I thought I would share a true story of a vacation we took last year to the Black Hills of South Dakota. If you feel you are the unluckiest person in the world, this should make you feel better! if you are new to RVing, please don’t let this scare you away!
This was our first camping trip that we took where we went with friends. They have a PUP (Pop-up for you newbies) and we had our Travel Trailer.
The fun began on the highway. One thing I always hated about our setup is the friction sway control. I never felt like it did a good enough job. So, as we were driving we found ourselves swaying more than I would have wanted but still within reason (most of the time). Well, up in Wisconsin on a three way highway, I chose to ride the middle lane. This was a big mistake, and if you don’t think so, ask my wife…she will be brutally honest on this one! Anyway, there I am in that middle lane when two 18 wheelers ride up at the same time on either side of us and that was the worst driving experience I have ever felt. You know how it is (sometimes) when a semi passes you…try to imagine the vortex on both sides. It was like being in a pinball machine and for the life of me; I don’t know how I didn’t hit anything. Our friends were following us and later at a rest area said that from their angle it was pretty amazing to see us get thrown around like that!
The next bit of fun came in Minnesota right when we crossed the Mississippi river. This is on Interstate 90 and when you cross, there is a pretty steep incline. So, there we are, trying to make that hill. People were passing us and my truck was slowing down. I felt like I was in the movie The Long, Long Trailer! If you haven’t seen that movie…it is a must. I will write about movies at a later time. Back to the hill. When we almost got to the top of the hill, my truck sputtered and then the ‘Service Engine Soon’ light came on. We pulled over after we went over the top of that hill. We took a look under the hood everything seemed okay except for the service light. We decided to forge ahead!
We made it to our first stop-over at Blue Mounds State Park. If you haven’t stayed here, you must give it a try! So, the next day, we packed up to finish our drive. It was pretty uneventful until we got to Rapid City. We decided to pull into the tourist information building to get directions to the campground we had booked. Just when we got there, my gauges started going crazy and the battery indicator came on. This, by the way, was a fairly new battery. We took a look under the hood and all looked good. Sure enough, when we started the truck…everything was okay. So we went ahead and got our info and got back on the road.
The next part of the fun is all my fault. You see, living in Northern Illinois, we just don’t have big hills. This was the first time driving on this type of terrain with my trailer. As we were heading out of Rapid City towards Keystone, there is a very long inclining hill. We were worried about this one, but we took our time and all went well. This is where it really got fun! The Black Hills are like driving on a roller coaster. Yep, time for a steep hill down. Well, I hadn’t quite practiced downshifting and I relied on the brakes. By the time we got to Keystone, the smell from the brakes was pretty extreme and that was worrisome, but there was no damage.
We got all setup and I disconnected my truck and then we rested. The next day was Fathers Day and so my son wanted to take me to an indoor black light golf course we had passed on our way to the camp ground. So, he and I went to the golf course. Sure enough, my truck was not done with me! On the way there, the gauges went crazy again and so we turned the AC off and finally got to the place. When we were done, I went to start the truck and there was nothing! No power, no gauges….nothing! I opened the hood and wiggled the battery cable and the truck came to life. We made it back to the camp ground just fine.
I grabbed my laptop and looked up a Chevy dealer in Rapid City. Monday morning, I got up early and drove in to the dealer when they opened. For the record, they were fantastic! So, there I am waiting in the waiting room, and the service manager comes to me to discuss the damages. He starts with “one of the cylinders misfired about 800 miles ago. Yep, that was that hill in Minnesota. They felt they could just put some detergent in the tank to help clean the injectors. Cool….sounds good so far. As for the power problem, they found that one of the battery cables was corroded within the insulation and it needed replacement. Okay…still not sounding bad. Finally, he says that while they were inspecting, they found that the belt idler was worn. If we lose that, we lose the whole shooting match. Okay….fix that too. They did the job and that fixed all those problems.
The truck was great for the rest of the week in the Black Hills. When it came time to leave, we packed up and left early. It was really gloomy out and there was a really strong wind out of the North which reminded me of how much I hated my sway bar! We made our way across South Dakota and then through Minnesota. We wanted to stay at a state park in the Eastern part of Minnesota. We arrived…in tact and setup shop. Well….it had been raining for what must have been weeks and we were inundated with mosquitoes. Not a pleasant stay at all! We were glad to get on the road the next day.
So, this is the final leg of the journey. We drove into Wisconsin and it was raining. As we were driving, my windshield wipers stopped in the up position. I shook my head and just couldn’t believe this was happening. It would work once in a while and that made for some nervous driving.
Somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin, we decided to stop at a rest area. While there, I inspected everything and noticed a strange wear on one of the tires. It was bald on part of the surface. It was clear that by the way it had worn, there was a flaw. We left the rest area and I looked for a truck stop with a service center. I very kind tire specialist came out and agreed it was a flawed tire. We put our spare on and made our way home.
Once home, and after I disconnected the trailer, while running a couple post-vacation errands, my battery light came on. My alternator had bit the dust! SO, to get my truck back up to good working condition, I found myself replacing the windshield motor and the alternator. Oh, I also took my trailer to a tire dealer and had them put on some nice radials.
I should probably let you know that my truck, a 1998 Chevy Tahoe had sat for a year or two prior to me buying it. This goes to show that vehicles are better used than letting them sit!
Whew….I hope you got through this! I also hope you got a smile out of this too. When it was all happening I was angry, but now all I can do is laugh at it! So if you think you are the unluckiest person in the world….come back to this article and that should cheer you up!
Happy Camping and see you next Sunday!
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Roz Nowosielski
Yikes, what an experience!
We are newbies, and are planning a trip in about five weeks for Yellowstone, and the Black Hills. We are from southeast Michigan. Do you have any advice as far as routes, or must sees? Any particular campgrounds or attractions you would recommend? We fortunately just purchased a new tow vehicle, but I am still nervous about the trek, especially what you said about the inclines.
Wish us luck and say a prayer!
Lynne Caulkett
Hey David, listen to this one. My brother-in-laws parents were towing a 32 ft. trailer through Tennessee along I-75 years ago. They left their small dog in the trailer (It was in October and heat was not an issue). After a while the wife happened to glance over and spotted a trailer along side of them. She calmly commented on how much the dog in the trailer window reminded her of their dog, when the husband checked his rear view mirror and realized with horror that it was their dog! Talk about bad luck! The trailer had come unhitched and was now passing them. Lucky for them (and the dog, who had to be pretty confused seeing his master alongside him!), they were on a stretch of flat road with no curves, and the trailer stayed straight and slowed down to a stop with no other cars on the road, which was a miracle since the trailer was in the oncoming traffic lane. Come to find out, the husband had forgotten to attach the chains and must have not checked to see that the ball was firmly attached in their haste to get on the road. It is funny now when they tell the story, but it could have been tragic.
Lynne Caulkett
This is for Peggy. Stick to the 3/4 ton. When fully loaded those trialers can be pretty heavy, especially in hilly terrains, and why buy a truck you may have to replace down the road.
Sid Burklund
Peggy,
I think the worst 2 word heard when asking a seamingly straight forward question is “That Depends”. and that is were your question brings me.
Because you didn’t say how much your trailer weighs when loaded I can give you som direction that I hope will help. First find out how much your trailer waighs when loaded. When loaded I mean the trailer when empty plus propane, water, and all of your personal and camping gear.
From hear the process is straight forward. If you prefer Ford, Chevy or Dodge, go there first with your trailer information. They should be able to quickly give you several options. Things to consider:
Engine Size, is it large enough to handle the terain you plan on visiting (ie hills and mountains or just rolling terain)?
Transmission, is it adiquite for the strain you will place on it (again, hills and mountains, free ways etc.)? Newer utility transmissions also come with a load selecter that not only changes shift poins but give you “compression breaking”, a great option when you consider the safety this provides.
Breaks, with a 26 foot trailer you have trailer brakes but does the Van have enough capicity to handle the extra load? Also, Some of the new rigs come with pre wired trailer conections that includes a break controler, an option worth considering given their importance.
I know this sounds like a lot and it is but when you think about it it makes sense. With the above in mind I think you will be prepared to visit a dealer (you should start there first before going to a used car lot (they push what they have), .
As an added thought, you might consider talking to the dealers service department, I know they will have the tech side down and that will make you a better prepared buyer.
Good luck,
Sid
PS My wife and I have a 5th wheel rig with a GVWR of 15,000 lbs. Our tow vehicle is a Ford F250 Super Duty, 6 Liter diesel.
Peggy
my husband and i also had many bad lucks coming home in a hurry from Texas. His dad had a stroke and we needed to get home fast, but that didnt happen. We are pulling a 26 foot travel trailer with a 1990 full size van, we now need to buy a new truck, cause the van just cant cut the pulling anymore. So my question is what size truck do we need to pull this camper over hills and mountains. some people tell us 1/2 ton and others tell 3/4 ton. any suggestions?
aksmhrm
Reminds me of a trip we took with our son and his family. All in all we lost three tires on the trip and were about ready to leave the trailer where it sat. First tire to go was just your typical flat……..we stopped along side the road and waiting for Roadside Assistance. They brought out the wrong size tire and so we ended up getting to stay overnight at the tire repair place. They were wonderful though and even hooked us up to electricity. We are retiried and so we don’t necessarily get up early in the morning if you know what I mean. At 7:00 am we started hearing the air guns whirring off lugnuts. That’ll wake a body up in a hurry. We finally got rolling again and pulled in to get fuel and there was a guy just hanging around. He looked at our tires and said we had some issues with them. After looking at them ourselves we agreed, so we bought four new tires and put the other “new tire” on as a spare. We proceeded on to the Grand Canyon and had a great time with the whole family on our fifth wheel. We moved from the campground at the Grand Canyon to a campground in Williams, AZ to spend a couple more days in the area and to let the grand kids swim and in general run off some excess energy. The second night we were there a guy up the road got his truck hijacked and we were a little nervous after that. We left the next day headed home. We lost TWO of our NEW tires as we were driving up I-5. The third showed signs of failure too. The last two tires had a total tread peal. I’ve never seen anything like it unless it was a retread. Anyway, we lost them and had to wait while Roadside assistance came and saved our bacon again. To top it all off it was so cold at the Grand Canyon we about froze. We finally made it home with all new tires AGAIN. We’ve been across the country several times since and never had a problem.
We have since traded in our 5er for motorhome and on the maiden voyage with four grand kids in tow we lost our tail pipe somewhere between Fife, WA and Canyonville, OR. Never heard it come off and never saw it again. spent the whole day at Freightliner while they configured a new tailpipe. Had some electgrical issues also but while it was toasty in the rig with NO AIR CONDITIONERS in AUGUST in Lodi, CA we survived with no addtional issues. Yup, can really relate to your problems……..as they say been there, done that, got the T-shirt……..
Wouldn’t trade this lifestyle for anything though.
Ron Moore
Wow, I can appreciate everything you went through!!! We had a TT, but were fortunate enough to have had the Hensley Arrow – and had two big rigs pass at the same time on either side – no sweat. Positive attitude…next time will be great.
Thomas Mccann
Another great blog Dave.
David Kurtz
Wyalusingwillie…Yes, our travels have improved! As for Lena, Illinois….we have friends that have also recommended the state park and that is one of our planned destinations this year.
wyalusingwillie
You mentioned northern Il. Have you ever stayed at Lake LeaquaNa state park, Lena, Il? Very nice park. Paved sites, electric for all.
I am very familiar with the hills and the Mississippi River. Approaching them and going down can be a daunting experience.
I hope your travels have since improved.