13 Dec RV oops (part 2)

Here are some of the biggest blunders as told by some caravaners.

Such a deal

An elderly gentleman had been living for many years in his older Class A at a Florida RV resort. Unfortunately, because of ill health he had to be admitted to a long-term care facility. He asked his neighbour Jeff, a snowbird who rented a park model annually, “If you want my coach, you can have it for a dollar, provided you remove it from the site within a week.” Although the engine wouldn’t start, “it seemed like such a deal,” that Jeff couldn’t pass it up. For $500, he had it towed to a storage lot, where it remained until the following season.

When Jeff returned south in the fall, he had the motorhome towed to an RV repair shop. Much to his dismay, it needed major repairs: engine, transmission, brakes, exhaust system, tires, batteries, and the list went on, adding more than $30,000 to the $1 motorhome.

Having rebuilt his motorhome to a roadworthy condition, Jeff’s limited finances prevented him from “hitting the road.” In the end, he was forced to sell it – at a considerable loss.

Helpful hint: If you’re thinking of buying an RV at a price that’s too good to be true, it probably is!

A hurtful hookup

Getting ready to depart a campground in his coach, Paul was hooking up his tow car when his neighbor, Ed, offered his assistance. As Paul was putting in the left tow-bar pin and hooking up the cables, Ed put in the right pin.

About 100 miles down the road, all appeared fine until he crossed a very rough narrow bridge. Immediately afterwards, he glanced in the right-side mirror and noticed that his car was riding on the shoulder, as if attempting to pass. Carefully stopping, he went back to discover that the right pin was gone, most likely because Ed had not pushed it all the way in until it locked.

Paul remarked: “Thinking back on the bridge crossing, if my car had been off to the side just before the bridge, it probably would have climbed the guardrail and landed in the river, not to mention other possible damages to my motorhome.” A scary thought indeed!

Fortunately, he was able to obtain a hitch pin nearby and was soon back on the road with his car safely attached behind.

Paul learned a valuable lesson: “Don’t accept help with departure duties without checking on their work.”