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Re: Full time with travel trailer
I clearly remember the dealer telling me I would have no problem towing my new 23 ft. hybrid with a v6 GMC Envoy. By the time I had traveled the 50 miles home with the new rig, I was ready to drive them both off a cliff. Will you be able to tow a 26-30ft trailer with an SUV? Maybe. But I promise you it will NOT be as enjoyable experience as it should be. Spending all my travel time in a wrestling match with the steering wheel is not my idea of a good time! As for your choice of trailer, I am not a big fan of used RV's. I worked in the Service Dept of RV Dealerships long enough and have seen enough traded in used coaches to know that buying used is a big risk. That said, there are good used trailers out there. Just be very careful. Especially if you buy from a private owner, have a certified RV Tech give it a once over so that the surprises are limited. Good luck and happy trails!381Views0likes0CommentsRe: best way through boston
paulcardoza wrote: To get around Boston heading north: During RUSH HOUR, take 495N. Much longer but little traffic. During NON-RUSH HOURS - Take 128/95N. Much shorter than 495, but jammed solid during rush hours. We are at Normandy Farms and it is THE premiere CG in the area. Lots to do here. If you're just looking for a base camp to launch from, KOA Middleboro is pretty nice for a KOA. If you're looking for a place to hang, I agree Normandy Farms is as good as it gets anywhere. Another pretty good "base camp" is Boston Minuteman Campground in Littleton. It's not far from I-495 and has a fairly straight shot into Boston498Views0likes0CommentsRe: Mobile RV Repair
scbwr wrote: The big question would be as to how much of an investment you need to make to be well equipped with everything you need to make most repairs, as well has have an inventory of most often needed parts. Then, can you carry any overhead until you've built a reputation and network of campground owners that will recommend you to campers looking for a technician. In some areas, you may be in competition with techs that already provide mobile service. I used to live near a tech in Newfane, NY that had an independent shop and also did mobile work (RV Mobile....John...great guy!). If you decide to do it, you need to have some good advertising handouts that campground owners will keep on display and handy, and really try to establish a reputation through campground owners. Good luck! Forgot to mention this: There is a company that publishes a large percentage of the campground maps/ camper guides in the country. In our area, they publish almost every campground map within 75 miles of me. This is a project for my upcoming week: to talk with the salesperson about advertising. We all look at these maps and the ads when we check in for ideas on where to eat dinner, etc. So the exposure is quite good. Cost effectiveness may be another story572Views0likes0CommentsRe: Mobile RV Repair
Interesting thread, especially in light of our situation. We are full-timers and we recently "settled" in the St. Augustine, FL area. I am in the process of starting a new business as a mobile RV Tech. There seems to be several guys in the area who have been doing it for awhile. But there also seems to be a lot of business. Our marketing strategy is to: 1)Build a good website. More and more people travel with a laptop and will go online when they have a need. We are backing this up by registering with as many listing sites as we can, such as Yelp, MechanicAdvisor, etc 2)Exposure. I bought a 12 foot service trailer that now bears my logo, phone number, etc. I hook it up daily and drive it around to campgrounds. I go into the office and ask if I can leave my business cards on their front counter. Usually, they have no problem with it. The exposure on the road is huge! Plus, getting to know the folks in the office the a great beginning of word of mouth advertising. After all, if you have a problem, there is a good chance you will go to the office for help! So if I am liked by the guy in the office, there is a good chance he (or she)will pass along my info. 3) More exposure. When not traveling around, I will park the truck/service trailer in front of my site during the day. I have landed two jobs in the last week by doing this. The other way to get exposure is to park it in the parking lot at Home Depot, Lowe's, Harbor Freight, etc. I see tradespeople do it all the time. My wife thinks a sign on the RV is a good idea. Not sure how the neighbors or the park owners will react to that. Ticking people off is not good for business! As a buddy of mine in the same business tells me all the time: Do quality work at a fair rate, treat people with respect, and the business will come! If you visit Northeast Florida and need help, Let me know! www.sunbeltmobilerv.com577Views0likes0CommentsRe: Mail Forward - Jacksonville FL
Not clear on what you're looking for but I think I might be able to help either way. If you want a place to pick up forwarded mail, we are currently using the UPS store as our personal and business addresses. It's a box in the store but can be used as a physical address since there is a street address associated with it. I know there is a store on Baymeadows road... might be one closer. If you want a place that will accept forwarded mail and forward it to you wherever you may be at the time, we used Good Sam Mail in the past and they are awesome! They are located in Crestview and also provide a physical/ legal address.284Views0likes0Comments
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