Maiden voyage in our new Fleetwod: tips or suggestions?

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  • 04/21/2017 6:01 PM
    Message # 4768442
    Deleted user

    Hello all,

    We are brand new RVers (after decades of backpacking and tent camping), and in just over a week we'll be embarking on our maiden voyage in our new 2017 Fleetwood Bounder 36H. (No finger wags, please, about buying new: after much research and input, that was the best decision for us, for our plans/needs, and in our season of life). 

    So, any tips or suggestions for trying out our "HOWEE" (Home On Wheels [for] Esherick's Explorations) (Yes, we named our RV.) :P 

    Howee is about 38 feet long, gas automatic, with three slide-outs with tons of basement storage. We're planning to tow our car.

    We're only going about 120 miles away, and we're going with friends who are long-time RVers (they use a large fifth wheel). So if we run into major hiccups, we're towable to our dealer/garage, and our knowledgeable friends can help.  We fully expect hiccups, but we're hoping nothing too awful. Hehe.

    So, just wondering if any of you can offer suggestions for how to make the most of our maiden voyage. We have much longer (in distance -- over 1,000 miles one way) trips planned over the next 10 months, so we really want to learn as much as we can this time around in preparation for those trips.  

    Thanks for any input you can provide. :) 

    We are *so* excited to be starting this adventure!

    Thank you again, 

    Joan and Don

    Last modified: 04/21/2017 6:07 PM | Deleted user
  • 04/22/2017 12:11 PM
    Reply # 4769651 on 4768442
    Anonymous

    First a little history. DW is 65, me 68. Owned 2class c motor homes prior to our 2016 Fleetwood Storm 35SK. First off I recommend you ask your friends/long time campers to go with you to look over your new home. They should know what to look at and what to look for on your inspection. Use a pad of paper and write everything you find down to have addressed BEFORE you take possession. Believe me when I say it will get fixed a lot faster if it's before they get paid rather than after. Take a picture with your cell phone or laptop so you have a record. I t will take weeks/months to get things repaired and weeks/months for warranty authorization and parts. My better half said to look under your slideouts, under your lower storage, inside all cabinets and have someone check your roof for any voids in sealer, etc.                                          We love our Storm and we got it second week of February and have been home maybe a week since then. We might go home next weekend, maybe not. Go online, check out all the websites for your new home and if you are over 62, go and get your Senior Pass for Federal campgrounds/Core of Engineers properties. It lets you pay 1/2 price for camping and some things nation wide is free. Enjoy your new home on wheels. I know you will have years of fun and fond memories.




  • 04/23/2017 11:24 AM
    Reply # 4770786 on 4768442
    Deleted user

    First of  all, congradulations on the new rig.

    DW and I have a 2016 SouthWind 32V and love it.

    I agree with the ideas presented by the previous poster.

    I might also add to keep a notebook in the rig.

     It will come in handy in the future to note things you want to add to the rig, things to have repaired,

    shopping list etc. 

    Happy and safe travels.

    Last modified: 04/23/2017 11:25 AM | Deleted user
  • 04/24/2017 6:36 PM
    Reply # 4777313 on 4768442
    Deleted user

    @Raymond:   Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions. We have our inspection (and our 5-7 hours training on how to do everything in the rig) on Thursday, and we're hoping to take possession that night to leave on our weekend adventure on Friday.  I will ask and see if our RV friend (who is also a mechanic by trade) can tag along.  Great idea, thanks!

    That said, if anything looks wonky during our inspection, we may have to just *not* take possession and postpone the trip.  Our dealer has a great reputation, is local (7 miles away), and has nine big rig service bays, so we're optimistic about timelines on service, but I could be quite naive in that regard.

    The dealership already dewinterized for us, but I suspect there will be things we really can't know until we actually run the rig through its paces (particularly water and sewer).  We're pretty handy and don't mind fixing a few things like that. We have also done some driving with it already (a few test drives), and all of that seems well so far, but that was not, of course, hours on the road.  I guess we'll find out about that, too.

    I will say, we are having a ball figuring out how to furnish the Bounder (thinking "light"). :)   And I am actually learning how to drive the rig (I want DH to be able to be reprieved if he needs to be). 

    Thank you for the tips of about National Parks.  DH is 61, I'm 57, so we're still shy of the 62 yo cut off on the senior park passes.  And DH is still working full time, so we think the big trips will have to wait a couple of years. We're planning to do many smaller trips starting out to work the kinks out and get our RV sea legs solidly beneath us, and then when DH retires (maybe 5 years max), we'll have a better idea what we're doing.  And then we can really hit the road!  :)   After that, our hope is to be gone months at a time, traveling all over the USA. 

    LOL... now I want DH to retire early!!   

    So thank you!  Enjoy your own travels.  And be safe.

    All the best to you!

    Joan 


     

    @Raymond:   Thanks so much for your reply and suggestions. We have our inspection (and our 5-7 hours training on how to do everything in the rig) on Thursday, and we're hoping to take possession that night to leave on our weekend adventure on Friday.  I will ask and see if our RV friend (who is also a mechanic by trade) can tag along.  Great idea, thanks!

    That said, if anything looks wonky during our inspection, we may have to just *not* take possession and postpone the trip.  Our dealer has a great reputation, is local (7 miles away), and has nine big rig service bays, so we're optimistic about timelines on service, but I could be quite naive in that regard.

    The dealership already dewinterized for us, but I suspect there will be things we really can't know until we actually run the rig through its paces (particularly water and sewer).  We're pretty handy and don't mind fixing a few things like that. We have also done some driving with it already (a few test drives), and all of that seems well so far, but that was not, of course, hours on the road.  I guess we'll find out about that, too.

    I will say, we are having a ball figuring out how to furnish the Bounder (thinking "light"). :)   And I am actually learning how to drive the rig (I want DH to be able to be reprieved if he needs to be). 

    Thank you for the tips of about National Parks.  DH is 61, I'm 57, so we're still shy of the 62 yo cut off on the senior park passes.  And DH is still working full time, so we think the big trips will have to wait a couple of years. We're planning to do many smaller trips starting out to work the kinks out and get our RV sea legs solidly beneath us, and then when DH retires (maybe 5 years max), we'll have a better idea what we're doing.  And then we can really hit the road!  :)   After that, our hope is to be gone months at a time, traveling all over the USA. 

    LOL... now I want DH to retire early!!   

    So thank you!  Enjoy your own travels.  And be safe.

    All the best to you!

    Joan 

  • 04/24/2017 6:45 PM
    Reply # 4777332 on 4768442
    Deleted user

    @Don Ree:  Thank you!  And congrats on your rig, too! :)  

    A notebook is a great idea; thanks for the suggestion.  I'm planning to take a clipboard, too, with a bazillion checklists (LOL), to make sure we pack, set up, and take down, and pack up again without forgetting anything.  I found a few really helpful checklists on line.  And I'm putting together a small binder of all our RV's important info/papers to keep in the cockpit with us (the rest of the RV paperwork and manuals will just get stored in a bin in the RV basement somewhere). 

    We also planned to keep a dedicated travel notebook to record things like opinions on campgrounds, or highways or rest stops or places visited, or just to log our adventures.  

    Wow!  So much to think about and plan for.  And I *know* we're not going to get it *all* right the first few times out (and there will likely be kinks *every* time we go... just as there were when we were tent camping). But it sure seems like the RV community so far is quite kind and helpful.  

    So, we're looking forward to at least 10 years (would love if it could be 15 or 20) of adventures. :)   It's fun to have this new season to plan for.

    Thank you again!  Happy travels to you.

    All the best, 

    Joan

  • 06/26/2018 4:32 PM
    Reply # 6344174 on 4768442
    Deleted user
    We are about to take our Maiden Voyage in a pristine 2005 Fleetwood Pace Arrow 36D.  We bought it a week ago with only 11K miles on it!  We are new to RVing and are certainly starting out with a bang.  If you have online checklists for Class A motoring, can you share?  Packing lists and other tips are helpful, but we are also learning we need a cockpit check list.  What to leave on, what to turn off, when in shore power or no power or generator, etc.  Order of pre-take off and landing tasks.  Anyone have something like this? 
  • 06/27/2018 6:14 PM
    Reply # 6346358 on 4768442
    Deleted user
    Here are the checklists that I use for departing and arriving.  They will need to be adjusted to make them specific to your motor home, but they will provide a starting point. Our motor home is a 2015 Fleetwood Expedition, a diesel pusher.


                    Departure

    1.       Satellite Antenna—STOWED & OFF

    2.       Broadcast Antenna--OFF

    3.       Engine—ON

    4.       Slide Glides—INSTALL

    5.       Full Wall Slide—RETRACT

    6.       Engine—OFF

    7.       Holding Tanks—DUMP

    8.       Sewer Hose—STOW

    9.       Water Hose—STOW

    10.   POWER Cable—STOW

    11.   Bedroom Slide Bumpers—OFF

    12.   Engine—ON

    13.   Bedroom Slide—RETRACT

    14.   Leveling Jacks—RETRACT

    15.   Kitchen Slide—RETRACT

    16.   Air Switch--AUTO


            Arrival

    1.          Air Switch—LOWER

    2.          Leveling Jacks—EXTEND

    3.          Kitchen Slide—EXTEND

    4.          Bedroom Slide—EXTEND

    5.          Engine—OFF

    6.          Bedroom Slide Bumpers—ON

    7.          Power—CONNECT

    8.          Water Hose—CONNECT

    9.          Sewer Hose—CONNECT

    10.      Engine—ON

    11.      Full Wall Slide—EXTEND

    12.      Satellite Antenna—ON

    13.      Broadcast Antenna—ON or

    14.      Cable—CONNECT

    15.      TVs—PROGRAM



  • 06/28/2018 10:59 AM
    Reply # 6347430 on 4768442
    Anonymous

    Steve and Ann, Thanks for the checklist. This was very helpful. We have a Discovery 40 E that we bought in October of last year. I have been intending to make a checklist but you know the saying about good intentions.

  • 06/29/2018 7:41 AM
    Reply # 6349331 on 4768442

    David,

    Are you a DOAI member (Discovery Owners Association) ? They have a great hints and tips section as part of the web site. The forum is great. All Discovery owners. Here is a link to the DOAI site.

    https://www.discoveryowners.com

    Jim Pinkerton

    2018 40 D

  • 06/30/2018 9:20 AM
    Reply # 6351338 on 4768442
    Anonymous

    Just be prepared for a few learning curves. That's why I always call the first trip a SHAKE DOWN RUN. Just remember to have fun. 

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