Archive for November, 2008

Your travel trailer or fifth wheel is broken down on the side of the road at night and you want to take your truck into town for parts or to get help. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could leave the trailer marker lights on? Since flashing lights mean caution or emergency it would be even better if you could make them flash.

I’ve seen instructions for an emergency flasher that requires you to purchase a female connector, do some soldering and wrap the lash up with electrical tape. Well, as you will see from the illustration below, this way is so easy that anyone can do it and all it takes is a heavy duty 2-pin flasher available at any auto parts store.

The key is to connect the flasher to your trailer’s umbilical plug as shown in the illustration. See how the plug is oriented with the square bump at the top. Notice the two white arrows pointing to the top two pins of the plug. The pin on the left is #4 and is the battery charging line. The right pin, #3, supplies power to the license, tail and running lights.

When you want the lights on but not flashing… we use our running lights as makeshift Christmas and party lights… just use a short length of 12 gauge wire as a jumper to light up your rig.

You may also want to read: Wiring the 7 Pole RV Tow Vehicle/Travel Trailer Umbilical Plug at RVbasics.com

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RV Repair and Maintenance Manual – Updated and Expanded The most popular resource for RVers who prefer to work on their own RVs. Featuring step-by-step procedures for maintaining and repairing RVs, in easy-to-understand layman’s terms and simple-to-follow instructions. Includes topics on electrical systems, LP-gas systems, water systems, sanitation systems, AC generators, heating systems, air-conditioning systems, refrigerators, trailer brakes, trailer suspensions, dinghy towing, hitches, drivetrain systems, solar power systems, ovens and ranges, microwaves and ice makers, exterior and interior care, and accessories.
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Thanksgiving …aka turkey day …is a day that has been set aside for folks to gather together with family, friends, pilgrims, American Indians, etc. and eat everything they can get their hands on. Yummm. What a great tradition!

If, as an RVer, you are already parked in a relative’s driveway or a RV park near family, you already know how you will spend the holiday. Good. However, if you are ‘on the road’ or staying in some distant and unfamiliar state or campground there are plenty of options for celebrating the holiday.

Are you in an area where there are others from an online forum nearby? A mini get together would be great fun. Wouldn’t hurt to ask if anyone is around.

RV parks and resorts are an option. Parks with activity centers usually have Thanksgiving dinners …the potluck kind or a meal that you pay for and is served cafeteria style. Even if you got to the park last night and couldn’t make a reservation, more than likely you would be welcome to join in the festivities. There is always room for more at those events.

Most activity centers have a television room, game tables and jigsaw puzzles where you can join with fellow RVers watching football games, playing cards, scrabble or other games. This is a great way to meet people and make new friends. A lot of snowbird parks have jam sessions. If you like music, listen …if you play an instrument, join in.

Remember …don’t be shy. If others seem to be a bit stand-offish, introduce yourself, ask where they are from, if they a fulltimers, where they are headed, etc. They may not be stand-offish at all, just shy. It’s a good bet that you all have at least one thing in common …RVing.

Perhaps none of the above is your ‘cup of tea’. Ask the park manager for information about movie theaters and other activities in a nearby town. And while you are in town scope out all the places you might want to shop on ‘Black Friday’. Even an early snowbird can get the worm!

We hope you are having a great Thanksgiving! — Fran C. Crawford & Steven Fletcher

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