some questions for those that live in their motor homes

milo · Guru

some questions for those that live in their motor homes

dawa · Guru

milo wrote:
I know there are couples that live in caravans but this is mostly for single people who live in their motor homes,
do you travel every day, or do you spend say a couple weeks at one place?
or more for that matter?
also if you have a little car to tow behind your mh or do you use one of those hitch and go type things
with the car on the road or do you use a trailer
Also if you stay at one place for a while and just drive your car ,
how do you keep your mh battery (engine one)
from going flat after awhile?
also can you make arrangement's for your mh with the cp owners to keep an eye on things
if your not well or end up in hospital , for what ever reason for a long period,
does it take a while getting used to living in a mh compared to a house etc?
being more out in the open and can you protect your car from the elements as well some how?
sorry for all the questions, been running in my mind lately

-- Edited by milo on Sunday 7th of July 2013 11:37:58 PM

I have a poptop camper and i stay in one place a minimum of two weeks.

Can't see the point of running around and then re-visiting places.

I take enough food and water to keep me going for at least 2-3 weeks.

Will not even consider a second vehicle {motor home being purchased next year]

I am happy to sit in camp out in the bush. Long walks with the dog etc.

Most police stations have a parking lot where MH can be parked if you are in hospital.

Your MH is now your house and you could put a tarp over it while stationaty.

I will not be able to do that tho as i will have at least three solar panels on the roof.

Batteries to me are like tyres ....need to be in good shape.

I can jump start from the house battery thru the anderson plug if it is ever needed.

I am staionary at present but missing life on the road BIG time

Dawa

milo · Guru

thaks dawa., this may never eventuate for me, but it may help out others
with similar questions

Shogun · Senior Member

Hi Milo

I lived in mine for 6 months and didn't travel every day, as Dawa says stop and enjoy the places you visit.

I didn't tow anything with my old one and wont with the new one even though its bigger. If i wanted to tow i would have got a caravan, just my thoughts.

re the battery, i usually started mine every couple of days, just to kick it over, but im sure there are others who will have more knowledge re batteries.

I had a bike rack and bike on the other one and will have on this one too, if i am out of town a bit but most times you can find a park in a supermarket carpark or bunnings etc that is close to whatever town you are in.

re storage if you are sick, didn't consider it, if it happens i will worry about it then :)

Cheers

Brett

nomadic1 · Senior Member

I've lived in mine (Jayco Conquest) for about 2.5 years now. I rarely travel on consecutive days. Once I get somewhere I usually stay at least a couple of days - if it's really nice then I might stay a couple of weeks. I carry a 150cc motor scooter on the back. This comes in handy because it means that it's OK for me to park a long way from shops and other facilities and it's handy when I want to go sight seeing. So far I haven't got sick enough to have to leave the van - figure I'll worry about that if the circumstance arises.

biggles · Senior Member

Hi Milo ..

I've been on the road fulltime now for some 4 years and live in my MH with a small trailer in tow that houses the motorbike and extra water/fuels etc .. when necessary.

Each year now I seem to be spending more time here at Mareeba during the southern winter months at a reasonable cost on a powered site of $14.00 p/n

Travelling can get expensive and so can CPs's .. so I try to work a happy medium that helps me to enjoy both sides of it.

So far I haven't been carted out of my MH and off to hospital .. the need to see a doctor or attend a hospital occasionally still happens and I'm happy to handle that when it does.

We're all different and choose our options to suit ourselves. One needs to find what they are most comfortable doing, and I personally believe that I wouldn't have been able to make this choice if I wasn't out doing what I so much enjoy as a way of life ..

Jon

-- Edited by biggles on Tuesday 9th of July 2013 06:49:46 AM

Duh · Guru

I've been reading this thread with interest, one of the main points you seem to be worried about Milo is if you have to go into hospital.

Think of it this way, not everyone living in a home owns one, and you have some who have to rent, either privately or if they are lucky government housing. Some GN's travel but still have a home base, either owned or rented, but still with ongoing expenses, if owned, maintenance, rates etc, and both owned and rented have to pay Utility bills (power, water, council etc).

However, if you are living on the road, you could find a reasonable priced CP to live in (Like the one Jon is in at the moment) to leave your van while in hospital and have some arrangement to pay your weekly site rent, or alternatively, pay to store your vehicle. It would be a lot cheaper than having to keep a home, rented or owned with the associated costs etc. Just a thought....

Edit: In regards to towing something, until you need to you can always choose a caravan park (if you decide to stay in one) that is within close walking distance in a town, and many have a bus stop at the gate or nearby if you want to stay parked up.....

-- Edited by Duh on Wednesday 10th of July 2013 01:13:48 AM

Keith19837 · Senior Member

Hi, Just a couple of personal observations.

Re towing an auxiliary vehicle. If you are leaving any wheels on the road, be careful if your aux is an automatic. Many autos shouldn't be towed with the drive wheels freewheeling in neutral for more than a limited number of kilometres as it can cause damage to the trans. Check your owner's manual/dealer/mechanic re your specific aux vehicle.

Re keeping the battery charged. As the great Collyn RIVERS has often said; a battery is happiest with a slow trickle charge with a small load being taken off. (Not a direct quote). As we all know, this is not always practical depending on where we are, how long etc. (having said that - I noticed recently that there are some simple gizmos recently on the market that are much simpler to use than the old set ups). Anyhow, I've found that merely staring your aux vehicle and taking it for a short drive say once or twice a week will not only keep it charged but will help prevent a few other problems. e.g. A car's disc brakes start to collect surface rust after only a few days which causes not only annoying squeaks but (sooner or later) affects the efficiency of your braking system.

Your engine oil drains away from the upper cylinders leaving much less engine protection when idle for longer periods.

The fuel in the tank starts to 'lose' its octane over longer periods.

Like us, a car that sits idle for a while gets 'stiff' in the 'joints'.

I'm convinced that cars have personalities and get annoyed if we ignore them too long (just like S.W.M.B.O)

For what it's worth.

milo · Guru

its funny how we feel about our vehicle, almost all of mine have had names,
even the jayco we had was the Tardis, might name mine the Enterprise, when ever it happens.
oh life on the road , is it all its cracked up to be?

oh was looking around on the net at tilta trailers ,and found their youtube video.

and they have a mazda 2 , just like mine on the video !! this pic is of the car going onto

the trailer ...

I know towing courses usually do for caravan and car, can I do a course with a trailer

like this and motor home??

-- Edited by milo on Tuesday 16th of July 2013 12:17:49 PM

Mark · Senior Member

Keith19837 wrote:
Hi, Just a couple of personal observations.
Re towing an auxiliary vehicle.   If you are leaving any wheels on the road, be careful if your aux is an automatic.   Many autos shouldn't be towed with the drive wheels freewheeling in neutral for more than a limited number of kilometres as it can cause damage to the trans. Check your owner's manual/dealer/mechanic re your specific aux vehicle.
Re keeping the battery charged. As the great Collyn RIVERS has often said; a battery is happiest with a slow trickle charge with a small load being taken off. (Not a direct quote).   As we all know, this is not always practical depending on where we are, how long etc. (having said that - I noticed recently that there are some simple gizmos recently on the market that are much simpler to use than the old set ups).   Anyhow, I've found that merely staring your aux vehicle and taking it for a short drive say once or twice a week will not only keep it charged but will help prevent a few other problems.   e.g. A car's disc brakes start to collect surface rust after only a few days which causes , a personalitynot only annoying squeaks but (sooner or later) affects the efficiency of your braking system.
Your engine oil drains away from the upper cylinders leaving much less engine protection when idle for longer periods.
The fuel in the tank starts to 'lose' its octane over longer periods.
Like us, a car that sits idle for a while gets 'stiff' in the 'joints'.
I'm convinced that cars have personalities and get annoyed if we ignore them too long (just like S.W.M.B.O)
For what it's worth.

Totally agree about vehicles, they have a engine - the heart, the oil is the blood, tyres are shoes or boots as we used to call them, electrics are the viens, chassis is the bone structure, there are pumps and valves and all sorts that make it work, just like a human body, a lot also have brains (black boxes) I too am a believer that a car/van/bus/truck/caravan/motorhome/whatever, has feelings, a personality, and the right to be treasted with care and respect. Yes, just like SWMBO. I also agree totally about the start up and movement of a vehicle, a happy vehicle is a moving vehicle.