Living The American Dream

In the past decades, a new form of family vacationing taken root, or perhaps route would be a more ironic term, in the hearts of American families. Ah yes, the RV. These tin cans are a large investment and represent cherished memories and the promise of more to come.

A home away from home, newer models of the RV can be upgraded to have all the amenities of a home. LCD televisions, satellite radio, working kitchen appliances, shower, toilet, queen sized bed and accommodations to sleep many more are only the beginnings of what you might enjoy in a new RV.

There is some level of nostalgia in the idea of heading up a spur of the moment road trip with your kids and the family pet. Perhaps a trip to the Rocky Mountains or Yellowstone is what you had in mind.

Can you just imagine how wonderful it will be? While Dad is behind the wheel of the RV, the rest of the family will probably be singing tunes in perfect harmony, until Dad pulls up to fill up the tank that is!

Until You Wake Up

Skyrocketing gas prices have pretty much curbed most RV trips with the average mid-size RV getting 8-12 miles per gallon, and it seems that even the airlines are having trouble staying airborne with higher fueling costs. In a major move, popular airlines are now charging for passengers to check even just one bag. Of course, with security regulations banning most toiletries and overnight necessities as carry on items, travelers have no other option than to claim bags at check-in.

Buying a plane ticket for one is financial burden enough. Flying the entire family somewhere will cost a small fortune. Family vacations are more likely to be limited to a few hundred miles from home, where the cost of traveling is a little more tolerable.

And the Dream Becomes A Nightmare

It is a shame that RVs across the country are sitting idle. Just what do the Joneses do now that they have the newest, fanciest RV with nowhere to go? They cannot just simply leave it in the driveway, after a few anonymous complaints to the homeowners association, they would be forced to move the beast from site.

RV owners are all asking themselves the same question. Where are we going to find a place large enough for this RV storage crisis?

The Silver Lining

The self store industry was not caught off guard by the interest in RV vacationing. They planned accordingly and RV storage is a popular service offered by most storing professionals. However, the self store industry is not prepared to offer RV storage to every pop-up camper, fifth wheel and conversion RV owned in the country. The demand for RV storage is very high, making it urgent for RV owners to find a vacant rental spot now and reserve it for their own RV.

Checking your local store room businesses makes the most sense because then you would not have to drive your RV very far to the RV storage lot. When searching for a place to store your RV, remember that there are different models of storing, just like there were different models of RV. Choosing the appropriate type of storing unit based on the value and condition of your RV will help you save your investment so you can preserve the memories you have already made and look forward to many, many more.

Would you believe it? Those guys that developed the chemistry sets to create bio diesel, made from deep fryer oil to replace diesel fuel, have now done it for gasoline engine vehicles. They are creating easy to build kits that generate Hydrogen from water to reduce gasoline requirements by 50% or more. At current prices, that equates to less than $2.00 per gallon used. That means that my Honda can get up to 70 miles per gallon of gas. And, I can nearly double the mileage on my motor home. You won’t have to feel guilty about enjoying your favorite past time any longer.

The incredible part of it is no major changes have to be made to the engine to make it work. Nearly anyone can do it. And, the engine runs cooler and cleaner. I see nothing in the process that can damage an engine. If you should decide not to use it for a while, can’t imagine why, you can simply shut it off.

What this person is selling is the “how to instructions” on how to make and install the system yourself, and it is very simple. All of the items are readily available. It only requires normal tools with one exception. Some of the parts have to be sand blasted. Most of us do not have a sand blaster in our garage. But, many companies have one, like auto service centers, that will do it for you inexpensively. For less than the cost of one tank of gas you can have all the expertise in your hand that tells you how to do it. Plus he has a help line if you should have any questions. If you do not want to build it yourself, you can buy a unit for $200.00.

I have a Degree in Internal Combustion Engines Technology. I know that most gimmicks that claim to make your car get incredible mileage are hype. The simple fact is that gasoline will only burn within a narrow range ratio ( 9:1 to 16:1 fuel air ratio). Too rich, or too lean, the engine will no longer perform efficiently. But, what these geniuses have done is mix two technologies. Hydrogen powered cars have been in development for some time. In fact, Honda is releasing one with a fuel cell in 4 years. The only drawback to broad commercial use has been safe storage of Hydrogen in the event of an accident, and fueling stations. This system generates the Hydrogen as it is being consumed. No Hydrogen storage is required. I have researched many sites, and have discovered that many have tried this and are very satisfied. Very few take advantage of the money back guarantee.

Water contains Hydrogen and Oxygen, as I am sure you are aware. Hydrogen is highly flammable; Oxygen is not, unless it attaches properly to something else. Otherwise water would be flammable. The technology has been around for some time that allows the extraction of Hydrogen from water. This system simply uses electricity from the battery to extract Hydrogen from water and mix it in the fuel system to displace gasoline. The result is a cleaner burning fuel that reduces air polluting gasses by 50%. To me that’s reason enough to use it.

The process is easy. When you order on his site, the information is emailed directly to you in minutes. The information is voluminous. You will receive tons of history, and many other systems that you can build along with instructions. One system is a large Hydrogen Generator that you can build in your garage. Possibly for running a Hydrogen powered electricity generator, or anything that runs on gasoline. The directions for all of the options are simple, the photographs are well done, and shopping lists are provided. The site is loaded with interesting articles about what other people have done, some good, some not. The section to look for is Smack’s Booster. You can print it directly from the site.

It angers me that crude futures keep going higher and higher, out of control, and nobody is doing anything about it, despite the fact that our oil reserves are at normal to high levels. And, nothing substantial will be done in Detroit or abroad any time soon to stem the serious gas price and pollution issues. It is going to take “little guy” technology like this to really make a difference. I have my information kit and anxiously await this weekend to get started.

Servicing your VW Bay Window bus can see like a bit of chore in the excitement of the new spring season all ready upon us. Often there seems too much to do in terms of Volkswagen Camper meets, events and the inevitable road tips that are planned for the summer, to think about getting ones hands dirty, serving your cherished Volkswagon bus. Some or even most of us will take our cherished bus to a non Volkswagen garage to have it serviced, get charged through the nose for what’s essentially no more than a regular car service. Even Volkswagen appointed garages will only undertake a standard vehicle service and not consider the unique requirements of a 30%2B year old air-cooled Volkswagen Bus.

It is also too easy to forget that VW Bay Window Campers need frequent servicing; in fact some servicing tasks will require your attention at a frequency of as little as 2000 miles! It is incredible to think that most modern cars have service intervals of 10000 miles or more. The high operating temperatures of Air-cooled Volkswagens’ for instance require oil changes every 3000 miles to protect vital engine components from heat and wear related damage.

Take my word for it! I am no mechanic, so I have written this article not as a definitive DIY servicing article but more as a simple 20 step guide that you can either use yourself or help your local mechanic to ensure your bus remains on the road for years to come! I have scavenged I lot of the material from the web and rehashed it to suit Class Campers. And I have subsequently referenced at the end of this article all the sites and printed material that I used.

Step 1

Changing engine oil

Engine oils should be changed at 3000 mile intervals, to ensure that your engine doesn’t suffer from undue wear and tear. Some folks even suggest that it should be changed every 2000 miles. If this seems a little extreme just think about how much it will cost to replace your engine should you have a catastrophic failure due to excessive engine wear! The actual oil change interval is up to you, but I wouldn’t recommend that you go more than 3000 miles.

Step 2

Tire pressures

It is important to your tires are inflated to the right pressure. Your buses ride will be better and its road handling will be much improved, which also means that it will be safer. Check your tire pressures at least every two weeks and always before a long journey. Make sure you know the correct tire pressures for your model of VW Bus. I will be adding standard tire pressures to Class Campers technical section soon but probably after the publish date of this article.

Step 3

Windscreen Washer bottle

The most peculiar set up I have ever seen! The washer bottle on a VW Bus is located behind the front kick panel to the left of the steering column. The peculiar part of the set up is the fact that it needs compressed air to force the water from the bottle to the windscreen. You can attach a normal air line at your local garage and pressurize to 40psi. Warning, do not pressurize it and more than 40psi because you run the risk of blowing the pipes of the washer nozzles. It’s a lot of work to put them back on!

Step 4

Gearbox Oil

Although the gear box should only be changed every 30000 miles it may need topping up from time to time. The fill plug is located on the side of the gear box near to the clutch cable. The official documentation suggests you will need a 17mm Hex spanner, but mines seems to be 18mm! Use Hypiod EP80/90 gear oil and fill so the oil is level with the bottom of the hole. It is essential that locate your bus on a flat surface when you perform this task.

Step 5

Spark plugs

Cleaning your spark plugs should be undertaken every 5000 miles or so. The electrode gap should be 0.7mm or 0.028in. You can clean the electrode with a little piece of emery cloth or a fine wet and dry. Personally I prefer to completely change my spark plugs every 10000 miles and check them every 5000 miles or so.

Step 6

Distributer Cap

When you replace or check your spark plugs it is necessary to inspect the condition of the distributer electrodes because they can become corroded. If so they can be cleaned or replaced depending on the level of corrosion.

Step 7

Roter arm

The roter arm (inside the distributer), should be checked, cleaned or replaced every 5000 miles or when you check the condition of your spark plugs. They are not expensive so I prefer to replace new for old on every service.

Step 8

Ignition points

The Ignition points should be checked every time you undertake the general electrical servicing outline above. The points gap should be 0.4mm or 0.016in and should be clean. If they are pitted or corroded in any way they will need replacing.

Step 9

Fan Belt

Check every time you look in the engine bay! Its easy. 10 - 15mm play is fine, anymore and you should adjust. There are some small shims that can removed if the fan belt is to loose.

Step 10

Air filter

The air filter will need to be cleaned and the oil replaced every 5000 miles. Drain the old oil, clean and fill up with new engine oil. Make sure you dispose of your engine oil properly. Your local council will have an oil disposal unit.

Step 11

Fuel lines and hoses

Check the condition of your fuel lines every time you follow this service check list. If they are chapped in anyway replace them. Remember - no smoking! You can get very high quality steel lines if you prefer. Whilst you are doing this you can check the heater pipes for holes or badly fitting joints and repair if necessary. Having wholes or bad joints will reduce your buses chance of keeping you warm.

Step 12

Brake fluid

Brake fluid should be checked and topped up periodically. The brake fluid reservoir can be found behind the front kick panel.

Step 13

Brake Pads

The brake pads can be checked very easily on a bus, although you will need to remove the wheels. To do this jack up the vehicle and remember to always use axle stands. You will be able to see if your pads need replacing, they should be at least 7mm thick.

Step 14

Axle

The axle will need to be greased every 5-7000 miles. There are multiple points that need greasing. These are the steering idler that is located in the middle of the axle and the four trailing arm bushes at the ends. So a grease gun will be a great buy!

Step 15

Front & Rear Drums

The front and rear drums of your VW bus will require adjusting at lease every 6000 miles. To do this, you should insert a screwdriver in to the drum adjustment whole under the hub cap of your bus. More to follow

Step 16

Handbrake

The handbrakes on VW buses are notoriously bad and often hardly work at all. This is usually because they haven’t been adjusted for years. This isn’t a difficult task - more

Step 17

Wheel Bearings

Your wheel bearings will to be checked every 10000 miles or once a year which ever comes first. You should re-grease them every 20-30000 miles or two - three years. To check them jack up your bus (don’t forget to use axle stands), and grasp the top and bottom of your wheel and push the top and pull the bottom of the wheel. If there is any play they will need to be replaced. If there is any grinding when you spin the wheel then it is likely that the bearing will need replacing.

Step 18

Clutch

Your clutch should be checked for play periodically and should have around 20mm play at the foot peddle. You should also grease the clutch cable periodically to help its ability to work efficiently and to stop it breaking because it gets stuck.

Step 19

I can’t think of any more but if anyone has any other tips please let me know.

Thanks

2. Planes are cramped. I don’t care how much faster they get you there, it is not fun having to sit on a glorified bus for an hour to five hours, surrounded by people you would happily ignore any other time, even if they were on fire.

3. Motor homes can take you more places. The idea that travel is just about going to another city for a few days is limited. What about pro or college football tailgating? You think a Packers tailgate party would be less fun or more with an RV that has a kitchen, tables, TV and bathroom? I’m thinking it would be more - one trip to a Port-a-san in Green Bay and you’ll think so too. (A people raised on cheese AND beer AND bratwurst? Are you kidding me?)

4. Motor homes have beds. That you can stretch out is one thing. That you or your passengers can move about the cabin as much as they want is another thing. But when everyone can pile on the couch or bed and not have to worry about any strangers - or smell them - motor homes win. You can use motor homes as portable temporary housing if you need to. Can the airlines claim that? Why don’t you ask one of the Jet Blue passengers that had to sleep in an airport terminal last year.

5. Recreational vehicle rental opens up traveling. If you need to get to a meeting in another state by tomorrow, yeah, flying is your best option. But if you’re heading out to see something new, the road offers as much as your destination. It’s part of the thrill of the open road, the places you hardly ever hear about but dot the landscape. Cafes, historical monuments, natural wonders. There are even special destinations like Disneyland RV parks or Yellowstone Park. Which leads directly into reason #5…

6. You can’t get an airline to land in the middle of Yellowstone Park. A motor home not only replaces a plane, it replaces your hotel room and your rental car. It’s everything you need packed into a single vehicle.

7. Motor homes don’t have security checkpoints. When you travel by motor home, you are not only more comfortable, not only allowed to bring as much carry on luggage as you feel like - but you will never have a minimum wage employee root around in your bags to see if you are carrying more than 4 oz. of hair gel.

Because if you want to bring down that Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, all you need is a full bottle of Listerine and the will to do so. Are these people for real?

8. Motor homes do not fall flaming from the sky. That one’s relatively self explanatory though.

9. Planes can leave without you. With air travel, you are entirely at the mercy of the flight schedule. If you really like being insulted, try this on for size: If you are late, the plane will leave without you, but the airline is free to be as late as they please - and they usually are. As a result you can be late for your all-important connecting flight in Pittsburgh… which will leave without you.

10. Planes smell bad. Face it, they do. Have you ever seen what the cleaning crew on a plane does? They fold a blanket or two and swab off any vomit they might find. But since air travel is all about turn around, they don’t have time to do much of anything else. The design on the seat cushions sure looks like they haven’t updated since the mid 80s - so how much butt do you think they’ve had rubbed on them?

A motor home for sale comes whistle clean, and stays as clean as you want it to be. (I mean, hey, there’s a responsibility to clean up after yourself, but that’s the same as at home, right?) If you get a rental, there are days with which to go over the RV with a fine-toothed comb. RV rental companies want your business, so you better believe that means they want their product to be sparklingly fresh.

An RV is THE home for ‘Earth Conscious’, responsible people! I’m aware of the common preconception of wastefulness they’re saddled with. I’d also submit; that preconception is misguided. The truth is, I don’t believe that the average American could live more environmentally conscious, than with what is ‘built in’ to the RV lifestyle.

Take a minute and think about it. The RV is the perfect pack it in - pack it out accommodation for an extended trip to the woods. Not to mention the perfect home for an environmentalist.

It’s compact, efficient; use of space, combined with its Solar Power system, (assuming you install one!) consumes far less fossil fuel than even the smallest brick and mortar home.

On top of that, being an RVer, I am focused, by the limited fresh and waste water capacity of the rig, on minimizing my consumption of precious water, thereby also reducing the production of waste water to be dealt with.

I can’t see how anyone wanting to minimize their impact on the planet could do better than boondocking in an RV! Heck, even when I’m ‘hooked up’ to regular systems, my conservative, boondocking ways carry over and we consume less. Habits learned from Rving carry over into the rest of my living. Environmentally conscious behaviour in action!

I’m always on the lookout for new, easier, cheaper, simpler, ways. Cheaper generally means I’m NOT buying something. Not buying something, means I have less packaging to throw away… Less space taken up in land fills, less energy and resources to produce the packaging… less energy and pollution to transport the product… etc.

Another, side-benefit is that I’ve finally found a way for my naturally, lazy, ways to be profitable! Not having to buy something means I don’t have to do the work, to produce the income, buying ‘it’ would have required. Less work suits me just fine! Just means more time to enjoy livin’!

Living in an RV, with its limited storage and cargo capacity, you have an enforced ‘cap’ on the amount of ’stuff’ you can posses. Anything you add in to the rig requires that something else be taken out. The end result is a more thoughtful and conservative consumer!

The limitations of the RV lifestyle spill over and improve the world outside of RVing. We plant an environmentally conscious seed… and we move on!

Even the relatively low fuel mileage I get moving the trailer is factored into my thinking. Our camps are generally set for days at a time. Many days the truck never even gets fired up. Zero fuel burned. Unlike at the brick and mortar home; which requires five days a week of slavery, driving to and from work. When we do move camp, we don’t go that awful far, and then we, again, stay put for a few days. We travel, slowly, enjoying the improved fuel consumption.

End result… lower total fuel consumption.

If you use a rig for your living quarters, in town, and you’re not even moving it… even less fuel consumption! Not to mention the huge reduction you can make in your monthly ‘rent’.

All told, our net energy consumption is far smaller. Our ’sticks and bricks’ house, burns two hundred dollars worth of propane, per month, in the winter; another seventy five in electricity. Our fifth wheel trailer consumes less than 1/2 of that propane, and that’s in the winter. Come summer and that gas consumption plummets even lower.

My electricity comes to me now from the sun, totally eliminating that expense… Free… once the solar power system was paid for anyway. The ‘brick and mortar’ house required the burning of fossil fuel to power the electric generators down at the utility company… and thousands of miles of power lines to maintain and mar the view.

So… my RV’s Solar power system, not only conserves fuel and eliminates the resulting pollution, it saves me in the long run, the cost of $4 a gallon (and rising) fuel to power a generator. A ‘little’, up front investment, and that hassle is gone!

I habitually do a ‘Navy’ shower routine. Between the two of us combined, my wife and I, we don’t consume thirty gallons of water a day, usually far less (15+-). Compare that to the national average of over 50 gallons a day, per person! Usually far higher than that!

Some might go on to call them campers. To which I reply: “When you haul a microwave, computer and refrigerator, along with the television, stereo, couch, shower, queen size bed and dinette to the mountains; supported by your own private, ’solar power company’; all the accoutrements an American requires, you can call it: a road trip, you can call it going to the mountains, or even RV Boondocking… but you can’t call it camping!”

Finally, consider the amount of resources required to build the rig in the first place… Hmmm… the house is 2900 square feet… our fifth wheel trailer about 230 square feet. Want to make any bets on which made less of an impact on the planet to construct?

Are RVs wasteful and inefficient? I say: “Not likely!” To my mind, they are the best use of available resources, while allowing a person a lower cost of living, which will free up the time for them to pursue… living!… While being Environmentally Conscious at the same time!

My advice? Move into an RV! Enjoy life and save a whale! and maybe a couple of trees.

We spent a few nights at various Walmarts before we came across the first one that did not permit over night stays in their parking lot. It caught me so far off guard that after we got home I decided to call Walmart’s corporate office and ask what their position was about over night stays in their parking lots. What I found out was that it is left totally up to each store manager, and their decisions are usually based on space and the affect it has on traffic. They told me to make sure I talked to the manager, and not an employee.

A few weeks later we were traveling and needed a place to spend the night, so I pulled into a Walmart, and went in to ask if it was alright to spend the night in their parking lot. An employee told me no it was not alright, so I ask for the manager, he told me that the manager would tell me that same thing. I still ask to speak to the manager, after a few minutes he came and talked to me. I ask about spending the night in the parking lot, and he said that it was fine as long as we stayed as far away from the store as possible. That is when I realized the corporate office knew what they were talking about when they told me to speak to the manager.

This is not a typical article for me, but I thought it was worth sharing, especially if it will help another Wallmart camper find a place to spend the night. There are a few Walmarts that have signs posted that over night stays are not permitted, that makes it pretty clear. As long as there are no signs, and there are others set up and camping, I don’t ask, but if I am the only one in the parking lot, I always ask the manager, and so far neither one has told me no.