Archive for the ‘Motorhomes’ Category

Fellow RVer Don Sinclair offers today’s tips.

One of the first things you might hear from a seasoned driver towing a toad is “relax, you won’t even know it’s there”. And as you gain experience, that may become partially true as it does indeed become second nature with experience as time goes by. But don’t be fooled by that statement, You MUST know it is there to drive safely.

I began hauling my toad, a 2001 Suzuki Grand Vitara 4 x 4 using the four wheels down method. If you are going to haul a toad four wheels down, in my opinion the easiest way to haul any toad, there are some things you need to learn before you embark on that first trip.

First and foremost, choose and install a brake system in the toad. I use and love my ReadyBrake system, which is a simple surge brake set up that can be purchased and installed for about $400 to $500. Never tow a toad without additional braking capability.

Then familiarize your self with hooking up and unhooking, Don’t do it once and think you know how. Tow it around a place with limited traffic to start out as practice. I like to go to an industrial park on a Sunday morning for this purpose. It’s quiet and with little traffic you can pull over, or into a parking lot for example. Be sure to unhook and hook up the toad under different conditions. You will encounter all kinds of different positions in the real world, so try and create some of the frequent ones to practice. Park on a slight uphill incline and unhook and hook up. (I’m not talking a hill here,
just a slight incline. Then do it the opposite way so the rig is below the toad on a slight decline. You will run into these situations in a campground or a parking lot and you need to experience for yourself the way the toad behaves under these conditions.

In one case, the incline, the weight of the toad is pulling on the hitch and you may have to ease it forward slightly to pull the pins. In the other, the weight of the toad is pushing on the hitch and may have to be reversed slightly.

Also try unhooking and hooking up when the toad is at a slight angle to the motor home. You will have to do this in some campgrounds, so you might as well see what problems this can present in the quiet of a parking lot on a Sunday morning. Once you are confident that you can handle hooking and unhooking, you are better prepared for your first trip actually towing.

Also prepare a step-by-step list of the procedure you use to both hook up and unhook and then follow it every time. That way you won’t leave the pins on the hood of the toad like I once did. Include activating and deactivating the braking system in this list as well.

Visit Don Sinclair’s Website St. Albert

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Veteran RVer Jim Foreman offers these helpful tips for buying a used RV:

• As you step inside, take a good sniff for smells like mold and mildew. Unfortunately cigarette smoke tends to mask these odors.
• Walk around as close to outside walls as possible feeling for soft or springy spots in the floor which can indicate water leak damage. Using a good flashlight, look along the bottom of exterior walls for signs of water damage in the trim; water stained spots, wrinkles, plywood separations and streaks of mold. Look especially in corners, under windows, inside cabinets and under beds. Check the ceiling for water stains around all vents, skylights and roof air conditioners.
• Check in all outside storage bins for water damage.
• Rap on the bottom of the overhang on 5th wheels and cabovers on campers. A dead sound is cause for suspicion and needs further checking.
• Remove a screw or two in suspect areas and check for rust which would indicate leakage.
• Check for hail damage, by looking at a the exterior walls at a very low angle to see damage in the reflection. Just a little hail damage can thousands to repair. In many cases people will collect for hail damage and pocket the money and never have it repaired. That can cause a problem in the future because pre-existing hail damage will be deducted in the case of additional damage later on. An insurance adjuster can tell fresh from old hail damage.
• Walk off several steps and look for wrinkles or bulges in the sides which would indicate structural damage. Pay special attention to the areas around the wheels, rear bumper and hitch.

Get more tips for buying a used RV with Les Doll’s Used RV Buyer’s Guide With this guide you will learn exactly what to look for and especially what to look out for when shopping for a used RV. The very best time to discover the faults of an RV is before you buy it! Click Here!

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