Hi Everyone;
This is Patty and I have been RVing for 6 years now. Just about everything I now know about RVing I learned the hard way! I can look back now and laugh, but believe me it wasn’t funny at the time!
When I started RVing I was a 50 something year old widow, alone and desperate to fulfill my dream of travel, kayaking and bicycling. Being from Old School “I Am Women, Hear Me Roar”, I would not let anything/anybody stand in my way! I am going to tell about my experiences in the hope that all of you can learn and/or have a good laugh!
This is Patty and I have been RVing for 6 years now. Just about everything I now know about RVing I learned the hard way! I can look back now and laugh, but believe me it wasn’t funny at the time!
When I started RVing I was a 50 something year old widow, alone and desperate to fulfill my dream of travel, kayaking and bicycling. Being from Old School “I Am Women, Hear Me Roar”, I would not let anything/anybody stand in my way! I am going to tell about my experiences in the hope that all of you can learn and/or have a good laugh!
Starting off with a BANG!
Posted 04-20-2019 at 02:03 PM by Patty1161
My very first RV trip started off with a BANG, literally! With my sister (unwillingly) and the 17FQ Viking RV in tow, I pulled out of my driveway and onto the road feeling ever so smug with the tune of “I am women, Hear Me Roar” singing in my head. Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and a scraping sound that ended with a bump to my truck’s back end. We both jumped out thinking we had been hit by another car, only to find the RV unhitched and sitting half on the road and shoulder.
My township’s off duty Chief of police and a few other strong young men stopped to help me. They saw my hitch pin lying in the middle of the road and determined that I didn’t quite hitch-up properly. They informed me that the hitch must have been sitting on top of the ball when I put the locking pin through the latch (supposedly a very common mistake that even the experienced trailer towers make). They assured me that no damage was done, picked up my trailer and showed me the proper way to hitch up.
Needless to say my sister and I white knuckled the 2 hour trip (we jumped at every little rattle made by the trailer) and finally nestled ourselves in the middle of nature for our first RV camping experience.
Lesson learned:
After securing the coupler latch (I now use a padlock), always double check to ensure the hitch ball is completely hitched by raising the tongue about 3-4 inches. If all is well, you should see the tow vehicle rise also.
My township’s off duty Chief of police and a few other strong young men stopped to help me. They saw my hitch pin lying in the middle of the road and determined that I didn’t quite hitch-up properly. They informed me that the hitch must have been sitting on top of the ball when I put the locking pin through the latch (supposedly a very common mistake that even the experienced trailer towers make). They assured me that no damage was done, picked up my trailer and showed me the proper way to hitch up.
Needless to say my sister and I white knuckled the 2 hour trip (we jumped at every little rattle made by the trailer) and finally nestled ourselves in the middle of nature for our first RV camping experience.
Lesson learned:
After securing the coupler latch (I now use a padlock), always double check to ensure the hitch ball is completely hitched by raising the tongue about 3-4 inches. If all is well, you should see the tow vehicle rise also.
Total Comments 2
Comments
-
Just received the news I need to replace both rooftop AC units on our 2007 Monaco Cayman.
Thinking of doing it myself. Any words of wisdom?
Stevie.Posted 04-22-2019 at 02:28 PM by marcoplum 
-
WOW that’s a biggie! I have no experience in that area (thank god) but there are actually a couple of you tubes (one on a Monaco unit) about roof replacement. Looks like a big job! Good luck with that and keep me posted!
Posted 04-23-2019 at 05:33 AM by Patty1161
