Stopping at walmart.

[Libero]

Originally Posted by DeWat

The voice of reason! Besides, I'm not even going to do the math... it's their property and their hospitality. If they ask me not to use my levelers, I'm not going to since I still have the choice to go elsewhere. The least I can do as an appreciation. My sincerest thanks to Walmart for their hospitality!

X2 100%.

We all have seem how soft asphalt is in very hot weather. It does not take much to put a hole or indentation in it.

Besides the gracious host says don't do it, so don't do it. What else needs to be said.

The calculation is easy, re the lbs per sq in, but irrelevant in this case.

I stay at many Walmarts. Cost is not a factor for me and convenience trumps cost in my circumstance.

[MSHappyCampers]

We try to get off as far back on the lot as possible so we don't obstruct traffic. We put out the slides and run the genny.

[aauummm]

Originally Posted by RVRon

I use the Allstays app on my I-Phone to look at the best approaches and places to park. Just like Google Earth but more convenient since the app finds the Walmart and then allows you to zoom in immediately . Some of the newer parking lots can be difficult to maneuver around the curbing with my 41 foot rig towing the Tahoe. So I look at the situation before I get in trouble.

Yep, I agree. I had checked out one WalMart on Google Earth and noticed that a steel barrier had been built over one front, main entrance. Going into "street view" I could see the warning sign that said 8' clearance- no trucks. Not only that but I could see that there was no way to turn around or avoid going under it unless you happened to have noticed it from a long way down the street. We did stay there but I used a side entrance into the parking lot.

I also agree about watching out for raised medians in the lot and also if there is a garden center set up in the lot that might block me getting through the lot.

I've only had to disconnect the toad once and back the MH out because of going down a dead-end street, so I make sure that it will never happen again.

I try to stay away from where the occupied semis park and stay overnight because they usually run their generators all night long.

I try to stay at WalMarts in small towns because I've found that they are usually located on the edge of town and are quite often surrounded only by fields which makes it a lot quieter.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by gemini5362

as far as putting the jacks out. what is the cross sectional area of a tire as it is setting on the pavement. Is that small section of tire smaller than the pad of a jack. And what about a semi trailer tire. Some of them way half again to double what a motorhome does. What is the cross sectional area of the tire on them versus the size of a jack pad. I think the issue of putting jacks down and damaging the parking lot is not as big an issue as most people think. In very hot weather I would be more worried about it but not in cooler weather or mild weather.

Exactly! My jack pads have a bigger area than my tire area. And I said put them down to stabilize, not jack it up to lift tires off the ground. In wind or moving about inside, the jacks just stop bounce on the air bags. In fact, by putting down jacks, the weight of MH is distributed over MORE area than on tires alone. This whole argument is for those without common sense and those insensitive to others. I am neither.

[Libero]

Hmmm "common sense" to me means follow the rules set out by the host or do not stay there and potentially ruin things for those who do. Well IMHO of course.

[Thebaldeagle]

For those who say the jacks have a bigger footprint than the tires or whatever excuse just remember, rules are only made because of a problem that has already occurred it may not make sense to us but apparently jacks in contact with asphalt has already cost Walmart money to repair. This is a great privilege and failure to follow the rules by the host could result in that privilege being revoked.

[BFlinn181]

Originally Posted by Libero

Hmmm "common sense" to me means follow the rules set out by the host or do not stay there and potentially ruin things for those who do. Well IMHO of course.

I would of course follow the 'rules' of the host, but the link is a "Code of Conduct" not rules. The photo of the Walmart lot in North Dakota is misleading, that area was suffering a housing/camping shortage because of an oil drilling boom. A North Dakota Town Where the Rent Is Really, Really High - Mark Byrnes - The Atlantic Cities

Williston Walmart Kicks Campers Out of Parking Lot

I pick up trash, return stray carts to corrals, and always check at the service desk to be sure it's O.K. to park overnight.

By the way, returning carts is a service and self preservation. I witnessed a 'micro-burst' wind storm in a K-Mart lot and saw carts slowly turn until lined up with wind, then accelerating to a high speed and careening off parked cars.

Until I owned an RV, I never noticed if jacks were down or not. I did notice if chairs and awnings were out, or public drinking in parking lots though. Common sense.

From Walmart Corporate site:
Can I park my RV at a Walmart store?

While we do not offer electrical service or accommodations typically necessary for RV customers, Walmart values RV travelers and considers them among our best customers. Consequently, we do permit RV parking on our store parking lots as we are able. Permission to park is extended by individual store managers, based on availability of parking space and local laws. Please contact management in each store to ensure accommodations before parking your RV.

Walmart Corporate - Walmart Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Nothing about using jacks.

[spritz]

Don't forget Cabella's, Check out there web site to see if there is one along your route.
tb

[Lincolnboy2]

Originally Posted by gemini5362

as far as putting the jacks out. what is the cross sectional area of a tire as it is setting on the pavement. Is that small section of tire smaller than the pad of a jack. And what about a semi trailer tire. Some of them way half again to double what a motorhome does. What is the cross sectional area of the tire on them versus the size of a jack pad. I think the issue of putting jacks down and damaging the parking lot is not as big an issue as most people think. In very hot weather I would be more worried about it but not in cooler weather or mild weather.

Gemini, I see what you are saying. The jacks have more footprint than the tires do, in other words more square inches than where the tires sit on the asphalt.

So in that respect, the jacks would be better than the tires?

I think people are referring to a cheaper mix of asphaltic concrete than what most commercial and civil works projects are specified as when talking about the jacks sinking in hot asphalt. Usually that is a lower psi or tensile strength when you see things sinking in the black asphalt, right?

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by mothgrey

Hiy all we're leaving Wednesday night for WV to do some off roading. We wanted to get an early start and leave Wednesday night and just stop at a walmart. I downloaded an app that gives reviews by rv's for walmart locations. I called the one I want to stop at and talked to a manager. She said sure and told me where to park when I come. Question do you ever put a slide out when you do this? I've never done this in a WM lot before so I don't know protocol. And what about heat can I run the geni.
Thanks for any help you can give. I figure will be gone by 8 in the morning.

There is a WM near my home and we saw an RV there a few weeks back and thought the slide was out.

I usually like putting the slide out over the grass and if you'll look around, you'll find a spot with an island or at the end of the property for this and one that they will approve of. I've done so with other parking there, as well, but this is always our preference. Also like being under a light that also serves for lighting up the bathroom by way of the skylight. Generator shouldn't be a problem either and especially if you're next to some trucks that you can make music together with. We still don't run it any more than necessary, as fuel does cost money.
Enjoy your stay in the West by G.......state of Virginia and where I grew up.

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by Libero

X2 100%.

We all have seem how soft asphalt is in very hot weather. It does not take much to put a hole or indentation in it.

Besides the gracious host says don't do it, so don't do it. What else needs to be said.

The calculation is easy, re the lbs per sq in, but irrelevant in this case.

I stay at many Walmarts. Cost is not a factor for me and convenience trumps cost in my circumstance.

I've never had a problem with jacks or putting them down any place and don't even make a dent in the woods on sand or soft dirt, but do abide by any rules that might be in place.
As for convenience, roger on that and if we're stopping for supplies and maybe fuel at the end of the day, with no further plans, why not just stay the night and look around the area with maybe even having dinner out for a change. What usually dictates a stop or not, is the weather and whether it's too hot or even too cold sometimes.

[vanbuskirk]

Originally Posted by donandmax

We never park in a Wal Mart parking lot. We're not rich by any means. But if we can afford a moho we can afford an rv park. Besides you never know who is coming to knock on your door in the middle of the night..Question is : will you answer the knock ????

It's definitely not about money but convenience and I for one am very grateful for Walmart and other businesses for their hospitality. When we travel we typically leave in the evening after our workday ends. We travel until the husband is tired and then we stop for the night to rest a couple of hours and then resume our travels in the morning. We only ever extend our bedroom slide and rarely run our generator. Very few CG's offer 24 hour check-in and besides that it woulds be terrible rude to the other campers pulling in at midnight or for that matter breaking down and departing at wee hours of the morning.

Oh and btw... I can't remember a time of when I did not purchase something during my brief stay!!!

[Wb2IVU]

Lucky for us, our coach is wide enough we do not need to extend the slide to be comfortable. However, we do, use the jacks in order to stabilize the MH, not to level it

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by donandmax

We never park in a Wal Mart parking lot. We're not rich by any means. But if we can afford a moho we can afford an rv park. Besides you never know who is coming to knock on your door in the middle of the night..Question is : will you answer the knock ????

It's not about what you can afford, it's about what you'd like to do for the night as a matter of convenience and I've seen some very high end rigs in many a Walmart.
Since the economics of it all has been mentioned though, let me say that for those who are concerned about fuel consumption and just for example, stopovers such as these, are an excellent way to lower the price per gallon, if one would choose to look at it this way.
As for safety, it's a safe a place as any other, or even more so with security patrolling 24/7 in many cases. [moderator edit]