Camped all weekend, came home Sunday with the intention of cleaning the camper getting ready for another 4 day trip on Tuesday.
I backed the truck down by the shop and told my 8 year old to put the slide out. He asked 3 times if I was sure, I assured him yes and out it went. All of the sudden the dining room window shattered. My son shot out of the camper like he was shot from a cannon, screaming he accidentally broke the window. he didn't break it, the basketball hoop was lowered and went right through it
I take the 90 minute ride to the dealer on Monday for a fix and head out on Tuesday for a long week of relaxation with friends - yes all 9 of us will love camping & boating as my buddy is bringing his boat.
Now 9 people is a lot using the facility so by Friday tanks need to be emptied. No problem we have a hookup right at the site. Well due to the lay of the site I have to raise my trailer up to assist with gravity. No problem start raising the trailer, but it seems to be working pretty hard. I go around to the other side of the trailer and about fall over.
2 issues, one I have a small refrigerator outside that is under the back trailer & is being crushed as I raise the front, however that is not my only issue. My buddy decided that it was kind of windy and he should strap down the awning with a ratchet style tie down and a corkscrew holder that is in the ground. Well low and behold, the arm of the awning will bend before the corkscrew will pull out of the ground!
So hear I sit with a crushed refrigerator (still works), an bent awning arm and a nice new window to look out of the camper. It wasn't to bad, the window looks great, the awning still goes in and out and the fridge still keeps the beer cold
I once moved the 5er forward about 10' in the driveway to make room for something (Don't remember what now). After moving the 5er forward, I couldn't find the wheel locks (units that go between the wheels and tighten). I later found them mangled about 10' behind the axles under the back bumper of the trailer. It seems that I forgot to remove them and the 7.3l Diesel really didn't notice as I twisted them to pieces. The good news is that they didn't puncture the tires.
My first backing into the yard I was watching the pin box to make sure it wouldn't hit the side of the bed. "Bang" and everything went foggy just before the rear window disintegrated. The cap hit the window before the pin box hit the bed. I carry some of the glass fragments in a clear Christmas ball on the rear view mirror to remind me, now.
Sat in the trailer eating dinner as a big thunderstorm was approaching across the lake. Said to the wife- I'll get the awning in as soon as we are done with dinner. About 30 minutes after dinner, we were enjoying a movie and relaxed very nicely when a big CRACK and THUD let me know that I had left the awning out and it was now on top of the trailer in a thunderstorm and beating the side and top of the trailer to smithereens. The wife and I actually got out there and pulled it down and got it stored up during the storm and then after the storm I went back out and picked up the pieces so I would know what to buy at the dealer on Monday. It even traveled home ok with the arms bungy corded to the trailer and bolts hanging out of the sides. Oops.
Another good one and the reason for the 100 Watt halogens on the back bumper wired up to come on with the truck's back up lights and the reason I don't ask for the wife's help backing in places. Pulled into the "road" to the campground only to find it was not the "road" but actually a mud hole pit that was access to the sewer station on the campground. Managed to get the truck pushed back out of it, but didn't notice that I had run the trailer wheels right into the overflowing ditch on the other side until I felt it quit rolling back as easily. Had a F-150 and a 25' travel trailer at the time. Had to go back in the mud with boards and a jack to get the tires up and axles out of the mud and really pulled hard in 4L to get out. Not a pretty sight, but at least no trip to the parts store was needed, just needed some good lights and won't have a unit without them now.
Mat
'05 Dodge 3500 SRW 4x4 QC LB SLT- CTD 325HP/610TQ w/ 6 speed manual
'06 Coachmen SOA526RLS 28' 5th wheel Loaded PLUS
Bearing Buddies, Kingpin Stab., Slide Out Stab., Roof Vent & Tire Covers, 15K BTU ducted A/C+ 13.5K in BR, 100W Halogen back up lights
No-one likes to ever admit we did anything stupid-Right guys? Lets hope my DW is not reading this posting but a late arrival one night a few months ago in New Mexico my wife was pulling in to a foreign (to us) KOA and of course I was pointing out she should have gotten over further and not scraped the tree branches down the side of our new rig....so I hustled her out of the drivers seat and proceeded to pull around the park and try again...of course I drove over a railroad tie which proceede to kick-up, knocking a dent the size of a basketball on the outside but breaking plumbing pipes inside, tearing out some electricals, bent the steps, and who knows what all....its been a sort of "running joke"(NOT) since....Lesson learned.... go slow and be careful...espec. when pulling in at night....I got "egg all over my face" from that one.
O.Y.
hmmm...this wasn't while RV'ing, but it was done while driving long distance and it's pretty dumb and could happen to someone in an RV with a penchant for books on tape.
Anyway, several years ago as a single girl, I was driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco (about 360 miles) and, for the first time, I borrowed a book on tape from the library. It was a Patricia Cornwell novel and was quite engrossing. At one point, I looked up and realized I was in Bakersfield. Now, anyone who lives in California, or has traveled through it, knows that Bakersfield is not on the direct path from LA to San Francisco. I had been so entranced listening to the book on tape that when I-5 forked, I accidentally stayed in the far right lane and went up to Bakersfield, instead of going straight up I-5 to San Francisco. By the time I hit Bakersfield and realized my mistake, I had driven 45 minutes out of my way. Which meant I had to drive back to the starting point where I'd messed up, thereby adding an hour and a half to my already long drive.
Last Fri. morning, heading into the May long, we're hooked up in the driveway with a new TV. Pull down the drive, turn right, down the slight hill in front of house, U-turn at first intesection, UP the smae slope, and prk to finish shuffling vehicles onto drive. Get DW loaded and pull out. A loud crash, followed by the sound of dragging metal. A quick glimpse in the mirror of the new TV seems to say trailer moved. Only spot to pull over is about 3 more houses, on wrong side. Get out, look, sliding hitch was'nt locked in place. On the hitch I have, there is no stop to prevent hitch from exiting the rails rearward. Only luck stopped any carnage. The hitch install finished the day before, and previous TV was a longbox that never used the slide feature. It's on the checklist now
Old 78 SRW F350 w/460 54 miles pulling a new(to us)98 28 foot citation 5'er
Last year we were coming home from the beach and DW had to go to the bathroom and the kids were hungery so DW suggested stopping at a Wendy's close by that we never usually stop at. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot I knew that it was not going to be good because the parking lot was packed. As I pulled around by the back of the building to square up and back into the corner of the lot I noticed alot of people in the drive-thru line stairing at us. My wife got out went to the bathroom and a lady came to my window telling me "Did you know that you were dragging a car behind you?"
Sure enough when I made the tight turn through the parking lot the rear of the rv swung around and the sewer tube / bumper caught the rear bumper of a Dodge car and drug it about 12 feet completely out of the parking space before coming un-attached! The Ford never even knew that it was back there!
2004 F-250 FX4 CC PSD, P3 Brake Controller, Valley Hitch w/ slide
2007 Wildcat 32QBBS, 1 1/2 bath
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