Our first RV - now what?!

[Rodnheidi]

Hello all! My wife and I decided to start our camping/RV life and purchased our first RV. We decided to buy used and found a very well taken care of class C from an older couple who just recently changed to a pull behind model.

Our RV is a 1994 Tioga Montara with the 7.5L ford V8. It has 68k miles on it, and I plan to put new tires on it.

I have NO idea what needs to be done to get it ready for spring. Is there a beginner RV class for dummies anywhere? ??

Also, all the manuals are ridiculously confusing. Is there a post or video somewhere that runs through the standard operation of such a rig? Like what needs to be on or off while driving? How do you set up camp? Pilot lights, power cords, generator, potable water lines, LP tank, water tanks, etc.

We are excited to learn but overwhelmed at where to start! ??

Any help would be be greatly appreciated.

Semper Fi!!

Rod

[Tiger4x4RV]

Good advice from all so far.

Hints for the House part: Develop a routine to ensure that all storage areas are securely latched or locked before you start the engine. Store the light fluffy stuff up high and the heavy stuff as close to the floor as possible.

Welcome to the world of RV fun!

[JAXFL]

Congratulations! on the new to you Class C. After you have spent several hours watching the YouTube Movies and have some basic understanding of how it works, see if the guy that sold it to you will help with any unknowns that he knows about. Then it is RECOMMENDED you do the driveway weekend camping trip. Do not leave the house. As you cook, eat, sleep, watch TV, or whatever and you need something write it down and go in and get it. Example: forgot the ketchup and a toaster the first time out. Once you have spent the weekend in the driveway, then you can feel a little safe about the 1st real campground trip near home.

FIRST LESSON: Do not plug into the house 110v/20amp and try to run the A/C unit on the roof. The A/C is a 30AMP Unit.......... Start enjoying.

[jodpel]

Congratulations! I bought a new Class C in February after camping for years in travel trailers. I confess I did not take proper care of my TTs through ignorance. I decided with the cost of this purchase that I was going to be Mr. RV and take care of this thing like it was my first born child. Therefore I have been reading and studying everything I can find on the internet.

First, you've found a great forum to learn! These folks know what's going on and have great advice. I have found lots of good information on YouTube as well. I have some bookmarked YouTube Channels that are especially helpful. RV Walk-Thru is a good place to learn about specifics of systems on a coach. There is a guy named Mark Polk that has a great channel full of good information especially for beginners called RV Education 101. (He sells training DVDs but there's really good stuff in all his YouTube content too.) One of my favorite RV YouTube channels is RVTravel.com's channel. The first two are more methodically educational while RVTravel is more about tips, tricks, good places to go, and RVing in general.

[southernkilowat]

All of the above posts are really good information. I agree most with Pgh Bob, Think of a Class C motorhome two different ways. The "HOUSE" and the "TRUCK".
Maintaining a Class C coach is not much different than maintaining your regular car, oil change, air filters, tire pressures, etc.
As far as the "House" part goes, You only have a few things to learn about. The Refrigerator, water heater, AC unit, water pump, slide operation (if you have a slide) Battery Care, and Generator Operation, Awning operation, etc.
You are already in the best place to learn everything you need to know about RV'ing and that is here! Welcome to the Forums! Just post a question about one particular thing and you will get dozens of responses in a very short time.

Learn from our mistakes, and you will be a happy camper for sure!

Oh, BTW- Learn this lesson first! If you do deploy the awning, don't set it out level. I know it looks better level, but leave one end lower than the other. If you don't, and it rains....You will have a swimming pool in your awning and it will tear itself off the motorhome. Ask me how I know! 🙂
Congrats on the new to you rig! And welcome!
Hope you have an awesome time learning everything!
Good Luck
SK

[PghBob]

Sometimes it helps to consider your RV as two distinct units. You have the truck unit that you will need to maintain, and the house unit. You have experience with both from your daily living. For example, you likely have experience driving and maintaining a car. Like the car, the truck has similar features that will need to be maintained, albeit more frequently perhaps. You have experience with the house part of the RV as well, microwave, stove, fridge, furnace, hot water heater, etc. The biggest new things might be driving a larger vehicle, handling, passing, and importantly backing up into campgrounds/parking, tail-end swing (esp. at gas pumps), and tire/weight management. The new things on the house side might be dumping your tanks, water management, dual electrical service, and winterizing. Take a piece of this at a time, practice in your driveway or local campground, and ask questions. Best wishes on your new lifestyle.

[JNorton]

My biggest eye opener was the fact that ammonium based RV refrigerators take a good 18 hours to initially cool down. The 2nd eye opener was finding the low point drain valves. Have fun.

[kendall69]

Here ya go - read, read, and read some more, and then just DO IT, you will learn more your first night out than you might imagine.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=rv+for+dummies&tag=googhydr-20&index=stripbooks&hvadid=297...

[Winnetheygo]

DrewE wrote:
A motorhome is largely a big collection of things that aren't all that much related to each other. In other words, most of the systems are more or less independent..

Well said & a good perspective for a new owner to have.

[toedtoes]

I agree with the driveway campout. It's a good way to try out appliances, etc. and make sure everything works to suit your needs.

I would also take it in to a trusted mechanic to get checked out (cab & chassis) - don't forget to have them check the fuel lines (they will deteriorate with age also).

If you're not a handy type person, now is a good time to find a good RV repair shop - have them check the propane lines, stove, heater and fridge for propane leaks. They should be able to help you out with how to operate they systems and answer questions you may have.

[trop-a-cal]

Well good for you! This is not a complicated matter. Just metal, wood and plastics along with some fluids. So start with basics, from the ground up. You need to check from the sellers to see if they have service records. Then if so or not have the VIN run at Ford for recalls, service records and accident reports. You need to know if the soft elements are good, like tires, fan belts hoses, and suspension bushings, and brake pads. That's easy, they show signs of age by the way the feel and look. Then the hard stuff like tie rods, springs, shocks. Then the mechanical function like cylinder compression, transmission shifting, internal fluids, that tell stories of age by detecting the particles the have suspended in them as analyzed by looking at the separation of oils and water and heavy particles that settle out when the fluids are in a glass container. Only a sample needs to be looked at as it usually is representative of all of it. Then the roof must not leak or show signs of leaks as they cause mold and delamination to the walls. Then the "house" systems like heater, hot water, roof air(s), stove, toilet, entertainment systems. Then the water holding tanks from fresh to grey to black tanks and valves both in and out. Then electric for circuit breaker condition, as they do wear out and sometimes trip due to bad internal contacts. No problem, just like taking care of a baby that sometimes has gas and a tooth coming in and is in need of a bath and new diaper. It's your new baby, love it and it will smile back at you with all the fun you have. Congratulations, welcome to the gang.

[tenbear]

You could start off by learning how everything works. Open the awning, run the fridge, etc, etc. Then spend a couple of days and nights camping in your driveway. Level it as you would in a CG. Make a list of the things you need/want for camping. Once you have done that, you will have a better idea of what you need and how to use it.

[DrewE]

Congratulations on your purchase!

A motorhome is largely a big collection of things that aren't all that much related to each other. In other words, most of the systems are more or less independent. This means you can figure things out one at a time to a large extent. (That's not to say that everything is independent, but you don't need to understand the water heater to extend the awning, and vice-versa.)

The Beginning RVing forum here has a bunch of helpful sticky subjects that you might find useful to read through. Cruise America has a pretty good orientation video on their rental RVs, much of which is generally applicable to class C's (and it should be fairly obvious when things don't apply to your own RV).

[ReneeG]

Congratulations on your first RV! The internet is full of information, all you have to do is Google it. YouTube is full of videos on how to's on every form and shape of RV. The new tires is a good start as well as having a mechanic check it for you. Some dealerships will do a walk through and inspection for you and teach you some things too. You many want to check a local recommended dealership for such a thing. Their mechanics are well trained and experienced with RV'ing. It would be well worth it to have a hands on walk through.