What`s your most boneheaded RV moment?

[MichaelO]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

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You’ve only got 1 spoiled dog?

[EarlD]

We've had our TT for 7 months now and I have a couple of lists of what needs to be done and in what order. They've kept me out of trouble until last Saturday when the Bride and I were getting the trailer ready to go camping.

On my list for getting ready to go I have "Stow power cord" near the top and way down near the bottom is "Raise the stabilizers". Well, I left the list (on my phone) in the house and figured, "Hey, I've done this enough times that I know what's on the list (just not remembering the PROPER order of things). Yeah, I raised the driver side rear stabilizer and my power cord got pinched between the stabilizer and the stabilizer mount. Sparks started flying and I was able to unplug the cord from the extension cord. As a result, 2 of the 3 wires are cut pretty much all of the way through.

The Bride's comment when I told her what happened was "Well, it's a good thing we're not taking the generator."

Any-hoo, picking up a new 30 foot 30 AMP cord today; anyone ever change out one of these cords? I'm planning on enlisting my brother the electrician in this project.

Today I'm hauling the trailer in for warranty work on the furnace (blower won't shut off and the furnace not putting out any heat); too bad I can't pass off my senior moment as a warranty claim!

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by EarlD

We've had our TT for 7 months now and I have a couple of lists of what needs to be done and in what order. They've kept me out of trouble until last Saturday when the Bride and I were getting the trailer ready to go camping.

On my list for getting ready to go I have "Stow power cord" near the top and way down near the bottom is "Raise the stabilizers". Well, I left the list (on my phone) in the house and figured, "Hey, I've done this enough times that I know what's on the list (just not remembering the PROPER order of things). Yeah, I raised the driver side rear stabilizer and my power cord got pinched between the stabilizer and the stabilizer mount. Sparks started flying and I was able to unplug the cord from the extension cord. As a result, 2 of the 3 wires are cut pretty much all of the way through.

The Bride's comment when I told her what happened was "Well, it's a good thing we're not taking the generator."

Any-hoo, picking up a new 30 foot 30 AMP cord today; anyone ever change out one of these cords? I'm planning on enlisting my brother the electrician in this project.

Today I'm hauling the trailer in for warranty work on the furnace (blower won't shut off and the furnace not putting out any heat); too bad I can't pass off my senior moment as a warranty claim!

Lists with a logical order is usually very important, especially if it is not on paper were your checking it off as you go.

My DW is a list person, I am not. The last thing I always do before jumping in the truck, is one last walk around the TT, look under it, check all the windows, hatches, and hitch.

[NC Roamer]

So my second bonehead entry begins with making reservations at Hunting Island State Park in South Carolina late last year. This is one of those parks where week long reservations must be had months in advance. Unfortunately had to reschedule it due to mother-in-law’s medical condition this Spring.

We finally arrive on the rescheduled date in July after a 300 mile journey and give our name to the volunteer at the gate. He cannot find it on the list even when I give him the site number. Pull around to the ranger office but still no joy. Finally I find the reservation confirmation email in my phone which shows that our reservation was for the previous week! Apparently I had blundered by a week when I entered it in my phone’s calendar. Murphy’s Law being what it is meant that my error was also a week in the worst direction so we paid summertime rates for a week at the beach but left the site vacant. I am sure the campers adjacent to our site were appreciative.

So ends bonehead #2 for me.

[sturgissteele]

Wowsers! A week late and a dime short, too. What a bummer that must of been when that was realized.

Gee, my bonehead moment is really nothing, but the night was calm and starry skied. Went to bed only to be awoken by a huge thud. What the heck was that!? Open the camper door to find the awning thrown up and over the camper roof. Doh! Quickly ran to the neighbor's camper to see if I could get the awning down before the wind did what it did to mine!
Well, as you can imagine, we don't leave the awning out anymore.
Turns out, there was a storm to the north of us and we got some wind from that storm. It was still starry skied above us, just a bit more windy now.

[paul_ottawa]

No mine, but a family we were camping with.

We arrived a bit before them and were mostly set up when they showed up (2 sites down from us). The site in front of his was empty, so he figured it would be easier to pull in then back up straight into the site (~30' TT). Well, he pulled in, then we heard a big "Psssshhhhh", and I immediately knew from 2 sites over he popped a tire. Sure enough, he clipped the side of the fire pit and the passenger front tire was toast.

So, now he is blocking the road (thankfully just a side road), and we have to replace the tire. Sent the kids to the turnoff of the road to make sure that people knew it was going to be blocked for a bit. After trying to figure out how to get his spare off (never tried it before), got it changed and got him into his site.

Pro-tip: Make sure you know where things are when pulling into a site
Bonus pro-tip: Make sure you know how to get your spare down... And do it at least once a year (to make sure the chain/cable isn't stuck, and the tire is properly aired up).

[GABob]

Just returned last week from a few days at Hilton Head; had some raina nd quite a bit of wind. Heard a crack/thump at the height of it all, so of course I had to go out in the rain to see what was what. A couple branches around the front of the RV, but everything seemed fine.



Went to wash Homer up before putting him back in storage (it's an Odyssey, hence the name ). As I was washing the cap, I noticed a few lines right under the window. I scrubbed with the brush but it just didn't go away. Frustration turned to angst as I began to expect the worst resulting from the storm. I finished washing the RV and went it to tell my wife that I wasn't quite ready to drive it back as I now had to fix "the crack". I was pretty bummed, as the RV is only two years old and I treat it as I do my cars! MY daughter put things in perspective though, as she pointed out that we're using it, not saving it! Having realigned my thoughts thanks to 17 year old wisdom, I went out to fix what I could.


I was planning on a quick caulk job until I could get my hands on some bondo. So I positioned the ladder as close as I could to the scene of the crime, as I wanted to inspect just how bad it was.


Remember at one time or other you went to wash your car and found a streak or two of gum on the quarter panel? Just hold that thought. I climbed up and pushed and prodded along the crack; it wasn't a straight line and in fact looked like a scraggly U to sorts. AS I ran my fingernail over it to see how bad it was, part of the "crack" disappeared?!? WTH? Went back and got some wax to better clean the area and it disappeared completely!


As elated as I was that my baby wasn't damaged, I quickly realized that I would have to go in and tell the wife that I was totally forlorn for nothing...and would have to face "THE LOOK". Yup, a bone-headed moment...

[2naEagle]

Borrowed a Master Tow Dollie.

Yes that's right forgot to put the tilt pin back in.

I did remember about 2 miles down the road but the pin is in the driveway. I put a big screwdriver in it and some duck tape. Went back and got pin.

Always hold the pin in your hand until you put it back in.

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by paul_ottawa

No mine, but a family we were camping with.

We arrived a bit before them and were mostly set up when they showed up (2 sites down from us). The site in front of his was empty, so he figured it would be easier to pull in then back up straight into the site (~30' TT). Well, he pulled in, then we heard a big "Psssshhhhh", and I immediately knew from 2 sites over he popped a tire. Sure enough, he clipped the side of the fire pit and the passenger front tire was toast.

So, now he is blocking the road (thankfully just a side road), and we have to replace the tire. Sent the kids to the turnoff of the road to make sure that people knew it was going to be blocked for a bit. After trying to figure out how to get his spare off (never tried it before), got it changed and got him into his site.

Pro-tip: Make sure you know where things are when pulling into a site
Bonus pro-tip: Make sure you know how to get your spare down... And do it at least once a year (to make sure the chain/cable isn't stuck, and the tire is properly aired up).

Brother did something similar a few years back. He was in the site next to us, so he decided to pull in with his PU. He hit the fire pit, did not blow a tire, but ripped his plastic bumper to shreds. On top of that, to get the PU where he wanted it, he had to pull way forwards (back of the site) and got stuck in the soft soil (aka mud). Bunch of us had to push him out (with the PU on back) to get him unstuck, DW of mine got sprayed with mud.

My brother has no clue how to back up a trailer, his DW usually backs up the PU. When he arrived I told him he had to stay on the pad as the soil was very soft, and he would get stuck, so he needed to back in and we could just spin the PU, but as usual he knows best . I have commented many times, it is always an adventure to camp with my brother and his family.

[paul_ottawa]

Another one yesterday...

We got back from our long weekend camping trip yesterday, and the weather was nice so I figured I would try and get things cleaned up and winterize at the same time.

In between clearing out the inside, washing the awning and the trailer, I started winterizing. Did a better cleaning of the grey and black tanks, blew the lines out, then got ready to put in the antifreeze. Turned on the pump, expecting it to draw in some to repressurize the lines... Kept on going until it pumped out 3/4 of the gallon jug when I realized the external shower was still on... So, in the end, not enough antifreeze to get it done. Stopped by this morning to get some more and will finish it off tonight.

Moral of the story: Don't forget to close all taps before starting with the antifreeze!

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by paul_ottawa

Another one yesterday...

We got back from our long weekend camping trip yesterday, and the weather was nice so I figured I would try and get things cleaned up and winterize at the same time.

In between clearing out the inside, washing the awning and the trailer, I started winterizing. Did a better cleaning of the grey and black tanks, blew the lines out, then got ready to put in the antifreeze. Turned on the pump, expecting it to draw in some to repressurize the lines... Kept on going until it pumped out 3/4 of the gallon jug when I realized the external shower was still on... So, in the end, not enough antifreeze to get it done. Stopped by this morning to get some more and will finish it off tonight.

Moral of the story: Don't forget to close all taps before starting with the antifreeze!

LOL Did something similar last night. DW was in the TT with me chatting while I was working. I forgot to close the low point drains. Glad to always keep an extra jug on hand.

[Tunce the traveler]

Originally Posted by paul_ottawa

Another one yesterday...



Moral of the story: Don't forget to close all taps before starting with the antifreeze!

And never trust your son-in-law!!!

[homer1959]

forgot the low point drain 2 years in a row, this is why now I'm buying 4 gallons instead of 3 ....

[Camper_bob]

Always get a couple extra jugs of AF and keep it on hand. Seems you can never find it easily when EVERYONE needs it. I end up grabbing it up out of season when I can find it, just in case...

[WeRJuliian]

Please tell you you cleaned up the spilled antifreeze...

[paul_ottawa]

Originally Posted by WeRJuliian

Please tell you you cleaned up the spilled antifreeze...

Thankfully the shower head was still in the 5 gallon bucket I had been using (I keep it in there to see how much more water comes out), so I was able to dump it in the toilet. Didn't feel comfortable reusing it as there was some water mixed in (not much, but more then nothing)...

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by WeRJuliian

Please tell you you cleaned up the spilled antifreeze...

RV anti-freeze is non-toxic, so while it would be an annoying mess, it's not going to hurt anything.

[Old and soft]

Twice last week I forgot to set the sway on my r3 wdh. First big truck I got near reminded me.

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by paul_ottawa

Turned on the pump, expecting it to draw in some to repressurize the lines... Kept on going until it pumped out 3/4 of the gallon jug when I realized the external shower was still on...

Similar experience this weekend. While winterizing I ran out of AF just before finishing. Got a fresh bottle hooked up inside and went outside to do the last two points - outside shower and the city water. I popped the screen on the city water, stood aside and pushed the backflow valve, expecting just a quick spurt. Well the d@mn thing stuck open and I had an AF geyser pumping out the side of the trailer. Lost a half jug of AF while I ran back around to hit the pump switch. Had to get DW out to help with the pump switch while I tried to reseat it - took 3 tries.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by bankr63

Similar experience this weekend. While winterizing I ran out of AF just before finishing. Got a fresh bottle hooked up inside and went outside to do the last two points - outside shower and the city water. I popped the screen on the city water, stood aside and pushed the backflow valve, expecting just a quick spurt. Well the d@mn thing stuck open and I had an AF geyser pumping out the side of the trailer. Lost a half jug of AF while I ran back around to hit the pump switch. Had to get DW out to help with the pump switch while I tried to reseat it - took 3 tries.

LOL!!

And THAT'S why I always recommend you stand aside when you hit that valve!

I remember the first time I went to do it. I looked at the valve, went to stick my finger in it (with my face in front of it) and thought to myself, "wait a second, if I press this valve, it's going to spray me in the face". So I stood aside and was surprised at how far it sprayed out!

And I avoided a bonehead post that day!