Need an Education

[luvmydogs]

We have been on the road now for 2 years and honestly we are nearing the end. There are a few mysteries to rv'ing we still have not figured out, and with the pandemic making everyones patience short, there are a few annoying things we do not understand, so thought we should ask the reasons why. SO, the most irritating thing in regards to the big rigs and some big truck and 5th wheel truck drivers, mostly the big rigs.The question is :Why do most of you feel the need to leave your vehicles running for long amounts of time before you pull out and long amounts of time when you pull into a campsite? If there is no logical reason for this, I'll think I'll give up on mankind all together. Any logical reasons?

[time2roll]

I have had the early morning diesel idle treatment for full hour before they finally pulled out a 6:30am.

I also had a diesel pull in across the access road in Yosemite and after 15 minutes I was getting nauseated from the exhaust that we just left camp for a couple hours.

A few others but those are the worst I recall.

[way2roll]

I can't imagine people would leave their rigs idle for long periods of time for the fun of it. There has to be a valid reason, or they just don't feel like turning it off for a few minutes only to turn it back on again. Big deal. I think in the last 10 years I've seen someone idling an RV or truck more than 10 minutes about as many times as I can count on one hand. There's lot's of stuff to complain about while camping. Lots of folks are noisy and often into the night. Lots of folks don't know how to make a fire that doesn't smoke out half the campground. Lots of folks take forever at dump stations. It's a long list. None of these are malicious or intended to aggravate anyone. They are probably oblivious to it bothering anybody. When you have a lot of different people from all walks congregating in the same CG, you realize fast that most people don't do things they way you would. That doesn't make it wrong. They could very well feel the same about something you are doing. I am certain at some point you irritated someone with something you were doing and you had no idea. It's life. And you can choose what to let bother or not you and how to react to it.

[ferndaleflyer]

I can find more serious things to complain about. Noise, I take out my hearing aids! LOL

[ernie1]

I think the different opinions stated here is a matter of whether you're on the giving or receiving end of things. Just because you're sitting in a campsite that is peaceful and relaxing you shouldn't be bothered by the guy that pulled in next to you spewing diesel smoke and fumes with the engine clattering away for up to 15minutes? For the record I have a diesel rig and am conscious of how others are affected by my presence.

[down_home]

I always let the engine idle 3 to 5 minutes, per manual, Those turbos get real hot and their bearings and seals too! The expense to replace one at 125.00+ an hour 1senoughfr a new golf cart. Not going to risk it by not letting the turbo cool down for a bit.

[FormerBoater]

The best practice for deploying jacks, slides etc. for most DP's (Monaco's have a different procedure)is to have your engine running. Some rigs will not allow you to perform these functions unless the engine is running.

By the time you are level and your slide(s) are deployed you can turn the engine off as the turbo will have cooled sufficiently.

As far as campground depatures, DP's will need to be running to air the suspension, retract jacks and slides (except Monaco's). In very cold weather most of us have block heaters and can "pre-warm" the engine prior to starting and we know that a diesel engine idling is NOT warming up!

There is nothing wrong with shutting down the engine if you need more time to complete your "pre-flight" checklist.

So, there is no requirement for extended idling (my rig has a mechanical diesel but the engine manual calls for 5 minutes idling prior to shut-down, it will take me those 5 minutes to deploy the jacks, level and then deploy the slide so it has never been an issue).

However, hyper-sensitivity to the sound of diesel engines is not compatible to the RV lifestyle IMHO.

FWIW, have not witnessed excessive idling in our 12 years of owning the Eagle.

We camp mostly in the SE USA, primarily Florida.

[Executive45]

I have a "procedure" I've followed for the past 13 years or so. I start the engine, set the idle up and while the coach is airing up, I disconnect the sewer and water. When I hear the governor kick off I go back inside, kick down the idle and turn off the coach. I then pull in the slides as per mfgs recommendations and complete my preflight checklist. I start her up again and pull out. Sometimes I will leave it idle while hooking up the toad which takes all of three minutes. If this procedure "offends" anyone...too bad. It's what works for me. Get earplugs.....Dennis

[luvmydogs]

Okay, case to point. Sitting here reading all your posts a guy came in and the rv has been running for 15 minutes. He's out there sitting down. It's not a big enough battle, hence just ads to another reason why I'm done rv'ing, but certainly didn't make the decision. To one who asked why I care? Well I see nothing good about sitting next to or within hearing of all these rigs and having to listen to them for so long. If it wasnt a big deal, maybe you'd see more rv's sitting in truck stops.There are some campgrounds that honestly are mostly the big rigs, some not so much. But I have noticed over the years that consideration for your neighbors which are right there, is less and less. One thing if your the only one in the camping area or campground, but most of the time, YOU ARE NOT. Have a little consideration for the other campers, that's all I'm saying and honestly only posted this because I do not have a big rig and wanted to find out if this was nessesary. We figured it was not.Maybe some with think about it now, maybe not. lol

[DarkSkySeeker]

luvmydogs wrote:
Why do most of you feel the need to leave your vehicles running for long amounts of time before you pull out and long amounts of time when you pull into a campsite?

While I was pulling in and getting straight in the spot, a neighbor came over and said his wife wanted me to shut off my rig. I had not been there 10 minutes, and most of that was manuvering.

[bgum]

They don't know any better or don't care.

[folivier]

My 1999 Foretravel doesn't have slides but does use the airbag suspension for leveling. So when arriving I'll have to idle until I'm level. If I had slides like in my previous coach I'd have to leave it running to extend my slides while at ride height. Then level. After that I could turn off the engine. Same sequence when departing. Start engine, let air up to ride height (if slides then pull them in), then pull out. This does take a few minutes each time and is necessary.
As far as letting the engine and turbo, aftercooler, etc. cool down this is usually done just idling driving to my site. Not all motorhomes need the same sequence.

[way2roll]

A couple of thoughts. I would guess that most people doing it aren't trying to intentionally annoy anyone and there could be a very valid reason. I doubt it's very common. I know I haven't really seen this as a widespread issue but it might just seem that way at the time. I have come to learn as I get older, most folks aren't nearly as considerate as I want them to be. Guilty as charged myself on occasion. It doesn't mean it's malicious. I would ask, why it bothers you so much, or more pointedly, why you let it bother you? While we can't control other people, we can control how we react to them. Life is short. Pick your battles.

[Rick_Jay]

luvmydogs,

You asked: "Also, why do you need the motor to be running to get slides in?"

I know on my gasser, with the engine running, the slides get an extra boost of voltage and retract with less strain, especially the heavy main slide. They won't extend if the engine is running, though, but extending doesn't require as much power because the slide doesn't have to be "lifted" first. I'm assuming for some diesels the same would be true.

But I agree, I don't know why folks will idle their rigs for long periods of time. In cold or hot months, perhaps they're doing it for the heat or A/C? I figure it's their rig, let 'em do what they want.

Oh, and I think some guys just love to hear the rumble of their diesels! LOL

~Rick

[wildtoad]

Not a diesel owner but I can understand some of the issues. If it is a fact that you need to run the engine to pull in slides versus just have the switch on, then fine. On my gasser this is not required. I also understand pulling in slides before unhooking water, sewer as it helps remove back of head damage, and strain on knees.

The ones that get me are diesels that sound like a bunch of bolts rattling in a can that you can hear from across the campground.

[valhalla360]

wa8yxm wrote:
In days of old when folks where bold.....
Diesel engines needed a good long warm up time.. Gasoline engines, however, if allowed to idle for too long fouled and ran bad.. They needed to RUN. not idle.

If anything, it was the opposite:
- Diesel engines (particularly old slow turning ones) are so efficient at idle, they tend not to warm up. They are burning so little fuel and pulling in lots of cold air that it takes forever to get up to operating temps (in cold weather they may never). Far better to just pull out and keep the acceleration gentle for the first few minutes till the engine warms up.
- Gas engines (old carburated ones) needed to get warmed up a bit to avoid stalling. Unless you were leaving them sit for hours idling, as soon as you took it out on the freeway towing, any fouling would quickly burn off.

A lot of MHs run the engine longer than they need to but they do need to bring the air system up to pressure. No experience but I have heard that some get pinhole leaks. They will come up to pressure but it takes a lot longer as it has to overcome the slow leak.

5th wheels...We often leave it running until fully unhooked. Sometimes that will take 5 minutes.

But really, other than curiosity, who cares.