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After
winterizing with RV antifreeze, it is a good idea to drain as
much of the antifreeze out of the system as is possible. It
has already done it's job by pushing the water out and the less
of it you leave standing in the system the smaller the chance
you have of it having a smell or taste in the spring when you
flush it out.
Gary Kile
So often I see folks working too hard to get their equalizer spring
bars connected/disconnected to/from their trailer receiver. During
hookup, I found that if you connect the ball to the hitch, then
jack the trailer receiver up several inches, you relieve the spring
pressure required to connect the spring bars. Then connect the
spring bars and lower the receiver, placing the jack in the traveling
position.
To unhook, you jack up the receiver several inches until the spring
pressure is relieved from the spring bars. Then with little effort,
you can release the spring bars.
Jim Hicks
JAMARCO Marketing
Long Distance Services
email: jamarco@poky.srv.netv
208-233-8547
When my wife and I travel in central Canada , we get a lot of
bugs on the front of our motor home. To make it easier to clean,
I put a light coating of dish soap on before we leave. Then
when we arrive, I just have to rinse it down and it comes clean.
The front looks good to others, not to mention it saves your
paint and chrome.
We were in Big Meadows, a forest service campground in Colorado,
and had mice get in our motorhome. They came in the trap door
which the power cord goes through (it was left open). The best
thing to use on a mouse trap to catch them is peanut butter (better
than cheese). Mice also like peanuts, so to be sure we had caught
all of them, we left peanuts in the bays, around the outside and
inside. If the peanuts were left alone, then we had no problem.
Robert Hatter ,
Arlington, TX
e-mail: rhatter@why.net
We use a clothes pin to remind us to lower our T.V. antenna. We
keep the clothes pin clipped to the crank when the antenna is
down. When we raise the antenna, we clip the clothes pin on the
steering wheel. This reminds us that the antenna is up before
we hit the road. "We can't do great things in this life.....
we can only do small things with great love"
M.T.
I
put my motorhome keys on the antenna handle, that way there
is no way I can drive off with the antenna up - which I have
done before.
LEO P
While
traveling in the south last spring the lovebugs were very bad,
so I brushed on a coat of Johnson & Johnsons Baby Oil on the
front of the RV and front of the hauler, so that it was much
easier to remove the lovebugs each evening when we stopped for
the night. They had to be removed because they will eat right
through the paint (so I've been told)
john-gerri@juno.com
John Beckman
12/00
We
bought some cheap "zip lock" plastic containers, punched some
small holes in them, then filled them with moth balls. We put
them in the bays in our 5th wheel - especially near the front
jack stands, and it seems to help keep ants and bugs out of
the RV.
john-gerri@juno.com
John Beckman 12/00
Up
grades are easy if you have a little talent, patience, and common
sense. For example, we installed fancy beveled mirrors in our
motor home and they look just as good as factory at a fraction
of the cost. We measured the area we wanted to cover. First
floor to ceiling, then width. The mirror width needs to be in
even number because the beveled mirrors come in even numbers
example: 4", 6", & 8" If there are no obstacles like electrical
outlets, it's a piece of cake. If there are, get your mirror
supplier to make those cuts. We did two areas in our motor home,
the large wall (approx.) 4'x 6 1/2') we had the mirror supplier
install 4" beveled mirror at an installed cost of around $130.
I did the area around the stove myself in 3" beveled morror
at a cost of around $35.00. Now we have the look of the big
guys, but didn't spend the big bucks.
John G. Tampa Fl.
When
I first bought my new motor home and returned from our shake
down trip I still had almost a full tank of fresh water. The
manufacture did make provisions to dump it, the only problem
is it dumps right where your standing. Being a 1/2" PVC line
it was a simple fix. I simply purchased a 1/2" PVC slip to threaded
fitting and a 1/2" pipe to hose coupler and in a few minutes
I had a place to hook on a water hose and drain the tank away
from the motor home. No more water standing after dumping.
Don't
learn the hard way, I did. Back a few years ago when I had my
first Class A motor home in Florida I found a nest of carpenter
ants camping out. They sure did like the RV and were enjoying
the lifestyle more then I was! Why not? free food, free travel,
they were having a ball. I sprayed all kinds of junk and finely
got them out of there. Problem solved, wrong! they came back.
Then it dawned on me, I don't need the smelly chemicals inside
the motor home, I need to treat the ground it was setting on.
I purchased a 10 lb. bag of lawn and garden insect treatment,
and a hand spreader. I walked around the outside of the motor
home and laid down a pretty good coat, I did that once every
couple of months. The bag coast approximately $12.00 and lasted
all summer. I haven't had a problem with ants or bugs in years.
Maybe they moved next door?
John G. Tampa, FL.
Anyone
living in Florida knows the sun can be brutal. The rays and
heat can do a number on your windshield wiper blades in a season
or two. You can go out and spend the money for the after market
wiper blade protectors, or go to Home Depot and purchase a length
of 3/4" foam pipe insulation for about $1.00. The foam pipe
insulation is split down one side. All you need to do is cut
off a piece the same length as the blade 22" 24" or whatever,
spread it, and put it on. Easy on-easy off What a deal, and
it really works!
John G. Tampa FL.
Few
if any of the tail lights on an RV is bright enough. Try this,
take the lens cover off, crinkle up a sheet of aluminum foil,
then place the aluminum foil in the back of the bulb, crinkles
and all. This will give you a brighter reflection through the
lens.
Alan Tucker
I've
been winterizing my own Rv's for about 5 years. Normally I have
to purchase several gallons of antifreeze to pour into the fresh
water tank, and let the 12V pump push it through the system.
In the spring I have to flush the fresh water tank thoroughly
to avoid an unpleasant taste in the water. Last fall on a trip
to Home Depot to purchase antifreeze, I discovered that they
carried the exact fittings that connect the water pickup tube
from the fresh water tank to the pump. I bought 1 press-on/threaded
fitting and 3 feet of pvc tubing and I can now pump the antifreeze
directly out of the can. I don't have to flush the antifreeze
out of the fresh water tank any more when I de-winterize, and
it takes less than 1 gallon to protect the entire system. Total
cost, under $10.
Chris Knowles, Mount
Hope, Ontario Canada
On
a harvest run the crew boss had a 45 ft park trailer that his
family
lived in and it was forever bending the rear stabilizer jacks
(to big of
trailer for jack) to fix the problem we took two implement jacks
and
attached them to the rear bumper at each end and problem fixed.
It took
the wiggle right out of the trailer.
Sheldon Clark
Discovered
a great product for removing bug splatters on anything!!! Melts
them right off and is an environmentally safe liquid! The product
is called BUG-B-GONE
Really Works!!
J&F Enterprises
PO Box 1057
Laurel, Montana 59044
1-800-762-8478
They send out free samples too..
Paul Spelts
With
our humid weather in Florida it is easy to get a mildew smell
in our unit when it sits closed up for a period of time. But
if you place trays of charcoal around, and open the closed areas
(cabinets, closets, & storage compartments). I place small
trays everywhere, the smell will be absorbed or never start.
Bill Miller.
This
last summer camping in California I had the worst ant problem
the camper next to me had a new invention called (the ant wall)
he let me use It, It's a small rolling dispenser that drop a
line of cleanser on the ground you just walk around or RV that
all and the ant stopped right away I since have bought my own
ant wall, I use it all the time and Have not seen one and since.
I purchased It on the Internet www.antwall.com
Pat Anderson
We
have a park model trailer in Southern Ontario Canada near Guelph.
We find shaving Irish Spring soap in tin foil plates and putting
them around the trailer in the fall and winter months keeps
the mice out. They dont like the smell and also the strong odour
burns there nose. Try it it really works!!
Isaac & Pauline
Schofield
A
friend emailed me this product because I am a fanatic about
keeping vehicles clean. Bug Eraser REALLY WORKS!! www.bugeraser.com
It is non-abrasive, non-toxic, biodegradable and literally erases
bugs off vehicles. After a return trip from Florida with half
the love bug population coming back with me, Bug Eraser did
its magic and removed all the dead love bugs. Check it out!!
At
a recent Motor Home Show in West Palm beach a Newmar Rep gave
me a very
helpful hint on how to get best use out of dash air. Basically
if put a
helium ballon in the backof the coach it would move forward
- just like the
hot air in the coach to the rear of the driver moves forward.
If you crack a
back window this reverses the process so you cool air moves
back rather than
hot air forward. This results in more effecient cooling to the
driver and co
pilot when on the road using dash air. Simple idea that works.
To be honest I just
bought a used Newmar Dutch Star and haven't tried the
idea but the Numar rep swears by it.
Another one he came
up with that I would not have thought of was never turn
on the exhaust fan in the stool room when you are - can't say
it a better way -
taking a dump. It draws nasty oders up into the bath room. Turn
on the fan
after you are finished and plush the toilet during your visit
for reasons you
should figure out.
A new RVer from Boca
Raton Fl - WCSpecial@AOL.com
If
your home is served by a septic system, you will be able to
receive invaluable information on how to eliminate pump outs,
maintain
the system properly and cure problems such as backups, wet spots,
odor, etc.
You can do this by
checking out our SPC program at:
http://www.spcpromo.com/spc/
In addition, you
will have the opportunity to participate in a free
trial to test the effectiveness of SPC.
Please check us out.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
SPC
Rust
prone areas cost vehicle owners. If near the ocean with salt
air, or anywhere
that uses salt to melt snow on roads, your RV is rusting slowly
as you read this.
Solution: www.rustblock.net
In
order to increase trailer stability while set up in camp I obtained
two
small two ton capacity hydraulic lacks from Wal Mart After leveling
the
trailer and before lowering the stabilizer jacks that came with
the trailer,
I place a jack under a leaf spring mounting bracket at opposite
ends of the
trailer suspension (example: right front and left rear). I then
lift each
jack 1" - 2" . The wheels do not leave the ground.
I am only taking some
weight off of the trailer suspension. After this operation I
set the trailer
stabilizing jacks as normal. It is amazing how much more stable
the trailer
has become and the jacks can do double duty for tire changing
or other
repairs.
Warren Petkovsek
7863 Walnut Drive
Lumberton, Texas 77657-8959
(409) 755-0361
wpetkovsek@aol.com
1.
To keep squirrels, mice, etc. out of the motorhome and generator
exhaust
pipes I use simple cardboard tubes cut about 3" long with
fiberglass screen
taped to the outer end with duct tape. They slide on and off
easily and last
forever.
2. To make my tire
air pressure gauge (round dial with about a 4" tube) easy
to find I used a jack knife to cut a hole in the bottom of a
plastic 35mm
film container and then mounted it to the sidewall of my storage
compartment.
The gauge tube fits down thru the hole and the gauge is always
there and easy
to grab.
Mail
your tips and tricks to:
RV CANADA, Inc.,
1111 S.W. 17th St. Suite 100
Ocala, Fl 34474
Or you may send e-mail
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