced drivers.

Keep your favorite non-alcoholic refreshment in the fridge. Don't let anyone walk around in the coach when maneuvering. When the road is straight and smooth you may be able to get snack service but don't make any sudden turns or stops while passengers are out of their seat belts!

Enjoy the ride. We love the convenience of our motor home and have enjoyed it thoroughly over the years. Obviously, we still do!

Welcome to FMCA!

[manholt]

Tom,

You got that covered real well. The only thing I would add, is that we drive slower than most 5th wheel's!

Got to go where your at. My bucket list!

Carl