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11-22-2014, 03:40 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Portage, Wisconsin
Posts: 160
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Newbie goof ups
I hope this thread becomes entertaining and educational.
My newbie goof: Had the RV next to house and jacks down and level. Decided to check all engine fluid levels and the HWH jack oil level. Hmmm, noticed the oil was way low so I topped it off. Next day raised jacks, walked outside and see this huge puddle of jack oil running down the driveway. Now I know the purpose of that oil reservoir.
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David T
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11-22-2014, 03:50 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 809
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That's one way to change the fluid, but your not the first one to do that. Always fun to sit around the campfire and laugh at ourselves. All part of camping. Enjoy.
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11-23-2014, 12:44 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 264
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I'm embarrassed to say I wasn't a newbie when I made my worst mistake. I had towed my 40-foot 1989 Teton all over the country with never a goof until one day when I had it firmly hitched (I thought) and pulled out of my site headed out of the RV park. When I turned right from the site onto the campground road, that rascal came crashing down into the bed of the truck. I had been a widow for quite a while at that time and couldn't even share the blame for one of my dumbest mistakes ever.....and believe me, I've made more than my share. To add insult to injury, it was 103 degrees and about 95% humidity that day. Typical Houston summer morning.
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Art, the Canadian and Bev, the Texan
Heidi, the spoiled 14-year-old tortie
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11-23-2014, 03:17 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 7,406
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You can be assured of one thing.....You will not be the last one to do whatever it was that you did. All you can do is hope to not let it happen to you again.
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2014 Fleetwood Storm 32H "The Dream Catcher"sold * THOUSAND TRAILS * *US ARMY 1965-1967 * Disabled Vietnam Veteran 1966-1967 * Life Member VFW *
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11-23-2014, 07:33 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Anacortes, WA (Stick & Brick)
Posts: 2,643
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I did something dumb like that when I worked at UK motorcycle manufacturer, Norton. I was provided with a 650SS bike as my commute vehicle. It has been parked at the factory for several months when I was given permission to use it.
Before taking it out on the street, I checked the oil level and the tank was almost empty. I put three pints of fresh oil in and took off for home. I stopped at a traffic light after about 5 miles and was amazed to see oil running all over the place, spewing out of the oil tank filler cap.
I found out later that, when a dry-sump engine hasn't been run for a while, the oil in the tank tends to leak down into the crankcase. In my first few miles, the oil pump put it all back into the tank along with what I'd added.
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Frank Damp -Anacortes, WA,(DW- Eileen)
ex-pat Brits (1968) and ex-RVers.
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11-23-2014, 07:46 PM
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#6
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Senior Dude
Triple E Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Somewhere, BC.
Posts: 5,613
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It's called "Learning Curve" or "A Rite of Passage"
5 years of owning 6 coaches now and I'm still learning. Every time I change rigs I have to learn all over again. Thankfully, I don't make as many mistakes as when I first started but I'm sure I'm just one "Brainy Idea" away from one. LOL
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Les (RVM12), Bonnie and 4 leggers Shelby and Tea Cup
Triple E Empress A3802FW Diesel Pusher 330 Cat
FMCA-420438 Good Sam
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11-24-2014, 06:31 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Naples, Fl.
Posts: 1,303
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O.K. Here is the rest of the story, but I’m not proud of it.
It was the first summer we were retired maybe our fifth or sixth stop since hitting the road. Now we have been camping on weekends and vacations for over thirty years, and owned 4 travel trailers before this one. So we knew all about full time living. Yeah right. Thinking back on those days my wife and laugh hysterically at how naïve we were.
Pulled into a campground checked in, got our site assigned. Had a long straight back in to the site. Checked it all out before starting in. Well, the site LOOKED level. My wife and I used our radios, got the trailer backed in one swing. Man we are good!
She said I ‘m going inside to set up. I replied that I would set up the outside and unhook. Take safety chains off, Unhook the electrical plug. Jack up tongue to relive pressure on WD bars, and remove. Lower tongue, release latch and raise tongue to dis engage off the ball.
That was when the trouble started. The tongue came off the ball and the trailer started rolling away from the truck, at a pretty good clip, towards the back of the site and a 20 foot drop off.
Know what? You can’t stop an 8,000 pound trailer from rolling by grabbing the tongue and hanging on. The trailer just drags you! Wife is screaming, over and over, from inside: “STOP!” Well, I tried; after all I grabbed the jack didn’t I?
After about ten feet the jack dug into the soft dirt enough to stop the trailer. Wife comes out of the trailer and we had a discussion about why this happened.
Today, when we enter a campsite, I drive and my wife guides me. When the trailer is in position, I am not allowed out of the truck until my wife sets the chocks. I also have to put the truck in neutral first to prove nothing is going to roll.
Oh yeah, the wife now sets up the outside. I do the inside.
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Camping Rig: 2006 Outback 27 RSDS--
2005 Dodge 3500 - Dually- Cummins
Full time since June 2006
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11-24-2014, 07:24 AM
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#8
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Senior Dude
Triple E Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Somewhere, BC.
Posts: 5,613
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We had a similar experience with a pop-up tent trailer in our first years of camping.
We were just loading it to leave and I pushed it out of our carport at the time. Unfortunately for me as I swung it out onto the road, it was on a slight decline and off it went with me dragging behind it. I hung on for dear life screaming to my wife "BONNIE, GRAB A ROCK" "GRAB A ROCK AND THROW IT BEHIND THE TIRE"!
She finally did and instantly I knew something was wrong with what I thought was my back. This was going to be a problem as we were just leaving for two weeks. A few Tylenol later, we were on the road.
I couldn't get comfortable while driving, ribs ached. More Tylenol at our first stop, more wobbly pops at the campsite to try to stem the agony. As I went to crank up the top with my ribs aching, it stops after it raises about 6". WTH? I open the door, unpack the whole tent trailer, I ask my wife why we needed 4 cases of wine, I crawl on my belly over to the benches, dismantle it and find that the table leg stored inside has jammed up the gears and mangled the table support. Did I say my ribs ached? I finally got everything freed up and proceed to crank the top up with my ribs aching. My wife says, "how do you know when it's up high enough"? I say, "when this wire goes ping when you pluck it". I went to show her and the wire snapped. It was up though. Went to set up inside and the table now wobbled more than I did because of the bum leg. I couldn't sleep that night, ribs ached. I also couldn't sleep because we parked 30' from a train track and and the train came by every two hours. About 5 AM in the morning, ribs aching, no sleep, slightly hung over, I said "we're outta here. Packed up the whole shebang. I went to lock the door on the tent trailer and the lock fell apart in my hand.
"GREAT"! "JUST GREAT"! I looked up at the sky and said "IS THIS ALL YOU GOT"???
I look at my wife and say "Pass me some matches, I'm gonna burn this son of a gun (not the real word I used!) to the ground"! She says "we can't, you know that"
The next days were miserable, I never slept, ribs ached, everything I did was painful. I finally went to a doctor and he told me I popped a rib and to take it easy for a few days. Ya right! There's no taking it easy with a tent trailer! Needless to say we cut our camping trip short.
Oh and did I mention, we only borrowed the tent trailer from a friend and it cost me $375 to fix all the crap that failed and broke?
Every time I see a tent trailer now, I say to my wife "Pass me some matches, I'm gonna do that fella a favour"! We both just laugh!
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Les (RVM12), Bonnie and 4 leggers Shelby and Tea Cup
Triple E Empress A3802FW Diesel Pusher 330 Cat
FMCA-420438 Good Sam
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11-25-2014, 07:36 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Evergreen Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Springfield, MO
Posts: 417
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dogpatch,
Thanks for the laughs, and glad you are able to get a good laugh now.
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Keith & Drena with Casey & P-nut (dogs) & Gabby (cat)
2014 Silverado 3500HD Dually 4X4
2014 Evergreen Bay Hill 365rl
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11-25-2014, 10:37 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 4,654
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Safety chains are last off.
Had a few of my guys almost loose a 45 kw generator a few times but saved by the chains.
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Tony & Lori
1989 Country Coach Savannah SE
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11-27-2014, 07:17 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
National RV Owners Club Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Georgia
Posts: 588
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Dogpatch, you made my ribs ache from laughing so hard. That brought back memories of my only venture with a pop-up. Gave it to my son after one night in it. {It was long past it's prime}
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Jerry and Barbara,
2005 Nat Sea Breeze 1321
2010 Honda CR-V toad
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11-27-2014, 10:50 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 2,768
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Speaking of wires...
Ok, as wannabes, I can't add but will relate this...
We added a new screened porch and deck to our S and B a few years ago. We had a dog run set up from the garage to the side of our old deck. The new porch/deck required me to remove the cable from the deck. I left it coiled and hanging from the garage, figuring I would restring it in the spring. Well winter comes and we get a pretty good snow storm. Get out the auger propelled snow blower and proceed to clean up the front of the house, now to the back.
Yeah, I forgot about the cable. I hit that thing and not only did it wrap itself around the auger but continues to climb up the side of the garage. Dang, that auger is strong! It's now suspended 10ft above me. DW looks out the kitchen window horrified. I could only laugh. Took the both of us to get it down.
Can't wait to see the stupid stuff I do when we go FT'ing.
Tom
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11-27-2014, 11:55 AM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 8,777
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Triatik
Not only newbies make mistakes.
I've had my coach for 14 years, and driven it 105k miles, and the "hits" keep on coming.
IMO, any RVer who claims they don't make "goofs" is a liar.
Good luck.
Mel
'96 Safari, 132k miles
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11-27-2014, 06:10 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Where ever I park it
Posts: 1,345
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mel s
Triatik
Not only newbies make mistakes.
IMO, any RVer who claims they don't make "goofs" is a liar.
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Yep. I hooked up my trailer one day and while I was hooking it up I was talking to a good friend. I checked all the lights, made sure the landing gear was up, and did my walk around checking lights, antenna, door closed and locked, etc. I put my truck in gear and BANG!!!! I didn't look at the fifth wheel like I normally do and yep. You guessed it, dropped my trailer on the box. Bent the living crap out of the tailgate and put some smaller dents in the sides of the box. I was fortunate to find a 6 year newer box that was a take off for $500 so it wasn't terribly expensive. I knew to look at everything and do a walk around since that was pounded into my head when I drove semis for a living........
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2005 Dodge Ram Four Door Dually Southern Comfort Conversion
2017 Forest River 365RK
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