The unwritten RV Rule. Never talk to anyone that is hooking up or unhooking. Really good video.

Thanks for letting us share! This is what the RV community is all about - helping others by sharing our mistakes. 😂

@bradneuman8329

Жыл бұрын

Heads up to both of you. You have both helped my wife and me learn so much and avoid many mistakes. Yet, we always find a way to make a new one. 😂

Thanks to everyone for sharing!! - Our biggest mistake was made early on. It was by all definitions a "Rookie Mistake". On probably our second trip with the new Travel Trailer, and no previous experience whatsoever, we got ready to hookup and leave the site after a fantastic weekend camping. I backed my truck up and hooked up the tongue of the TT to my WDH and began to raise the front to take pressure off the truck so I could install the two sway bars. So there I am just standing there holding the button to the electric tongue jack and watching the back end of my truck raise up and up, when all of the sudden I hear something go POW!! Then nothing. Not another sound. Well... a quick walk around revealed the simple truth, that I had neglected to raise my stabilizer jacks. So the driver side rear stabilizer jack buckled from the stress of raising the front end of the trailer. $900 later... Needless to say I now double check my checklist as I get ready to hookup and unhook. An expensive lesson learned for sure. So my #RVTip is to always take your time and double check everything as you go.

Don't feel bad Phil. I did the same mistake by hooking up to the flush fitting and wondered why the tank was taking to long to fill. When I began to realize what I had done I stupidly went into the bathroom and stepped on the flush valve. It blew water right in my face. The only good part was the unit was new so the black tank had not been used yet.

As full timers in the US, from Australia, our biggest RV mistake was not realising that anyone can do a weekend course and call themselves an RV "technician". This can put vital pre purchase inspection and fault diagnosis into the hands of people with less capacity than Forrest Gump. An extremely risky situation. Cheers from the 2 Tasmanians loving Missouri right now.

We’ve only been rving for a year. Still showing the wife how things work. We have decided she does the inside and I do the outside stuff. Well, I showed her how the Exit Window works and it was a weekend we happened to open it for a cross breeze over the bed. We have a Imagine 22mle. When it was break down time, she shut all the cabinets, put up blinds etc. I went it a double checked, all was good. We were driving down the road and I saw out our drivers mirror the Exit window lifting up toward the roof. I found a place to pull over about a mile down the road. We both did not check the Exit window was latched properly. At one point I saw it go all the way up and hit the side of the RV. Glad we didn’t break it or lose the screen. I found it on the bed, as the wind blew it out of the window. Now we both physically touch every window latch, every cabinet latch and ensure it is shut. Great video. I didn’t know you knew many of those I watch. I bet Changing Lanes would have had some good ones.

Our biggest mistake so far was created by a distraction and could have been soooo much worse. We stayed overnight at a Harvest Host about 2 1/2 hours from home. We conducted some business in the town where we were staying, enjoyed dinner at the host and did a rail trail the following day. We were breaking things down to roll home. Dave was doing the outside and I was doing the inside. He stopped to talk to a fellow RVer that had just pulled into the host. He laid our heavy wooden leveling blocks on the tongue of our trailer while he was talking, walked to the back of the trailer and around the other side of the rig and never gave the blocks another thought. Mistake #2, I did not get out and check lights because "we've only been here over night and we didn't unhook. we're ok" (Dave's words). Which means I also did not do a circle check. Luckily as we made the turn out of the parking lot onto the road he remembered the blocks and there was a short shoulder we got to safely. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if those blocks had come bouncing off the trailer tongue into traffic at highway speed. Just like you said Phil and Stacy, avoid distractions and double check everything. Another big one for me is not being rushed. Whether we are breaking down or just stopping for a quick lunch in the RV. When we rush we miss things like failing to latch the pantry doors or leaving the coffee pot sitting on the countertop. These are not necessarily catastrophic but why have a mess when all it takes is a couple of minutes to avoid it. Thanks for the video. We all need these great reminders sometimes.

Probably one of the best videos posted ever. Appreciate everyone's honesty. And if you havn't done something stupid yet, the day is young. We've had to unhook while obstructing traffic in a road, unhooked the toad and watched it roll towards the husband going to crush him (slammed it into park), and also didn't listen to the campground directions and turned the wrong direction ending up on a cow pass. Oh and changed the oil and dumped a bunch into the storage facility gravel resulting in digging and replacing stones. Stories that make us laugh and laugh.

A check list and two walk arounds (one by each person) are always a must. My wife has found more problems than I have found.

As pilots, we actually have a written checklist we can put a check mark by - not foolproof but very helpful, slows us down and helps us be more careful.

@rollinwiththedavises1938

Жыл бұрын

We just got back from our 1st extended trip of 30 days. this trip I used a handwritten list in a spiral notebook. I fully intend to have a typed list with all the items in an order that makes sense and have it laminated so I can use a dry erase marker to check as I go.

Phil is my hero. He is a true rv expert and yet makes mistakes (some twice) but still shares them with us. This really makes me not so embarrassed and apprehensive over the mistakes I have suffered. My last biggie was we were navigating out of a campground and had to make several tight corners. My last corner there was a large rock on the inside of the curve. I was watching it in my mirror when I noticed a bunch of branches hanging above and in front. I started turning to avoid the branches while looking at my mirror. I no longer saw that rock so ass-u-me-d I had cleared it. As I pulled inward I heard what I believed to be the branches hitting the antenna (which they were) but mixed in was the sound of scraping along the side of the rv as well as the towed. On inspection it was not good but not as bad as it could have been. No structural damage but some real nasty cosmetic digs. All doors worked so we were able to finish the trip (albeit with my badge of shame). Now we hav changed a couple things. 1. Don’t hook up the towed until out of the camp and on a straight and open space. And 2. Get a spotter with a radio to see what is really going on. Thanks Phil.

45+ years of RV-n (not full time)& still making a few of these myself. Did the city water hookup to the black tank flush as well. 1X. NEVER AGAIN. The "fertilizer" hit the fan ! The two hookups are right next to each other. The guy next to us came over to chat & I wasn't paying close enough attention. Painted the sewer flush hookup bright red after that. My cure for taking too much stuff, is once a year I completely empty everything out of my cargo holds. If we haven't used it in a year; (except emergency items or certain tools) then out it goes. Wife does this on the inside as well.

Forgive me if I’m wrong but I believe it was you Stacy that gave me the idea of using slap bands as a checklist. I have used them every time whether it’s just one night or a couple weeks. And I have everything written on them before I move the coach.

Our biggest mistake was picking the RV up from storage and not checking to make sure the fridge was shut… twice. The first time Joel had to fly to AZ to get the rig inspected and fly home the same day so he was in a hurry and didn’t realize I had propped the doors open. The fridge door broke clean off and was laying in the hallway. The next time it was in storage at home in CO and he went to pick it up for a trip and you guessed it ! He broke the door clean off a second time. We fixed that problem, we live in the rig fulltime now and we got rid of that fridge 😂

(Deep breath) Wellllll… we rented a Class A and I, who had never driven anything bigger than a mini van, was behind the wheel as we pulled out of the rental business parking lot. I made a left turn, drive about a half mile down the road and come to a double RR crossing. The traffic ahead of me had stopped for a red light which left us just before the tracks. I turned to my husband and say “ thank goodness we don’t get stuck on the tracks with this being rig! But we are on the crossing bars?” (you know those things that come down to stop you from going on the tracks when a train is coming!). That’s when I noticed that I was UNDER THEM!! Panic took over and we prayed like we never prayed before that those bars would NOT come down on us!! And of course we did the drive of shame once traffic started moving! One mistake down others to be made! LOL

Okaaay! So my wife and I pulled into our site in Sturgis, SD. We were both tired from the trip. The site was not level at all but a few leveling blocks did the trick. I was impressed with my engineering skills. I unhooked the travel trailer from the hitch on my truck and watched horrified as the trailer began to roll away towards the expensive Class A behind me. I was fortunate enough to have had one of the safety chains still hooked but it bent the connecting link so bad I couldn’t use it any more. The chain barely stopped the trailer. My wife had actually ran after the run away trailer as if she was going to stop it. Moral of the story: ALWAYS CHOCK BEFORE YOU UNHOOK!!!

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

WOW! Glad you still had a chain on it! Great tip!!!!

@arbonneladyTN

Жыл бұрын

Our motto… Check it (level) chock it, block it, unhook it!!

Our first trip cross country, something happened between the directions on RV Wizard and the Googles. We somehow ended up in the middle of a rural community. We needed to turn around, and I was still VERY uncomfortable backing. I didn't realize that the sand on the side of the road was so soft, and we ended up getting the truck, with 5th wheel attached, stuck about halfway down the wheel. Luckily, as is very common in Texas, some very friendly locals came by, and between one of their trucks, and the other's driving skills (I let someone else help steer my truck out), we got unstuck, without any damage. We were very grateful, and I felt very foolish. 2 days later, the day before Memorial day, we arrived at our RV park, got things set up, and I pulled the truck forward to get it in place unattached. My wife screamed, I immediately stopped, and I realized - I had not unplugged the 7-pin connector between the truck and the 5th wheel. The wires from the 5th wheel broke off completely, but the plug and 7-pin connector were still intact. Luckily, the RV campground owner came by later to check on us, and had a local handyman come by and get them reconnected for us within the hour. In spite of our - ok, my - stupidity, we were greatly blessed! Finally, on our way back from Oregon to Texas, we were in California, and somebody was waving at us. We weren't sure what was going on, but we went ahead and pulled over. To our horror, we'd had a blowout on the passenger side rear tire of our 5th wheel. We hadn't even known or felt it! It was bad enough that the shredded tire took out the 120 volt electrical on that side (not the slide, thank God), and the wheel itself was destroyed. Once again, by the kindness of strangers, we got that tire changed to the spare, and were lucky that no other damage occurred. We replaced all 4 tires when we reached our next destination in Nevada. Lesson there - ALWAYS get a TPMS and USE it! If we had been alerted sooner, we wouldn't have suffered as much damage.

💝🤗 Thank you for letting us share our biggest mistake with you two. We hope that others can learn from our mistake and the biggest take away is to not rush, pay attention especially when it comes to flushing your black tank, and to not use a razor blade or drill when in a hurry 🚨 Luckily we have a new gray tank coming in the mail. Safe travels friends 😊

Great video on mistakes. When we were coming back from port Aransas Texas I did what I thought was a good look around but after half the morning on the road a trucker at at a gas stop we were at he let us know that our our plug in cord was not plugged into the truck plug. Naturally it was ground half off from dragging on the concrete. I was driving down the interstate thinking I had turn signals and stop lights on our Jaco Eagle. Took most of the afternoon and the help of a great sales clerk at the RV shop. Lesson learned I guess since it hasn’t happed again.

This is like a walk down memory lane! Thank you all for your transparency in admitting your errors 🖖🏻👍🏻😘🙏🏻

Being an old retired submarine sailor, and truck driver using the check list is a must and should never be left out of your travels. Thanks for pointing out the importance of using check list and procedures. they are there for safety and also saving your money.

@arewehavingfunyet007

Жыл бұрын

I second the check list. Also double check by your better half is good.

Thank you! I wanted to save money and do my own winterizing. Well, the freeze came suddenly. The faucet handles on the pipes were not as described and very hard to turn. I absolutely could not remove the plug from the water heater! A weird angle and extremely tight! So i had to go buy a tool to get it out, but too late. The temp dropped not to just freezing but to just above 0 so fast! Incredible. i hoped just draining the water did the trick, but no. When i tried to get it unwinterized, everything went well until i turned on the water pump! Water was pouring out of the back all over! $1500 so far for repairs. I have not picked it up yet. Also be careful what is packed under the sinks and how they are packed. we broke off the pipe from the kitchen sink. Something hit it that hard! Yes, EVERY stop, double check all the way around. We have left basement doors open and even the stairs down. Hurry and fatigue are RVers biggest enemies!

Don't forget to raise your landing gear/stabilizers before you raise the hitch jack to hookup to the tow vehicle...

Hey Phil and Stacy, the mistake video was great, but I didn't hear anyone talk about the domino issue of when you make those mistakes. It seems at least with me that once I make a big mistake it ends up with several additional mistakes made in the domino effect. I am so involved with the original mistake and out of routine that I become RV dumb and make additional mistakes. Stop regroup, slow down. The original mistake was more than likely because you are moving too fast. Happy Camping. Lamont

I've only been at this a couple of weeks but I already made one kind of small mistake I forgot to lift the cover on my propane stove and exploded safety glass all over the inside of my trailer. And one thing I've noticed a lot on the ones in this video is that they happen when people were in a hurry or there was some other adverse condition while getting out of their campsites. I forgot which channel it was but they said never do things in a hurry to your RV. you will make costly mistakes. And I believe this is best summed up in the old adage that haste makes waste

Since our RV beginnings (‘93) We have made several mistakes…. Because of that we have check lists AND… when we are ready to pull out I physically touch every cabinet door, drawer, etc etc etc. Then I go outside and TOUCH everything door, awning arms etc etc etc. Then and only then do we check with each other with the walkie talkies to pull out. Check check check… and check again! ***ps… A trust your gut story… we were at a renovated campground, hubby plugged in the surge protector. It showed a problem, and after a total of 3 other camp staff people telling us it was something wrong with our surge protecter…. One of them brought their’s over to prove it😂 WELLL it turned out the electric on that site was reversed!!! So glad hubby held to his ‘guns’, the other people were a bit embarrassed.

My goof ball mistake was parking my rig under a tree during spring time. Normally I do not park near any of the tree branches for usual reasons, but the tree gave us perfect shading from the sun in the afternoon. Well, I’m sure your saying to to yourselves what a goof ball you are! I looked very closely from the bottom to survey the tree branches and they all looked acceptable, what I couldn’t see was what was going on the top side of the branches. We left our site to go see some of the action around in the area, while we were gone the branch gave way and fell on top of our rig and slide out. So when we returned we saw a lot of people standing around our rig wondering what the hell was going on. As we got closer we saw what had happened, and our stomachs were in our throats and was overtaken with disbelief! Something I always said to myself I wouldn’t do came true! So long story short, don’t go against your gut feelings!!

Nice to see the experts make mistakes too. I have oposite sex connectors on my tank flush vs fresh water. I also have a water meter on the inlet to my fresh water. I watch the water meter like a hawk so I don't overfill anything. This sometimes gets me in trouble because my better half always has at least one more thing for me to be doing at that moment.... but I won't move from the wet bay unless I turn the tank fill or backwash off.

having an inexperienced spotter guide me in , and they did not notice the huge branch that was trimmed and 6 inches thick , which tore off my fridge vent ...i too did the over zealous back flush and flooded the MH.....and the driving away with the plug connected to the post.....worst one was coming out of a gas station in Yuma, and had to make an immediate right , the angle of the driveway was very steep and the street had a major crown of the road, causing the hitch to be on such a severe angle to pop the hitch off of the ball on the tow dolly , totally coming undone and luckily the toad stopped before it hit the coach , there were a family that helped us and blocked traffic , and helped me reconnect the dolly , interestingly , those people were from Alberta , as i am

One added thing I took away from this was with Millers in Motion's experience that you guys did too. Even if it is pouring rain don't hurry. Also, spend extra time checking when it is raining you are more likely to mess something up. Great video.

Great video. I love how you brought in the other channels with their mistakes. It makes me feel a bit better about our mistakes. Our scary one was not checking the weather and arriving to a new campground, and having to back in and setup in a thunderstorm.

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for some great tips/ "reminders" to help prevent some future mistakes. I have found with myself that I have to slow down and NEVER be in a hurry. Most of the mistakes or "near mistakes" have been when I am in a hurry. So I have to tell myself all the time to slow down. And I never pull away from a campsite without a walkaround.

Phil, it's called old age. You have so much information in your head that some of the older stuff gets pushed out. As for the mistakes always being yours I'm saying that is because you do a lot of the work. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! As for my mistake last winter was my first winter and I thought I followed all of the winterizing instructions completely. Apparently that was not the case a I froze my water heater. Fortunately it's a tankless and copper so I think I can fix it with some solder and pieces of copper. I know it's almost winter again but it's been a long eventful summer so I'm trying to get it done before this winter sets in here in Michigan. Keep the good stuff coming guys.

Our RV had a basement compartment door that lifts up but had no latch that would hold it open. So I propped it open with a wooden broom handle while I was pulling out our water and sewer hoses and other items for camp set-up. When I was done connecting the hoses and electric cable, without thinking about that door' I went inside and began putting out the slide that happened to be directly above that door and all of a sudden I heard a scrapping sound and felt the slide stop half way out. Needless to say, the slide not only bent the compartment door but also ripped off part its connecting hinge. Costly mistake but lesson learned to either have your spouse or someone stand outside looking at the slides as they open and close or, if you are alone, make sure you do a complete walk-around to check slide clearance before to hit the slide control button. Thanks all for sharing somer of your mistakes. Kind regards and safe travels to you guys, Mark & Elly

It’s always beneficial to admit our mistakes…you are the most honest RV couple out there❤

We've been RV'ing for twenty years but learned at least three things from this video. For example, we check the electric pedestal after unhitching and setting up. We will change our checklists to move it up in the process. Thanks to you and your fellow KZreadrs for a very informative and value added video.

Thank you all for sharing that no matter where we are in our RV journey, mistakes happen!! As you asked, this is one of our RV mistakes - and of course it was when my husband (David) was distracted and in a rush. On a travel day, we discovered that our battery was insufficiently charged to retract the stabilizer jacks. We figured it out but still took time and got on the road later than planned. We drove to the next campground and was setting up. Dave was still upset about getting into our campground later than planned, had the initial setup started but forgot to put the tailgate down on the truck before unhitching (we have a 5th wheel). He was already pulling forward and I couldn't get to the tailgate nor yell out fast enough. Bam !! Fortunately, the tailgate still worked with its new crease. This is now a step we make sure to complete before pulling forward!!

We had a problem with the electrical aquahot so I had to use the gas aquahot to get hot water but my sewer hose was just next to the aquahot exhaust pipe and when you use the the gas aquahot the pipe and the exhaust is extremely hot and the sewer hose melted in several location....luckily for us my wife opened the grey tank first and we discovered that the sewer hose had few holes and was leaking badly. We had an extra sewer hose on hand but we learned to always test the sewer hose with grey water first.

6.5 months in so far and haven’t yet had any serious consequences for our mistakes. Biggest was me forgetting once to hook up one of the safety chains on our towed vehicle because I just did the hookups differently than my usual routine and let myself get distracted. Other mistake was leaving one of the roof fans on/open during travel but no harm done since there’s a cover over it on the roof.

Thanks for this video. Sometimes when we’re out there and we make stupid errors, we feel like the only ones. I even said maybe we aren’t cut out for this….but we’ve learned to slow down and things have gotten better 😊

@LetsTurnItUpWorld

Жыл бұрын

Yes indeed Liz. Slowing down is a great way to make it all better! 👍❤

Our first boondocking at a harvest host. We left the next morning and forgot to put our stabilizer jacks in the rear up. Thank god we didn’t get far. They had to be bunged ⬆️. This happened because we didn’t disconnect the truck from the Rv. So it changed the order of how we normally leave an area.

Venturesome Couple wins. Lol Sorry I missed the BBQ and the chance to meet all of you. Great video. Remember to always secure your stinky slinky before hitting the road. It's a bit embarrassing to have it fall out and drag it down the road for miles. Happy Travels!!!

@leighmcqueeney9848

Жыл бұрын

Nup Phil and Stacy overflowing their black tank by connecting the hose to the wrong point TWICE surely wins.

Thank you so much for this video! One of the best of the 1.7 million or so I've watched. Fantastic to meet other Utubers and realize we all make mistakes apparently no matter how long a person's been doing it. Wife retires in a year and we're hitting the road. In the meantime I'm a little nervous about sewer line nightmares... but still - can't wait. Hope to see y'all on the road.

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

All great tips and advice from everyone. Very useful and some definite reminders to check the things out carefully, don’t waste money on things you don’t need, listen to you gut, slow down and enjoy the RV Life, use an RV GPS that’s Thank you for including us in this collaboration! It was a wonderful idea! ❤❤❤

Yup. I redo my check list too, if someone comes to visit while the wife and I while we are doing the set up and break down. I learned, cost me stairs!!! Been camping 30 years so I knew better.

We book an extra day at campgrounds. With most campgrounds check is 11:00 am,thats not happening with us. With the extra day you can take your time packing up, flushing your tanks,not forgetting anything,it just gives us less stress.

I have made many small brain farts. By far the biggest brain fart is forgetting to hookup my stacker trailer for a trip to Sturgis. After a few miles down the road I said to my co-pilot, the trailer is pulling pretty smooth. As the other people going on the same trip caught up a friend asked why I didn't have my trailer. 🤣😂🤣. That's my biggest brain fart! Keep the rubber on the road and safe travels.

@roadster2776

Жыл бұрын

that is a great one

Thanks for including us here, but Venturesome Couple definitely win…..we laughed so hard the way Chris explained it 🤣🤣🤣 (Sorry Chris!)

@Millers_in_Motion

Жыл бұрын

Make sure to ask Chris when it happened.... Hint.... Last week 🤣

Always remember when traveling throughout New England that the roads there were built for a time with Model T's, not tractor trailers or RVs. ALWAYS assume that there are low bridges and dont trust the bridge heights either as roads may have settled with the cold/heat and may be off in measurements. Make sure you are WELL clear of what the height says, not just barely making it. You just might not make it, even if the sign says you should have been able to make it.

So great meeting a bunch of new folks and learning from the mistakes of others! Thanks for another great video. You guys are such a great resource and so much fun to watch!

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

We used our owners manual to creat a checklist. Then added some other little things that are personal to us and our motorhome

Awesome video! We cleaned out or fifth wheel and after we emptied the refrigerators and shut them off in preparation for winter storage we forgot to put towels in them to soak up the defrosting water causing a big mess!

One tip for anyone traveling in New England (PA, NY, NJ, MA, CT, RI, VT, NH, ME) - NEVER take "side roads" as a quick way around traffic jams. Most of our side roads are very old and any bridges you come across will have been built in the time of horse and buggy an Model T's. They will not be high enough for RV's. Stick to the highways and make note of the highway your GPS has given. Because we even have highways that have short bridges. Also, because the population is so dense in a small area, highways around Philly, NYC, and Boston will be very congested during rush hours (7-9 AM and 4-7 PM). From NY to Cape Cod during summer months on Fridays and Sundays will also be congested with people going on vacation. The closer you get to the Cape, the more bumper to bumper traffic you will have.

Might add double check. Hook up and 5th wheel tug test. Expensive lessons. Happy travels. Dave

Love these collaboration videos with other KZreadrs. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for showing us some of these mistakes. It was good seeing y’all this weekend.

Recently not putting tongue jack all the way up before pulling out. Also not connecting the emergency brake cable to the tow vehicle. Luckily no damage from either incident.

This is an awesome video on many levels. Really appreciate everyone who participated as I learned something from all of them.

I have a set procedure for hooking up my TT. After I get the hitch lined up and connected, I connect the chain and torsion bar on the driver side, then go around to the passanger side and connect the chain, torsion bar, breakaway brake cable, and the 7 pin plug. After raising the tounge jack to travel position I connect the sway control. Well on one trip as I was doing this my wife called me, as i was connecting the sway control arm, to help with something inside. I came back out and instead of starting at the begining and re-checking each step I glanced at the hitch area and said to myself it looks good. When we got on the road within a few miles I noticed that the TT seemed loose. I thought I for got to tighten the sway control. Stopped to check the sway control and it wasn't there, seems I forgot to put in the connecting pins to secure it, they were still sitting on the bumper. Then I thought back and realized that was when the wife called me inside. If I would have just gone back to the begining of the hook-up check list I would have caught it and not had to buy a new sway control arm.

Thanks so much for sharing. You guys are the best.My biggest mistake was not double checking to make sure everything was clear before putting the slide out. Yes, I bent the slide when it caught the cabinet door that had come open.

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

Twice now I’ve started to drive way with my tire covers still on. I was so embarrassed…both times lol

@todayissomeday

5 ай бұрын

Yikes. Glad you caught it!

I have a 18’ TAB 400 teardrop. My mistake was not putting the pins in the sway bar. After about 20 miles, it came to me that I wasn’t sure if I had. I thought that since I had tightened it so much, it couldn’t possibly come off….well, it did! Had to buy a new one in Rapid City SD. Thank God for Camping World.$70😬😬 Now, I always put them back in the bar when not in use!

Thanks for sharing! My husband made same mistake with backwash and did make us feel better hearing from others with more experience than us. We went full time a year ago.

Thanks for getting all those folks to tell about their errors. I have two big & pricy oopses that occurred over the past few years - first, we have a jeep that we tow behind our diesel pusher. Hooked the jeep up, wife checked lights and turn signals, then hopped in the RV. The gravel road was really dusty behind us and, when we pulled onto a blacktop, there was a loud skidding sound. Stopped almost immediately - the emergency brake was engaged - 4 new tires later, my wife checks that the jeep rolls freely as the last safety check! 2d , we came back to Iowa from PA mid November and we’re planning to go to Florida 3weeks later - I complained about winterizing, so my wife, through a friend, found indoor storage. We talked to the guy and I said that I needed at least 13’5” of clearance to get in. Went out to the facility - a beautiful place, tons of room inside… guy sayed door was 14’. I started in and bang - in-motion sattelte and Winegard connect destroyed. I heard crunch and stopped - to late for those two roof dwellers. Guy said I’m sure that’s 14’, the two bottom door panels were 3’6” so I multiplied 3.6 x 4 panels -14’…. Tape measure (after mishap) opening was 12’6” - new dish, new WiFi extender & VPN. I should have listened to that little voice…

Great video!! We have a double checklist. Our Freightliner chassis has a built in checklist in the dash display that we refer to. Also the previous owners painted over the small wall beside the kitchen on the outside of our half bath in black "chalkboard" like paint. We keep a piece of chalk handy and have some notes of "do's and don'ts" in addition to things to check before moving. We have a reminder for the outside TV antenna and a reminder that we can't run the coffee maker and the microwave at the same time if we are boondocking unless we have our generator running. I never thought about checking power at the pedestal before we set up. That is a great tip!! Thanks for all of your tips and videos. We plan on going full time in July '23 and you have been a great help!

Thank you for sharing! Great information and reminders. My rookie mistake was starting to hook up the truck before raising my stabilizers, after 7 years of Rving with out travel trailer.

I really enjoyed this one! Thanks for sharing!!!

It was good to hear from other people too, with little or a lot of experience.

The steps! Forgetting to close them! Not walking around checking. One time switch didn’t work and not doing walk around. Steps bent, motor home damage was very costly! It’s really worth a walk around by both. Thanks for this video!!! 👍

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Sorry to hear that

Would add that after seeing you use several fire extinguishers to help that fella disconnect from his burning TOAD, we added two more big fire extinguishers to our coach. Thank you all for sharing your experiences so we can learn from them.

Three mistakes all three were by my husband Phil 😃 1. When putting on the cover he forgot where the shower skylight was and ending up putting his foot through it. 2. He left the tailgate down which went through our front cargo door on the first turn. 3. He brought the slides in before brushing them off and when we got to our destination the camper was full of stinkbugs 😁 we are pretty sure when we traded it in years later that there were still stink bugs hiding in there. Finally one of the many I've done... Normally I pack up the camper and Phil does all the outside stuff. On this particular trip he dropped the coffee maker bag behind the slide instead of under the table where I normally pack it all. At our destination I didn't do my normal squeeze past the slide and do a check before I put it out. I just hit the button. Next thing I know I hear the smashing sound of a coffee maker along with the snapping sounds of wood splitting on the cabinets. What a mess that was.

@joanbjornas682

Жыл бұрын

Stinkbugs have a way of multiplying exponentially!

Our biggest mistake? Parking our travel trailer at our home. So we had just purchased a dedicated towing vehicle - a 2004 Ram 2500 with a 5.9L HO Cummins. This truck was far heavier than the previous truck and is (intentionally) a RWD truck. Around 10:00 pm we started backing up as normal. This isn't exactly an easy task. The parking spot is downhill, parallel to the street, and we need to avoid privacy bushes on either side of the driveway. Everything was going fine and just as we were about to park it, I went too far back! The truck had dug up the ground enough to completely cake the drive tires in mud. The trailer's back end was now hanging 10 ft over the alleyway at the back of the property (lined by a retaining wall). We tried everything to get the truck unstuck. With and without the trailer connected. Ramps. Gravel. Salt. Nothing worked at all. Every time the truck would lurch just a little and then spin the tires violently. We made at least a dozen attempts to get the truck out. Leaving the unit until the morning was not an option as the Garbage truck was due to come down the alleyway. Great. Call AAA to get a tow. Wait around 40 minutes for the tow truck to arrive. Finally, winch out the truck. Switch to our other truck with AWD and pull the trailer forward where it needs to be. Finally! done... around 1:30 am... Cost us time, stress, some loading ramps, and damaged our WDH. What a night.

Great video! I loved hearing all of the mistakes that all of you veteran RVers make!!! I am learning from you guys. So thank you!

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

You are very welcome! We def all learn from each other!

@RygielFamily

Жыл бұрын

Great Video! Got me scared about so many tank mistakes. I made Tommy promise never to do that. Nice to learn from the pros. How did they get to be pros??? By Making mistakes. Thanks to everyone who shared.

@markhenry5705

Жыл бұрын

@@RygielFamily Don't ask me how I know!

Hey Phil and Stacy! Why not put a 90 degree elbow fitting on the black tank hookup. The idea is fresh water goes straight into the RV and black water connects up to the elbow that points straight down.

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

I actually have a quick disconnect on my fresh water connection so I always use the same hose for filling. Distracted filling is never good. LOL

Thanks for the video! Lots of good info here...

Such a great video and I know it will help many not feel so bad ! 😁 I'm sure I will after just starting have a list by say next May 😆 Safe Travels guy's ❤🤍💙

Great instructional video! Hope you guys collaborate again! Thanks for the Tutorial, and thanks for being REAL!

@LetsTurnItUpWorld

Жыл бұрын

Some great advice and tips for sure! 👍🙌

Raised the tongue with the power jack while rear stabilizers were still down on our Airstream. Odd noises ensued which caused me to stop, luckily.

This is a great video. So nice to hear all of the helpful reminders. We have a travel trailer and I am constantly making mistakes. I will admit that I cuss a lot. You guys are all so calm. I'm ashamed to admit that when I blunder, my potty mouth is bigger than Phil's black tank. I guess I have to work on that...

These were all great reminders and definitely typical. We double check each other, but will surely miss something one day. We had an almost disaster once. We pull out of our driveway before we put on our sway bars. We dropped the jack to put them on and my husband started to pull forward before lifting the jack. Luckily, i was right there yelling when my husband started to put it in gear and I realized what he was getting ready to do. He stopped and everything was good.

thanks for the video. thinking to get one in the future

It's always better( as you stated) if you have an issue and are not certain , ask your neighbors or call someone. I've camped, fished all my life, there has been a few times I had to ask for help and many times I've helped others. Regardless what your doing, you will find there are two types of folks -- those that made mistakes and those that are going to. It hurts the pride, but admit a mistake and then don't do it again. Not sure where ii heard it but -- experience is a fickle teacher, she usually gives you the test before the knowledge. Unfortunately I've learned that lesson more times than I care to count. Thank you for owning up and stepping up to issues you've learned from. Maybe it will help others. Love yall's videos, stay safe and keep em coming. God bless and have a blessed day.

Tired, in a rush, didn't wait for my spotter when moving between sites for extended stay, turned travel trailer too wide and clipped a plastic fence, knocked the fresh water connection off. Got lucky with easy fix on trailer and plastic fence. Always use spotter, don't rush, slow down or take a break when tired.

Love this! Thanks everyone.

You are blessed to have each other And Friends. I'm old, alone, stationary & know Nothing, learning how to live in a used 5th Wheel > it's overwhelming!

Great video guys! One thing we also practice diligence on is checking to make sure the jacks are fully up before pulling out. We have not had a mishap with it but in an older rig, a 2000 Class A, you cannot always assume just becauae you hit the retract button, that they retract all the way.

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Great tip!

Thanks for sharing your rookie mistakes - my first time with our tow car (flat tow), I forgot to release the emergency brake. Fortunately, someone flagged us down that our car was smoking (not good for humans or cars)! It was only a few miles from home, and we got everything cooled down. Another time, I left the car running and locked the car, before we left the campground. Only found out because we stopped for gas shortly after leaving, and had to wait for AAA to come unlock the car. Need to start looking at my checklist regularly...

I have made this mistake at least twice. Trying to fit my 38 foot fifth wheel into a tight spot. Once at Fort Desoto, where I caught a tree with an awning, the other at Gamble Rogers (Beachside) where I had the whole campground trying to direct me in for at least an hour. Google earth and reviews now before booking sites!!

Here's an odd one... I'm up at our hunting property with electric & water hookups. Spent the night so I could grease the wheel bearings and check the tire manufacturing date. Tip #1: mount your tires with the DOT date on the outside. Coachman was not so thoughtful. I have the camper on the bottle jack and the tire off when it starts to roll off the blocks. Tip #2: make sure opposite wheel is chocked or you're attached to tow vehicle when jacking the RV. The RV tipped gently onto the RF corner luckily causing no damage other than jumbling the contents a bit. Bonus tip: I now have jackstands at all 4 corners in case a tire goes flat when I'm not there.

Dumping the black tank at an Rv dealership. Didn’t notice that the black tank valve was open. When I went to remove the outer cap you can imagine what happened. RV the movie nightmare. 😳 Now we have a Camco backup valve prior to the cap just in case. It has save me from my black tank valve leaking till I repaired it. Great video guys!

What a great collaboration video! Grandpa and I watched it twice.

@todayissomeday

10 ай бұрын

Awesome! Thank you!

What I have learned in the whole 7 months of newbie, get really good insurance coverage for "when" things happen,cuz they do. Renting a trailer for upcoming event,ours is getting a new roof, awning,nose cap and side wall seam repaired. 13k total damage, insurance co pay less than 1k❤. FYI don't park under trees without enough clearance, also rain and awnings overnight, nope,bad plan

Thanks guys! - Not that I have a good memory... ...luckily I have not made any major mistakes, other than recently parking, unhitching, and levelling just 1-inch too close to a pedistal, and not being able to deploy my slide-out - and it was pouring rain! - Backup & start over! - lol - Love your channel! - Cheers!

Thank you all for sharing

Ok Phil you scared the 💩out of me. I went to Menards today and bought a water timer to use when I flush my black tank.

Thanks everyone for sharing. New to the RV world and watching closely. Great help!!

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

This was a great video. Loved the collaboration with others.

@todayissomeday

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

We all have our turn at mistakes. When backing in a site l let my guard down and bumped into a tree at the passenger front side of the camper. My wife was making sure I did not drive the drop at the back of the site. My wife's turn. She does not always check the spacing to put the slide out. Reposition after a walk around. I have come close to driving away plugged in.

Since I have 20+ years as a Commercial Motor Vehicle driver it's funny to listen to these mistakes because the mistakes are things that TRAINING eliminates!!! As a RV owner and CDL driver it always surprised me by how many things that were a NO BRAINER for me were not even recognized by some RV owners. I have lost count how many times I have backed RV's into camping sites🙂

Wow a must see video! TY to everyone for sharing so we can TRY and avoid these same ones lol! TY! & Happy RVing