Escapees March-April 2023

mark, my words

Towing Tips Q. We just bought a 33' class A and now want to tow our RAV4. We have checked with Camping World, and they can make our SUV suitable for towing. Can you give us any helpful hints on towing, such as blind spots when changing lanes, how far ahead do we need before braking and how wide do we make the turn? Any information you can provide would be helpful. Joe and Nancy A. Most tow-bar systems allow you to easily tow your car behind your motorhome. Because the towed car’s front steering is unlocked, the car will follow the motorhome very nicely, generally staying within the motorhome’s tire track width even on fairly sharp turns. You do need to allow some extra distance when passing, and watch what the towed car is doing when you are turning tightly, but for the most part, you’ll hardly know it’s back there! As far as helpful hints go, there are a few pretty universal rules to help you tow safely. FIRST , never attempt to back up with your towed vehicle attached on a tow bar. Not even for a few feet. Serious damage to the tow bar and/or the towed vehicle can result. SECOND , always visually inspect the integrity of the tow bar and its connections anytime you pull off the road for a rest break or park the RV for a short period of time. THIRD , create a checklist for prepping the towed car for towing to ensure that you don’t forget anything. Most vehicles require a sequence of steps to properly prepare them for towing and may involve selecting key and shifter positions, etc. You don’t want to take off down the road with the emergency brake still on! FINALLY , I strongly recommend that you purchase a supplemental braking system for your towed car. These systems apply the towed car brakes in response to braking effort by the motorhome and will shorten your stopping distance appreciably. There are a number of different systems available. You should consult with the folks who sold you the tow-bar system for their recommendations, and ask some other RVers about their braking systems to get a feel for what will work the best for you.

Motel or RV? Q. I don’t own or have ever used an RV, but I keep looking at them. I thought I would try renting to see if I would like to purchase. But I do the numbers and fi nd I can motel a lot cheaper than renting an RV. My wife thinks I’m nuts for even looking. I see the gas prices climbing and wonder how can people a ff ord to do this? Do they have some unlimited funds from some overseas bank account to support them? What am I missing in the formula? There doesn’t seem to be a savings in RVs. I’m retired and would like to travel this great country, and the thought of an RV is exciting. But the thought of the costs is scary. Any thoughts? Bob A. While it may be cheaper to stay in a motel, it’s nowhere near as comfy! When you look at how an RV can provide you with all the comforts of home even though you are camped way out in the boonies, the motel room looks pretty shabby by comparison. Also, there aren’t many motels within a few steps of a trout stream or a national forest. When I was traveling, I always thought of it like this: When you travel in an RV, it’s just like being at home, ex

cept the front yard changes every couple of days! I sleep in my own bed, cook my own food, have a comfortable chair and all of my “stu ff ” is with me. You just can’t get that in a motel.

I can’t tell you that RVing is a way to save money when traveling, but I believe it’s a way to get MORE for your money. You might want to go rent that RV and give it a try.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FORMARK? Submissions must not contain commercial advertising or consumer advocacy issues. Due to the large volume of material and correspondence submitted, we may be unable to reply or acknowledge receipt of your material. Material will be edited. Questions and answers with the highest general interest may be repeated in subsequent issues. Questions can be sent by mail to “Mark, My Words” Column, 100 Rainbow Drive, Livingston, TX 77351-9300 or to techquestions@escapees.com.

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March/April 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine