trkrhelp
On The Road
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Joined: 06/20/2003
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Thanks all for the kind thoughts, they're appreciated.
Texan - I lost a pin once so I don't use pins any more. I have the padlocks on it now so they'd need bolt cutters to get the toad unhooked.
I'll find out how to disengage the alarm so I can start locking it once it's hooked up. Right now if I lock the door the alarm turns on, so I haven't been locking the doors.
Will update this once I hear what the damage is from the dealer tomorrow. I know something happened to it in this process, just don't know how extensive yet. Tow truck should be here bright and early to take it off to the Mazda dealer.
John Ewing
2007 Allegro Bus 42QRP ("TisIt")
2005 Sportster/HydraLift ("Dinky")
2002 Miata toad ("Mellow Yellow")
www.jandse.com
FMCA 104106
What goes around comes around - always treat others the way you'd like them to treat you.
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hershey
Albuquerque,(fulltime) NM, USA
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Lock the car, check all four wheels and towbar and towbar pins every time we stop. Wife double checks the steering and trany position after I hook everythig up.
hershey - albuquerque, nm
Someday Finally Got Here
My wife does all the driving - I just get to hold the steering wheel.
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NASCAR 20 - - 99
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Kirk
Livingston, Texas.
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I have always towed with the doors locked. If you can put it in gear, you could steal it nearly as easily.
I do not lock the pins into place because if you ever have a fire in the motorhome you will need to move the towd very quickly from it's connection to the RV. I too have heard the stories about pins removed, but try as I have, never once has one been confirmed. But I do still walk around the RV and towd at every stop, just because it is a good safety practice.
Good travelin! ........Kirk
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woodstick
Home base, Edmonton, AB
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Forgot so say that it makes us sad to think "Mellow Yellow" was vandalized, waiting to hear the outcome tomorrow. Very sad that we all have to take such precautions because of some scumbags!
Woodstick and Queen of the North
Woody and Patsy and our Furkids-Oreo, a black lab and Cookie, mix of Shihtzu, Bichon, Lhasa Apso
38' Sportsmen Sportster Toy Hauler
Pulled by 2003 3500 Dodge Diesel 6 speed
Rolling Castle Blog
Patsy does all the posting.
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Ron & Shirley
Lake of the Ozarks Missouri / Donna Texas Winter
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Joined: 12/13/2004
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Kirk wrote: I too have heard the stories about pins removed, but try as I have, never once has one been confirmed.
We will confirm that a pin can come out. Our tow car was trying to pass us on an Interstate just outside of Nashville two years ago. 
It all ended fine but before the trip continued locks were purchased. We will never again trust pins.
Now it seems pretty funny but at the time we weren't laughing. 
Shirley
Ron & Shirley
2005 Itasca 37B Suncruiser W24 Workhorse Chassis
To Discover New Oceans We Must Lose Sight Of The Shore
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hershey
Albuquerque,(fulltime) NM, USA
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A friend of ours who was traveling with us obviously clicked the snap pin over the wrong way on his towbar. When we stopped for a leg stretch we happened to be standing by his towbar talking and I noticed that the pin was hanging down by its little chain. Looked at the large pin and it was just about ready to drop out. Made me a believer to check my towbar at every stop.
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trkrhelp
On The Road
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Well here's the update - Mellow is very sick  Seems 40mph in 1st gear will pretty much do in the drive train. which is what I suspected, but didn't know for sure till they checked it out. Ordered a used engine/tranny today and the dealer is taking care of the install once they arrive.
On a happier note I talked with my insurance company and they may - it's still up in the air - cover it as vandalism. The adjustor is calling tomorrow so I should know something more after I talk to him. Also something I didn't know, you can buy a used engine and get a lifetime warranty on it. So this whole thing will end up with us getting a newer drive train and rolling the odometer back 40K miles or so  So in the end something good will come out of all this as well as a lesson that will hopefully help others avoid a similar problem.
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avan
Sioux Falls, SD & Livingston,TX
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Joined: 11/02/2002
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Well, we don't tow a toad but we do tow and I don't trust anyone out there in the motoring public or otherwise. We are often parked amongst the big rigs in a truck stop or rest stop to say nothing of the times we stay hooked up in a campground. I do padlock my hitch and have devised a way of putting it on which is not disturbed by road bumps etc but will not remain in place that way if the lock is opened or cut. Before I step in the truck, I always check my tires and the padlock position and if parked in the big rig woods, the quick walk around includes a visual on the gelcoat.
Click for more pics of our FT home, our snowbird digs and our summer trips
The puller - International 4700LP (530E) - Wiers Towmaster; Trailer-Saver Air Hitch
The pusher - 40' Travel Supreme Fifth
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rockhillmanor
On the Road
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Joined: 12/06/2003
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trkrhelp wrote:...Also something I didn't know, you can buy a used engine and get a lifetime warranty on it. ... .
Yup! Once I found out that you can buy a Jasper engine in the crate AND get a lifetime warranty I stopped trading in my over-the-top-per year miles I was putting on my conversion vans and started dropping Jasper engines in them. $40,000 versus $3,000 was a no brainer for me.
Sorry to hear the damage was that bad, but if your insurance company steps up to the plate it sounds like you'll come out ok on this, except for the down time.
I'm still glad you posted it though, I would not have even thought of locking the doors on my new toad. Tks!
rock
31 ft Four Winds
Chevy Tracker 4x4 BlueOx Aventa LX
We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned,
so as to have the life that is waiting for us.
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Serena
US
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Joined: 01/12/2008
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Bummaire! Glad you found a deal on an engine.
Took a similar walkaround every time oath myself about a month ago. Went to pick up my scooter from the shop. On the way back, I parked with the rear facing the merchandise pick-up entrance of a Home Depot while I went in for some stuff. When leaving, a guy flagged me down frantically in the parking lot. Three of the four tie-downs I had put on and inspected myself just an hour earlier had been opened and pulled loose. That takes some doing - those ratchet locks are tight. And I take a look at the hauler in the rear camera at every stop light, so I know she was secured when I entered the lot. So somebody had tried to take Skipper in broad daylight with dozens of people around.
Thank God for that observant and wonderful guy flagging me down! If the bike had fallen, it easily could have caused a bad accident. I need an NRA sticker - or something. And the chain lock goes on from now on! Sheesh. Home Depot already, and that dummy still didn't have sense enough to use the right tool for the job. And didn't notice the ramp wasn't on the hauler. (It was stashed in the pass-thru).
Mean people suck!
Serena
I Know Where I Been, Cuz I Was There When I Went.
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