Hire the Best Recreational Vehicle for Making Your Travel More Enjoyable

February 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Recreational Vehicles or RVs have achieved much popularity within the past few years. They have become the most popular means for vacation and travel option for those individuals who desire to travel and don’t wish to miss out their home. One of the major benefits is that, the Recreational Vehicles helps in eliminating the need for travel bookings, reservation of the hotels and also stopping and eating at cafeterias. They are most often known as homes on the wheels. The Recreational Vehicles will be incorporating bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms along with fully equipped pantries.

 

RV Rentals are offered by several travel companies and they are broadly categorized into three main categories. The class A is considered as the most luxurious type of RV rental. The rental rates for this model will depend on daily basis. It normally varies from six hundred dollars to nine hundred dollars per day. They are said to be the most expensive ones. However, the companies are offering their service during on-seasons as well as off-seasons. The rates for the off-season are found to be much lesser. Some of the companies are even providing special discount offers. This will help them in saving some amount of their money.

 

The minimum rental period for the special packages are 50 days or for more than that. You can get the complete information on the discount packages by having a direct talk with the local travel agent. You can also make a thorough search over the web based applications for knowing more information. In this current period, most of the RVs are found to be custom built. Even though the other models are providing the required features, these kinds of services are sometimes opted by certain group of people. There are lots of features which you can include in the Recreational Vehicles.

 

You can have internet facilities, king-sized beds, large bathrooms which are having showers along with whirlpool baths as well as stylish furnishings. In addition to all the added features, there are automatic camp setups and certain automated cooling and heating systems. Security systems are also being installed in the RVs for ensuring the safety of those who are traveling in it. Some of the top RVs may also contain touch screens for checking the conditions of the entire house systems like fuel, battery backup, electric etc. Most of the RV rentals will be charging refundable deposit for security purpose and this may vary depending on the company which you are choosing.

 

The RV rental firms are having wide range of vehicles. You can choose either economical models or luxury models based on your financial plan. These kinds of rental services will help in making your vacation more enjoyable with your friends or family. The cost associated with the packages can be reduced considerably by choosing the right company. The vehicles are comprised on all the basic amenities that make it more and more popular and the convenient method for traveling. These kinds of services are made available in all parts of the countries.

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Rialta

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We purchased a new 1998 Rialta last May.  After an initial flood of problems we were finally able to get everything fixed, and we couldn’t be happier with it. The RV rental is billed as a vacation vehicle, and it suits our purposes perfectly.  We seldom stay on the road for more than a couple of weeks, so our family of three is not quite stressed out by the lack of space by the time the vacation is over.

Last summer we did a 7,000 mile tour of the US, just to see where we wanted to go back to, and the Rialta performed wonderfully on some of the “don’t you DARE take a truck on THIS road” roads in the Tetons, climbed the Rockies easily, and cruised RT 1 with class and plumb. The only problem we have had the involved the chassis (VW) was a bit of a pickle, however.  The Rialta wouldn’t fit in the VW dealership’s shop.  We do find the VR6 engine smooth and reliable, and we got a little over 17 mpg on that long trip.  My wife who at times thinks if anyone is in front of her, they shouldn’t be, was able to navigate Wyoming at +100 MPH, until I woke up and fainted. We bought the Rialta over the Internet from Mobility RV in upstate Iowa, saving $13,000 off list.  However, they did an abismal job of prep on it.  I guess you get what you pay for.

 

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3000 mile oil change: a superstition?

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

One of our cars is “regular duty”.  It’s used for commuting. The commute is (approx.) a 2 mile run through neighborhoods( a couple of stop signs, one light that is normally rolled through, then a 15 mile interstate  highway run, then about 2 more miles of stop and go “city” driving.  It’s very rare that it’s started for a trip less than 15 miles, and I’d rather take side streets at 20 mph then sit in a traffic jam.

        The other vehicle falls under severe.  It gets started, run 6 miles through neighborhood streets, never over 25 mph speed limit, shut off to drop the kid at daycare, then started and run 1/4 mile to work.  This is 3-4 days a week; the other days are often short trips (2 miles to store, 6 miles to grandma’s house).  This is also the Rental RV, so it gets loaded up and driven on the highway occasionally.  70-75 MPH, loaded down, AC blasting (small 2.5 liter engine).

My theory is that you need to run the engine long enough to get up to full oil temp – at least half an hour – every week or so to be sure that you’re getting the water out of it.  If you do that than your driving is normal, bar towing or racing.  In that case I change my oil about every 10,000 to 15,000 Km.  I use Mobil 1 10w 30 in just about everything except the MGB, which gets an oil change every spring and uses dino 20w 50.  I guess that I’ve never had a car long enough to wear out the engine (if you don’t count the aluminium block Vega that I had in high school), and I’ve never had a failure that could in any way be caused by long oil change intervals.

The race car gets a damn engine rebuild about every 20 hours – 1,500 miles – to magnaflux the crank and look for stupid things that happen to race engines.  I get to look at bearings and journals that are perfect – they don’t even need to be polished, I usually put the same timing chain back in because the cam timing hasn’t budged.  I don’t take the pistons out if the leakdown is ok.  That’s on an engine that has 100 hp per litre, 12:1 compression and lives between 6k and 7k rpm’s which should be considered extreme duty.

My vote is that with today’s oil and filters, and even more importantly ring technology and combustion management, oil changes at 10k to 15k kilometers is normal and fine.  Listening to oil manufacturers tell you to change three times more often is like asking the bartender if you should have another beer or asking the used car salesman if you should buy the undercoating and the extended warranty!

 

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Vacation Vehicle

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

My Taurus SW was driving fine across country, 87 AXOD with 3.0. It started smoking and I pulled it in a parking lot. Found it the tranny started dumping tranny fluid all over the ground. It was coming from a dust shield between covering the underside of the tranny in about the middle where I assume it meets up with the engine? I have to get it fixed. I’m no mech but does anyone have an idea on what it could be?  

I had a similar problem in my Ford Ranger with a 3.0 V-6 and automatic transmission. I was driving to the deer lease up and down hills while engaged in overdrive. After 120 miles, I pulled of the road to turn. When I did, fluid and smoke were billowing out from under my truck. I thought the transmission was a goner. I drove it a few more miles to the deer lease and let it set until morning. In the morning I started it up and the fluid was still burning off of the pipes but it wasn’t leaking any more. I replenished the lost fluid and drove back home, and have had no further problems. My conclusion to all this is that the transmission overheated when climbing the long hills and using overdrive. If your car was loaded, as most RV rental is, you probably overheated the transmission if you were using overdrive and climbing. If it is no longer leaking, I would change the fluid and keep on driving. My truck has given me no more problems since the incident, but I don’t use overdrive on the hills or if I have a load in the back.

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K1500 Questions

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I am considering ordering a new K1500 truck from the local Chevy dealer and have some questions I would like to know about before I talk to the salesman and look the fool.

First, what are the merits of automatic transmission over manual?  Friends I have spoken too say that automatics are better for very slow creeping over the roughest of terrain.  On the other hand, manuals are better for creeping downhill (engine brakeing).  My two current vehicles have manual tranny and both my wife and I like shifting for ourselves.  This truck is intended for a go anywhere RV rental for 2 to 4 weeks a year, a second car otherwise.

Second, what is different about the manual transmission offered with the 5.7l engine vs. the manual on the smaller engines?  I would expect the larger engine to require a transmission with a higher torque handling ability.  Are the gear ratios different?  Does this unit have “granny” gear, and if so, would this counter the above cited advantage of an automatic?

Third, I have never owned a 4X4 before, so I do not know the merits of various systems available.  According the the pamphlet from the dealer, push-button 4-wheel drive selection is standard on all 4X4 units, but the photos all show a shift lever in the cab.  The price list I obtained from the Edmond’s WWW site does not mention this “option” at all.  Is this issue affected by transmission choice?  What about the front wheel hubs?  Is limited slip available for the front?

Lastly, how much over invioce can I expect to pay?  According to the Edmond’s list, the truck optioned the way I want it comes to $21K invoice, $23.5K MSRP.  I live in the San Diego area where trucks sell very well.

Autos have several advantages over manuals for off-roading.  First, the torque converter effectively increases your gear reduction when going uphill at lower engine rpms.  At higher rpms, the converter slips less (if at all).  Also, you don’t have to worry about stalling and the whole need for a third foot in tricky situations.  When going downhill, the wheels are turning the engine (engine braking).  Torque converters don’t like to work in this direction and will require the wheels to turn faster before the engine starts to turn.
Therefore, as you say, a manual is better for downhills.

 

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Making Long Trip in Explorer, Leather Seats, etc. etc

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We have been looking at a new Ford Explorer and wondering how it rides on long trips. Would you call this a “Rental RV”? It has the lumbar support and all of that. We have a small dog (20lbs) and have seen the interior of the cars leather and cloth. Does leather have a tendency to show small toenail marks?

In the cargo section of the Explorer there is a spring loaded pull cover to cover your luggage and cargo. I noticed that there is a gap between the back seat and where this cover starts. I am concerned with this gap showing anyone there is “stuff” under it. Any after-market devices or clips that can be put on it?

The seats sit very well for me at six feet tall but my wife has problems with the seatback not providing a lot of support at her 5’4″ height. The view of the road is nice and handling is good, overall rates a 7 on a scale of 10 for vacation vehicles. The leather WILL show marks but a feed/cleaner will take care of most of them.  It might be worthwhile to purchase a dog-blanket seat-cover to eliminate those marks. The cargo cover has the gap to allow the rear seats to recline, and if you have the tinted windows then it is very hard to see anything through the crack.  The cover is not very strong and won’t prevent a heavy item from flying through the air in a panic-stop or rollover situation, get a cago net that attatches to the floor clips.  Any paramedic will tell you that a stuffed doll flying out of the back seat in a wreck can break your neck, just imagine what a suitcase would do.  I bolted a cargo box to the floor for stuff I carry all the time, and use a cargo net for the rest.

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Hal Turner’s Racism

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I have no problem with fishing where the fish are, that’s what I pay them for.  But in the end of things a profile, like a medical test, is judged by its false positives and negatives. Certainly membership in a recognizable group is a factor.  Stopping all blacks, however, more in the interest of real estate values than drugs, is a pretty shitty profile. And if I thought police were stopping all blacks just because they were black, I’d be screaming against profiling also.  But, I don’t really think that (race) is the sole thing looked at.  I’m sure other factors are also used.

For example, in a vehicle, the officer might look at the age of the occupants, visible clothing, visible signs of gang affiliation, type of car (rental, for example), number of occupants, where the vehicle appears to be coming from, where the vehicle appears to be going, and so forth.  Or, on an arriving flight, the officer might look at the age of the person, clothing, visible signs of gang affiliation, where the flight came from, where the flight is going, and so forth.

  In fact, I know for a fact that blacks are not the only ones stopped. Many years ago I was stopped, and my vehicle searched, by border patrol agents when we arrived back from a vacation in Canada.  Of course, back then I fit the typical image (profile) of a person who might have drugs in the vehicle – long hair, hippy-style clothing, an older car (not the typical RV rental, but I only lived a few miles from the border), and so forth.  Since we didn’t have much luggage in the vehicle, the search took about five minutes and we were on the road again.

  And I didn’t get angry at the officer either.  Heck, my mother even thought I was using drugs – so it was not really surprising the officer thought the same thing.

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Cost of Motels vs. Recreational Vehicle Travel

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I would like to start a discussion on the costs of travelling in Rental RV vs. the cost of using Motels/hotels for trips in Canada and the U.S.

You need to be more specific.  How much do you expect to travel?  There are many costs of an RV (taxes, insurance, registration, maintenance) that care more or less amortized over time.  If you travel a lot and polan to keep an RV for a long time, your costs will be significantly different from buying an RV for one trip of ay 6 months around the US. Where you travel and the kind of accomodations you like (RV resort vs public campground or budget motel vs up-scale motel) also make a difference in costs.  In general, I would not recommend buying an RV simply with an eye to saving money.  Then tend to be money pis unless you are skilled at maintenance and enjoy working on them yourself.  This doesn’t mean you should not get one, just that they are not automatic money savers over motels.

There is more to this Rving than just an economic analysis. These are two very different ways of seeing the world. You can save money in an RV by cooking your own meals, overnight lodging etc. On the other hand, your gas mileage sucks (10mpg max with a gasoline engine) and you have some pretty big capital costs.

The big difference is in the experience you have traveling. With an RV you will never pull into a town and find all of the motels are no vacancy. You can just find a Walmart Parking lot and you are set for the night. It is very common for me to head out friday evenings and drive until I am tired, then I find a roadside rest or just pull off the interstate and park. I get a nice nights rest in my own bed, in the morning I have a cup of fresh java and hit the road whenever the mood strikes, sometimes its 5 am othertimes not untill 7 or 8. Then when the coffee has been processed there is nothing like having your own facilities on board.

 

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Ride the bus or rent a car?

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We rented a RV for nine days last month, and in hindsight wished we hadn’t.  I paid $258 for a car I drove 3 times.  We had planned to hit Universal, but decided to save it for next trip. We made a trip to Rio Bravo on 192 for dinner in the car, but other than that we used the busses.  We drove to Fort Wilderness for Hoop De Doo, but you still end up on a bus to Pioneer Hall.

Mears Shuttle is about $22 per person R/T and is OK, but since so many RADPers are recommending Tiffany Town car, we will try them next time. I hear they will make a stop en route to the hotel so you can gather provisions.  (BEER!) Mears has a shuttle from WDW to Universal, and I’d wager that Tiffany also has one. It’s really nice to skip the rental line (don’t even think about Alamo) and hop right in a car and be driven to the hotel. Same thing on the trip home, less stress, more time to plan the next trip. If your stay will be Disney only, I’d skip the car.

I totally agree, go with the car. My wife and I figured out that we saved HOURS of time not having to wait for the buses. Plus, if you’re going to do a lot of park hopping and resort hopping, you don’t have to ride somewhere, wait for a bus to transfer to, and then go there. With the money that you spend at Disney, you should enjoy as much time as possible, and as long as you can afford a car, it definitely will increase the amount of time that you can enjoy the parks. Plus, you don’t have to deal with the crowded buses, whiny kids, etc. that will be on the buses. With a car, you have a few moments to relax. Plus, the signs to direct you around the property are great. I have a horrible sense of direction and I didn’t get lost once! We rented from Dollar and had a great experience.

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Negril Vacation

January 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

We are going to Sandals Negril for our honeymoon in June.  We have never been to Jamaica nor have we ever stayed in an all-inclusive hotel.  I have two questions:

1. What should we expect to do for six days in the resort and should we consider renting a RV and touring the island?

2. We do not have diving certification. However, I see on the cartoon type map of the property that a diving pool exists.  Would diving certification or non-certified diving be included in our package?  Could we expect to do some actual diving or are we simply talking about snorkeling?

I don’t recommend renting a car – left side of road & wild road conditions – you’ll see what I mean on the trip from Mo Bay to Negril.  Cabs are cheap and can be shared with other couples if you want, or the jitney bus.  Travel from Negril to Ocho Rios, for example, can be an all-day trip.  While I have not visited Sandals Negril, they usually have lots of water sports (snorkeling, skiing, para-sailing (extra expense), sail boarding, etc.  Beach is clothing optional as well, so sightseeing doesn’t require any travel!  There is a big catamaran that the resorts contract for sunset sails, too.  There is usually other stuff like golf and tennis, and marvelous rum drinks to keep you mellow. By the way, change your money at the airport or resort only, and keep the receipts. You really don’t need Jamaican money for anything, anyway, at an all-inclusive.  Last time I saw an exchange rate it was about $36 J to $1 US.

 

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