Poll of RV'ers Reveals Most Frequent Mishaps

[RedneckExpress]

I've done the "Run out Gas" thing only once with the camper on, a couple times with just the truck. The gas gauge has never been perfect and its degree of non-perfectness has changed when I replaced the fuel pump which changed the float mechanism as well. The last time I ran it out, I was about a mile from the gas station in the middle of a lane of traffic with a curb and no shoulder. Had to leave the hazards on and walk with the gas can a mile there and a mile back.

One downside to a Throttle Body Injected engine is there's no float bowl of fuel left to move it at all.

I've also managed to find a large number of solid objects to back into. Trees and Power Poles seem to be my favorites.... :( They always manage to wind up dead center behind me so that they're invisible in the mirrors.

[Superslif]

At home I left the shore power cord plugged into the garage. Usually both my wife and me have our duties before leaving. Since it was only me this day, I had assumed she unplugged it. About 2 miles from home she pulled up behind me because she was going to meet me at the place we store the RV trailer when not in use. While at a traffic light she called me on my cell and said "did you unplug the power cord"? I said "no", well your dragging it behind you all 25 feet of it. Here I drove thru our downtown area with the power cord dragging behind. I felt like a dip-S_ _ T. I can't believe it didn't cause any damage to the cord. I even closed the garage. 10 years of active camping and that was the only mishap......
I'm actually good at backing up.....

[Bob N Deb]

That reminds me
just last spring just before we moved to a new motorhome friendly house we had to park on the street and ran a 100 ft extention out to the motorhome I ran it up through some tree branches so it wasn't across the sidewalk and away we went I only noticed when the construction workers up the street pointed and laughed.


but my worst was one of my first trips in my first RV a truch camper. It was a big one with a big overhang and a door on the side of the back . I backed into a parking spot and took out the black tank that was hanging down below the rear overhang. it is called being in a sticky spot ; do you tell anyone or just leave I figured the sooner I got out of there the better for everyone. Half the time I put that camper on I would for get to take the licence off the truck and put it on the camper that was the one time I wish I had forgotten to put the plate on.

[Fossilhog]

We bought the first of 3 motorhomes back in 1994. It was an '83 Tioga we named the Moneypit. We bought it from a woman a few miles away who pretty much informed me of all it's problems, well maybe not all. I knew I had to soak some money into it but that was all factored into the purchase price. She told me that it had 3 fuel filters. Soon after we got it on the road I had some fuel problems but knowing about the filters I found the first one right under the driver door frame rail. Swapped it out along with the one going up to the carb and the ceramic one in the carb. Every so often this was the fix. Then one day, that didn't work. Replaced the fuel pump took it around the block and limped home. This went one for days until one day I was so fed up I just drove it into the back yard to park it and ran over a rake. When I crawled under to remove the rake I found that it snared a section of rubber fuel line up above the gas tank. There on this 3' section was another fuel filter! #4!!!!!!!!!!!!

[John-D]

Let's see:
¢ Driving off with the steps extended

Not supposed to be possible.. but I've done it, And if I ever figure out just what failed I'm going to be making a complaint BIG TIME


"¢ Backing up into a post or other stationary object

Twice, last time it cost me a new tire and wheel on my Bicycle.. It needed new tires anyway and the wheel needed truing too. So the damage was not that great (Rides way nicer now)

"¢ Misjudging the amount of overhead and/or side clearance space

That one has not bit me yet

"¢ Not connecting the taillights correctly

Likewise

"¢ Running out of fuel.

Likewise


However I'm kind of amazed that "Having your sewer hose seperate from the connector" was not listed.. Or mis-connection.. I'm still learning on that

(I keep bleach handy for such occasions)

[Gary RVRoamer]

I drove off with the power cord still plugged in the other day. First time in 12 years. Fortunately neither the cord nor the power pole was damaged, so I got off light.

[Bob O]

Anybody ever try to leave with a slide-out extended?

Bob O

[danes-on-tour]

Trying to pump the black tank with the Sani-con maserator and leaving the green stop plug still on the hose is my party trick . Actually I think that I may well be the record holder

Try to avoid this if you can.

[WindRVer]

First 5'er:
Had a full gas can in the bed tied down loosely. Used gas out of it. Now it's a light can tied down loosely. Hrm... wind yanked it free and took it right out of the bed... took out my emergency brake cable on the way. Brakes locked up at 65 mph on the interstate. I had to wait 1/4 mile before pulling off and finding problem. Thankfully only took an adjustment of the brakes instead of new ones.

New 5'er:
It wasn't my steps that were extended, but the hand rail. Found it on first pull off, no damage.

New 5'er:
Putting camper in storage. My guide was guiding me while texting on his phone. I guess I should have checked the guide in the mirror. Camper took out the building, building took out the camper. Now totalled.

Looking for new camper to have more mistakes in....

[rebelone]

Hang the ignition keys on the antenna crank,keep it simple.

[Jim Stewart]

When my Wife and I started full-timing, we decided that each of us would have specific tasks each time we stopped or started. While at the Newmar factory service center, she had to go with our Kitties to her parents house about 200 miles away because they could not stay in the motor home during service. I spent two days at the factory and they finished up late on a Friday night, so I decided to stay the night and leave early in the morning. I get the rig ready and start to pull out of the lot. Many of the other RVers in for repair were up and were running along side waving at me as I left. I thought, how nice of these people until I realized I had not unplugged the 50 Amp cord; my Wife's job. I was dragging alongside of my MH my cord and Newmar's power pole that I had ripped right out of the concrete!

[Dadeaux]

A few years ago we had a 30’ Southwind and I had just bought a new Taurus that we were towing on a dolly. After driving all day and late into the night to get home from a trip I took the car off the dolly and decided to leave it running, while I parked the MH, to recharge the battery since I had had its park lights on for added safety. I pulled it over to the side of the entrance to the condo compound and proceeded to park the MH and store the dolly.
It was a weekend with lots of beach goers in town so I carefully secured the MH and dolly. About mid morning the next day I took the puppies out for their morning stroll and there sets my new Taurus with the windows down and still idling as it had been all night. Looking on the bright side the battery was fully charged and if my wife had kept her mouth shut no one else would have known.

[bmanSC]

came home one day wife drives mustang in driveway and parked me i'm backing motorhome in driveway (done it alot) then BANG (no ididn't hit the mustang) backed in to atree in my own yard with alot of neighbor's watching(embarassing) i think the tree moved while i was away.