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Old 05-28-2011, 04:08 PM   #1
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Well, I survived a trip!! For those who know good old Saskatchewan, I towed it from Grenfell to Saskatoon, stayed overnight in the Wobble-Mart lot at the west end of S'toon, on the road to Rosetown, on the first day.

Continued on to Rosetown, then south to Swift Current, south to Cadillac, east to Kincaid, then north to a gopher patch. Stayed two nights in a field, then towed it home.

Learned a few things: 1. Wal-Mart is a good place to stay. Need something? Just stroll over and buy it. The place I stayed at closed at 11, and opened before I got up, had a Tim Hortons.
2. Try to remember the friggin' operator's manual next time!!
3. Don't leave anything on the counter.....
4. Keep the operator's manual IN THE TRAILER at all times!
5. City water hook-up (at a friend's) doesn't fill the water tank!
6. To get the fridge working on propane, you need to hold the button until you hear the burner light. ( See 2 & 4 )

All in all, I had a good experience. Got the feel of trailering. One thing for sure - if a person was going on a long road trip with the idea of saving money on hotels - forget it, unless you stay in 5 star hotels and eat caviar every meal. The extra fuel used pulling a trailer on a long day will outstrip what a motel room would cost.

I used my 2002 Dodge 1500 Q-cab. It guzzles enough fuel just pulling itself, let alone pulling a trailer. I bought the trailer with an eye to short days of pulling, with lots of time spent checking out small town stuff, and parking in a gopher patch, etc.

I couldn't imagine pulling even that little trailer with anything less. I pulled it against a good wind on the way home, and was glad to have the hp and the weight. Its sweet spot seemed to be about 2500-2700, overdrive off. Not setting any speed records, but ran nicely. Down a long hill I let it run in OD, but it wouldn't do it against any wind on level ground.

I am not at all disappointed in the fuel mileage. That is not an issue. If it was, I would use my nice old '95 Gran Marquis at 30 mpg (Cdn) and stay in a motel.

And, no, I didn't grease the poor wheel bearings four times each day!!
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Old 05-28-2011, 05:38 PM   #2
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Great report! Yeah if you RV to save money you prob have to go elsewhere lol....

Glad it all worked out....best way to learn how to do it is jump in go isn't it?



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Old 05-28-2011, 05:52 PM   #3
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Hey KJOHN when you were at the West side Wal-Mart you were 2 km from me. Next time you are going to be there let me know I will meet you at timmies for coffee
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Old 06-08-2011, 12:36 PM   #4
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Took the trailer out to Kincaid again this past weekend for another session in the gopher patch. Learned a few more things....

- Can't leave even a bit of water in the toilet bowl, as it will slop out on a rough road.

- You have to turn the fridge OFF when traveling. Simply turning off the propane tank isn't good enough. The fridge keeps trying to light the pilot. I could hear it attempting to light the pilot.

- Scoop the water out of the sink and toss it in the toilet. The toilet needs all the water it can get. Just one person doesn't put much water in the black water tank.

- This little trailer is the cat's butt for what I use it for. I can go back and have a bite to eat or have a snooze any time. Easy to pull and park.

All in all, I think we made a good choice with this little 197. I am going to try it next behind my older 1997 Suburban. The gearing on it might be a bit better than the Dodge. It couldn't be much harder on fuel, that's for sure!

Edit: Forgot the bloomin' manual again!!:lightning:
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Old 06-08-2011, 12:40 PM   #5
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Actual Experiences are the best teacher. I`m still learning too!
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Old 07-11-2011, 10:39 PM   #6
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I was able to load the Jayco manual onto my Sony Reader and have it on my laptop, so I have to forget three things now!! (possible....)
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Old 07-11-2011, 11:27 PM   #7
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Great report. Reminded me of a few goofy things I forgot. After purchasing our new Jayco I left the grab bar extended and proceeded through the cg we stayed at which just happened to be across the road from the dealer. I almost bagged a senior citizen on the way out. The next trip I forgot to put the lock lever down and left the electrical cord un- attached. Yikes no brakes.

I don't know if you guys do this but prior to going out of the cg I pull over and take a walk around the trailer and methodically look at the trailer for anything I forgot. This is when I caught the dumb things I did above. A few years ago Trailer Life had an article about how a RV driver should adopt some of the routine things the pro's do. The walk around was one of the things. I usually do it just prior to leaving. Another was about the art of backing up. They said that it is not necessary to " one-time" your rig into your spot when backing up. If you notice the pro's they will make several short corrections prior to putting it into the correct alignment. Another good one was to watch them while driving to see if for some reason they all start changing into another lane for some reason, known only to them and the few of us with a CB.

Sorry for being long winded here but though it might help some of those who have not heard of this before.

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Old 07-30-2011, 10:16 PM   #8
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Murphie: Thanks for posting your tips. I have a routine now that I go through before getting in the TV. Years ago, I drove a transport part time, back before we really had any "safety" routine checks. I went to Winnipeg with a semi loaded with cattle, got back home (600 mile round trip) and discovered the lever that locks the fifth wheel mechanism was not locked in place. Ever after that, I checked that lever every time I got out of the truck!
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Old 07-31-2011, 06:59 AM   #9
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kjohn73-- One thing you can forget to forget is the frig, just leave it on with the gas on, keeps the beer colder. Larry
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Old 07-31-2011, 09:32 AM   #10
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Murph, routine is the key for me too... being male, I get distracted easily! My routine:

- kids & wife in the truck, truck running, lights on - walk to the front of the truck and look up (tv antenna down? vents down? no hanging/fallen branches or other items impeding my departure?)
- walk the passenger side (tv tires? tv mirros? electrical connected? hitch good & locked? chains on? windows/doors/hatches closed? awning secure? TT tires?)
- walk the back & look up - (lights? bumper? branches? etc.)
- walk the drivers side (repeat everything!)

I TOUCH and PUSH on everything as a reminder to myself, regardless of weather, that everything is secure...I've only missed twice - (like kjohn) once long ago I forgot to make sure the hitch was locked in place and once I didn't push on the door and it swung open on me. Lessons learned!
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Old 07-31-2011, 01:56 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Murphie View Post
I don't know if you guys do this but prior to going out of the cg I pull over and take a walk around the trailer and methodically look at the trailer for anything I forgot. This is when I caught the dumb things I did above.
Richard
Rarely will Don or I travel alone with the tt. So we have a routine we use. Everything on our list is checked by both of us (double check of each other). For example, hooking up... usually Don helps me back to ball, and he lowers the tongue on the ball (we have that amazing back-up camera and can use it alone for spot on hook-up if needed). ONce the tongue is lowered onto the ball, Don disconnects the sewer hose, and water connection then stows both while I finish the hooking up (WDH bars, brakes/elec, and chains). I then do an 8 count on the hookup to confirm I have everything from pin locks to WDH etc all hooked up. While I'm doing a final walk around, Don is double checking my hitch hook-up. Inside, we go over the check off list together (tv stowed, tv power switched pushed, antenna down, outside stove vent closed, heat/ac off, etc etc etc. Finally, I pull out of site and stop so Don can verify we haven't left anything and then does a "light check" to make sure brake/blinkers/etc lights are functioning. I like the double-check system. Since we've started that we haven't made any boo-boos!
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Old 07-31-2011, 05:06 PM   #12
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When I was learning to fly airplanes we were taught to use a checklist. Some people interpret the use of a checklist as not knowing what you're doing but familarity can sometime breed complacency and carelessness. Having and using a checklist that covers the important safety and expensive to fix items when RVing might be a good idea.
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