Mistakes We Have All Made In Rv Life

Well, I just now had a "mistake" that I made. The gears to the TV antenna require "lubrication" twice a year according to a sticker next to the gear. Ah......... do we REALLY need to do that? I didn't. Ok, I've had this RV (my 3rd) for a year and a half now, and I'm in Eastern Wyoming. I tried to raise my antenna, and the gear JUST BROKE OFF! I had the antenna raised when it broke off. Fortunately, I was able to use the crank handle to lower it back down. So, I can raise and lower the antenna with some struggle, but I cannot "Turn" it.

I guess you REALLY ARE supposed to lubricate that gear!

JJ

 

Almost too embarrassed to admit this one! We had just gotten our new pop-up camper back about 10 years ago. We were hooking up at the storage facility to bring it home to get ready for our maiden voyage. The storage facility was less than a mile from home so we decided not to hook up the safety chains - afterall, those chains are only for long drives and highway use, right? We managed to pull out into traffic just fine and were tooling down the road when we hit a slight bump in the road. This bump was sufficient to lift the tongue off the hitch (yep. it wasn't attached all the way) and before I knew, the trailer was veering left and headed for on-coming traffic. I decided to slow down a bit and "bump" the trailer with the back end of my truck to straighten it out and slow it down to a stop. The technique worked, however it did cause some damage to our new camper and upon closer inspection we found that the hitch had nearly punctured the propane tank - that would have been very interesting. Needless to say, I always triple check the hitch connections before starting out!!!

 

I just made another stupid mistake a month ago. We were satying at Wal-Mart and evidently I laid the two hitch pins on the ground when I uncoupled. When we came back, I parked in front as usual to keep anybody from blocking me in. Evidently the nighttime parking lot sweeper ate them in the night. We were in Elkhart, IN which is the best place in the US to do something stupid as there are so many RV places there. I found a set of pins that would work in one salvage place and then found the exact match at another. Got the clinch pins at Ace hardware and ended up spending about 1/4 what Blue Ox would have charged me.

 

I am part of the bus conversion community. My husband is a super diesel mechanic but sometimes he goof's. We got a pressure washer and he decided to clean our 671 detroit engine. He got everything so nice and grease free but, since we were full timing and sitting, he forgot to worth the clutch. It rusted up on him and when we got ready to move on he had one heck of a time getting it loose.

We were at a bus rally and another busnut decided to move his bus. He backed into a guide wire attached to a power pole that started wobbling towards our bus. He was told so he moved forward and backed up.....hitting it yet again. We got him to pull forward again so he did and hit someone elses brand new pick up. The man ran and told him what he had done so the driver pulled up and, you guessed it, backed into the truck again. The truck owner is a very soft spoken man and very much the gentleman. After his truck was hit twice he lost the quiet and gentleman part of himself, especially after the driver got out of his bus, laughed and said "oh, well...that's what insurance is for".

 

Hi JJ,

I think bat wings ought to be called "bat out of hell wings". I hate mine with a passion. When I finally manage to "kill it" I will replace it with something that requires *nothing*. It is the one area in my RV that I'd gladly have automated.

I had a similar problem to yours with my new-to-me KK. I put the antenna up--rotated--and then tried to rotate it back to the "neutral" position. It refused to turn--which means it also refused to be lowered all the way.

I had to borrow a ladder and climb up and shove it until I could retract the hellish thing.

QUOTE(DXSMac @ Sep 14 2009, 08:25 AM) [snapback]18910[/snapback]

Well, I just now had a "mistake" that I made. The gears to the TV antenna require "lubrication" twice a year according to a sticker next to the gear. Ah......... do we REALLY need to do that? I didn't. Ok, I've had this RV (my 3rd) for a year and a half now, and I'm in Eastern Wyoming. I tried to raise my antenna, and the gear JUST BROKE OFF! I had the antenna raised when it broke off. Fortunately, I was able to use the crank handle to lower it back down. So, I can raise and lower the antenna with some struggle, but I cannot "Turn" it.

I guess you REALLY ARE supposed to lubricate that gear!

JJ

 

Dalsgal,

Thanks for the story. I hadn't heard that. I knew that something happened, but I hadn't heard that story . I think I know who were the team players were (from all of the comments ).

God bless,

John