RV Country Routine Maintenance

If you’re new to owning an RV, you’ve probably got a lot of questions. Going through your owners manual can seem overwhelming, and when you bought your unit, you were probably overwhelmed with excitement and received more information than you remember. That's another reason why we thought  going over some commonly asked questions with our service manager Hank Dudley was such a great idea... kind of like a review to refresh the minds of new and old RV owners of things they may have forgotten. 

One question we’re asked by new RV owners is: How often should I bring in my motor home for routine maintenance? When we asked Hank this question, he explained that “All the new units will come with a warranty packet and it will let you know when it's time to bring the unit in for an oil change for the engine, transmission and the generator. It will also let you know what the tire pressure should be kept at. The roof will need to be inspected at least every six months. The appliances will need to be serviced yearly, and the wheel bearings will also need to be inspected yearly. Tires should be replaced every four to five years going by the manufacturer date.” Hank stressed that the biggest item to remember is to check your batteries. “They need to be checked every month when in use, and be sure to keep them charged and clean.”

If you’re still feeling  overwhelmed, or if you have misplaced your warranty packet, that's okay! All the service advisers keep routine maintenance books right by their side. All you have to do is give them a call and they will be happy to let you know when you need to come in and see them. You can also schedule your service appointment right on-line if you’d like.

Remember, if you have any service questions, be sure to give our friendly service staff a call!


Happy RV’ing!

Do I need an inverter to enjoy the RV Lifestyle?

We’re back with another question from an RV Country friend, and another answer from our Service Manager, Hank.

Today's question is:“Do fifth-wheel travel trailers have inverters? If they do not, then I need one with a generator, right?”

Hank tells us that “most fifth-wheel trailers do not have inverters, and only special order trailers come with a generator. However, most can have a generator or inverter installed, but you will not need an inverter if you have a generator.

An inverter takes the place of a generator if you are dry camping (parking anywhere without or with limited amenities) and want to watch TV or make coffee without starting the generator because of noise or fumes. The inverter will take the 12 volt from your battery and convert it to 120 volts.” Remember, if you are going to use a generator, you must also be sure and have a working carbon-monoxide detector installed.

f you are still unsure about using a generator or inverter, you can give our service department a call at (800-959-6485) and speak to any of our friendly service advisors, they’re there to assist! Or you can make an appointment to come in to RV Country and see us. We always love visiting with friends and we'd be happy to help!

Our service department in Fresno is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and closed Saturday and Sunday.

Your Personal RV Expert for the RV Lifestyle

Have you ever wished you had your own personal RV expert on hand to answer all your questions? Well, now you do! Introducing Hank Dudley! Hank is our service manager and he’s been with RV Country for 10 years!

We’ve had several questions from all of you RV enthusiasts submitted through our social media sites as well as our website, so we thought we would take this great opportunity to sit down with Hank and get some answers. We have chosen to break up the questions into separate articles. By the end of the series, we’re confident that you’re going to know Hank pretty well, and you'll feel comfortable knowing that when you need to bring in your RV for service, it's in the very best of hands. 

 The first questions we’re going to address is: 
“What psi should my tires be at?” 

Hank explains that “all trailers should be five pounds under the recommended pressure on the tire. This allows the hot air to expand and not blow out the tire. For coaches - it goes by the size and weight of the coach. Be sure to remember that all RV’s need to be loaded with your belongings for camping BEFORE checking the air pressure in your tires. Also, most new coaches a will come with a tire pressure label inside the coach or trailer.”

If you are still unsure, you can give our service department a call (800-959-6485) and speak to any of our friendly service advisors. They’re always happy to help or you can make an appointment to come on in to RV Country and see us. We always love visiting with friends! Our service department in Fresno is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and closed Saturday and Sunday.

Thomas & Deborah - Luxury RV Features & Monaco International RV Club fun!

Monday August 1

After a comfortable and safe drive, we pulled in to the Monaco Pre-rally Sunday evening. Two items to note regarding the home we’ve enjoyed for five nights: the Aladdin system that I mentioned earlier, in addition to all the cool information it brings you, also accesses any cameras the coach is equipped with. “Ok,” you say, “that’s cool.” But wait, there’s more! Typically, a small LCD screen is also mounted near the bed with an Aladdin controller. This means, that while lying in bed, one can navigate through all the cameras, checking the back and each side like a built in security system! And finally, typically the driver’s seat is a big fluffy recliner that can be swiveled to become part of the livingroom furniture. Nice, but such seats do not necessarily make for the best driving position. Of the many Monacos I’ve driven, the driver’s seat in this one is by far the best. It’s the Hi-Tech Kustom Fit, and it adjusts every way possible, including lumbar, and the lower seating cushion actually retracts to morph from a fluffy piece of furniture into a more typical vehicle seat. Very cool.

After doing some final shopping Sunday (always fun to pull a 44' Executive and trailer into a parking lot), we were ready for the Customer Appreciation Banquet held Monday evening. The place mats were pages of the U.S. Road Atlas, and the center pieces were all-American as was the dinner. Deborah checked everyone in, about 85 people, and Thomas served the tri-tip expertly prepared by Jorge, one of the sales staff. We LOVED the Monaco crowd; what a neat bunch of people.

A constant stream of coaches continued to arrive, and soon the Expo center was transfomed from a fairgrounds into a little city of motorhomes. The organizers expected nearly 200 Monacos. Electrical is run for plug-ins, entertainment planned, and lots of socializing. It's really something to see.

Off on the bike Tuesday morning with a fond farewell to the Monaco Owners and our good friends at Paul Evert's RV Country.

RV Adventure Preperation

Recently RV Daily Report published an article called "FCCC Offers Summer RV Preparation and Safety Tips.” Service Trainer, Michael Cody gave some great tips, and we thought we’d share the article with our RV Country community! Remember, these tips are not only great for summer, but for any time you're heading out on an RV adventure. So read on RV'ers... and before you take off, take one more minute to check these items:

• Tire care and maintenance are key, so begin by checking the condition of your tires, inspecting each one closely for sidewall cracks on both sides, excessive wear and cuts on the treads and sidewalls. Measure your tread depth and make sure you’re rolling on at least 4/32-inch-deep tread on the front axle tires and 2/32-inch-deep tread on the rear axle tires.
• Check each tire’s pressure and adjust it to the manufacturer’s specified pressure per weight on each corner of the coach. Remember: All RV tire manufacturers recommend four corner weights to account for variations in weight distribution once travelers get their own belongings on board. It’s worth noting that it does not matter whether you use nitrogen or air from a compressor – tire pressure must be adjusted to the coach’s weight before traveling.  Review your chassis’ servicing records to ensure it’s not overdue for any regular maintenance.
• Make sure crucial fluids are at proper levels, including engine oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, diesel exhaust fluid and windshield washer fluid. For engine coolant, FCCC recommends its Fleet Charge 50/50, pre-charged with SCA. This is an ethylene glycol-based diesel-specific coolant formulated for heavy-duty cooling systems.
• RVs are loaded with lights of varying functions, but all are important to check: high and low beam headlamps, taillights, turn signals, back-up lights, tow power lights and emergency four-way flashers.
• And finally, because not every emergency is road-related, make sure all smoke alarms, LP leak detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working and have fresh batteries.
• Check fire extinguishers for a full charge and be sure they’re stowed where they can be reached quickly should you need them.

Should you need assistance, we invite you to contact us to schedule a service appointment with your friendly RV Country Service Advisor. We'll be happy to make sure your RV is in tip top shape!

Happy RVing!

Thomas & Deborah - On the Road!

Thursday July 28

Hi again. We're Thomas and Deborah and we're on our way to Manitowoc, Wisconsin in a 2006 Monaco Executive. Please see our first blog for an introduction. More about us later, but we've completed our first full day on the road. The 550 miles today added to the 240 we covered Wednesday evening puts us in Green River, Utah. It's been a leisurely pace. Beautiful scenery, beautiful drive.

We've delivered coaches about 10 times for Curt and Paul Evert's RV Country and part of the fun is learning each coach and its accouterments. I've grown to appreciate many, like the interactive cruise control, or Smartcruise. It matches the speed of the vehicle in front of you. I wouldn't leave it on all the time because it can get confused, but on a two-lane road, when we couldn't pass for many miles, it perfectly matched the pace of the truck in front of us and I sat back and enjoyed the ride. It would be awesome if you were traveling with someone; you wouldn't have to keep adjusting your cruise to match theirs.

Another of my favorites is the HWH Computerized Leveling system. Press a button and the air suspension does the rest in seconds--flawlessly.

But my all time, can't-live-without option is the Aladdin. It's just what a former truck driver techno-geek loves. This system gathers information from everywhere and delivers it to the video screen by the steering wheel: temperatures, transmission performance, power output, cruise control set points, speed, tank levels, even compass heading. It has answers to a thousand questions.

Regardless of what we're driving, however, a road trip is a wondrous way to suspend time. We've been gone a little over 24 hours and already feel we've been on vacation for weeks. Travel; it makes life last longer, in a good way.

RV Country Announces the Arrival of the Keystone 246 RLS with the Reese Revolution Pin Box!

You may remember the article  we did back in April on the Keystone 246 RLS Cougar High Country Fifth Wheel that comes equipped with a Reese Revolution Pin Box. We are extremely excited to announce that we have one in stock - on the lot! This is a must see unit! This is the FIRST EVER of its kind. It's a double slide out fifth wheel that weights only 6,700 lbs, and the Reese Revolution Pin Box is BUILT IN!

What’s a Reese revolution Pin Box you ask? Let us tell you all about it! It is by far one of the coolest things since the pudgy pie! It allows short bed trucks to make 90+ degree turns effortlessly, with no fear of contact, and without the need for an automatic sliding hitch. How awesome is that?!

Imagine…no more swinging out to make a turn and only one moving part with no lubrication or regular cleaning required.

It’s just another reason to come see us and purchase a Cougar by Keystone!

Tech Talk: 6v or 12v batteries - which one is right for you?

We've recently seen some debates online about the differences between 6 volt and 12 volt batteries and which option is better.

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Rod Ploeckelmann

Paul Evert's RV is very fortunate to have master technician (since 1995!!), Rod Ploeckelmann on hand, so we quizzed him and found he has a wealth of information on this topic.

PE's: What is the difference between a 6 volt and a 12 volt battery?
Rod: Amp hours, longevity, and weight are probably the main differences.

PE's: And what are amp hours good for?
Rod: The longevity - The 6 volts are designed more for the inverters purpose of charging the battery. Also, should there be an issue, even though it's best to replace all 4, you can replace just 1 - there are a lot of advantages to the 6 volt versus the 12 volt battery.

PE's: You said 6 volts are designed for inverters. Does that mean in a trailer that does not have an inverter, you would have to use a 12 volt battery?
Rod: No, you can use either one, but 12 volts are more customarily used in travel trailers and fifth wheels because they are more compact and lighter weight. However, if you have the room, I would still recommend using two 6 volt batteries.

PE's: Since there would only be one 12 volt battery instead of two to four 6 volts, should the two types be wired differently?
Rod: I'm glad you asked this! Yes, many times I've seen the wiring from the manufacturer be done incorrectly. 6 volt batteries need to have the positive go to one pair and the negative to the other pair so that the inverter sees it as one battery and doesn't have a leader or a follower.

PE's: So if a customer is having trouble with a 6 volt battery holding it's charge or they feel they are going bad too quickly, what should they do?
Rod: The customer should definitely bring their vehicle in! If they just take it anywhere and have new batteries put in, things will seem fine for maybe the first year, but then the same problem will eventually re-develop. However, I always check to make sure the wiring is done correctly before just replacing them - this ensures a full and long battery life.

PE's: It seems the 6 volt is the way to go. Do you know if there is a price difference between the 6v and 12v?
Rod: Yes, the 6 volts are going to be a little bit more expensive, but the customer will be much more satisfied with the longevity of the 6 volt. Also, if the customer has an inverter or demands a lot of usage, they'll be able to cut down on the generator starting because of the 6 volts additional amps. You see, two 6 volts are 105 amp hours each equaling 210 amp hours, whereas one 12 volt is only 80 amps.

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So there you have it folks! Looks like the 6 volt is the way to go.

Pricing from the Paul Evert's RV Parts Department:
6v   - $164.49 + tax & core
12v - $108.24 + tax & core

Click Here for more info on joining our "Country Club" and how you can save 10% on your battery cost and even on labor if you have work done in our service department!

Click Here to make a Service Appointment.