On tour day, I arrived well ahead of time which gave me time to read all their brochures. It turned out I was the only one there that day but they were still more than happy to take me on my own private tour. Ear plugs, eye protection, and a hard hat were required which they provided. The tour was excellent and I must say it really does help to have some clue as to what is inside the walls, under the floors, and above the ceiling in an RV. Plumbing is a bit different in an RV than in a house, lots of access panels are certainly important, the air and heating hoses are much smaller than a house, etc. I got to see how the cabinets and full room boxes are mounted. I saw a water heater installed which is something I could likely do myself. I got to see models I had not seen elsewhere with different layouts or woods or colors. You also get to see the quality of their work and how they store components which may go into your future RV. I highly recommend a factory tour even if you purchase an RV from another manufacturer.
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I stumbled on an article in either Trailer Life Magazine or the Good Sam Club’s Highways magazine that said I might be able to get a tour of an RV factory. What great magazines! I have toured the Hughes bread bakery, Kellogg’s cereal factory, and even the Hershey’s chocolate factory before, but the idea of being able to tour an RV factory had never occured to me. I ran to the phone book and tentatively called a nearby factory fully expecting to be laughed at. On the contrary, they hold regular tours one day a week and were happy to put me down for one.
I didn’t just jump into the RV life, though many do. Before I purchase my own trailer, I am doing my homework.
First, I joined the Good Sam Club. There are many benefits to being in a club such as discounts, information, meeting people, etc. Their Highways magazine is tops in my book and each issue is read cover to cover including the ads. Another good club is the Escapees out of Texas and for motor coach owners there is the Family Motor Coach Association. Join one or more. Books. There are plenty of great books out there to explain all the ins and outs of full-timing, RV systems and repairs, how to buy an RV, easy recipes for the road, the Trailer Life campground directories, etc. Full-timing is a big step and and it pays to be in-the-know. Not everything in modern life has quite caught up to speed with full-timers and you should be aware of compromises that may have to be made. For me, the biggie is reliable broadband internet access because I work full-time over the Internet. And of course I’m a modern TV junkie who wouldn’t be caught dead without cable or satellite TV for more than 3 days. People. Talk to other RVers, full-timers, RV park owners, the guys and gals at RV repair and parts places, RV dealers, etc. They can tell you what the books don’t. If nothing else, their own stories of newbie screwups will make you feel better when it happens to you. 😀 I found a great job for RVers. It’s remote technical support. With the advent of high speed Internet access and special software, it is now possible for companies to farm out their technical support to employees or contractors from all over the world who work on their own computers at home. It doesn’t matter if home is an RV as long as you can get high speed access at campgrounds or mobile parks or through a satellite dish.
Support people login to the desk software at a website and provide support by email 24/7. Even Network Administrators can monitor networks and reboot computers from home! No more driving to the office and dealing with traffic. If you want to take a walk or a shower during your break you can. The kitchen may be too close for some but at least the food is cheaper! Many older women and men are doing it and even 17 year old kids. Age doesn’t matter. It works great for those with disabilities or people who want to be home with the kids. You just need a knowledge of computers and the Internet. One such place to checkout if you have a solid knowledge of webhosting, website design, technical support, etc. is at Lunarpages. Of course, there is always Ebay as well and other Internet entrepreneurial options. 😉 Yes, Santa was very good. He gave me a portable disposal tank on wheels to empty my RV when I am not hooked up to a sewer. My model holds 35 gallons I believe. I can easily empty my tanks into it and roll it on up to the nearest disposal station or the sewer cleanout plug on friends homes. It comes with a nice long handle with a hook on it that could be attached to a bike or hitch to SLOWLY move it. Yes, freedom is wonderful. Why move the whole RV just to empty a tank?!
I do have a couple of complaints. The hose included with it is way too thin. You will want to replace it immediately. The brilliant designers of the tank think it will naturally vent through the RV’s system while filling. Maybe in theory but not in practice even with a perfectly straight hose. They did provide a capped outlet on top too which helps but if you purchase the optional fill indicator, it goes in that outlet and you lose your venting! They need to either build the fill indicator in or add another vent. For those who want to know, it was purchased at Camping World. |
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