What are “your friends” most bonehead moments done while RVing?

[Ucbyrickg]

Originally Posted by Wbago97

This "friend" decided to use the camper as a residence near work since he had commuted 40 miles a day for 7 years in the wrong direction (more expensive home relative to the ones near work in FW). Within the first month, he left the 19ft awning out over a weekend and the rain bent the cylinder. So for practically the whole summer, he was without the awning. At least he had a shady spot. Within the first three months, both air conditioner motors died. Another friend helped him to repair without having to do full replacements. The hot water heater check valve was stuck, and it was not easy for him to figure it out. Hot water would flow and stop. For the first two months, he did not have hot water. As fall arrived, everything was fixed and in order, although, he did not realize at the time that the awning replacement was not sealed very well.

To be continued...

It’s all about making memories, some good, some bad.

Thanks

Rick

[Ucbyrickg]

Originally Posted by pete5016

A friend of mine took delivery of his "new to him" 42' DP. A few weeks later, got to go to his first campground. He had a buddy with him who used to drive busses help him navigate.



Got to the campground (small campground on the river), got a prime spot by the water in the corner of the park. The spot was on the left and was tight getting into. There was a bath house on the right side, so to get into the tight spot on the left, he hugged the road as close as possible on the right. His buddy helped out and help spot and get him into the tight spot.



He learned about tail swing that day. Took down 15' of gutter on the bath house....didn't even know he had hit it until another camper noticed a hole in the back of his RV. Cost over $4k to fix....bad first day.



The campground did not charge for the damage to the bath house saying that this was like to 8th time it had been hit....the campground host was out at lunch when my friend arrived, and noted he always liked to help folks pull into that spot....

I guess your friend was lucky it wasn’t a million dollar coach he hit.

Thanks

Rick

[myot-rv]

IvyLog: The point I was trying to make is my father in law thought if he plugged into 50 amps is that he was getting 50 amps in his motorhome. We both know that you are not getting more than 30 amps in a 30 amp wired motorhome...not going to happen. He thought he could run his A/C microwave and coffee maker and a hair dryer all at the same time and not trip the breaker that is the why the salesman or parts guy at CW sold him the adapter. Bottom line was CW made money on my father in laws lack of knowledge.

[POPPASMURF]

Shortly after getting married in the mid 1960's we were introduced to schoolies and motorhomes. We needed one. We bought and built a 48 passenger up. Had a welder build a 3' bumper extension in rear with custom cut outs for twin 100 lb propane tanks. Also had the front bumper extended to hold the spare. Realized the folly of design when we took this monster up into a small lake in the interior of B.C. The road in was all switch backs that required back and go forther to make the turn. As we came down the final hill to the lake there was many eyes on us as the muffler had been sacrificed. At the bottom of the hill was a steep dip to level ground. When my wife's friend drove into that schoolie trap the sturdy front and back bumper did their duty. The rear drive wheels were off the ground and we were hung and the subject of much amusement. Two days of the long week end was spent cutting logs to build a cord wood support, with much verbal support from the spectator gallery.

[Shadowrip]

Originally Posted by Podivin

There's still that pesky 30 amp main breaker in the RV. He can't use more than that, no matter how much is packed into the cable.

Depends... just did it this week, 30 on the pedestal tripped, plugged into the 50, and showed 31 amps flowing... 30 inside never tripped.

[Ucbyrickg]

Originally Posted by POPPASMURF

Shortly after getting married in the mid 1960's we were introduced to schoolies and motorhomes. We needed one. We bought and built a 48 passenger up. Had a welder build a 3' bumper extension in rear with custom cut outs for twin 100 lb propane tanks. Also had the front bumper extended to hold the spare. Realized the folly of design when we took this monster up into a small lake in the interior of B.C. The road in was all switch backs that required back and go forther to make the turn. As we came down the final hill to the lake there was many eyes on us as the muffler had been sacrificed. At the bottom of the hill was a steep dip to level ground. When my wife's friend drove into that schoolie trap the sturdy front and back bumper did their duty. The rear drive wheels were off the ground and we were hung and the subject of much amusement. Two days of the long week end was spent cutting logs to build a cord wood support, with much verbal support from the spectator gallery.

Wow! Those were some stout bumpers.

Thanks

Rick

[draboo]

We have owned this mh for 5 years.Last summer I was dumping the blackwater tank. After it was empty, I turned on the internal tank sprayer. I set a timer on my phone to let me know when the tank is near full. I forgot my phone and went off to do other stuff. You can guess the outcome. It was the worse motorhome disaster I've ever had. And I've had more than my share in 8 years of DYI lessons.

[Ucbyrickg]

Originally Posted by draboo

We have owned this mh for 5 years.Last summer I was dumping the blackwater tank. After it was empty, I turned on the internal tank sprayer. I set a timer on my phone to let me know when the tank is near full. I forgot my phone and went off to do other stuff. You can guess the outcome. It was the worse motorhome disaster I've ever had. And I've had more than my share in 8 years of DYI lessons.

Between you guys tank issues and my hot tub screw up, maybe an app controlled timer is in order for these scenarios.

Thanks

Rick

[Samdon]

I have this friend. Well, he actually causes me quite a bit of trouble from time to time and often we find "ourselves" at odds. His propensity to incur horrific expense is unmatched

The latest debacle concerns a bit of maintenance to the RV garage which required a clear space. The bus had to go. So, "he" unplugged, jumped in, and backed down the mountain that is my driveway. Whoops!! Just gave it away. Anyhow, all was well until the time came to drive back up the driveway and into the building. He had forgotten to flip the switch and reel in the massive 50AMP electrical cord! All went well until the length of the wayward cord had been traveled and it met significant tension at the behest of the rear drive tires. If you've ever began opening a ziploc bag and finished by poking your finger in the initial hole and just whipping it full open; you have a good mental image of what that cord will do to storage bay floors. That cord is STRONG! Slices right through like its hot butter and only ceases destructive action when you realize that really strange sound you're hearing is your rig being surgically dissected.

The marine grade plywood and matching carpet covering was quite inexpensive. But, the power cord was stretched and twisted....a basic mess. Immediate replacement was required to avoid burning down the house. They, and I mean all of them, are extremely proud of 50AMP power cords in excess of 30ft. Why that's a magic number; I don't know. Up to 30ft is quite cheap. But, try ordering a 50ft, 50AMP with a molded NEMA 14-50 plug. I had no idea

He and I have since had a long talk with ourselves and vowed to never ever let anything like this happen again. But, we know it is inevitable. The unknown variables are when, why, how, and how much it will hurt.

[Ucbyrickg]

Originally Posted by Samdon

I have this friend. Well, he actually causes me quite a bit of trouble from time to time and often we find "ourselves" at odds. His propensity to incur horrific expense is unmatched



The latest debacle concerns a bit of maintenance to the RV garage which required a clear space. The bus had to go. So, "he" unplugged, jumped in, and backed down the mountain that is my driveway. Whoops!! Just gave it away. Anyhow, all was well until the time came to drive back up the driveway and into the building. He had forgotten to flip the switch and reel in the massive 50AMP electrical cord! All went well until the length of the wayward cord had been traveled and it met significant tension at the behest of the rear drive tires. If you've ever began opening a ziploc bag and finished by poking your finger in the initial hole and just whipping it full open; you have a good mental image of what that cord will do to storage bay floors. That cord is STRONG! Slices right through like its hot butter and only ceases destructive action when you realize that really strange sound you're hearing is your rig being surgically dissected.



The marine grade plywood and matching carpet covering was quite inexpensive. But, the power cord was stretched and twisted....a basic mess. Immediate replacement was required to avoid burning down the house. They, and I mean all of them, are extremely proud of 50AMP power cords in excess of 30ft. Why that's a magic number; I don't know. Up to 30ft is quite cheap. But, try ordering a 50ft, 50AMP with a molded NEMA 14-50 plug. I had no idea



He and I have since had a long talk with ourselves and vowed to never ever let anything like this happen again. But, we know it is inevitable. The unknown variables are when, why, how, and how much it will hurt.

Isn’t amazing how forgetting the little effort items can cause such a huge effort when not done?

Sorry for your frustration and expense.

I think a transmission lockout is in order for this scenario.

Thanks

Rick

[Farkey]

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and his wife decided to take a quick one week vacation up to Ottawa with the MH because the September weather was great and the kids were back in school so everything would not be quite as crowded as it is in our Capital.

So they packed up the MH, got the toad attached to the back and off he went down highway 2 towards the 401 at about 50 mph.

Just as I/he was looking in the mirror to make the turn onto the 401, I/he saw a huge cloud of white smoke coming from the rear of the MH. He stopped and realized that he could not stay where it was, he would need to pull ahead about another 100 feet. And as he did the smoke returned.

I immediately checked all the gauges, nothing seemed out of order so he got out and went to the rear of the MH and started looking under the MH thinking the engine had blown a hose or something.

All seemed okay until I got to the toad....white smoke was coming out from under the hood. So he then looked inside the car and noticed the gear shift was still in first, *&%^$!!! he had driven about a mile down the road at 50 mph in first gear......1st GEAR!!!!!
The little engine was probably reving at about 15,000 RPM, way too much. he figured there must have been all kinds of broken parts inside the engine.

So what to do. The decision was made to carry on to Ottawa and look at the situation then. Once settled in the RV park he checked the engine and sure enough it was blown. It looked like a connecting rod was through the side of the block, what can you do. So we spent the week at the park and just relaxed.

Now that it is back home, it will need a new/used engine installed before making the trip to South Carolina for the winter. It is a 2005 Ford Focus 4 cylinder with standard transmission.....how much can it cost to install a used engine?

[Ucbyrickg]

Originally Posted by Farkey

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and his wife decided to take a quick one week vacation up to Ottawa with the MH because the September weather was great and the kids were back in school so everything would not be quite as crowded as it is in our Capital.

So they packed up the MH, got the toad attached to the back and off he went down highway 2 towards the 401 at about 50 mph.

Just as I/he was looking in the mirror to make the turn onto the 401, I/he saw a huge cloud of white smoke coming from the rear of the MH. He stopped and realized that he could not stay where it was, he would need to pull ahead about another 100 feet. And as he did the smoke returned.

I immediately checked all the gauges, nothing seemed out of order so he got out and went to the rear of the MH and started looking under the MH thinking the engine had blown a hose or something.

All seemed okay until I got to the toad....white smoke was coming out from under the hood. So he then looked inside the car and noticed the gear shift was still in first, *&%^$!!! he had driven about a mile down the road at 50 mph in first gear......1st GEAR!!!!!
The little engine was probably reving at about 15,000 RPM, way too much. he figured there must have been all kinds of broken parts inside the engine.

So what to do. The decision was made to carry on to Ottawa and look at the situation then. Once settled in the RV park he checked the engine and sure enough it was blown. It looked like a connecting rod was through the side of the block, what can you do. So we spent the week at the park and just relaxed.

Now that it is back home, it will need a new/used engine installed before making the trip to South Carolina for the winter. It is a 2005 Ford Focus 4 cylinder with standard transmission.....how much can it cost to install a used engine?

Oh my! Give your friend my condolences, may be better to get a whole nother used car.

Thanks

Rick

[Ray,IN]

A cousin and his wife bought a new diesel pusher, we were to meet him at a CG later that month. He was gone when we arrived, another cousin said the first cousin had hooked up all the utilities including black tank flush hose. Then they wen to town to stock up with groceries. When the arrived back at their new MH, they opened the door and about a foot of-er black water ran out.
A close friend dragged his $300 50A Marinco shore power cord so far it broke the Marinco connection in the electrical bay, ripped out the bay floor access panel, and came loose-somewhere along the highway. The total DIY repair bill was about $500, and /he bought a cheap off-brand 50A power cord from Amazon.

[schad]

My friend, confident in his backing skills, took out his mailbox with his DP. Turns out that the black door handle blends in with the black body paint on the RV and makes it nearly invisible in the side mirrors.

My friend, confident in his close-quarters maneuvering skills, drove over about 10 feet of curb. It might even have been more than 10 feet.

Both times, my friend's wife and son were standing right outside the RV enjoying the show.

The lessons to be learned here:

1. The very start and very end of a trip are where most accidents happen, in my experience. That's when you need to be most careful.

2. For goodness sake, if you've got your wife standing right there outside the RV, have her spot for you even if you "know" you don't need help.