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It’s November 2024 and we haven’t posted on social media since (checks the ‘Gram)... March. Oof. Sorry about that, guys. Ironically, Tosha and I came into 2024 with a grand plan for the Lackeys Be Trippin’ webpage and social media content! We had a calendar lined out including blog and video topics, as well as a scheduled calendar that would commit 48 weeks of the year to recapping each of the 48 states we’ve visited by using footage and photos shot during our travels over the last five years. We hit the ground running and then… life caught up with me.  To answer the most asked question we’ve had lately: YES, we are still traveling! In fact, not only are we still living the RV life, we did some overseas travel in 2024! Tosha and I kicked the year off with a trip to Thailand but over the summer I went solo to Italy and Portugal. We even drove nearly coast-to-coast across Canada with the kids in our (as it turns out, quite broken) new-to-us motorhome. Did you miss that part? We bought a 1998 American Tradition and a 24’ enclosed trailer to replace our Thor Outlaw and flat-towed pickup truck setup.  Same place, almost exactly three years apart! Gas/diesel, flat tow/trailer, Ford/Jeep! We haven’t talked much about it but we bought this old diesel pusher thinking it would be a great investment and an easy project. Instead, it turned out to be quite the opposite. All of the challenges and unforeseen setbacks are a big reason I didn’t have the time or mental capacity to post with regularity this past year. Every time I looked up there was a fluid leak, an air leak, a water leak, something falling off or something missing. Don’t worry though, we documented all of that and we’ll be sharing it with you soon! You’ll want to stay tuned for the recap, beginning with our next blog and video discussing WHY we made the decision to buy a cheap old pusher and how we chose this one.  Wait until you see the things we had to do to keep our "new" old diesel pusher on the road in 2024! So 2024 was possibly our wildest year of travel yet, with over 32,000 miles driven, a countless number of challenges and setbacks and more adventures than I could begin to recount here. Speaking of recounting adventures, we’ll be picking our state reviews back up effective immediately and posting new blogs and videos touching on all sorts of fun stuff! There have been so many good times and hard times over the years that we have yet to share and we plan on pulling those memories out of the vault over the coming months and into 2025.
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 Unfortunately this was a very common place for me to be over the course of four years... The Onan/Cummins QG5500 is one of the most common gensets in modern RVs including gas-powered Class A and B motorhomes and 5th wheel trailers. The straightforward design is made to operate within compact basement compartments while maintaining a decent operating temperature, it’s relatively inexpensive and because it’s such a common unit, and parts are readily available from multiple sources. And that last point is a good thing, because to say we have not had good luck with our QG5500 would be putting it lightly. It’s been common to find my head buried in the midship compartment on the driver side of our motorhome diagnosing or repairing our genny over the years. Some days you’d find my legs hanging out the side of the rig from underneath that compartment - It just depends where the problem is that week. At this point we (or a technician) have replaced almost every part of the generator outside of the engine itself. That’s been stressful and expensive, but it has lended us one gleaming bit of good news: I’ve become a bit of a handyman on the ‘ol QG5500, repairing friends’ units and walking them through troubleshooting issues over the phone. I’ve also found a couple of “must do hacks” for anyone with a QG5500 - even a brand new one! The symptoms We’re not alone in our frustrations with the QG. Face it, if you’re reading this article you probably can’t keep your generator running. Or it won’t start. Or it’s puking fuel all over the place when you prime it. Or it’s making a terrible noise. Or it’s running but not making power. I’ve actually experienced all of these things in the past three years! Every one of these issues is incredibly frustrating but through a process of reading every available piece of literature possible then applying them with a heavy amount of trial and error, I’ve managed to overcome each. Okay full disclosure, a couple times I did pay some dudes with forklifts and more tools than me to do the bigger stuff. When it comes to issues with gasoline Onan generators, there’s a lot to cover. Today we’re going to stick to the most common issue that plagues these things even when they’re brand new: stalling. The codes If (when) your generator stalls, you’re going to have a flashing light on your generator button. When you click it once, the light will blink in a different sequence. This is your code. For example, if you click the button and it blinks “1,2,3… 1,2,3,4,5,6…” That's code 36. Here is a list of common Onan fault codes and some very basic checks/fixes: Code 2: Oil pressure fault (check & top off or change oil) Code 12: Overvoltage fault Code 13: Undervoltage fault (disconnect some of your connected appliances) Code 14: Overfrequency fault Code 15: Underfrequency fault (disconnect some of your connected appliances) Code 22: Governor overload fault (disconnect some of your connected appliances) Code 33: Low cranking speed fault (check your battery connections and charge level) Code 36: Engine stopped without command fault (one of the most common faults, this can be a lot of things!) Now, there are all sorts of codes in between and in addition to the ones above but in my experience they are ancillary. In fact, I’ve had failures of parts which should have triggered specific faults but instead I only got Code 36. It’s like the part caused an issue which in turn caused the engine to stall but the system was too dumb or lazy to let me know. It was just like, “Yeah I stopped working but I don’t know why. You figure it out!” If you’re getting a Code 36 you can probably attest: It’s infuriating because there usually isn’t always a “smoking gun” jumping right out at you. In this article I’ll explain all the problems we’ve experienced, how I diagnosed the issues and all the fixes I’ve done! At the end I’ll share the two things YOU should do to your QG5500 even if it’s running fine! Our first issue The most common thing to fail on these units is the fuel pump. Speak to anyone who’s fumbled their way around their Onan and they’ll probably tell you they’ve replaced theirs. In fact, many RVers (including myself) carry a spare fuel pump in their rig! For us, the fuel pump announced its departure with a sudden stall and a “Code 36”. When we pressed the button to prime the fuel system, the pump did nothing. Keep in mind there are other reasons this could happen (which we’ll talk about later) but I got lucky and this was indeed the fix. In my case, I replaced the pump with a Chinese one from Amazon. There are many generic brands on Amazon and I’ve used three. They all worked fine, although one of them (Waterwich brand) did not have the mounting tabs in the right place. I should note that we did not have three pump failures, I simply misdiagnosed the pump and replaced it without proper diagnosis. More on that later! If you need to replace your Onan QG5500 fuel pump and want an easy to understand walkthrough on the process, check out our YouTube video on the subject!  Fuel pumps are common failures. Thankfully they're cheap and easy to replace. Watch our YouTube video on the subject to see for yourself! Getting really technical As the weather got hotter, the generator began acting up again. We were having the same symptoms as we did when the first fuel pump failed: stalling, Code 36, then failure to prime and restart until the unit cooled. Naturally, I replaced the pump again only to find it was not the issue. A quick test of the fuel pump wiring revealed that there was no power going to the pump but this was only happening when it got hot. Once the generator cooled, the pump would prime again. I then traced the wiring back to the control board, which is located inside the gen cover and under the shroud which houses the switch and breakers. Upon removing the shroud (four bolts), I was able to retrieve the computer and quickly see what the problem was! The computer board sits in a housing with one side open, embedded in a clear epoxy. The board looked clear and healthy, with the exception of one circuit in the corner of the board where the epoxy was burned. This was the circuit for the fuel pump and it was evident that when the board was hot, the solder was coming apart opening the circuit. Once cool, the connection touched again and allowed the pump to prime and run. Contacting Cummins for a replacement board revealed that I probably wasn’t the only one having this issue. The part was on backorder for at least six months, a situation surely compounded by the fact that we were right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. A search for used parts turned up empty but thankfully, just as I was about to give up, I found Flight Systems, Inc.! Although the name would have you believe they specialize in aircraft components, over half of their 50-year existence has been focused on RV generator controls and circuit boards. We ordered a replacement board from Flight systems which arrived in just a few days. Once plugged in and hooked up, the genny ran great in the spring air! There are some differences with this aftermarket board you should be aware of: First, the FS unit has a larger heat sink to help dissipate heat better than the Onan unit. Hopefully this prevents the type of failure we experienced with our original module. Second, the FS computer will only shut the genset down for what it considers to be major concerns - overheating, low oil level and stator voltage errors. Lastly, the unit will not generate fault codes (for better and for worse). Some people will see this as a big issue, I personally do not. After all, the codes displayed by the original unit were of no use to me in my troubleshooting. We’ve put about 700 hours on this Flight Systems board and while we’ve had plenty of other issues with the genset, the computer has operated flawlessly. Now, about those “other issues”...  See that dark spot in the upper right corner of the board? Cooked. Spewing fuel Having now replaced the fuel pump multiple times and with a new control board installed, the genny was running semi-reliably when the weather was below 80 degrees (although still stalling in higher temps). Whereas priming the generator had been a concern in the past because there would be air in the lines or it simply wouldn’t prime (due to the previously defective control board), one particular day in Wyoming we got the opposite effect while priming the system: a distinct fuel smell which led us outside to find fuel POURING from the generator! A quick removal of the gen set cover revealed that the fuel was pouring from the airbox and bowl of the carburetor. The carburetor is the part on top of the engine which mixes gasoline with air and gives the proper ratio for ignition inside the engine. Obviously, the fuel should stay inside the carb and it should certainly never be puking out of the air filter box. There were a couple of possible reasons that this could be happening: First, the fuel overflow sensor could be malfunctioning. Second, the float could be sticking inside the bowl. I removed the carb, cleaned and inspected all of the float components and reinstalled it only to have the same results. At that point, given that we needed to be in Pittsburgh just days later and it was hot outside, I knew we needed to find a quick solution. When these types of things come up during your travels, it’s a tricky balance. In our case, we had an extended warranty however we didn’t have time to be without the RV and we needed to get back on the road. I also didn’t have the tools or time to diagnose the sensor nor order an inexpensive aftermarket carburetor online. With this in mind, we opted to purchase a new Onan carburetor (complete with overflow sensor) at a local dealer and install it before getting back on the road rather than putting it in the shop for a “free” warranty repair. This cost about $450 and took a couple hours but it really was our only option. Thankfully, the generator ran great with the new carb and we continued on our journey with power and house air conditioning! For a little while, anyway. Grasping at straws One thing most people learn with the Onan QG5500: There is no escape from Code 36 and stalling when the temp gets over 80 degrees! Even after the new carburetor was installed we found ourselves without power and A/C when we needed it most, as the QG stalled and failed to restart until it had cooled. Once cool, we might get ten minutes of run time out of it. With the mechanical (and electrical) fuel components now having been almost completely replaced, there should have been no reason for this. Time for more testing! Fuel pump? Good. Control board? Good. Carburetor? Brand new, and set properly. One thing I noticed was that when the engine was warm, if we tried priming the system with the hose removed from the carburetor there was a lot of air in the system and the fuel sort of spit out rather than flowing freely. Whereas before I had attributed this to a fuel pump weakening when hot or the pump impeller spinning on the shaft, I began to have suspicions about the 10-year-old rubber fuel line that ran about 20 feet from the fuel tank to the generator carb. As fuel lines age, they can fail in multiple ways. Hairline cracks can form, introducing air bubbles into the fuel system or the inner wall of the hose can collapse, choking the fuel line and keeping the carburetor from getting the proper amount of fuel. I climbed under the rig and pulled the protective sheathing from the line the entire length of the rig, inspecting it fully. Along the way I discovered that the technicians at Thor had clamped the fuel line into a tight bundle alongside the wiring harness and hydraulic lines in two places, really pinching the line! I removed the clamps, freed and rerouted the fuel line and reattached everything but unfortunately this did not solve our issue. I decided to replace the entire fuel line, which was honestly not as big a job as I expected but still quite tedious and dirty! With 23 feet of new high-quality fuel line installed, we set off for our next destination with fingers crossed and hopes high… Only to be let down yet again.  Replacing the entire fuel line was not only a pain in the butt, it didn't fix our issues. Excuses for upgrades At this point, I was at a complete loss. With temps in the high 90’s, our generator simply would not run even at highway speeds (which should keep airflow moving enough for sufficient cooling). Stall. Code 36. Failure to prime. Restart 30 mins later. Run for 10 minutes. Repeat cycle. Again traveling across the northern United States in a fairly remote area, there wasn’t much relief or hope for repairs. I hung out the window shirtless as I drove down the highway, trying to stay somewhat cool as additional heat was radiating from the engine cowling between the front seats. It was like choosing to stick my heat in an oven as opposed to a furnace. Thankfully, Tosha, the kids and the rabbit were in the Sprinter van which was cooling nicely. After a few hours of this, I couldn’t do it anymore. I pulled off at the first sign of civilization and decided I was going to fix this generator on the side of the road, come hell or high water. A little research determined that I could likely install a low-pressure fuel pump in-line back towards the fuel pump to help “boost” the fuel all the way up to the Onan pump, which is located directly under the generator waaaay up the line. In theory, if the fuel pump was indeed weakening due to heat it would be remedied with this helper pump. I purchased a Posi-Flow 7-10 PSI pump from Napa, got some appropriate male fuel line fittings and 20 feet of both red and black wire then climbed under the rig and got to work. I found a safe, sturdy place to mount the pump just ahead of the rear axle and attached the pump to the frame of the motorhome. I then cut an opening in the fuel line, installed the fittings and ran wire from the factory pump back to the secondary unit so they would run fully in tandem (I had some concern that this second pump would overload that circuit but this has not proven to be the case). Once back on the road, I found this did actually help the issue! We were running for upwards of an hour before another stall and Code 36 faults, however the system would prime sooner and run longer after these stalls. This told me the issue was indeed fuel related and I was onto something but I hadn’t quite solved the puzzle yet. As it turns out, the smallest fix was exactly what this thing needed the whole time. Either this works, or I set it ablaze As you might imagine, I was beyond the end of my rope with this QG5500. We had spent thousands of dollars and countless hours diagnosing, repairing and upgrading the unit only to be let down and disappointed time after time. It was time for some outside-the-box thinking and more thorough diagnosis. Since I determined once again that there was air in the line when hot despite the new fuel lines and auxiliary fuel pump, this issue had to be heat related. I began my sleuthing with an infrared thermometer in hand. I ran the genny until it stalled, then removed the engine cover and checked the temps at the fuel pump underneath the generator, the exhaust behind the generator, the fuel line alongside the back and exhaust, the cooling fan below, and - most notably - the fuel line inside the genny cover as well as the carb float bowl. What I found was pretty surprising: The temps were obviously highest at the exhaust, but the second-highest temps were right inside the generator cover and around where the small fuel line ran from the fuel pump to the carb! Immediately following a stall, I applied ice bags to the fuel pump and fuel line running the length of the genny. Once cool, I restarted the genny and ran it for about fifteen minutes until it stalled once again. The temp gun showed that the fuel system was completely cool all the way up until the fuel went into the generator cover (because, ya know… it was encased in ice). The temp of the hose inside the genny was - once again - in the second hottest area in the bay. I determined this wasn’t just air getting in the lines, this was fuel being vaporized by heat as it made its way through the final leg of its journey to the engine! Fuel vapor lock is a phenomenon that occurs in internal combustion engines when the liquid fuel in the fuel lines or carburetor transitions into a gaseous state before reaching the engine. This vaporization disrupts the fuel flow, resulting in engine performance issues or even engine stalling. Essentially, the fuel boils. When this happens, the pressure caused by the gaseous boiled fuel can push the liquid fuel further back down the line, thereby causing pockets of air to form. Hence, lots of spitting fuel when we tried priming our hot generator. I was quite pleased yet simultaneously annoyed at these findings. After all, I’d had the evidence the entire time and knew this might be the case, I just hadn’t ever taken the time to go through this process of diagnosing the issue with a temp gun and process of elimination. Now I just needed to figure out a way to keep that little bit of fuel cool on its 8-inch trip through the hot spot. I first drilled a hole in the outer cover of the generator and ran a line outside the cover, through the hole and directly to the carb. Again, this helped but it only increased runtime by about 30 minutes and still left several inches of hose in the hot area behind the cover. In addition, it made the cover very hard (and messy) to remove since the fuel hose had to be completely disconnected. It was a temporary solution for trial purposes only, and it didn’t really work. I then considered cutting a hole in the cover and installing a mesh grille to allow heat to escape that area before realizing the cover is designed a certain way to dissipate heat from the engine and I shouldn’t disrupt that air flow.  Testing my overheat/vapor lock theory by running the fuel line outside the generator box. Finally, I settled on the simplest and cheapest solution: Another stop at an auto parts store for a roll of reflective heat shield sleeve. This stuff may not look like much, but it can greatly reduce the effect of heat on things like fuel and oil. There was actually a sleeve of some sort installed by Onan at the factory but it was not a heat shield. Instead it is a mesh cover that is simply intended to keep the hose from chafing on nearby components. Why they didn’t just install a proper heat shield and accomplish both goals is beyond me. At any rate, I cut a strip of sleeve to cover the line completely from the pump to the carb, installed it and said a prayer.
Hallelujah! Since installing the heat shield sleeve, we have experienced only one stall which did not appear to be heat related and the generator restarted immediately without issue. Something else to note, I gave the leftover heat shield sleeve to two friends of mine who were experiencing stalling and Code 36 issues with their QG5500s (one of which was brand new). They both installed the sleeve and said they have not had any heat-related stalling since! The two “hacks” every Onan QG5500 owner should do I know this was a somewhat long blog with a lot of info but I felt it necessary to put all of this stuff in one place. The truth is, almost every QG5500 owner will experience Code 36 and stalling issues at some point during ownership (if not right off the lot) and any combination of these things could be the source of the problem. With that in mind, here are two things I would recommend every Onan gas generator owner do right off the bat:
With these additions, your Onan generator should run much more reliably especially when the temperature rises and you’re running your air conditioners! While the QG5500 (and its sister models) are indeed very common, Cummins engineers pulled up a little short when it comes to the little details that would truly make this a reliable unit in all conditions. Hopefully these additions prove to be difference makers for you! Have you experienced issues with your RV generator stalling? Did you do something else to fix the issues? Comment below and tell us what you did! RV Life Entrepreneur Podcast: Navigating the Growth Phase on the Entrepreneurial Highway – RVE #3273/16/2024  Is your business in the midst of a growth phase? Navigating expansion, especially from the nomadic perspective of the road, demands not only immense effort but also a focused mindset and a strategic approach.
In this captivating episode, Rose Willard engages in an insightful conversation with Robert & Tosha Lackey, the visionary couple behind Bison, a motorcycle safety gear business, as they run their business full-time from the road. Join us as we uncover the intricacies of their strategic move to grow Bison geographically, exploring how the Lackey’s seamlessly blend their passion for motorcycles with the freedom of the RV lifestyle. From the innovation in safety gear to tackling legal complexities, scaling on the move, and finding equilibrium in work, life, and homeschooling, this episode provides invaluable insights for fellow entrepreneurs navigating the challenges and triumphs of life on the road. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, an RV enthusiast, or simply hungry for a story of resilience and innovation, this episode promises inspiration and practical wisdom. Buckle up for a deep dive into the exciting and pivotal phase of Robert and Tosha’s entrepreneurial journey, where the road becomes the backdrop for business growth and personal adventure! In our last blog, I reviewed the Brake Buddy Select 3 unit which helps bring our flat-towed Ford Ranger to a stop when we apply the brakes on our motorhome. Since the release of that blog, many of you have reached out for more information about our towing setup - specifically, our Roadmaster 522 Falcon All-Terrain Tow Bar! You ask, we give.
At the time of this writing, we’ve put over 50,000 miles of pulling duty on our Roadmaster bar in the past four years! We’ve towed over tens of thousands of miles of flat highway, but we’ve also put it to the test with some serious articulation behind our Thor Outlaw Class A motorhome, exaggerated more so thanks to said vehicle’s long rear overhang. Speaking of articulation, one of the standout features of the All-Terrain Tow Bar is its ability to adapt to different towing situations. With a 6,000lb. rating, this bar is a great choice for towing anything from a small car to a mid-size truck. In fact, it handles the duty of lugging our Ranger around just fine. Need more capacity? The Roadmaster 576 Sterling All-Terrain Tow Bar offers 8,000lbs. of towing capability, while the Roadmaster 422 Blackhawk 2 All-Terrain Tow Bar is rated for 10,000lbs! The design includes quick-disconnect mechanisms that allow for easy attachment and detachment of the towed vehicle, making the entire process much simpler and more efficient. Even better, unlike other tow bars the mechanism is easy to get unbound should you need to disconnect on uneven ground or with the rig turned hard. On the topic of connecting the bar to the vehicle, Roadmaster offers various options depending on the vehicle you’re planning to tow. If you’re planning to tow a Jeep Wrangler, for instance, the Roadmaster 521448-5 Direct Connect Style Baseplate bolts directly to the frame of the Jeep using existing holes. Conversely, our Ranger uses the Roadmaster 524431-5 Direct Connect Tow Bar Baseplates which replace the factory tow hooks and again uses those factory mounting points. Quick-connect “U-joints” are included with the baseplates. These U-joints remove from the baseplates very quickly by pulling a pin and rotating them 90 degrees. To install, simply insert and twist to lock them in place! In addition to its versatility and ease of use, the All-Terrain Tow Bar also provides excellent stability and control while towing. The design includes a unique non-binding joint just in front of the arms which allows the whole unit to twist and flex independently. This is especially important when driving over rough terrain, as it helps to reduce the risk of damage to either the towed vehicle or the towing vehicle. Once disconnected, the whole tow bar flips upwards, locks into position and drops down to one side or the other to stow while not towing. This is convenient but I must say it’s the one area where our Roadmaster has started to show fatigue and wear. Although the joint plates and the rest of the unit are made with high-strength quality steel, the plates bear all of the weight of the bar when flipped over into the stowed position. When the motorhome is driven with the bar flipped into stow mode for some time, the plate bends and the bar sags downward. Keep in mind this does take some time and has only become prevalent in the past year or so. The only other notable aging is a bit of rust on the coupling hardware. The gray powercoating on the unit is very durable and the polished telescoping bars still work nicely despite never being lubricated. Overall, the Roadmaster All-Terrain Tow Bar is an outstanding piece of equipment that is both durable and versatile. It’s been a joy to use and completely trouble-free over our long duration of use. Whether you're towing a vehicle on a long road trip or navigating challenging off-road terrain, this tow bar will give you excellent stability, control and reliability making it a must-have for any serious RVer or adventurer. When it comes to towing a vehicle behind your RV, the information gathering process can be taxing and overwhelming. You need to choose a tow bar and corresponding tow bar brackets (we went with the Roadmaster All-Terrain system and LOVE IT!), figure out your tail light diodes and - maybe most importantly - decide which auxiliary braking system you want to use. For the purpose of keeping the topic simple and reserving your sanity, we’re going to focus on that last component! What is the Brake Buddy? Built right up the road from my hometown in Olathe, Kansas, the Brake Buddy Select 2 unit is a portable, easy-to-use auxiliary braking system designed for towed (or, as they’re commonly referred to in the RV community, “toad”) vehicles. It is designed to help improve the braking performance of a towed vehicle and ensure that it stops safely and efficiently when the towing vehicle does. Think of it like trailer brakes: You’ve got 3000-8000 lbs of dead weight dragging along back there and without dedicated brakes, you’re asking your tow vehicle’s brakes to stop the whole package. Not to mention the danger of momentum swinging the trailer or toad around should things become squirrely. It’s a simple machine: When braking pressure is required, the Brake Buddy actuates a pneumatic cylinder which presses the brake pedal on the toad.  What makes it unique? One of the standout features of the Brake Buddy Select II and Select 3 units are their portability. Unlike permanently-affixed systems, Brake Buddy units are removed when not in use. This can be both a blessing and a curse depending on your needs. The good news is the unit is compact and lightweight, making it easy to install and remove as needed. It also has a wireless remote control, which allows for easy activation and deactivation of the system. We place the remote right on our dashboard and stow the Brake Buddy in a small undercarriage compartment when it’s not in use. Another notable feature of the Brake Buddy Select II is its ability to self-diagnose any issues or malfunctions that may occur. This can help to ensure that the unit is working properly at all times and that any problems are identified and resolved quickly, which is a great thing since we had a lot of issues with our first unit!  Reliably unreliable Have you ever owned something that you just knew was going to let you down at the worst possible time? In our RV life, we have had two of those: Our Onan QG5500 generator and the Brake Buddy Select II! Issues with our first Brake Buddy unit began after about a year of use when we got an error immediately following a very hard stop. I pulled over and looked inside the housing where I quickly saw that the air line from the pump to the cylinder popped off. There is no real clamp on these hoses, just small zip ties. Leary of voiding my 3-year warranty, I called Brake Buddy and explained my situation. I could not open the unit myself, I was told. As frustrating as it was to mail my unit back for such a trivial issue that I could have fixed in five minutes, rules are rules and I wanted to keep my warranty intact. Besides, Brake Buddy shipped us a loaner unit which meant we just threw ours in the box and sent it back with the return label! It took several weeks to get our machine back but the loaner was much appreciated. We got a few months’ worth of use out of the newly-repaired unit before the same thing happened again - this time while traversing the Rockies. If you’ve ever driven down a mountain in a large vehicle you understand the importance of brakes. Suffice it to say, this was a stressful situation. This time when I called Brake Buddy, I was pretty adamant that I needed to fix the issue myself. After all, we were on top of a mountain and I wasn’t going to be stationary for a long time to receive and ship units back and forth. The technician reluctantly agreed and I was able to repair the problem in just a few minutes by removing the screws around the bottom, splitting the case open and affixing a new zip tie to the small air hose. While I was in there, I looked around at the components to make sure nothing else needed attention. What I found was the mounts on the air pump had fallen apart allowing pretty much everything in there to just move around. This wasn’t helping keep the air lines - or the wiring connections - in place. I mention wiring because a month or so later, we again had a malfunction which was a result of a wire coming out of its connection at a control board. Since I had already opened the case to repair the air line, I cracked it open again for further diagnosis and repair. Despite my tip-tie band-aids holding the guts of this thing together, the innards were still moving around enough to put strain on the wiring and pull it out from the connection. Beyond that, however, the wire management inside the unit was not great, with wires wrapped around various components for no reason with seemingly no mind paid to moving parts. Looking at this, I feel it was only a matter of time before one of these wires fell out even with the parts mounted securely. My confidence in the product now as shattered as the Brake Buddy's internal mounts, I figured I would visit the Brake Buddy HQ once we got back to Kansas to see if they could fix the mounts and wiring, and hopefully attach the air lines more reliably. Turns out I’d have even more reasons to visit them in person because just a few weeks later the control panel began displaying errors. Then the air pump began to fail, eventually dying altogether after a few more uses. At this point we were back in the central plains so I just stowed the Brake Buddy and drove back to Kansas without toad brakes. By this time I was pretty darn frustrated (understatement of the year) but I scheduled a visit to the Brake Buddy HQ. It’s a quick drive about an hour north of Wichita to see them in person but I hoped to get this resolved once and for all! Brake Buddy did tell me they don’t normally just have people walk in, but they seemed keen on getting this situation resolved for me and made an exception which I appreciated. After an hour of waiting, the technician brought the unit to me and said it was fixed. Not wanting to take his word and waste a trip, I took the Brake Buddy out to the truck, hooked it up and surprisingly (or unsurprisingly, I’m not really sure) - the same error message appeared! I stomped back in, handed the machine back to the tech and sat in the waiting room. He was quite apologetic and after ten or fifteen minutes he returned with a brand new Brake Buddy Select 3 unit! He said they needed to fix so many things on my Select II that it would be better to just replace it altogether and all they had were Select 3 units in stock. Admittedly, my faith in this company’s products was at an all-time low at this point but I thanked them for their service and accepted the new product.  Healing wounds with time… and a new machine Having used the Select III unit for a couple years now, I can tell you it’s been a much more reliable product. To tell you the truth, the Select II and Select 3 are basically the same items. As far as I can tell, the only differences are that the Select 3 has adjustable height “feet” and a new “Quick Lock” clevis which is supposed to make attaching the rod to the pedal easier. I personally don’t care for this new clevis, in fact I swapped my Select II clamp onto the Select 3 in place of the Quick Lock. In addition, the controller and all settings are identical between the Select II and Select 3, so I retained my old controller and preferences. Braking force and consistency is also identical between the models. My real hope is that the internal components have been upgraded from the Select II model, but I haven’t disassembled the Select 3 to find out if that’s the case.  Final verdict Experts in the field of RVing and towing have long praised the Brake Buddy Select 2 unit for its performance and ease of use. It has also been recommended by several RV and towing publications as a top choice for auxiliary braking systems. As for us? Our personal experience with the Brake Buddy may have started out poorly but I have been much happier with our Brake Buddy Select 3! Honestly, had it not been for Brake Buddy’s warranty and technical support, these closing paragraphs may have read much differently. Given the overwhelmingly-positive feedback from users online, I’m inclined to say we just got a lemon unit. When the product does work (which the Select 3 has), it works well and provides a lot of reassurance. Overall, if you are in the market for an auxiliary braking system for your towed vehicle, the Brake Buddy Select 3 unit is definitely worth considering. Its portability, ease of use, and effective braking performance make it a top choice for many RVers - including the Lackeys! This is in no way a paid endorsement of the Brake Buddy system, however if this article was helpful we encourage you to make your purchase via our Amazon Associates link below! If you would like to pick up a Brake Buddy Select 3 system for yourself, purchase via the link here! If you'd rather give the Blue Ox Patriot 3 a try, you can link to that system here. Thanks for reading, we hope to see you on the open road!  Want to stress me out? Ask me to make a meal for a party of six or more on a camping grill. Want to give me a breakdown? Tell me I have to clean up the cooking area afterwards! Despite what the above paragraph might have led you to believe, Tosha and I actually love hosting and entertaining guests at our campsite. We offer seats and stir up conversation without batting an eye - all while keeping our guests’ cups full of the beverage of their choice. When it comes to the cooking and cleanup part? We draw straws to see who gets that one.  The challenge of RV cooking I can’t speak for Tosha but I personally stress about cooking because I have a ton of trouble coordinating the timing and temperature of multiple foods. That issue is made worse in an RV, where the cooking appliances are generally smaller and less accurate than residential units. The easy answer to this problem is to carry an outdoor grill as you travel in your RV, but this creates challenges in and of itself as space and weight come into play. By far though, the thing we both hate the most about cooking is cleaning the cooking area and utensils! For three years, we carried a small Coleman Gas Camping Stove in our lower compartment. It did the job, it was efficient and it’s lightweight to boot. A small bottle of propane yielded several days’ worth of meals, albeit with the occasional (okay, frequent) grease fire. Despite the efficiency and convenience, I was never truly happy with the little stove for our needs. The small cooking surface only accommodated four burger patties and the single burner control was agonizingly hard to adjust (basically either “off” or “fire”). The thing about this Coleman grill was that it was always absolutely gross. Cleanup was not easy nor did I ever look forward to it. At some point over the past year or so I simply gave up on cleaning the grill and started chucking it into the undercarriage bin after a quick exterior wipedown. Not ideal but again, we used it quite a lot. (Note: If you’re a van lifer or weekend camper this might be a good starter appliance for you, so we’ve included a link to purchase the Coleman grill.)  The day I found a better solution We were in Ft. Lauderdale at Yacht Haven RV Resort in February. I’ll never forget this because it was my birthday and we met our now-best RV friends, Ken and Amanda Freick, in the pool that day! The Freick’s are GREAT hosts and they graciously invited us over for some food cooked on their “Blackstone”. At the time, I had no idea what a Blackstone was but it sounded fancy and we’re always game for some home-cooked food! Once at the Freick’s Class A Holiday Rambler, Ken unveiled the Blackstone. He explained how simple and awesome this griddle was: A single, solid cast-iron cooking surface with two burners below. Cleanup was as simple as pushing the “big stuff” into the back of the griddle and down the “drain” with a scraper tool. At the end of the day or weekend, just dump the catch tray or better yet, pull the foil liner out and replace it. I watched as Ken whipped up some breakfast food: peppered bacon on the left side, diced potatoes on the right. The bacon grease got into the potatoes a bit. “Oh we’re having dirty potatoes today!”, Ken said. (Since then I’ve learned that “dirty” food means it’s seasoned a little with the food prior - usually a greasy food like bacon.) A handful of shredded cheese over the taters melted perfectly while some charred on the griddle surface. These things looked epic. I grabbed a rogue tater off the griddle and tossed it into my pie hole, instantly searing my tongue and the roof of my mouth. The second-degree burns were totally worth it. These dirty potatoes were BOMB! As Ken shut the griddle down I couldn’t help but cringe at the crusted cheese and bacon bits baked onto the surface. This looked like it was going to be hell to clean up but Ken had everything scraped off with a few strokes of the scraper blade! A quick spray of olive oil on the surface before closing the lid and walking away. “Lunch is going to be awesome with that breakfast seasoning.” Over the next few days the Freicks spoiled us and cooked a lot of meals on that Blackstone for us. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make such great food - but the fact that there was basically zero cleanup made this seem too good to be true!  A gift for the family We went the rest of the year limping along with that poor, filthy little Coleman camping stove but every time we grilled out we always thought about the Freicks’ Blackstone. Finally, in November I found an excellent deal on the 22” Blackstone and Camco Olympian Portable Table on a Black Friday sale. It just so happened that Tosha and I were prepping for a three-week van life trip in our Sprinter and we needed a good gas cooking option, so I ordered it right away. Merry Christmas to us! I unboxed everything as soon as it arrived and unfolded the Camco table. To my surprise, the table is super sturdy considering it’s lightweight! It is also incredibly easy to set up and stow with one simple pull or push motion. Four convenient folding hooks on each of the side tables are perfect for hanging utensils and rags. At 32 pounds, the Blackstone 22 isn’t exactly light but the table didn’t falter in the slightest when I placed the griddle upon its pedestal. In fact, it feels very sturdy even during heavy scraping. Somehow it doesn’t even manage to feel top-heavy. Months after my first use, I continue to find myself amazed at this little table! Just be advised, the particle board side table tops are NOT waterproof. After a night in the rain, the white surface started to lift around the edges where water soaked in. Not a big deal, and it’s been noted for the future. Enough about the silly table. What about the Blackstone, Rob?! Well, let me tell you, this isn’t something you just get out of the box and start cooking on. Just like a cast-iron skillet or pot, there’s an art to “seasoning” the metal. Blackstone recommends coating the surface lightly with oil and burning it off repeatedly. You can actually see the surface change colors as you get closer to being able to cook on it. After that initial “break in”, you truly will find that the meals will get tastier and tastier and stick less to the surface the more you cook on it!  Real-world testing in the middle of nowhere The griddle was seasoned just in time for us to load up the van and hit the road for the Southern California desert. We packed a cooler full of meat and cheese and crossed our fingers that the Blackstone would be everything we hoped for. If it wasn’t, we’d be eating a lot of cold sandwiches and beef jerky. Once in California we set up camp at the Salton Sea Recreation Area, an oasis in the desert just east of Palm Springs with a bit of a dark history (more on that to come in a future blog). Not only were there no other people around, there were no stores close by to gather supplies. I set up camp and fired up the Blackstone using one of the four small camping propane bottles we’d packed for the trip. Our chicken fried rice dinner was okay (I burned the chicken and undercooked the rice on the campfire), but we were starving and living out of a van, so really it was excellent. The next morning for breakfast I sliced up some potatoes and peppers. Potatoes take a while to cook on the uncovered Blackstone surface, but I noticed that by the end of the meal the surface temp seemed low. Surely I wasn’t running low on gas after just two meals? Well, lunchtime confirmed my suspicion. After just 2.5 meals’ worth of cooking time, I’d expended a bottle of gas. We’d experienced our first drawback to Blackstone life: It ain’t very efficient for camping. We continued to burn through our gas bottles as we explored the SoCal desert but with each meal I better learned how to manage the cooking surface and temperature. At the same time, the griddle was seasoning nicely. The meals got better but most importantly - set up, clean up and tear down were so simple that I never dreaded cooking. Conversely, I was enjoying it more than ever! The Blackstone and Camco table combo was proving to be a home run.  Gas relief After blazing through five or six of the small camping bottles, I started to realize these things weren’t cutting it for Blackstone duty. The final straw came as I was cooking breakfast during an event at Chuckwalla Raceway in Desert Center, CA. I made a quick batch of bacon and eggs and got Tosha fed before starting mine. A friend came by and struck up a convo but I could see she was eyeing my bacon and eggs. I sensed that she hadn’t eaten so I offered them up to her - after all we had plenty of food. She happily accepted, so I plated her food and tossed the last batch onto the griddle for myself. By this point I was absolutely starving. Then the gas ran out. And we had no more. After that morning of disappointment, I broke down and bought a 5-gallon propane bottle and a Blackstone 5-gallon adapter hose. For whatever reason, the Blackstone seems a lot more efficient and happy on the big bottle of gas. Since switching to the 5 gallon about a month and a half ago, we have cooked a LOT of meals on the griddle and still have gas in the tank. I did notice that the small bottle would freeze when running both burners on high, especially as the bottle got low. My theory is that this decreases the efficiency of the gas, so even though the bottle might still be ¼ full, it won’t put out the BTUs necessary to heat the griddle. Then again I have a GED not a Masters, so I could be way off. Regardless of the reasoning, the Blackstone truly needs a 5-gallon or larger tank if you want to avoid frustration every few meals. Since we didn’t have room in the Class A to stow a 5 gallon tank, I bought a trailer hitch rack for the back of the Sprinter and tied the bottle to that during travel along with our 2200 watt generator and gasoline jugs. It’s worked perfectly - in fact I recommend the hitch rack to anyone in need of a little (or a lot of!) extra space in their van, truck or RV! Even though we found a solution to lug the 5 gallon bottle around, it’s not ideal. My next step will be adding a propane line tap and hose to our RV’s on-board 30-gallon propane tank so I can simply connect the Blackstone to the rig and fire it up without any bottle at all!  Would we do anything differently? The 22” Blackstone has been a game-changer for our family especially when hosting guests or parties at our campsite but there are a couple of things I would at least consider if I had to do it again. First, I must tell you there is a covered version of the 22” griddle called the Blackstone “On The Go” model. It’s touted to be easier to carry around and more weatherproof since it has a metal lid. I passed on this model since it cost significantly more than the standard Blackstone and mine came with a canvas cover anyway. Turns out, I could really use that lid when I’m cooking things that need to be covered. The lid would help with efficiency and allow me to better cook some dishes. The good news is I could always use a cooking dome or even add a lid to my Blackstone using the pre-drilled holes. Do I regret not getting the On-The-Go? Not really. Ironically, the lid on the “OTG” model adds weight and takes up quite a bit more space than the standard model. What about the surface size? Blackstone offers options ranging from a 17” single-burner model to a 36” four-burner beast. I can tell you that I’ve cooked A LOT of food in one evening on this two-burner 22” griddle and the dual temps have come in quite handy. Those who have the 17” unit seem to have an overall consensus that they’d get the 22” model if they had to do it again. For a couple in a van or for camping use, the 17” is probably an excellent choice and it will use a small bottle more efficiently. If you have the space and you’re cooking for a family, spring for the 22” and connect it to a larger tank. What about the Blackstone griddle cart? It’s a nice, robust rolling cart but honestly it’s not ideal for RV use. If you’re staying stationary for long periods of time and leaving the griddle outdoors it’s an option to consider, otherwise you’re much better off with a lighter, portable and more functional folding table option like our Camco Olympia. In closing, we can’t recommend a Blackstone enough! Our prior “favorite RV appliance”, the Ninja Foodi, does great things but requires a lot of electrical power to make food which isn’t always ideal in a motorhome or trailer. Best of all, the griddle cleans up with a quick scraping, a spritz of oil and a wipe down of the outside with a disposable degreasing scrubbing towel (which I use for everything). The Blackstone truly is the best cooking tool you can buy for RV or van life and it’s given me a new love and appreciation for cooking! Now if you’ll excuse me, some dirty, cheesy scrambled eggs are calling my name.
The Ninja OS301/FD305CO Foodi 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer with Nesting Broil Rack is a versatile kitchen appliance that is perfect for busy individuals who want to prepare healthy and delicious meals in a short amount of time. Here are some of the reasons why I would recommend this appliance.
Firstly, the Ninja Foodi combines the functions of a pressure cooker and an air fryer, allowing you to cook a wide range of dishes with ease. With the pressure cooker function, you can prepare stews, soups, and other one-pot meals in a fraction of the time it would take using traditional cooking methods. The air fryer function, on the other hand, allows you to fry, roast, and bake your favorite foods using little to no oil, making them a healthier alternative to deep-fried foods. Secondly, the Ninja Foodi comes with a nesting broil rack that allows you to cook multiple layers of food at the same time. This is particularly useful when cooking for a large family or preparing a meal for a dinner party. The nesting broil rack also helps to save space in your kitchen by allowing you to cook more food in a smaller area. Thirdly, the Ninja Foodi is easy to clean, thanks to its non-stick ceramic-coated pot and dishwasher-safe parts. This means that you can spend more time enjoying your meals and less time cleaning up afterward. Finally, the Ninja Foodi comes with a range of useful features, including a digital timer, temperature control, and a keep-warm function, which help to ensure that your meals are cooked to perfection and are ready when you are. Overall, the Ninja OS301/FD305CO Foodi 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker and Air Fryer with Nesting Broil Rack is an excellent investment for anyone who wants to save time and cook healthy, delicious meals at home. With its multiple functions, nesting broil rack, and easy-to-clean design, it is an appliance that will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
If you're a coffee lover looking for a compact and convenient machine to make delicious espresso at home, the Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine by De'Longhi is definitely worth considering.
One of the standout features of this machine is its size. The Essenza Mini is incredibly compact, taking up very little counter space. Despite its small size, it is able to deliver excellent quality espresso with the help of Nespresso's high-quality coffee capsules. The machine is very easy to use, with just two buttons for espresso and lungo drinks. Simply insert a capsule, select your preferred drink size, and the Essenza Mini will do the rest. The machine also heats up quickly, so you can enjoy your coffee in no time. Another advantage of the Essenza Mini is its stylish design. The machine is available in a range of colors to suit any kitchen décor, and its sleek and modern appearance will undoubtedly impress your guests. Maintenance is also very easy with the Essenza Mini. The machine comes with a removable water tank and drip tray for easy cleaning, and its automatic energy-saving function helps to conserve electricity. Of course, one of the main factors to consider when purchasing any coffee machine is the quality of the coffee it produces. In this regard, the Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine by De'Longhi certainly does not disappoint. The machine's 19-bar high-pressure pump ensures that each cup of coffee is rich, creamy, and full of flavor. In conclusion, the Nespresso Essenza Mini Espresso Machine by De'Longhi is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a compact, easy-to-use, and stylish espresso machine that delivers high-quality coffee. Whether you're a coffee aficionado or simply looking to upgrade your at-home coffee setup, the Essenza Mini is definitely worth considering. Weird things happen at 4 am. Last night I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been having a lot of anxiety lately and every time I put my phone down for sleep, the anxiety reared its ugly head again. -How many sales are we going to have this week? -Have I paid all of our bills? -Did I forget to answer any customer emails? -Did I eat dinner? Those were the trivial ones (not unimportant but trivial on the scale). Then the big ones hit me. -What value am I adding to our family? -Why can’t I seem to find my joy? -Will I ever find what I’m searching for? Yep, I told you. They were big ones. Ever since I quit my job as Vice President of Finance for a marketing company three years ago, I seem to be caught in this vicious cycle: Get a big idea. Pursue the big idea. Abandon the big idea because I hit a roadblock. Decide I’m going to go back to a traditional job. Look for a traditional job. Hit a dead end because nothing I find is exciting enough and I’m either under-qualified or overqualified. Question my entire self-worth. Retreat to myself and ignore it all. Find new inspiration. Repeat. THIS IS AN EXHAUSTING CYCLE. Well, last night it hit me - at 4 am.  I am doing exactly what I want to be doing. And I need to quit torturing myself. The cycle is simply distracting me from doing everything I’m already doing just a little bit better. Who else can say these things? -I am able to travel and experience the entire country, coast to coast. -I am able to spend countless hours with my family, making memories. -I love what I do for work. -I love sharing my experiences with people. Sounds pretty perfect, right? There’s one small problem - I need to make more money. Yep, I know, pretty significant problem. But there is some good news! We have an incredible, quickly growing business that I can directly impact. We need to increase our profit margins and we’re taking some pretty big steps to make sure that happens by the end of 2022. We’ve also made a ton of progress on growing our social media following for Lackeys Be Trippin’. If we can get our YouTube channels for both Bison and LBT to 1,000 followers, we will automatically start monetizing those channels. If we can get more traffic to our website and more people to engage with our content, we can increase our Amazon Associates revenue. We are so incredibly close to making a living - off simply living! And that, my friends, gives me joy. P.S. I know you didn’t ask but here are a few ways you can help if you feel inclined! (But no pressure!)
Cliche opening alert: It was a dark and stormy night on the plains of Eastern Kansas. We rolled across the border just before midnight on a 2-lane highway. A 40 mph crosswind was driving rain into the passenger side of the rig and ensuring that I kept both hands on the wheel at all times. Every passing semi swayed our tall, relatively lightweight motorhome like a ship in high seas and left a wake of road spray that my wiper blades could only just clear off in time for me to catch glimpses of the yellow and white stripes on the road. Oh, and it was cold. These conditions represented about “Defcon 2” on my RV driver’s scale, the only thing worse being ice (which is absolutely Defcon 1). I couldn’t see, I was hydroplaning even at greatly reduced speeds, there was no moonlight and no shoulder for us to pull off to wait it out. We just had to push headlong into the monsoon and hope for the distant lights of a roadside gas station or rest area. Then it happened. “KA-CHUNK.” The wiper arms flipped past the windshield and hung off the driver’s side of the coach, moving ever so slightly as the wiper motor attempted to reign them back to their normal position. The windshield immediately became about as opaque as one of those glass-block walls that coke dealers had in their houses in the 80’s. I leaned forward and moved my head all around, trying to find an angle where I could at least find the road stripes. An oncoming semi approached, the glare of his lights reducing visibility even more. “WHOOOSH!” The truck blazed by, the fine mist of his road spray making the windshield somehow even worse. The RV grazed the rumble strip on the thin shoulder of the road. “Mr. President, we’re raising the threat level to Defcon 1.” I slowed from 55 to 45… then to 35… and 25. There was risk at this point of being rear-ended by one of these cattle trucks hurtling unfazed across the prairie at 10 mph above the speed limit, but I certainly chose that as the better option when compared to driving into one of them head-on. I committed my ultimate pet peeve and turned our hazard lights on as I continued to drive. There was still no shoulder on this highway, and any intersecting road was dirt and/or mud with no way of turning the rig around on. We were on a one-way ride to Valhalla whether we wanted to be or not. Eventually we saw the distant glow of street lights at an intersecting overpass and cloverleaf. I limped the rig along until we could pull safely onto the shoulder and brave the cold and driving rain, huddled into the cowl of the motorhome attempting to fix the wiper linkage as semi trucks blasted by within feet of me. Honestly, all I could do was laugh. A maniacal laugh, sure… but I laughed. As bad as that situation was, it didn’t hold a candle to our most recent setback. Whereas I managed to get the wipers fixed(ish) relatively quickly on the side of the road, our next big problem wasn’t so easy to address. Death by Potholes During our recent travels from Oklahoma to Washington state, we found ourselves on some pretty questionable roads but easily the worst was I-70 westbound just past the Kansas/Colorado border. Whereas the Kansas side was glass-smooth and quiet, the Colorado side went absolutely nuts. As soon as we crossed the Colorado border, a rash of mis-leveled pavement and large potholes rattled our cabinets open, woke Tosha and Edith, and as we would come to find out… sheared the passenger side wall right off the rig. Since it was dark when we hit the washboard from hell, I actually had no idea the wall was broken. I could see that the dashboard had come loose and it was bouncing, but I couldn’t see much more. The real surprise came the following morning when I couldn’t open the door to go outside for my morning walkaround. After busting my way out I inspected the latch, trying to figure out if I needed to adjust it or what else might be. Everything looked okay. I then opened the first basement door closest to the front of the rig so I could get my tire gauge out. The door opened a few inches and bound up, stuck on the edge of the panel ahead of it. At this point I knew we were in for a long day. I traced the misaligned body panels to the front fender area where - just as I suspected - the wall had broken free of the floor. The wall was resting on top of the fiberglass fender below it, bulging it outward and cracking the corners. All this pressure was twisting the body of the coach and causing all sorts of issues, but it was fixable. The problem was, I didn’t have all my tools nor did I have any workspace. I was at a loss at that moment, but thanks to a few friends in the Denver area (and the kind folks at Transwest Truck and RV in Frederick, Colorado), we managed to get Rumble fixed up in a couple of days and we were back on the road!  Adapt and Overcome The two stories above are just larger, more interesting examples of the type of struggles we deal with almost every day. The truth is, most RVs aren’t built with full-time living in mind. The materials and methods used in the construction of motorhomes like ours are employed with cost-cutting and weight savings in mind, not luxury and longevity. That being said, if you go into the adventure expecting some hiccups (and with a willingness to learn new things and become a handy person), you’re going to find yourself a lot more prepared and in a better mindset when things do start to fall apart. By the way, things are gonna fall apart. It doesn’t matter if you paid $10,000 or $1,000,000 for your rig. They all have their problems. To me, the hardest thing about full-timing has been keeping up with the unexpected repairs while still maintaining a brisk travel pace. I do think this is something that is pretty unique to our situation. Take the wall thing for example: we were on a sprint to Washington for an event that we absolutely could not miss. For this reason, my stress and anxiety were magnified quite a bit more than it would have been on a normal family road trip. One thing we all have in common is that no one likes setbacks and no one likes spending money on unplanned repairs. Speaking of expense, I’ve found that I’ve become quite handy since going full time! Many people ask if they should buy the extended warranty… maybe that’s a blog for next week. What I can tell you is that we bought the extended warranty mostly out of fear of a large mechanical failure which, thankfully, we have yet to experience [knocks on wood]. We did use the warranty on some smaller house repairs during the off-season, but honestly we found ourselves buying parts and installing them ourselves to save time. It just wasn’t worth the hassle of dealing with wait times and down times without our home. We also burned right through the mileage and expired the contract well before the three years’ time. Future blog spoiler alert: My advice to full-timers would be to pass on the warranty. In addition to saving time and money when you do work on the rig yourself, there’s a great deal of satisfaction and security in knowing that you completed the task on your own. The more things I fix on the coach, the more confident I am in diagnosing and fixing it when something does go wrong. Since going full-time I’ve suddenly become at least somewhat adept at plumbing, woodwork, painting, mechanical diagnosis and repair - even my self-proclaimed worst enemy, electrical diagnosis! That’s right, not only can I use a multimeter, I can trace and rewire shorted wires! I even added some outlets and installed LED strips throughout the living space in our rig. Final Thoughts So, while full-timing in a motorhome hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows, it has certainly kept us on our toes. Would we do it again and would we buy the same rig? Honestly, I wouldn’t do a single thing differently. We got the best floorplan possible for us and we got a great deal on it at purchase. I think one thing we have learned is that our travel schedule and life structure require a more “substantial” rig, so we are shopping for a semi conversion with a big trailer (thanks to our business, not our family needs). I guess you could say we’re really going all-in. But the ol’ Outlaw has been an excellent partner as we’ve traveled 45 of the 48 continental… and the plan is for Rumble to take us through all 48 before we move on to the next one. The bottom line is, if you’re planning to go full-time and you find a floorplan that suits your family’s needs, go for it! Just be prepared for the unexpected at all times and set aside a few bucks for some impromptu repairs. Hey, I never owned a house that didn’t need attention and a few thousand bucks every now and then! |