Going to Newmar in the winter...

[NealC]

Yep, I'm new to this, haven't been through a winterization yet. However, I have an appointment at Newmar the end of November for a repair. If it's cold and even snowing, how do I handle this being there, staying in my MH, driving back south, etc.? What is the standard operating procedure for being at Newmar (or anywhere cold/freezing) with your coach when you have no other option but to use it?

[RJOL]

Just run your heater, like normal, and your lines and tanks will be okay... Just don't leave it for a week with nothing running. Also... Watch out for using "space heaters" to heat smaller areas of the coach. They do not put any heat in the tank and line areas... While at Newmar your coach should be in a heated area while working on it... This advise should be tempered with the fact that your coach is 15 years newer than mine and probably has all sort of new magic stuff in it to help you...

[twojayhawks]

Your coach will be fine Newmar's are insulated quite well. Obvious stuff, no fresh water hose out only to fill tank then put away. I also don't leave sewer out as the cold takes a toll. More importantly don't roll in to Nappanee with little fuel. Furnaces need to be on. Great dog walking around there so your lab will have have a ball! We made the trip in early Dec 2015 before they shut down and picked it up in Jan. Finding camp grounds open that time of year was the only challenge.

[snowhawk2]

Originally Posted by NealC

Yep, I'm new to this, haven't been through a winterization yet. However, I have an appointment at Newmar the end of November for a repair. If it's cold and even snowing, how do I handle this being there, staying in my MH, driving back south, etc.? What is the standard operating procedure for being at Newmar (or anywhere cold/freezing) with your coach when you have no other option but to use it?

We were at Newmar early December last year and it was in the mid teens and snowing for a two days. We just ran our Oasis heater and filled our water tank as needed and put the hose away so it didn't freeze at the faucet. Your enemy is not the cold but instead the snow which leads to the road being salted which is bad for your coach. These coaches are awful in the snow and very dangerous to drive. We only had non-accumulating snow for a few days and it was very windy so the roads stated clear. It was very nerve racking.

Regarding the cold, we live in Ma and last winter we didn't winterize and used the coach all winter, with full water. The coach is incredibility well insulated.

[Ricci]

Hi Neal - Do you have an Oasis heating system or propane furnace? If Oasis, as mentioned above have a full tank of Diesel. If a propane furnace, make sure you have a place to get propane close by. In cold weather you can go through a tank of propane in a flash. Also I believe they turn off the water here in November at the camp sites. There may be water available from a frost proof connection.

Tom

[pilotspike]

There is a propane shop right down the street from Newmar. I had to fill up a bit unexpectedly while there this past winter. The shop owners were fabulous people and very accommodating as they opened the shop after hours on the weekend. They kept me out of a hotel, and they didn't penalize me for my silliness with extra fees, etc.

Good people out there.

[OakHillFarm]

As mentioned, I believe the biggest potential issue would be snow, and all it's associated by-products, not so much the cold. Newmar is in northern Indiana and certainly in the region where "lake effect" snows commonly occur. The good news is, the communities are equipped to handle the snow and the roads get cleared pretty quickly.


I had to transit my CS home from some dealer warranty work last fall after a pop up snow here in central Indiana. Once home, I sprayed down the underside and gave the external surfaces a quick wash before putting it in the garage for the winter. I just did not like the idea of the road treatments (salt, etc.) eating away at the chassis and other stuff underneath the coach all winter. Possibly a little OCD on my part, but hey that is me. I personally would avoid driving on icy roads or in an actual snow storm if at all possible.

[NealC]

I have OASIS - thanks all for the tips so far.

[Rvlegaleagle]

Speaking of "hotels" what do you recommend for staying without the rig for a visit to Newmar? Will be going there soon to speak with Ms. Howard about specials, paint colors etc before I place my order. Any recommendations?

Thanks for any input

[NealC]

They recommended me to a place over in Syracuse on a lake, can't remember the name. Amish Acres you also hear about which is closest but not as nice from what I hear.

[ptw]

The place in Syracuse is the Oakwood Resort. It is very nice and you are allowed to have pets for a charge.

http://oakwoodresort.com


Paul

["007"]

Last stay at Newmar was the New Years day weekend 2010 before heading south to FL Tuesday for two months and returning in Feb for a recall to be done on Norcold, the only one.
Had tiles added to floor up to door entrance.
Stayed the weekend with 1* temps and blowing snow off the lakes which is unusual, they said.
Coach was warm with furnace, water tank was full and we stayed at Cracker Barrel restaurants on way to FL. and back in Feb.
We had no problems either way using good AGM battery system for TV, furnace and fridge.
You keep your Oasis running and you will have no problems. I did place a insulated blanket in the water bay floor so cold would be blocked from plastic floor.
Here is a link to winterization which you should not need with furnace running.
Have a safe trip.

[MJFZ]

Originally Posted by NealC

They recommended me to a place over in Syracuse on a lake, can't remember the name. Amish Acres you also hear about which is closest but not as nice from what I hear.

Amish Acres is a very basic hotel. The staff is friendly, and it is walking distance from Newmar. Just stayed there last week while our coach was in the shop.

[MisterT]

was just up the road in Wakarusa at ThorMotorCoach service center for several days in FEBruary(!) - 6inches of snow, VERY cold, but no problem... and we're from GA! bbrrrrrrrr....

- no water line to spigot, only 50a service cord
- ran electric heaters mainly, and
- added a heater in the water bay