Community Forums

RVers4life · 06-08-2020, 09:27 PM

9 mos ago, we traded in our 9 mo old 26' Forest River Sunseeker Class C (piece of JUNK!), for our 2007 38' Fleetwood Expedition - BIG difference! Our salesperson was smart - drove us to nearby fairgrounds, then had DH test drive - he loves it! Says very little difference, EXCEPT turning (ya gotta turn WIDE & use your mirrors!); we've had it for 9+ mos & both love it - his uncle (who used to drive 'em) is gonna teach me how to drive it next (NEVER let your spouse teach you how to drive your motor home - never!)

AK-AZ · 06-09-2020, 07:42 PM

Thanks for all the replies! They helped a lot, I'm a lot less nervous
about driving one now. I even upped my max length to 40' .

R Bob · 06-09-2020, 08:07 PM

A few years back we went from a class B to our class A. DW wanted to know if I was sure I could drive something so big. Had to remind her that driving a school bus for years gave me a 'vague' idea of what to do. Plus operating a HET in Kuwait and Iraq. Once she made our first trip pulling an enclosed 20' box trailer with our smart car, she is now comfortable enough to take a nap when her back starts to act up. And yes, I did make the mistake of trying to enter a gas station with the dreaded dip! Be aware of your surroundings, don't outrun your comfort level on speed, and have fun.

Habu77 · 06-10-2020, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCFDCapt

Biggest difference is that you are sitting in front of the front axle. It is easy to start a turn too soon and the rear axle off tracks - turns closer to the center of the turn and then strikes the curb or worse. I have trained many firefighter to drive and the big thing to remember is don't start your turn until your hips are past the point you want the rear wheels to wind up. Go to an open parking lot and practice, practice and then practice. It will become second nature in a short time.

As a CDL driver for over 25 years, this is very sound advice for driving a straight truck (which is what your class A will be). Get your hips past the thing you don't want to hit, and make sure you know what your "tail swing" distance is so you know how far away from gas pumps and concrete posts to stay so you can avoid 'slapping' anything with the tail of your rig.

tommar · 06-10-2020, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by R Bob

A few years back we went from a class B to our class A. DW wanted to know if I was sure I could drive something so big. Had to remind her that driving a school bus for years gave me a 'vague' idea of what to do. Plus operating a HET in Kuwait and Iraq. Once she made our first trip pulling an enclosed 20' box trailer with our smart car, she is now comfortable enough to take a nap when her back starts to act up. And yes, I did make the mistake of trying to enter a gas station with the dreaded dip! Be aware of your surroundings, don't outrun your comfort level on speed, and have fun.

What's "the dreaded dip?

Unplanned Tourist · 06-10-2020, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommar

What's "the dreaded dip?

Once you do it, you will never forget it!

Happy Glamping.

AK-AZ · 06-11-2020, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tommar

What's "the dreaded dip?

I'd like to know also.

MTrif · 06-13-2020, 03:34 PM

I was hesitant as well when we bought our Allegro Bus 37AP which is just shy of 39 feet. I had never owned an RV, or a diesel engine or driven with air brakes. I had towed 40 foot trailers for may years so pivot points, looking ahead, making sure of your enter and exit is achievable before entering I felt pretty confident. BUT what do I do with this 40 foot DP with air brakes. The instructor spent over an hour taking me through the mechanics of the coach, pre trip inspections, engine inspections, air brakes check and procedures and reviewed driving laws etc so I was very prepared. What others have said about get your hips past your turn is key, the instructor set my mirrors and put markers on the mirrors for my pivot points...which I don't even look for anymore. What I was shocked at was how wrong I had my mirrors set, he opened up about 40% more viewing space.

One other item he had was blue tooth headsets so he could talk with me from outside the rig as I was doing the various maneuvers and that made it so much easier than hand signals and my wife tends to forget to stay in sight of the mirrors. Those headsets have been a game changer highly recommend don;t depend on your phones if in a no cell area. In the end I had no trouble moving, driving, parking the rig and my wife learned a lot about how to properly "spot" me during the training class.

Bottom line if any doubt find a good RV driving school/instructor.

tommar · 06-14-2020, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTrif

I was hesitant as well when we bought our Allegro Bus 37AP which is just shy of 39 feet. I had never owned an RV, or a diesel engine or driven with air brakes. I had towed 40 foot trailers for may years so pivot points, looking ahead, making sure of your enter and exit is achievable before entering I felt pretty confident. BUT what do I do with this 40 foot DP with air brakes. The instructor spent over an hour taking me through the mechanics of the coach, pre trip inspections, engine inspections, air brakes check and procedures and reviewed driving laws etc so I was very prepared. What others have said about get your hips past your turn is key, the instructor set my mirrors and put markers on the mirrors for my pivot points...which I don't even look for anymore. What I was shocked at was how wrong I had my mirrors set, he opened up about 40% more viewing space.

One other item he had was blue tooth headsets so he could talk with me from outside the rig as I was doing the various maneuvers and that made it so much easier than hand signals and my wife tends to forget to stay in sight of the mirrors. Those headsets have been a game changer highly recommend don;t depend on your phones if in a no cell area. In the end I had no trouble moving, driving, parking the rig and my wife learned a lot about how to properly "spot" me during the training class.

Bottom line if any doubt find a good RV driving school/instructor.

Good advice! Regarding the blue tooth... I'm deaf

so voice comms won't work very well for me.

Also wondering what RVers with hearing loss do to compensate when maneuvering. As for me, I had to install a backup camera and side cams from Tadi Bros. This helps but the screen on the backup monitor washes out and is virtually unreadable in bright sunlight. On the other hand, my Garmin RV770 is visible in all light no matter how bright.

tommar · 06-14-2020, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unplanned

Once you do it, you will never forget it!

Happy Glamping.

Still don't get what the dreaded dip is. Can you explain for a dumbnut like me?

Unplanned Tourist · 06-14-2020, 08:59 PM

It's just that, going into a dip like a small driveway or access into a side street or gas station that's deep enough to get your rear overhang hung up.

Some times it can be bad enough to cause you to loose traction and you are stuck!

It happened to a buddy of mine while we were up in Whitehorse on a fishing trip. Luckily we managed to lift up the back axle enough with the jacks to get some blocking under the tires. Then a guy came along with a 4X4 and gave us a tug out.

Happy Glamping.