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AFChap · 02-07-2009, 09:53 AM

...maybe a better subject would be "RVing while clueless..."

Watching other RVers as we travel around the country can be both educational and entertaining. I have picked up some good tips, and seen some amazing things -- some amazingly brilliant, and some amazingly stupid. Here are two of the latter kind I saw last week in a tiny RV park in Louisiana.

1 - We pulled in beside an older bus conversion. It wasn't fancy, but was certainly quite decent. There was a small Ford car, maybe a Tempo or smaller model, and at the front of the site between our rig and his (yep, in OUR yard) was a two-wheeled cargo box trailer, apx 15' long. He hauled a motorcycle in the trailer, along with other stuff. I wondered how he transported the car trailer when he traveled ...the car obviously went on the rather light-weight looking dolly attached to the rear of the bus. Then two days after we arrived, I watched him hook the trailer up to the little Ford. Then he drove the little car, with the rear suspension pretty well bottomed out, to the rear of the bus and loaded the car on the dolly. He then let all the air out of the front tires of the car, chained the tires down with a mesh of what appeared to be dog chain weight chain, and then partially re-inflated the tires with a portable compressor. We had to go somewhere before he departed, and I regreted we could not wait to see the train hit the road. He had to be around 80' long, well over the legal limit in many states. I believe dual towing with two ball hitches may also be illegal in at least some states...

2 - Late that afternoon a convoy of 3 fifth wheels and 1 motorhome came in together. One fifth wheel drew a site right across from us. He circled the park the wrong direction, then in spite of very wide streets and plenty of room to turn around, he began to back into his site from the wrong direction while his wife directed him. There had been heavy rain the day before, so there was a lot of standing water and soft ground off the pavement. He went across grass and all, sloshing water and mud, making his own angle opposite to how the sites were set up. As he decided he liked where he was, with his truck a few feet from the fifth wheel to the left of his site and totally blocking the parking area of his neighbor, he got out of his pickup as the little old lady host walked up (the manager was not there). Not able to hear the conversation, I watched her make all kinds of sign language, walk over to the site entry drive and make more sign language, indicating to him the proper angle to enter the site. Eventually she walked away and the guy got back into his pickup. He pulled forward and backward several more times, made a muddy mess of what was left of the grass, finally ending up in a perfect right angle to the street with the truck in the grass/mud and the fifth wheel off the other side of the site in the rear. That's where he stayed until pulling out the next morning.

Yeah, I've pulled some boners too, but hopefully follow safe and considerate RVing practices as a general rule...

Eddie Foy · 02-07-2009, 10:15 AM

You can't fix stupid!

becks · 02-07-2009, 10:16 AM

AFChap....I can just imagine what you all see over the coarse of an entire year of travels. We're only able to travel the months of June, July and August each year. Still it does amaze us as well all the crazy things one see's over a three month period. Sad thing is some of these things are down right dangerous. Enjoy.

historyljc · 02-07-2009, 12:50 PM

Think of the damage these guys can do in a voting booth.

mountainkowboy · 02-07-2009, 04:57 PM

Last year I watched an older couple pull there 5er in the end spot accrossed the way from us. She was outside giving instructions on proper backing. After 6 tries and being completely out of sorts, I went over and offered my assistance. BAD IDEA.....I was chewed out by both of them. I went back to my MoHo and after another 4 tries they got it into the spot. It was kitty corner in the spot, but it was in!

Jim Stewart · 02-08-2009, 04:45 AM

Maybe this thread should be some stupid things each of us have accomplished too!

Years ago with our first MH; a 40' Newmar Mountain Aire, we took it to the factory for service. The service had to be performed inside of the building and we could not leave our cats inside the MH. Being 150 miles from my wife's parents house, she took the four cats to her parents and left me to fend for myself at the service center. Now over the years, we have noticed that their are two groups of people, those that split specific duties between husband and wife and those that go it alone. We were the former and among those duties that my wife performed was the connecting and disconnecting of power. When I went to leave the factory early the next morning, I did my jobs and those that my wife always performed. I was so proud to handle it all by myself.

As I drove away, many of the folks I had met at the service center were up and frantically waving goodbye. I thought I must have made a good impression and what a wonderful guy I must be. As I made it out of the driveway, one of my new admirers even ran along side of the MH and pounded on the side to get my attention. I stopped and he said I may want to come outside. As I did I noticed this thick black cord dragging along side of the MH. Attached to it was a 50 amp box, attached to a service pole, attached to about 3 foot of wire, all of which I had ripped out of the ground as I pulled away without unplugging.

From that day on, I carried the checklist in my pocket and actually went completely through it each time we arrived or left a new location. Now some 10 years later and back at it again, the list is longer and my memory shorter. I hope for less embarressment or more excuses!

RV Wizard · 02-08-2009, 05:44 AM

Speaking of dangerous; this guy is an accident waiting to happen!

motojavaphil · 02-08-2009, 07:05 AM

I have a bumper sticker that says "Stupid Should Be Painful". In the RV world stupid can be very painful and dangerous to us as well as others. Time and experience seem to overcome those issues but there are people wired to repeat mistakes. The guy out there with a 3/4 ton pick up with his 18000 GVWR 5r or the MoHo with old tires and bad brakes. I have a lot of respect for the RVers that are safe and careful. I have to agree with AFChap that there are some very strange things to be seen.

tmar10 · 02-08-2009, 03:14 PM

Living next to I-95, we get to observe all levels of stupidity on a daily basis. This applies to all modes of transportation but some RVers top my list. They range from the TT out of control behind a under-sized vehicle to the class A gassers pulling trailers larger than their motorhomes. Some live and learn while others do not.

Jestme13 · 02-09-2009, 06:13 PM

As my old pal Forest used to say "Stupid is as Stupid does" how true.

As far as bad behavior in a CG, is it proper to tell the CG owner that someone is taring up their property while being stupid, or just out right ignorant? Do we need to police ourselves better, or do we just sit back and watch these ignorant suckers mess things up for all of us?
My pet peev is people that allow their dogs to leave a pile anywhere they want, and then not even pick up after their poochs, bad, bad, bad!

SRT · 02-10-2009, 04:20 AM

Quote:

"RVing while clueless..."

IMHO there are more clueless people than we realize.....

Ken Roberts · 02-10-2009, 03:55 PM

Don't care whether it is a moyor home towing a ytailer or a truck pulling a fiver; there is a basic rule the towing vehicle needs to have AT LEAST as may wheels as the towed vehicle,i.e.6 can tow 4; but, 4 towing 6 is not a workable set-up. Before you flaming starts; yes I know some have done it for years and have never had an incident let alone an accident. However this is one instance where past experience has diddly squat yo do with future encounters.

For those who like to play ostrich and pretend that this is not real nor that this reaally does not apply to them I offer you a challenge: Write a letter to your insurance company, NOT your brother-in-law agent, and explain exactly what you are doing, complete with full vehicle disclosures to include make, model and what the manufacturers of both the tower and the towee say their legal weights are. In conclusion ask the insuranfce company to put in writing just how you are covered in the event of a serious accident,i.e. one that includes at least one fatality not associated with your vehicles.

I am betting dollars to donuts that they will give you a very negative response; but, the bet is rather inconsequential as none of those in this situation will ever accept my challenge. Hopefully, their involvement in any such accident with a fatality will never come about. If it does in all probability their insurance agent/company may very well become minor players relative to the legal battles that will involve serious players, i.e. the numerous regullatory agencies, the other folks' insurance company and their attorneys, etc.

This is not meant to be a letter of doom and gloom. It is meant to say that we are each must be responsible for our actions today that very well may have catastrophic consequences in the future.

Safe travels and hoptefully we can all avoid winning a Darwin Award, Ken....