American Coach: First trip ! The good, the bad and the ugly

[chiefM]

Friday I took off of work to go get our tag from the tag office. I walk out 80 dollars lighter in the wallet. I then run by Wally world and get some last minute supplies. Come hold load the coach and the mail lady stops with the new toilet valve. Yay! I get the new valve installed. The PO had left us with some black water in the tank and it smelled horrible. The fridge is cooling down nicely, got most everything loaded so I believe we are set. Saturday I get up feeling pretty good and excited to get started. Wife says head to the campground and get set up, we will meet you there in a little bit. The place we decided to stay was only 20 miles from the house.

I head out and crank the coach to let the air and suspension build up. I back up and onto a grassy part of our yard and the coach instantly sinks and spins tires. Lucky for me my neighbor has a big 4 wheel drive tractor and he proceeded to pull me out. No damage done and almost 1 1/2 hour later I am on my way. I get there and lower the jacks and get her set up. I drain and flush the smelly tanks the PO had left. The family had a great time, we BBQ'd and went fishing. My 2 year old son loves being outside so he was in heaven. Great news is everything worked, the fridge, the ice maker, the coach heaters, hot water heater, the washer dryer.

Sunday morning I got up and got a cup of coffee and enjoyed the sunrise over the lake. We cooked breakfast and then started packing up. I drained and flushed the tanks again. The awning has a cracked end piece and when I was trying to roll it back in it got all jacked up. I bungee corded it to side of the coach to get home and will be replacing that cap. The campground did not have cable so we ended up watching 20 hours of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

We all had a great time! Our first big road trip is June or July to the beach so I feel good that there should be minimal issues. Still gives me time to do some upgrades like a digital tv antenna and maybe a new sat dish.

[tmw188]

That’s a good story.

[okcnewbie]

Sounds like your rig is in better than average shape for the age. Great first outing.
IMO that black tank is always going to smell and if everything is working and you keep water in the traps you will seldom know about it. Many, many FT'ers don't even use chemicals in the tanks.
Here's to many more memories in your new rig!

[spsm]

THANKS for your service in the Army. My son is a physician in the Army, and counting down the days toward retirement. Can't wait to do more fishing and camping. Your about to have more great times ahead for you and your family. ENJOY ................

[krivanj]

If you have a Wineguard antenna, it works whether the signal is analog or digital. You might need the new one. Do a search on here before you invest.
Just make sure the amplifier for the antenna is on when you use the antenna and off when you use cable.

[Tha_Rooster]

Originally Posted by chiefM

Friday I took off of work to go get our tag from the tag office. I walk out 80 dollars lighter in the wallet. I then run by Wally world and get some last minute supplies. Come hold load the coach and the mail lady stops with the new toilet valve. Yay! I get the new valve installed. The PO had left us with some black water in the tank and it smelled horrible. The fridge is cooling down nicely, got most everything loaded so I believe we are set. Saturday I get up feeling pretty good and excited to get started. Wife says head to the campground and get set up, we will meet you there in a little bit. The place we decided to stay was only 20 miles from the house.



I head out and crank the coach to let the air and suspension build up. I back up and onto a grassy part of our yard and the coach instantly sinks and spins tires. Lucky for me my neighbor has a big 4 wheel drive tractor and he proceeded to pull me out. No damage done and almost 1 1/2 hour later I am on my way. I get there and lower the jacks and get her set up. I drain and flush the smelly tanks the PO had left. The family had a great time, we BBQ'd and went fishing. My 2 year old son loves being outside so he was in heaven. Great news is everything worked, the fridge, the ice maker, the coach heaters, hot water heater, the washer dryer.



Sunday morning I got up and got a cup of coffee and enjoyed the sunrise over the lake. We cooked breakfast and then started packing up. I drained and flushed the tanks again. The awning has a cracked end piece and when I was trying to roll it back in it got all jacked up. I bungee corded it to side of the coach to get home and will be replacing that cap. The campground did not have cable so we ended up watching 20 hours of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.



We all had a great time! Our first big road trip is June or July to the beach so I feel good that there should be minimal issues. Still gives me time to do some upgrades like a digital tv antenna and maybe a new sat dish.

Great you had a good time . If you want to go to the beach in June or July that is very prime time. Good chance campgrounds are full.

[Fiesta48]

Many are lucky with no problems, most just don't notice what's broken. Every trip I come home with a full page of stuff to fix.
Happy Camping!

[chiefM]

Originally Posted by Tha_Rooster

Great you had a good time . If you want to go to the beach in June or July that is very prime time. Good chance campgrounds are full.

Made my reservation for 3 days at Emerald Coast RV resort in Panama City Beach. Emerald Coast RV Beach Resort They have a 10 year rule so I had to send pics of my coach before they would take my deposit.

Going to take the end cap off the awning this weekend and and get it welded on Monday. Going to order an ice bin for the fridge this weekend. Also going to try and finish the generator service if the rain holds off long enough.

[tmw188]

So I guess they took your deposit ok?

[chiefM]

They sent me an email to reply to and attach the pictures of the outside of the coach. I sent them and the next day they called me back to get my deposit. We are all set !!