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Kablewizard · 11-12-2007, 05:32 PM

Here's a good one that my wife brought up. We have been planning 2 different camping trips but can't go. She asked if we were going, and I said no. She looked at me with a straight face and a bit disappointed and asked "Why not?"

I looked her dead in the eye with the same straight face and a curled eye brow (like the Rock dose) and said "because you wont pull the 5th wheel" ........ As I am sure most of you have read, I broke my big toe on my right foot when I laid down my beloved Blue Goldwing : frustrated: And she said "Oh yea"
So what do you think, She has pulled both of our old trailers, Why not the 5th wheel?

I think it's about time we started thinking about it again. What if you out someplace and you break your big toe? There is no way you can drive, forget the pain of the pressure trying to walk or hold the brake in a panic stop. The pain meds will keep you from driving. Did you know that if you are on a prescription pain med most insurance company's will not pay if you're in a accident and because it's a prescription, its a felony as far as the police are concerned..... I say they all need to learn to drive. Cheri will learn as soon as I can help her by moving it to a place she can practice in. It would most likely be better if I was on the pills....... Only kidding. But it's a great idea with a good reason behind it. It doesn't mean they have to drive all the time, but they need to be able to drive on the freeway or side roads and back it up incase it takes a few days to get home or your next destination.

Whats your thoughts?

Kablewizard · 11-12-2007, 05:32 PM

Here's a good one that my wife brought up. We have been planning 2 different camping trips but can't go. She asked if we were going, and I said no. She looked at me with a straight face and a bit disappointed and asked "Why not?"

I looked her dead in the eye with the same straight face and a curled eye brow (like the Rock dose) and said "because you wont pull the 5th wheel" ........ As I am sure most of you have read, I broke my big toe on my right foot when I laid down my beloved Blue Goldwing : frustrated: And she said "Oh yea"
So what do you think, She has pulled both of our old trailers, Why not the 5th wheel?

I think it's about time we started thinking about it again. What if you out someplace and you break your big toe? There is no way you can drive, forget the pain of the pressure trying to walk or hold the brake in a panic stop. The pain meds will keep you from driving. Did you know that if you are on a prescription pain med most insurance company's will not pay if you're in a accident and because it's a prescription, its a felony as far as the police are concerned..... I say they all need to learn to drive. Cheri will learn as soon as I can help her by moving it to a place she can practice in. It would most likely be better if I was on the pills....... Only kidding. But it's a great idea with a good reason behind it. It doesn't mean they have to drive all the time, but they need to be able to drive on the freeway or side roads and back it up incase it takes a few days to get home or your next destination.

Whats your thoughts?

digNbubbs · 11-12-2007, 05:46 PM

I would like to think that in crunch time, Angie could move this beast anywhere needed. She has driven a little, but never in full battle mode on the interstate, or navigating out of a campground. I think the pressure of "have to do it" would be enough for her.

And, if not, Escapees has a pinch-driver program that we could use

--kev

Sundevil · 11-12-2007, 06:09 PM

Jim, I had the same problem but it wasn't that my DW didn't want to drive, I wasn't comfortable with her driving. That was with our old 30' Travel Trailer. Now with our 35' fifth wheel, I don't mind if she drives at all because the fiver is so much more stable and easier to tow! I think a few practice sessions and Cheri will be a pro....with your patient coaching of course!..

RV Wizard · 11-12-2007, 06:32 PM

By all means both partners should know how to drive the rigs. Amy has driven and if she had not, I would have brought up the senerio you are now in. One never knows what can happen. A couple of years ago my dad slipped at a relatives and my mom had to drive their Country coach back home (500 miles) for him to have seurgery.

NeilV · 11-13-2007, 02:23 AM

Since my wife took the drivers confidence course at LazyDays this has no longer been an issue. We both took it together and it was worthwhile. No more what if's.

Made it into a all day date without the kids and ending with a nice dinner.

WaveMaker · 11-13-2007, 03:58 AM

My wife Drives,

she has started a long time ago
when we were moving to colorado from arizona we had a huge uhaul and my car on a trailer half way there i was real tired so she said let me drive i can drive this highway so i let her drive... she has become a very good Driver

Bill Davis · 11-13-2007, 06:15 AM

My problem is not If my wife will drive, it's when will she give it back to me. After driving thru Portland OR at rush hour, she thinks she's ready for Nascar. She does at least half of the driving, at her insistance. After getting her feet wet, which was a toe curling experience for me, she is quite at home behind the wheel. And it sure is nice to lean back and let her. I can even doze off. If she stops talking. Woops!

Kablewizard · 11-13-2007, 06:36 AM

Thanks for the input, thats what I was looking for. I know Cheri can do it and she will. I thinke she is intimidated by the 35' 5er the old toyhauler was only 17' basicly the size of the kitchen and lvg room. How about some of you co-pilots, any advice?

doc · 11-13-2007, 06:41 AM

Jim, don't feel like the Lone Ranger. I am in the same situation. Ms C used to drive the previous coach we had, towing on a dolly. She has also driven the present coach on trips west - Las Vegas and Glacier NP. Always on 4 lane, interstate type roads.
Now for some reason she has decided she can't drive and comes back with, "I'll do it if you insist, but I certainly don't feel safe."

Needless to say I do all the driving, whether I want to or not. It would be sort of nice to see how the other seat rides and to maybe go to the back for a snack or bathroom break.

Having said all that, the inconvenience of having to do all the driving is far, far outweighted by the simple pleasures of being able to travel and having a life partner to do it with.
Enjoy life and don't let small stuff bring you down.

Riverdog · 11-13-2007, 07:41 AM

How about a compromise? Maybe she is too nervous or too inexperienced to be comfortable in heavy traffic (my wife is). So what we have agreed to do is for me to get us out of town and pull over at an uncrowded freeway exit a few miles out of town where we can switch drivers. Then she can get her feet wet on the freeway where she doesn't have to worry about stop & go's, city traffic, turns etc.

Once she gets a few miles behind her we will increase the skill area driving.

Is your foot good enough to allow this?

Ski Me Baby · 11-13-2007, 09:46 AM

I almost always drive our unit, although I do let my husband get behind the wheel from time to time. My Father always insisted that my Mother drive their units (from 16 foot TT to 28 foot C class)and now that my father can no longer drive because of health issues she does all of the driving, even in the snow for ski trips. She does like it alot better when one of us kids are along for the ride, but she drives.

Paul Heuvelhorst · 11-13-2007, 10:26 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Riverdog:
...what we have agreed to do is for me to get us out of town and pull over at an uncrowded freeway exit a few miles out of town where we can switch drivers. Then she can get her feet wet on the freeway where she doesn't have to worry about stop & go's, city traffic, turns etc... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
This is similar to the approach we took after moving up from a small tent trailer. She is an excellent driver who needed some confidence that she could drive without being able to see traffic through the rear-view mirror.

While I still park the trailer most of the time, her confidence level is increasing here, too. We have had too many friends who's spouses have taken seriously ill while on a trip, and the wife felt she was stranded.

We made a pact when we retired that we wouldn't allow that to happen to us. Our routine to trade off driving every 90 minutes or so, which requires you to stop, walk around the rig, stretch, use the bathroom, get a refreshing drink, etc.

Of course, the bottom line is that we can leave the trailer parked (in an RV park) and just drive the truck home in the event of a serious health issue, after going to emergency, first.

Kablewizard, encourage her... being "laid up" for a time should be good incentive for her to bolster her courage to learn to drive safely. She obviously has the skills since she drove with your previous trailers, so she just needs to sharpen those skills. Does she know how to "hook up" by herself? That would be a good place to begin!

mom2mastiffs · 11-13-2007, 01:38 PM

I used to drive our 26 ft trailer pulled by our 16 passenger van. However when we got the 30 ft I was not comfortable driving it. Since I sometimes have to drive to dog shows without Jeffrey I wanted a different unit to drive. So we purchased our Monaco.
I did some investigation and helped by Monaco Mama found a good company to take lessons from. Still trying to settle which date works well for all. It's the RV school.
Will give updates once I take the lessons in December.

Karen
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