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Forum
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RE: Full time RVing and working
We've been living and working on the road since 2004. What you ultimately decide to do will depend on your finacial and personal needs. Work-camping is useful for reducing out-of-pocket expenses but it is generally a poor choice if you're looking for a way to make a living.
Manpower (as metioned by another member) might be a good start. If you hace special skills, consider looking for short-term contract work.
My wife and I write for as living and thus only need a laptop computer and access to the Internet to make money. In any case, full-time RVing can be a terrific way to see the country and work with interesting people. It's also an economical lifestyle, especially if you can find temporary work. If you check out the local papers, visit job placement organizations, and keep a positive attitude, things will work out fine. Best of luck
Jack
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BRAVE
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11/19/08 12:46am |
Workamping Forum
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RE: how cold is to cold
It isn't clear whether you're on the road or simply storing your RV. If you're camping, simply disconnect the fresh water line for the night, If it's windy as well as cold, you'll also need to run your furnace to get heat into your RV's plumbing compartment.
If you plan on staying several nights in sub-freezing conditions, you'll have to consider other possible solutions for reducing the liklihood of damage to your RV's plumbing system. These include pipe heaters, tank heaters, carefully placed light bulbs, space heaters, antifreeze, and skirting to minimize the movement of air under your RV.
In summary, the level of effort required will depend on your specific situation. As a practical matter, few RVs are designed to handle extended use in very cold conditions. A few days is one thing. A few weeks in another. Best of luck.
Jack.
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BRAVE
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11/19/08 12:30am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Propane vs Electric
Most modern RV fridges utilize 12 volt DC as well as propane. A few are capable of operating on 120 volts AC but these 3-way models are less common because of their high price.
In terms of using propane or electricity for your heat, it all depends on your situation. Experienced RVers almost always carry a few electric space heaters to warm up their RVs when staying at a campground with hookups and adequate AC power.
When boondocking (no hook-ups), it's usually more efficient to use your batteries to power your RV's propane furnace. However, electric space heaters can be useful in this situation as well, especially if you're low on propane or your batteries are run down. RV furnaces can deplete your batteries pretty quickly if the outside temperature is low enough (or it's cold and windy).
The bottom line? Keep your propane tank full whenever possible. Make sure your batteries are fully charged at the end of each day. Keep your generator in good working condition and bring along a couple of electric heaters. That way, you'll have the flexibility and the fuel to handle practically any situation. Good luck.
Jack
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BRAVE
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11/19/08 12:17am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Going "camping" - pull a TOAD or rent a car locally?
The 2004 Honda Odyssey can be towed flat. There is a simple procedure that has to be performed before hitting the road but we've towed ours four down since it was new with no problems. A 2004 Odyssey typically costs between $11,000 and $16,000 depending on the mileage and the condition. Best of luck.
Jack
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BRAVE
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11/17/08 05:38am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Using one of them thar blue tote thingies?
Grab a hold of the cap with a pair of pliers and wiggle it off. It will probably be re-usable. However, it wouldn't hurt to have a few spares around just in case. Needless to say, these caps aren't as reliable as a hole and a cotter pin. But they are easy to install.
Jack
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BRAVE
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11/15/08 03:39am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Absorbed Glass Matt Batteries
Sears sells a line of AGM batteries under the Platinum brand. Pricy (approx. $145 each) but simple to maintain and excelent power characteristics. The charging requirements mentioned earlier are not significant enough to worry about. As a result, any charge/converter will work fine with these batteries. I strongly recommend these batteries.
Jack
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BRAVE
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11/14/08 09:52pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Traveling Sales
We were hosts at a campground in Arizona a few years ago and noticed that one "resourceful" RVer seemed to be doing very well with his home business. In fact, on some days, he would have dozens of people stopping by his site to purchase his wares. However, one of the visitors turned out to be an undercover agent from the Phoenix vice squad. Not sure what he was selling but I guess he didn't have a license because he was taken away in handcuffs.
Jack
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BRAVE
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07/05/08 01:27am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Generator or solar?
example, if you’re looking for a way to have all the “comforts” of home no matter where you are, get a generator. That way, you can run every appliance without running down your batteries.
On the other hand, if you can live without ACs, microwaves, big TVs, and coffee makers, consider getting a solar panel and a few extra batteries. You’ll never use and fuel and they run silently.
If you have the money, get both. Then you can run the generator when you need it but use the solar panel(s) to keep your 12 volts system (lights, water pump, furnace, fridge) humming along. By the way, if you do go with a solar system, purchase a Trik-L-Start. It enables your chassis (starting) battery to be charged by the solar system. Otherwise, only your coach (house) batteries will be charged by the solar panel(s).
Jack
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BRAVE
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07/04/08 04:19am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Quality Coaches
Keep in mind, the issue of quality is relative. I owned a Mercedes once that was reputed to be one of the best built cars in the world. Yet in spite of all that quality, it was in the shop constantly. To make matters worse, the price for parts and service was brutal. Today I drive a Honda. Is it a quality car? Well for one thing, it's rarely in the shop. For another, it cost less than a third of the cost of the Mercedes.
Blue Birds and the like are definitely quality coaches. Are they sensible or economical? That's harder to answer. Most seasoned RVers look for a coach that offers good value for the money. Winnebagos and Itascas are good examples of a solidly built RV for the money. There are others. However, in these uncertain times, I would stick with a company that is going to be around five years from now. Owners of Dolphins, Alfas, and Alpines may have nice coaches but the manufacturers are no longer in business.
Jack
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BRAVE
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07/04/08 04:01am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: autoformer voltage regulator
I finally purchased an autoformer after replacing my second AC capacitor. According to the technician who replaced it, low voltage is the primary reason for AC capacitor failures. Capacitors are essentially used to start the compressor when your AC first starts up. Anyways, I purchased a Frank's 30 Amp Super model and cannot belive the difference. In the past, our ACs used to groan when the campground voltage was low. Now they operate perfectly with no hesitation.
Even though we have a 50 amp RV, we purchased the 30 amp autoformer because we've only encountered low voltage problems at campgrounds that have 30 amps. The savings was more than $200. However, if we do encounter problems at a 50 amp site, we use the autoformer with a 50/30 adaptor. The Frank's autoformer also delivers top notch surge protection as well. Paid a little less than $400 including shipping.
Jack
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BRAVE
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07/04/08 03:46am |
Class A Motorhomes
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