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Old 02-01-2019, 10:49 PM   #1
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Brand: Still Looking
Model: Newmar London Aire
State: North Carolina
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THOR #14340
You can’t be serious?

I purchased a 2004 Wind Sport 36D coach yesterday. It’s in Titusville Florida and I’m in North Carolina. Fortunately, my Son lives 30 minutes from where the coach is, so he went over, put an eyeball on it and gave them a deposit.

This coming Wednesday, I’m scheduled to drive down and meet the seller, finish the transaction and then head on back to NC with it. Simple enough plan, right? But there’s more to this story. (Always is, right?)

I’ve never even ridden in a motor home, let alone driven one.

That being said, I pulled a 26’ car hauler with a Ford F-250 for a bunch of years, backing into and getting out of, many a tight spot. I have a 10,000 lb trackhoe that I trailer up and down the mountains here in NC, and when I lived by the ocean, I’ve navigated my 40’ boat in and out of the local marinas. Bottom line, I feel I can drive just about anything.

The seller is going to bring the coach to a nearby KOA where he will go over the systems and show me how everything works. I’ll have a couple of days to mess around with it and take it out for a drive should I feel so inclined. And most importantly, I plan to sacrifice a chicken to the Motor Home Gods, just to be on the safe side.

So, am I’m certified crazy, over confident or just mentally maladjusted? And do I have an honest shot of making this trip back to NC or are we going to hear about me in the news on Friday evening?

Any tips and/or suggestions are appreciated!

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Old 02-01-2019, 10:59 PM   #2
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if you have experience with trailers you will have no issues with driving the motor home after the first 10 miles. You may want to get into a large parking lot and drive between the parking lines just to get an idea of the width, which is probably not much more than your equipment trailer.

Give us a shout out whan you get back home and tell us how easy it was.

Congrates and welcome to the forum

Stay out of mcDonalds drive through.
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:07 PM   #3
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I had plenty of boat and TT experience behind a PU truck and the first time I drove a motorhome was when I test drove the one I have now - not that big a deal for people who understand swinging wide and situational awareness of all points of the rig.
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:19 PM   #4
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Welcome to the Forum!
I hadn't driven a motorhome in over 30 years...
When I started out for home in our Outlaw: it took about 10 minutes for me to start getting comfortable behind the wheel again.

Just keep the biggest part of the rig: in the middle of the biggest hole in the traffic!
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:21 PM   #5
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Well this is great to hear, and thank you all for chiming in. I feel better now, but the chicken is still a must in my opinion...
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:27 PM   #6
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THOR #8860
Questions:
Are your vision and spatial differentiation skills pretty normal?
What sort of roads will the trip home be on?

Remember to allow yourself a whole lot more stopping distance.
If you can avoid multi-lane crowded roads: the trip will be a whole lot less stressful
Additionally: try to avoid the tight, twisty secondary roads, that might have a low overpass (or two!) in your way.
(Remember your rig's height!!!)

Take your time, pick the least stressful route, find a good radio station...

... and enjoy the trip!
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:35 PM   #7
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In order to not piss off the MH gods, it is an absolute must to sacrifice a beer, or glass of wine along with that chicken. Sorry, if you do not cater to the adult beverage, it is barely ok to pour it out on the ground of your first campsite.
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:38 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m1noel View Post
In order to not piss off the MH gods, it is an absolute must to sacrifice a beer, or glass of wine along with that chicken. Sorry, if you do not cater to the adult beverage, it is barely ok to pour it out on the ground of your first campsite.
Are you kidding? Who would actually sacrifice a chicken if they weren't imbibing?
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:40 PM   #9
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My first ten minutes in a Class A Georgia Boy MH 39 years ago was more comfortable than the last of my hundreds of hours with an equipment trailer. I cold turkeyed in a new Kenworth cabover in 1970 and stayed behind the wheel for four hours having never driven anything larger than a 24 foot box truck. The worrying is the hardest part. Getting the feel is easy.
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:57 PM   #10
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Well, I did about the same thing. I did pull a travel trailer for a couple years, but the MH is different.



I live in Alabama and purchased in South Carolina and drove 36' Windsport home.


You have received all the good driving advice above. Start looking at youtube videos on the different systems in your unit. Don't expect everything to work in your mobile house. Learn to fix things yourself.


Try not to use Camping World. They will have people working on your MH that know less than you do. Also, your MH will spend weeks on their lot before they attempt a repair.



Most Important: Come back to this forum. The info you receive from here is based on people with years of experience and they really care.


Last Thing: Go camping as often as you can. Cook and eat that chicken!
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Old 02-01-2019, 11:57 PM   #11
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THOR #8860
I agree with Mountainsam: the worrying about it, is the hardest part of the game...
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Old 02-02-2019, 12:52 AM   #12
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Be prepared to hear every noise of things moving around, drawers and doors flying open. Don't leave stuff on the counters, couches, tables...
Ask the owner about any peculiarities with the RV and don't let it distract you from the road.
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Old 02-02-2019, 01:02 AM   #13
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Welcome to the forums here.
Be sure the old owner shows you how to work everything!
All the ways to start the refrigerator and or any other amenities.
I would hope the bugs have been worked out by now, so ask about any nuances, and what to do.
Then enjoy, oh yes, do ask what the over all height is, like someone mentioned pay heed to low clearances!
I think you will like the driving of it!
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Old 02-02-2019, 01:02 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HaRVey View Post
Be prepared to hear every noise of things moving around, drawers and doors flying open. Don't leave stuff on the counters, couches, tables...

Ask the owner about any peculiarities with the RV and don't let it distract you from the road.


Best driving advice is to look farther down the road and keep your arms and grip relaxed. Check your mirrors often! For me the hardest is driving in heavy rain, at night, and in heavy traffic. I try not to do it....
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Old 02-02-2019, 01:09 AM   #15
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All RVer need two things:


1. A sense of humor
2. A good spouse


Fortunately, I have both.
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Old 02-02-2019, 01:33 AM   #16
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Try to get ALL the manuals for the coach & appliances, furnace, water system and the likes. Have him show you the batteries as well. Check to see how old they are/look. Most of all enjoy!

Oh...BTW, we bought our MH in SC. We live in Washington state. :O
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Old 02-02-2019, 02:35 AM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rickymac View Post
All RVer need two things:


1. A sense of humor
2. A good spouse


Fortunately, I have both.


Some modest amount of money might be the third thing....
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Old 02-02-2019, 03:21 AM   #18
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driving

When i bought my class c , i had never driven a motorhome before but had no problem driving it home 100 miles --helped that i drove a e-350 van for years
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Old 02-02-2019, 01:00 PM   #19
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THOR #14340
Mapping tool?

Looks like I’ve fallen in with a good group and thank you everyone for your input, suggestions and support. I’m really looking forward to this adventure!

Low Clearances have been mentioned a couple of times. For this initial trip, I plan to stay on Interstate and State Roads so I assume the low clearance problem will be greatly diminished? Specs on the coach specify 11’10” (w/AC so let’s go with 12’) exterior height, and from what I’ve Googled, minimum height of a bridge on the Interstate is 16’. Is this a safe assumption or is there a nasty surprise waiting for me?

I’m wondering what kind of mapping tools do you all use? I use GAIA GPS when running trails in my Jeep so I’m guessing there must be a map tool available to help RV’ers create a safe (low bridge free) route when planning trips into previously untraveled areas?
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Old 02-02-2019, 01:53 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Squerly View Post
Looks like I’ve fallen in with a good group and thank you everyone for your input, suggestions and support. I’m really looking forward to this adventure!

Low Clearances have been mentioned a couple of times. For this initial trip, I plan to stay on Interstate and State Roads so I assume the low clearance problem will be greatly diminished? Specs on the coach specify 11’10” (w/AC so let’s go with 12’) exterior height, and from what I’ve Googled, minimum height of a bridge on the Interstate is 16’. Is this a safe assumption or is there a nasty surprise waiting for me?

I’m wondering what kind of mapping tools do you all use? I use GAIA GPS when running trails in my Jeep so I’m guessing there must be a map tool available to help RV’ers create a safe (low bridge free) route when planning trips into previously untraveled areas?
There are many good options for mapping functions out there, but I have had good success with AllStays Camp&RV app. You can map a route, and preset filters to avoid low clearances. There are many good reviews of this app on YouTube. The app is a bit pricey ($9-10, I think), but we downloaded a bunch of different apps, and it quickly became our go to app on our trip out west last summer.
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