Confession of the Village Idiot

Jim Scoggins question about the correct key position for towing a Jeep reminded me of this event. This was back in Sept. of 2007.


I was never going to tell anyone I did this, but it is so stupid I'm gonna confess. Leaving Navarre Beach, Fl. yesterday to drive home to East Texas. Sent wife ahead to the Publix grocery store to buy dry ice for the fish we caught on Monday. I park the MH at Publix and get in the Jeep to hook up and head home. While doing this, I have three of the grandkids asking me if they can ride in the MH instead of riding in the car with our daughter and SIL who are pulling the sailboat. Also, wife wants to know if she got enough dry ice and, if I'm ready for lunch. Lots going on while I'm hooking up. But, I get everything done and we head out. Drive West on I10 and stop at the Mississippi Welcome Center to dump my tanks and look things over. Head back out and everything is going smooth and nice but with a car full of kids following, we are stopping every hundred miles or so for a potty break or to get something to eat. So, on about seven thrity last night I'm watching the Jeep in the camera and it looks like the headlights are on. I think it must be some kind of strange reflection and knowing that we will be stopping again soon I keep driving. When we do stop, I go back to see why the Jeep headlights are on. When I open the door, I get a blast of cold air from the AC and it hits me what I have done. I have just driven seven hours with my toad running. Still had a quarter tank of gas and all the gauges looked fine, so I just shut her down and kept my mouth shut. I have owened a MH for over twenty years and hooked up and headed out hundreds of times but this is the first time I failed to turn the engine off on my toad. I'm laughing now, but boy did I feel like the Village Idiot last night.

I can only chuckle at your adventure. It would take us that have towed another subject on the forum to describe our 'OH OHs'.

Where in East Texas do you live? I live in Livingston, Texas.

Thanks for sharing.

Hector

Well, now. You were "cool" about it.

Ted,

Thanks for the confession, it's good for the soul. I think I have made about every dumb mistake possible motorhoming. However, I never cease to amaze myself and others as I still find ways to embarrass myself and provide comic relief for all those who witness these events.

Happy New Year:D

Ted,

What would make you think you are the only one to have made a faux pas?

We brave ones that confess for all the world to see (note my signature which gives a clue about what my public confession was) are only the tip of the iceberg. There are many who haven't yet publicly told their stories.

Of course, I am the clown who drove the Prevost to meet my bride at the Tampa International Airport (check this category for the complete confession).

They say there are only two kinds of coach owners: Those who have driven away with the electric connected and those who will.

This afternoon, I hooked up the Explorer for a 90-mile jaunt and couldn't get one of the Falcon tow bars to lock up. Since I was by myself, went round and around in a bus terminal to try to get it to do its thing.

In what could be termed incredibly bad judgment, took off on I-4 with only one bar locked in. Found that you actually can pull with only one bar locked...it's the stopping that is the problem. So, kept at slow speed with the load on the toad and landed safely at the destination.

Like the operator's manual says, "Lawyer/lawyer/lawyer" you can get away with some things. But at high speeds, it would be a real nifty way to jacknife your toad.

Never 'assume' that something like this is OK. We all know the origins of the word, "Assume."

Ted, in the grand scheme of things, that one is not bad at all, it didn't damage your toad, and didn't come undone and damage others, and it didn't delay your trip!

I keep swearing I am going to make up a pre / post flight checklist.. But have not completed it yet. Little things like awning hooks... I let my awnings in one time, and knowing I would be a day or two more in the camp, didn't close the safety hooks on the awnings.

Of course the next thing is its windy the next day, and you don't end up putting them out and you are surfing the pavement with no hooks! Not good.

When I get to it, my checklilst will have a section for when I am towing. Engine off, key still on so wheels turn, parking brake off (this is a common one as many times as it is usually the last thing you let go) and I sometimes forget the little cable for the break-a-ways. Not crucial to operation, until that one time you just happen to need it :) .

I also leaned from Colorado Bus (if memory serves me right) to do a walk-a-round any time you have been stopped and check your hitch pins & cables. They had someone pull the hitch pins, in an apparent GTA attempt. They didn't complete their mission, but CB pulled out the next day and you can guess the outcome. Bad JuJu.

Another good tidbit is to fire up your aux compressor a couple minutes b4 engine startup to get air to your belt tensioners so the belts are taught when you hit the starter. Belts are easily thrown with no tension.

Geez, I am rambling... I will shut up now!

Good luck!!

Jello (or anyone else)-

Do all conversions have an Aux compressor in order to tighten up the belts prior to start up as you suggest ? I have an "Aux. Tank" that has a gauge on the dash and that fluctuates when I'm using the level low. How does one turn on the Aux tank prior to start up ? No apparent switches on the dash on my Royal anyway. Is this compressor in the bay under the driver and is there some manual switch.

To try and chime in, contribute and not cross thread the topic, the stupidest thing I've done so far is drive off w/o stowing the non-in-motion sattalite and it stows itself evidently after you reach a certain speed but I must have gone straight to the Hwy because when it reach the position and began to go down, it stripped the gears from too much wind resistance. Was able to get the parts and repair but I put a little sign up on the dash now religiously each time I put the dish up that says "Warning. Stow Dish".

I my Porsche, I once filled it up with Diesel instead of gas. I once drove off (in another car) with the fuel hose in. Now I know why the fill nozzle is curved. Help itself exit when you reach the end of the "rope" and it snapped out with no damage or breaking the hose.

I've only had the Bus for 4 years so give me some more wheel time and I'm certain that I haven't found the 50 ways to be the village idiot. Each time you mess up, you cross that one off the list and hardly ever make the same mistake twice but you just know there is another lesson you haven't learned yet that is coming up but don't know how or when it's coming, but it's-a-coming.

My 04 Bluebird had an electric awning. Prior to departing one morning I had extended it about four feet--it was raining and I was going out to walk the dog prior to departing.

Yes, I left it out. As I got up a little speed the wind sensor kicked in and brought it in. (What was that clunk?)

As I was departing I made a mental note of all the friendly people out on the street waving at me.

There was even one guy who indicated I was Number One!