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Wonderful First Trip In New (TO US ) Class A

allwthrrider
Explorer
Explorer
Hello all, Stopping by to share Our experience in our new to us Class A.

After owning a Class C for years then selling because wife & I purchased a Home we were finally able to purchase a Class A diesel pusher,A nice 2005 Winnebago Vectra 40AD 3slides with fireplace designed pretty much for 2 people to be comfortable . After cleaning & fixing minor issues & having 4 new drive tires installed we headed back east from Ca to Illinois to visit my family for Christmas. ( My first Christmas off in 27 yrs).

We pulled out Thursday afternoon before xmas after wife got off work heading east towing our Jeep, was pleasantly surprised how the 400hp Cummins pulled the Sierras never dropping below 50mph on the grade. After getting into Nevada we ran until 9pm & decided to stop at a rest area get a goodnights sleep & hit it hard the next day so leveled the coach & went to sleep.

Next morning after coffee & breakfast hit the road stopping every 4 hrs to let Sammy (our German shepherd ) out to take care of business we make Rawlins, Wy around 4pm Friday afternoon to find out the highway is closed to trucks & Rv's due to 60mph plus winds heading east, So pull into the far back of a truck stop put the jacks down level the coach & start exerting the slides. Both front slides extend normally but when extending bedroom slide it moves about 3 in then stops won't move in or out & discover fwd slides won't move either.

SO, I get out the owners manual & start reading so I can find & check fuses only to discover EVERYWHERE theres supposed to be fuses there isn't, So after spending hrs crawling around inside & out in 15dg weather & 40 mph winds we go to sleep, I wake at 4am have coffee & breakfast & decide OK I'll retract the slides manually & continue on. WRONG!!!!!!.

I go outside wind still howling plus adds snow on the ground After opening the pressure relief screws on the solenoids which are in a most ridicules & inaccessible area the bedroom slide rolls out even more, I get passenger side fwd slide in & start on drivers side, 4 turns fwd jack screw 4 turns aft jack screw get slide about halfway in & BANG aft jackscrew gamble nut breaks, After calling out a mobile RV & Truck repair truck nothing they can do for us so now wife is starting to have a breakdown of her own, So after 2 days in a hotel in Rawlins I bought cargo straps wrapped them around the coach & Christmas eve we head back west & make Salt Lake City & get a hotel (Wife followed me in a hual)

Christmas day while walking the halls of the hotel discover 2 doors down from our unit theres crime scene tape & a sign on the door the reads "Do Not Enter By Order Of Chief Of Police", Anyway day after Christmas Drop Rv off at a repair facility where its been ever since & still waiting for them to complete it & we drove home in a uhaul.

First update from shop is the motor on the pump failed so after they replace that then they'll extend the slide & fix the jack screw.

And one more thing I would like to point out the absolute rudeness of truck driver today, When I parked at the Truckstop I parked at the VERY VERY back of the lot, I was a 150 yrds away from the closes truck & 2 POS's pulled their trucks rt up next to us as close as they could get & let their trucks Idle all night, 35 yrs ago I used to drive & I never ever would have thought of doing something like that.
25 REPLIES 25

Acampingwewillg
Explorer II
Explorer II
"Fire Up"...I had just typed pretty much your same sediments but then decided not to post it so I'm glad you did. NO ONE trump's a tired driver whether he or she is a truck driver or RV driver. Tired is Tired...pretty easy concept! A Rest area is a place for all to rest and if you fill up or not at a Truck stop, you have as much right to rest as others. You will find some Truckers seem to think they can put you in your place and "How dare you" occupy a small footprint. Give me a Break....
96 Vogue Prima Vista
The Kid's: Humphrie, the Mini Schnauzer and Georgie,wire haired dachshund.
Rainbow Bridge: Laddie,Scoutie,Katie,Cooper,Kodie,Rubie,Maggie, Cassie, Mollie, Elvis, Potter and Rosie Love You! (40+ years in all)

FIRE_UP
Explorer
Explorer
allwthrrider wrote:
I was easily 150 yrds away from the closes truck & was not interfering in anyway plus I filled up so I was also a customer their behavior was totally uncalled for.


allwthrrider,
First off, congrats on what would normally be a very, very nice rig. We have an almost sistership to yours. It's an '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT. Much of your coach is very close to ours. I've done a ton of maintenance, repairs, alterations, modifications and more on ours so, If you've got any questions on the various systems, I might be able to help with answers.

Second, you did absolutely NOTHING WRONG in your operation at the truck stop. The last time I looked, there's absolutely NO LAWS that say you, as a non-trucker, can't stop and use those for rest. But, you do have to realize, it is a TRUCK STOP. Now, that means anything can and might happen. Truckers are humans, (well, most of them anyways) and, that means anything is possible.

There are very considerate truckers on the road and, there are pain in the A$$'s too. In all our excursions, over the last oh, maybe 35-40 years of RVing, I'd say I've encountered less than maybe a 1/2 dozen of the latter types. Most are pretty good people.

As for them loosing places to park, well, NOT SO. On our recent (last summer) 6500 mile trip around the U.S. you wouldn't believe how many trucks were PARKED, in regular rest stops, especially back east. They took up every inch of parking, including both the off ramps and on ramps to the rest stops. We had to pass multiple rest stops or, go right through them (almost no room in some to even drive through them) to find a place to rest or use our own restroom facilities.

Yeah, there's zillions of them for sure. As for them parking near you, well, there's really no right or wrong answer here. As has been stated, they're basically working, you're not. But, On the other hand, they (the ones that "could have" parked away from you but chose not to, well, some folks THINK before they act and, some don't.

Maybe next time, I might suggest you find maybe a Walmart for the evening. We've done that many times and it's always been safe and for the most part, fairly quiet. We're always gone by morning with no signs we were ever there. Just a suggestion. As for your issues with your coach, well, these are rolling gymnasiums and have lots of parts and pieces made by many different contributors but, installed by only one, Winnebago. Parts are gonna break and or wear out. It's a given. Maybe now, maybe later.

One more thing. Might I suggest you learn as much about your coach as possible, in terms of all the "systems". That is, the two charging systems for your batteries. One is from the engine and the other is from shore power. The more you learn about those, the more you'll be able to troubleshoot anything that may happen in the future. And it WILL HAPPEN. Learn about your jack and air system, how it works and what's supposed to happen, when and why. Again, it will help you in future issues. Good luck and be sure to ask if questions develop. Glad to help.
Scott
Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing
KI60ND

allwthrrider
Explorer
Explorer
I was easily 150 yrds away from the closes truck & was not interfering in anyway plus I filled up so I was also a customer their behavior was totally uncalled for.

TexasShadow
Explorer II
Explorer II
this first trip in your new/used motorhome will make you laugh someday. ๐Ÿ™‚
TexasShadow
Holiday Rambler Endeavor LE/ 3126B Cat
Sometimes BMW K75 on Rear Carrier
Jeep Grand Cherokee or 2016 Ford XLT 4x4 super cab with 8 ft bed
M&G aux brake system
854 Watts of Solar Power



Always remember you're unique, just like everyone else.

ferndaleflyer
Explorer III
Explorer III
You left out the part about by extending the slides they have now taken up part of the space on each side of them at a time when trucks were restricted from the highway and many had to park. They have eliminated 3 spots. My, my!

doxiemom11
Explorer II
Explorer II
Um - truck stops are primarily for the truck drivers. They pack them in to make room for as many as possible as there are fewer and fewer places they can park for their required breaks and to get rest. IF, there is room for you, you are welcome, but don't ask them to not park next to you - they are doing their jobs, you are not. If anyone should move, it would be the RV.

ferndaleflyer
Explorer III
Explorer III
These things do have some strange things go wrong and finding someone with the willingness and skills necessary to fix them are few and far between. Hope you get it back someday.

Acampingwewillg
Explorer II
Explorer II
Wow...what an adventure!!! I hope better things (travels) are in your future!
96 Vogue Prima Vista
The Kid's: Humphrie, the Mini Schnauzer and Georgie,wire haired dachshund.
Rainbow Bridge: Laddie,Scoutie,Katie,Cooper,Kodie,Rubie,Maggie, Cassie, Mollie, Elvis, Potter and Rosie Love You! (40+ years in all)

donn0128
Explorer II
Explorer II
Vacaville? Interesting place. Lived there back in the 60s while stationed at Travis AFB.

Lwiddis
Explorer II
Explorer II
Sorry to hear of these problems.
Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
That doesn't sound too wonderful. Sarcasm I guess.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman