Issue 1550
Welcome to another edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here you’ll find helpful RV-related and living tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, tips on our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you. Please tell your friends about us.
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Page Contents
Today’s thought
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” ―
Need an excuse to celebrate? Today is National Cheese Doodle Day!
On this day in history: 1836 – Samuel Colt patents the first production-model revolver, a .28 caliber Colt Paterson.
Tip of the Day
Tax Corner: Use your RV for business? What expenses can you deduct?
By Neil Seidler, CPA, CMA
Dear Neil,
I use my RV for business. Can I deduct expenses related to using it for business income? Thank you for your information. —Craig K.
Do you have a tip? Submit it here.
Today’s RV review…
In today’s column, industry insider Tony Barthel reviews the new Everbright EB-RV Tricycle Motorhome. Check out this adorable three-wheeled electric RV that you can buy online for a bargain! Tony looks at two RVs in this review. See them here.
Did you read Tony’s review yesterday of the 2021 Grand Design Reflection 150 Series 295RL Fifth Wheel? If you missed it, you can read it here.
For previous RV reviews, click here.
Is this your RV?
If it’s yours and you can prove it to us (send a photo for comparison), tell us here by 9 p.m. Pacific Standard time today, March 5, 2021. If it’s yours you’ll win a $25 Amazon gift certificate.
If this isn’t your RV, send us a photo of your RV here (if you haven’t already) for a chance to win in future issues.
Last week one reader claimed their $25 Amazon gift card: Debra Lewallen of Cincinnati, Ohio.
We’ll have another photo in tomorrow’s newsletter (sign up to receive an email alert so you don’t miss the issue or those that follow). Some of these photos are submitted by readers while others were taken by our editors and writers on their travels around the USA.
My first time driving an RV, and how I nearly killed a cop
By Chuck Woodbury: I’ll never forget my first motorhome trip. Before I had logged two hours, I had nearly killed a Reno, Nev., motorcycle cop. “You changed lanes and nearly ran me off the road,” he said as he wrote my ticket. My problem, I later concluded, was that I did not properly adjust my rear view mirrors on my new rig. If I had, I would have seen the policeman and not changed lanes right on top of him. Read the rest of the story.
Yesterday’s featured article: Two inexpensive survival tools every RVer should have
You may have missed these recent popular stories…
- Campground Crowding: A secret reservation system code that’s costing you $$$
- New film “Nomadland” worth viewing and pondering
- Tiger Woods’ mystery wrecked vehicle? High-towing capacity new Genesis SUV
- FMCA does the right thing for its members
Reader poll
Do you enjoy hunting?
The poll isn’t camouflaged, so tell us here!
Quick Tip
The RV range: Allow food to lay, the mice will play!
It is almost inevitable that food will make its way down into the recesses of the RV range if you have one that has an open top (there are also sealed burner models on the market). Because of the air openings around the range top box, mice can get in and will have a smorgasbord! They’ll also leave their calling cards, if you know what I mean.
At a minimum, clean this area thoroughly after use and before storage. It’s easier to clean if you line the bottom with aluminum foil before using it. When the foil is dirty just replace it. The few minutes it takes to do this is easier than cleaning the mess. Just be sure not to block the holes on the sides which are there to vent the box if propane collects and allows fresh air in for the gas/air mixture to enter each burner.
Chris Dougherty, Certified RV Technician, posted this tip while he was serving as RVtravel.com’s technical editor.
Run two air conditioners on 30 amps – Wow!
When the temperature really gets sizzling and your 50-amp rig is stuck with a 30-amp hookup, you’re out of luck if you want to run two air conditioners. That is, unless you have a state-of-the-art SoftStartRV. It’s inexpensive, simple to install, and works just as promised. Don’t miss watching the short video by RV electricity expert Mike Sokol. Learn more or order at a special discount.
Website of the day
Terms of Service; Didn’t Read
This is a website you’ll want to bookmark. It tells you (briefly) what all the Terms of Service are for popular websites so you don’t have to read allllll that tiny print. Plus, you’ll feel better knowing you’re not ever signing your life away.
Clubs and useful organizations
PLEASE NOTE: We may receive an affiliate commission if you join any of these.
• Harvest Hosts: Stay free at farms, wineries and other scenic and peaceful locations for free. Save 15% on membership.
• AllStays: The best website for RVers! Your membership will become your RV-bible.
• Boondockers Welcome. Stay at homes of RVers who welcome you in their driveways, yards, farmland or other space on their private property. Modest membership fee.
• Escapees. Best Club for RVers: All RVers welcome, no matter what type of RV, make or model.
?????? MYSTERY PRODUCT OF THE DAY ??????
Wake up with your morning shower! No, really… wake up! Click here.
Trivia
Ever wonder what the heck all those IKEA names mean? The company names all its sofas, coffee tables and bookshelves after places in Sweden. Beds, wardrobes and hallway furniture are named for places in Norway. Carpets are named after places in Denmark, and dining tables and chairs are all named after places in Finland.
*What is the most-visited paid monument in the world? Take a guess, then visit yesterday’s trivia to see if you’re right.
Readers’ Pet of the Day
“Andy is a Maltese/Bichon. Rescued from a puppy mill. We adopted him at two? He is our boy, loves to meet new people, loves children, and he travels in his kennel safely. Very smart. Enjoys his birthday party with a homemade doggy treat. He will be 9 this December. Our baby boy.” —Lois Johnson
Send us a photo of your pet with a short description. We publish one each weekday in RV Daily Tips and in our Saturday RV Travel newsletter.
JUST GETTING STARTED RVing? Read our editor’s book The ABCs of RVing for free with Kindle Unlimited.
Leave here with a laugh
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Editor: Emily Woodbury. Senior editor: Diane McGovern. Social media and special projects director: Jessica Sarvis. Financial affairs director: Gail Meyring. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
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Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
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What about the cost of the oil and filter changes on your vehicle engine? 5, 6,or more quarts of full synthetic oil and oil filter per change vs. couple quarts in a generator. What powers my home when I leave to go to work, get supplies, etc? And as far as noise, I live in a rural area and have over 5 acres. My home is total electric and I run a 12,000/9000 watt generator. Also leave your vehicle run all night when your trying to get a little shut eye, blow a coolant line, radiator, or hose and freeze up your engine. Now what! I cannot see the benefits out way the risk of this generator.
You are right, it really comes down to personal choice. If you prefer to have a standalone solution you can leave running while you go away to work etc and you dont mind the maintenance or gas can storage etc then a standalone gas generator is a better solution. If on the other hand like me, i have only OCCASIONAL need for a generator, a few days/weeks of camping in a summer, and maybe a few daysIF the power goes out in the winter, then the BENEFIT of 11 pounds ultralite, zero maintenance, no fumes, store it in my SUV or under my RV camper bed, no storage of dangerous gas cans, is a better solution. As you outline your personal power needs, truly you have no choice, the only solution you have to power all that electric, is a standalone generator.
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I would really appreciate some comments/opinions on a matter: Twice a month a “exercise” my Onan generator by running it for an hour with a load. I also warm up the Workhorse 8.1 gas engine at normal idle until it reaches temperature then up the idle to 2000 rpm for about 20 minutes. Question: is this harmful to “exercise” the Workhorse engine in this manner? 2007 Class A Tiffin Allegro Bay
Looking at that photo makes me wonder if that is where tail gating came from. I always try to plan a menu and bring at least one or two items that I cannot live without. Airfryer and toaster oven for one. Otherwise stove top is best for us.
Chuck – Don’t wait for the “official buzzer.” Those that control the button will never press it. Get out now and enjoy. Those roads don’t know what a virus is……………………..
A quick response to questions on CarGenerator and idling
1) Several manufacturers now offer for 2021 a built in generator option. In the case of Ford F150 a 2kw built in inverter IDLES THE VEHICLE non stop for 85 hours on a tank. Last month people in Texas powered their house from their truck.
2) Millions of vehicles idle EVERY DAY for hours around the world, no harm. Prove it to yourself, get an OBD vehicle scanner, watch your total engine time, and your total idle hours time. Sitting in traffic, or waiting at a stop light in gear, or waiting to pickup the kids from soccer, idle time meter keeps accumulating. SO idling maybe 10 20, or even 80 extra hours a year is not even a drop in the bucket.
3) Regarding diesel engines in particular…. Many trucks can be up idled, with a simple switch or an after market dial, which increases the engine RPM’s to the same as cruising down the highway.
I drove a truck that counted idle time any time the accelerator wasn’t pressed such as going down grade or slowing for a stop. It was quite surprising how much idle time was counted during a nonstop trip so in some cases the recorded idle time is misleading.
yes very true. See this article from Ford, they define “extended idling time” as frequent low speed driving like in traffic, etc… the value they specify is 25 miles per hour of idling, to consider for maintenance oil changes, etc. https://www.powerstrokediesel.com/docs/How_Idle_Time_Affects_Maint_Intervals.pdf
Some folks asked if Mike Sokol had reviewed CarGenerator. Here are the reviews and articles:
https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-industry-update-cargenerator-preview/
https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-jam-cargenerator-update-tt-30/
I do want to again bring up the subject of adding the “thumbs up” back to comments. There are many times I would like to agree with a persons post. But, it takes multiple steps to agree. (type the words, type in username, type in email address, check three boxes, hit the submit button). User experience says, the simpler you make it, the more it will be utilized. Just a simple click on a thumbs up, and people can support others comments.
Ok, I’ve had my say…..
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One click on phone for that imoge, name and email is saved for this website, click on “post comment” your done.
Two clicks isn’t that hard.
I don’t know that trick. I do see that after I have posted once, it autofills.
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I agree
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I checked out the “Cable and Hose Grips” site. I wouldn’t mind trying some of these – until I saw the prices! These folks are sure proud of these hose grips! Darn it. I would have bought one or two if it wasn’t so expensive.
Same here.
Same as you. Had no idea they were gold plated.
Don’t bother. I purchased cable grips from them and after two uses the plastic shattered and it was worthless and I tossed it in the garbage. Total waste of money. IMHO
Sorry to hear that, but glad you mentioned it. I’ll pass on by . . .
I get the Drivin & Vibin as well a great short article on SPAM. I wonder here on RV Travel how many folks partake of this great product in their culinary cooking while camping on the road. And the options of different flavors.
We keep a can of SPAM in our RV pantry, but primarily as back up if we run out of other options. We have yet to use it. We do like it, but usually have something better available.
My DH woild eat Spam every day, every meal, if he could.🤤 For me, it was our family’s camping emergency food, but once in awhile for breakfast with our scrambled eggs. I have to admit…. it smells good frying in the pan! But, to think of what it “is” (or more precisely, COULD BE😝!)…. yeah, no thanks.
I like SPAM but my wife does not at all. Any guesses how often I get to eat it in the home or RV ?
Love Spam, but too salty for my health now.
Has Mike Sokol ever tested and reviewed the “Car Generator”?
Yes… google for Mike Sokol and several reviews and articles are there: https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-industry-update-cargenerator-preview/
https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-jam-cargenerator-update-tt-30/
Is this your RV? – You should not list the person’s name! First name and last initial is much preferred. JMHO
Stay safe, Joe
Live free, ride free
Is this your RV?! Really? are we now calling tents RV’s? It sure looks like a tent!
Before that in “Todays RV Review”.
To each his own. I went from an orange 7×7 pup tent strapped to the luggage rack of various Hondas and Kawasakis, then to camping at places with A/C, showers, color TV, and a guest pool. Later, we switched to our personal motel room that we can drive wherever we choose. It’s better than any motel we formerly used, but without the pool. I guess you could call the tent a Rustic Venture.
Looks like the tent trailer we used to pull behind our motorcycle, before we up graded to a motorhome. Loved it.
It’s the new fang dangled kind. It comes standard with a trailer hitch where you mount your cooler.
Ran, these are motor cycle tent trailers, also pulled behind small cars. Friends towed one behind their mini van. It was all they needed or wanted.
That was my thought as well. The ‘V’ is for Vehicle and I don’t see any wheels on today’s entry.
they or it is there…
Forget buying a portable generator hah, only $1400 to idle your $5000 engine and ruin it instead of buying a 3000 Watt generator for $500 that’s designed for the job, as the famous man said “there’s one born every minute “.
I tend to agree with Bob. I looked at this auto-generator before I bought my Honda 2200i generator. Expensive but quite, and who really wants to let their vehicle idle that long? Good marketing, but that’s it.
Finally, someone with responsible comments! The Car Generator is nothing short of Junk! And if you consider the fact that Idling your engine for hours on end is NOT harmful, wait till you get the Engine Rebuild bill! I’ll bet the Car Generator people will wash their hands of any warranty claim!
I just purchased a 12K portable Generator for my FIVER. The unit has a 50 amp plug and a continuous output of 9.7K. Cost: $1199.00 comes with a 3 year warranty! Best investment I’ve made in quite awhile!
Can I inquire as to what brand of generator you bought?
I just hope I’m no where near you when you are running it. Enjoy.
wow…. harsh comments my friend. I’m very grateful for opinionated critics like you with harsh comments like this. Six years ago when we entered the market, seeing comments like yours, prepared me to face the Dragons on national TV on Dragons Den (like Shark Tank), and walk away landing a $100,000 investment from dual investors. Since that airing date in October 2018, we’ve grown by 10x and continue to expand our production, with happy customers across the nation. https://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/pitches/car-generator
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Exactly right on Bob. Good way to foul plugs in any vehicle and nowhere as efficient as a good generator.
When I looked at this I wondered who would be foolish enough to spend all that money when you can buy an invertor to do the same thing for a quarter of the price. This looks like a marketing gimmick for all the newbies who have no idea what they are doing!
“foolish enough to spend all that money” that’s actually funny. You are right go ahead if you have an inverter and it works for you, bravo! It in fact is a CHOICE. The people who buy (and LOVE) a CarGenerator, do it not based on cost, but simply because of the advantages and benefits: 1) ZERO maintenance. 2) lightweight, just 11 pounds. 3) no fumes or smells in storage, keep it under your bed in your RV or in a kitchen closet no problem. 4) no smelly messy gas cans to mess around with and store, especially if you tow with an SUV. 5) NO worries about the bane of gas generators… F.T.S. fail to start, when you need it most if it doesn’t start, it doesn’t matter what it cost. 6) A TURN KEY SOLUTION: it’s ready to go, a quality pure sine wave smart inverter in a fully weatherproof package you can use rain, shine, or snow, matched with heat proof booster cables to continuously transfer power. That was easy… 🙂
I hope it ok with you folks to have different views posted. My view of CarGenerator is that it is for a different market than the “long running generators” for constant power.
So many times we have been camping and someone will pull out there generator (even the super quiet Honda generators. They increase in noise as the power needs increase), and the beautiful quiet of the deep woods we love is ruined.
Early mornings, when people have lower batteries and want to make breakfast, here comes that noisy generator waking up others who want to either sleep in, or enjoy the quiet crisp early morning sounds of nature.
BUT…. I have also had people who use their vehicle to provide power. It isn’t for long, just to make breakfast, or get a charge to the batteries. The quiet of todays vehicles idling is a blessing.
So, my comment is that I personally see a nitch market for RV’ers who want quick, easy power, without the hassle of extra gas, pulling out the portable Generator and the noise.
Sorry but you are misinformed and info is outdated. “Run your engine” is an old wives tale.
1) Several manufacturers now offer for 2021 a built in generator option. In the case of Ford F150 a 2kw built in inverter IDLES THE VEHICLE non stop for 85 hours on a tank. Toyota Highlander offers a 1500 watt inverter power outlet option. After the spectacular power outages last month there was plenty reports of folks powering their house using their vehicle.
2) Millions of vehicles idle EVERY DAY for hours around the world, no harm. Prove it to yourself, get an OBD vehicle scanner and watch your total engine time, and your total idle hours time. Just sitting in traffic, or waiting at a stop light in gear, or waiting to pickup the kids from soccer… ALL of this the idle time meter keeps accumulating. SO idling maybe 10 or 20 extra hours in a year for the odd time you need to, is not even a drop in the bucket. Even make this 100 extra hours per year… hopefully you get the point.
Sorry but you are misinformed and info is outdated. “Run your engine” is an old wives tale.
3) CarGenerator is in market 5 years now, with satisfied customers across the country, ZERO issues as you inferred, ZERO engines “ruined” as you incorrectly inferred. Personally I have a 2014 Merc Diesel SUV approaching 100,000 miles, no issues. And no issues with the alternator either, idled hundreds and hundreds of hours…. no harm.
4) Regarding diesel engines in particular…. Many trucks can be up idled, with a simple switch or an after market dial, which increases the engine RPM’s to the same as cruising down the highway. again, NO HARM. Regarding DEF and the DPF filter – remember this has a “window” so from empty you typically have 10-12 hours of idling for it to fill up.
5) We idle our vehicle all the time. Go in for lunch on a hot day, leave our dogs inside, idle the vehicle. Between appointments in the winter, idle the vehicle.
I also have a Mercedes diesel SUV. While extended periods of idling do not hurt the engine, it does increase the amount of DEF the engine uses. DEF does not ‘fill up’, it is in a reservoir that empties as the engine runs. I don’t know about the DPF as I’ve never ‘filled it up.’
i likely have the same vehicle! 🙂 2014 GL350 with Bluetec V6 diesel. DEF is the fluid it uses, D.P.F. is the Diesel Particulate Filter which is part of the exhaust system that traps unburned soot. In normal driving, that system kicks into “REGEN” mode every x amount of hours, runs it at higher heat to burn that soot off (simplified explanation) when idling this system takes about 12 hours to go from empty to full , when it then needs to be REGEN’d off. the GL350 is an awesome generator, we pull around 1300 watts continuous, easy. no messy gas cans or hundred pound motors to haul around. http://www.CarGenerator.com
I just got off the phone with RAM on this car generator. They don’t recommend it. They are staying for extended period the possibilities of plug fouling, catalytic converter issue and the list went on that can void warranties. The only way the warranty wouldn’t be could is factory installed. Same as an after market car starter. If yougmhave an electrical fire the warranty is void. With that info one has to figure if the warranty is more important than a after market product in your vehicle. As far as noise it’s the same hearing a vehicle run. Short periods of time to run an air pump would be fine I guess on a vehicle that’s owned out right. But not new or leased.
WATCH carefully how quickly RAM changes their tune, as they see FORD gain market share now with their F150s with a built in Inverter/Generator. Ford has now released this, Toyota has also in some of their vehicles, and now the other manufacturers are scrambling to catch up. Lets make a friendly bet, within one or two years most, RAM magically has an option for a 2kw generator built in. Mark my words…. Another way to look at it, is between the 2020 Ford F150 , versus the 2021 Ford F150 with a built in 2kw inverter, it appears there is no material changes in the motor, exhaust management, or any other thing to make this magically all of a sudden capable to IDLE 85 hours on a tank. They just simply added this as an option and marketed it. Ford wants to sell you a new $70,000 truck, CarGenerator can let you do similar for about 1% of that cost, with the vehicle you already own. Cheers.
Back about ten years ago or so I lost power to my house. Backed my Toyota Tacoma with an inverter to the side of the house. Ran an extension cord from the truck thru a window to my Coal stoker stove. Truck ran for 24 hours keeping my house heated. No problem with truck. Traded it in with 80,000 miles.
100% correct. we had a bad ice storm in 2013 and lost power for 3 1/2 days, our Toyota Highlander powered all of our house essentials easily, gas furnace, fridge, internet, a few lights, etc. used about half a tank of gas.
Also, I’ve been hearing about folks in Texas who say they were lucky enough to get the CarGenerator during the recent crisis. Just connect to a vehicle and they have power. Again, just a recent example.
To me using a 4-6 or 8 cylinder engine with the exhaust that is put out just to run a generator is beyond stupid. Add to the cost of engine repair to that expensive (they all are) vehicle. Buy a small, simple one lung engine made to run for long periods and designed as a generator. Can’t believe anyone would consider using a vehicle engine for a generator. PS: Many states you will get a ticket for leaving a vehicle run unoccupied. Vehicles are stolen that way, even running in your own driveway.
Happy Birthday to Andy. My Pippy was adopted at age four and, since I’m a vegetarian, she gets a steak on her ‘rebirthday’.
I was afraid you were going to say you made her a tossed salad.
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You have a Pippy?! WE had a Pippy too! A sassy little Pomeranian.
He started his life with a completely different name. Over time, we referred to him as the pipsqueak. And from that, grew Pippy. In fact, Pippy became an descriptive in our household: “It’s a Pippy thing to do.” “It’s a Pippy kind of life.”
He passed a year ago…. we very much miss the Pippy-ness in our lives.
Sorry for your loss 🐾