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Old 05-11-2014, 07:15 PM   #1
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Red face Less than 48 hrs w/ new rig, tree jumped

It's been one week now. Do I even want to admit to myself what I did? It's been 30 years since I drove a 5 ton for Uncle Sam, and I haven't driven anything much larger than my Prius. There I was, one day after my purchase driving down I-5 getting off on the Hollywood freeway, took the Hollywood Bowl exit heading out on Hollywood Boulevard past Grauman's Chinese theater up to the residential hills. Took a right hand turn up a narrow 1920's street and headed up the canyon. After completing my "mission "I drove up the canyon and tried to turn her around. Not realizing how much of a crown the road had I proceeded to wedge my hitch on the top of the crown, my front wheels being in a higher position and lifting my rear wheels off the ground! Humm. Yep, not my smartest move!!! I jumped out of the rig, opened up the bay door found some blocks of wood, got a rug off the floor of the middle of the coach and built myself a little ramp in which to get my rear tires contacting something. I jumped into my rig, stuck her into R gear, release the airbrake, and she shot off up the street and out of nowhere, this tree jumped out and completely bit the side and roof of my new ring.

So my question is, do I tell my wife? Or my insurance man? I told them both, no problem, I drove truck in the Army. I can do this, peace of cake! Muffler dragging,( coat hanger) roof cracked, ( she is short) drivers side scraped (covered with sign that says "look what my honey bought me") leveling is out, (used blocks) tire that the tree bit blew out on I-5 and I-205 on the way home. ( Honey, this kind of thing happens with cars too.
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Old 05-11-2014, 08:02 PM   #2
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Words escape me while I think of something like that happening to me
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Old 05-11-2014, 08:10 PM   #3
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Quote:
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Words escape me while I think of something like that happening to me
same here! I know it's a very sick feeling damaging your rig.a tree jumped out and damaged the right rear side of our first rig,then a metal post at a gas station damaged the left rear side of our current coach.(watch that tail wag)
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Old 05-11-2014, 08:13 PM   #4
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The judging committee will be in touch, about any awards, you are in the running, for the trophy for this years " Worst First Week of Ownership " prize. And for what its worth , you got my vote.
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Old 05-11-2014, 09:34 PM   #5
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Even gets worse...

So as long as I'm using you as a confessional, forgive me my fellow owners for I have omitted more stupidity...

Wednesday night We decided lets get a great big RV so I bought this 38d motorhome on Thursday morning at 7 am. where it had been stored in a barn for 3 1/2 years. Took it over to Sacramento and had it "inspected" to "determine" if it was roadworthy, after being told, "sure go ahead drive it" " it should be fine,
I drove home, cleaned it inside and out looking carefully for signs of critters. Finding none I continued readying the coach. Now keep in mind I've had zero experience in "readying a coach".

Finding the owners manual, I went through the entire coach checking fluids levels. Noticing that I didn't have any beer or wine in the coach I decided I better check those fluid levels too. I loaded all kinds of things, I loaded up paper plates and napkins and paper towels and sheets, washcloths, towels, shampoo soap and lots and lots of beverages for me.

On Friday am I loaded up my wife, my elderly mother in Law and her Spanish speaking caregiver and pulled out heading to Flag City thinking 3 1/2 year old fuel might need to be topped off with "fresh stuff".

After fueling up I remembered that the "black"? tank was registering full i decided I should pull into the RV park and drain them. After carrying my very sickly and elderly mother-in-law out of the rig, caregiver on one side of a chair, me on the other, I loaded up with propane & topped that tank. Feeling very proud of myself, I continued over to the dump station. headed over to the dump station hooked up all my hoses just like the manual said, but nothing came out when I pulled valve release. I had a 3 1/2 year old " brick" in the tank. For the next four hours I alternated between shoving a hose down through the toilet and flushing the tank, trying to get the brick out. A very helpful fellow traveler suggested that I filled the tank three quarters of the way with water and two bags of ice. That seemed to work and the stench diminished when I dumped in Valencia.

The good news with the entire trip is, my dear sweet mother-in-law who we drug kicking and screaming out of LA three years ago, and put her in an assisted living facility got to go back home one more time to say goodbye to her friends and see her old home of 50 years.

The blow out on the way home taught good lessons. Don't drive on old tires even if the inspectors says " I don't see any cracks". Make sure tire shops put the DOT numbers out so you can see them. If a Good Sam roadside service tire changer tells you, it's only about 80 miles, drive back roads, don't go over 40 and you should be able to make it home that's why you have 2 tires on each side, don't listen. Insist he find the correct size socket for your wheel cover!

So even though I started this journey completely under prepared and in way over my head, my mission was an important one.

Humor aside, I can't believe I could still learn so much in one week. Most importantly is use your brain and educate yourself and don't let commonsense go out the window.
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Old 05-11-2014, 11:26 PM   #6
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Apple polishing and trying to influence the judges , will in this case gain extra points towards the award.
Our judges can't be bought, rented till the years end award ceremony ; well that's another story.
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Old 05-11-2014, 11:38 PM   #7
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Just think of it as your making memories. Sounds like and its nice to hear your mother in law enjoyed the trip.
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Old 05-12-2014, 12:31 AM   #8
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I should get an award for cleaning a full 3 1/2 year old black tank with I-5 bumps, ice & water. Still wondering if I should tell my wife or my insurance man about the damage. I feel like a dumb ass already. Lol RV repair shop said lots of folks damage their rigs in the first 72 hours.

Thanks for trying to make me feel better... Lol
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Old 05-12-2014, 06:46 AM   #9
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Hey Trueblood. As a public service, please post your future travel itinerary on this site. We may want to be traveling on the opposite side of the state!

More importantly, what have you learned? 1) Past experience with a deuce and half many years ago is inadequate. 2) Size does matter when comparing a Prius to a DP. 3) Look for a seminar or a rally somewhere that offers new owner classes and yes, RV driving lessons. 4) Ask a lot of question of experienced RVers that you may know or meet (campers in RV parks catering to larger rigs are good source of knowledge). 5) Research this forum for information and knowledge. Also checkout the "Monacoers" forum on Yahoo. 6) Keep a large balance in your check book because these beasts are generally always needing to have something fixed and most everything is expensive. And, 7) Keep your sense of humor.
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Old 05-12-2014, 07:50 AM   #10
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Trueblood, I feel your pain. My current rig is also my first rig, and I learned a lot the first year (mostly the hard way!) Fortunately, none of my mistakes have had such bad consequences as yours. Just relax, it will get better.

My biggest lessons learned have been: don't pull in anywhere unless you know you can get out, don't blindly follow the GPS if the proposed turn doesn't feel right, and watch out for trees and signs that are close to the side of the road in residential neigborhoods. So far, I've been lucky, and other than a few difficult times turning around, I've not had any major damage, just some pinstripes caused by tree branches (which usually buff out.)

Quote:
Originally Posted by blahargoue View Post
Hey Trueblood. As a public service, please post your future travel itinerary on this site. We may want to be traveling on the opposite side of the state!.
On the other hand, some of us might want to follow (a safe distance behind) so we can watch the fun!

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6) Keep a large balance in your check book because these beasts are generally always needing to have something fixed and most everything is expensive.
And most of the time, that expensive repair is urgent.
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Old 05-12-2014, 08:00 AM   #11
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Welcome to the forum and thanks for sharing.

Man, you have really hit the deck running with this RV thing. I'm sure you're going to do just fine considering how you tackled the problems hitting you all at once.

BTW... tell your insurance man. ... not your wife.

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Old 05-12-2014, 12:03 PM   #12
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You were brave to even go home!

Cheer up, things have gotta get better after this!
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Old 05-14-2014, 10:08 AM   #13
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It might be a sin,,,but I cant stop laughing....Trueblood could be a comedian...
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Old 05-14-2014, 01:55 PM   #14
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Thanks to all

Thanks to all helpful folks out there. The worlds best Mother-in-Law ever passed away yesterday. She always got my humor and always had a hug or kiss for me.
She passed away peacefully surrounded by family at home. I'm so glad I was able to fulfilled her last wish of going to LA and saying goodbye to all her friends. I'm glad I'll always have this crazy story! I'm sure all of you will be happy to know she told my wife she wanted to pay for me to get driving lessons in the coach! God love her! Lol
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