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How we made the RV trip a safe reality
By Jim and Jane Whitcomb
Jim did his homework using the Internet to search for pricing and to see what was available in our price range. When he found “The Clipper,” he knew he had found reliability at a price within our budget. We expected some repairs and costs to outfit the coach for our trip.
We bought a used 1995 Airstream Land Yacht RV, Cummins 300 Turbo diesel pusher engine with an Allison 6-speed transmission for $26,500. We spent another $10,000 getting the RV and Saturn ready, including repairs en route. Our RV ended up costing $36,500. But it’s paid for, safe and reliable.
It’s not necessary to purchase a new RV, as long as you do your homework and are a little mechanical. Our priority was to get an RV on a limited budget.
Jim made sure the engine and transmission could handle the long trip, so he took it to the Houston Cummins dealer for a complete check-over and oil change. Freightliner went over the transmission. During those preliminary checks, Jim made priceless contacts with specialists he called on our whole trip. The RV already had nearly 9,000 miles when we purchased it. The interior was spotless, but the exterior needs a paint job.
Even with the original owners manual and full maintenance records in two three-ring binders, we made mistakes. We expected to encounter some maintenance issues, but we made every effort to take care of problems before the trip. We purchased new tires all around, installed an electronic maintenance system and had the air conditioning checked and faulty heating boards replaced. Jim was determined to have an integrated braking system; unfortunately, the installer of the system never got it installed correctly.
The integrated braking system and the electronic maintenance system gave us the most problems on the trip.
A surge protector is very necessary for RVs, and we recommend that everyone with an RV install one, but the electronic monitoring system we had installed was defective. We battled with it most nights at campgrounds from here to Oregon. In Oregon, Jim finally got a factory representative to walk him through disabling the system for “amp” monitoring, leaving only the surge protection. That’s all that is needed. The factory sent us a new circuit board, and Jim installed it himself.
Which brings us to another important fact. It helps if you understand electronics.
The integrated braking system is the best. When you brake the RV, this electronic device automatically applies the same brakes to the Saturn. But the installer left several wires unconnected, some under the RV and some under the Saturn. We drove all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah, with no brakes on the Saturn. Camping World finally tracked down the problem on the RV; and from that point, we had “toad” brakes. In California, an RV dealer found a cut wire on the Saturn that was never connected correctly. Finally, we had lights on the “toad.” All of these issues cost us travel time and money.
The first time we drove at night, we didn’t know we were driving without Saturn taillights. We were tired from 10 hours of driving and trying to find Balmorhae State Park when a state trooper pulled us over. The trooper issued us a warning ticket and let us proceed without taillights since we were only a short distance from the park.
In that part of West Texas at night, it is very dark. When we finally reached Balmorhea State Park, the office was closed. We had not made a reservation, so we proceeded to find an RV spot in total darkness. Jim turned on the RV top spotlight. He had never used it before and quickly lost control of the light unable to turn it off. The light began to turn around and around flashing on tents, RV’s and campers in the pitch-dark campground. In the total darkness, we could only imagine what campers were visualizing. Was it a UFO or possibly a campground raid?
We could not find the drive-through sites! Both Jim and I were voicing our discontent to each other; the spotlight was brightly swirling around and around; Jim was slowly inching his way through the darkness. Two ladies coming out of the shower asked, “Can we help you?” These wonderful ladies led us with their flashlights to a site. If not for their kindness, Jim and I might have ended our adventure and our marriage right there! Every time we tell this story, we laugh and laugh.
We put 9,355 miles on the RV (used less than a quart of oil) and another 3,400 miles on the Saturn. Overall with diesel, gas, food and all expenses, we spent a few dollars over $15,000 for our four-month adventure. We have a clear title to the RV. Our complete trip is documented from beginning to end. We’re thinking of writing a book.
We got to spend quality time with our children, and Jim met his half-sister for the first time. We made some great friends and saw fantastic sights in our travels. We can definitely see why many couples sell their homes and RV full time. The best thing was that our relationship saw a new togetherness.
We will do it again but maybe at a slower pace.
We thank everyone for your suggestions and comments. While we hated to see our trip end, we hope our adventure through the Southwest United States was as fulfilling for our readers as it was for us.We already are dreaming of another trip, to capture more vanishing America. Happy RVing to all!
We bought a used 1995 Airstream Land Yacht RV, Cummins 300 Turbo diesel pusher engine with an Allison 6-speed transmission for $26,500. We spent another $10,000 getting the RV and Saturn ready, including repairs en route. Our RV ended up costing $36,500. But it’s paid for, safe and reliable.
It’s not necessary to purchase a new RV, as long as you do your homework and are a little mechanical. Our priority was to get an RV on a limited budget.
Jim made sure the engine and transmission could handle the long trip, so he took it to the Houston Cummins dealer for a complete check-over and oil change. Freightliner went over the transmission. During those preliminary checks, Jim made priceless contacts with specialists he called on our whole trip. The RV already had nearly 9,000 miles when we purchased it. The interior was spotless, but the exterior needs a paint job.
Even with the original owners manual and full maintenance records in two three-ring binders, we made mistakes. We expected to encounter some maintenance issues, but we made every effort to take care of problems before the trip. We purchased new tires all around, installed an electronic maintenance system and had the air conditioning checked and faulty heating boards replaced. Jim was determined to have an integrated braking system; unfortunately, the installer of the system never got it installed correctly.
The integrated braking system and the electronic maintenance system gave us the most problems on the trip.
A surge protector is very necessary for RVs, and we recommend that everyone with an RV install one, but the electronic monitoring system we had installed was defective. We battled with it most nights at campgrounds from here to Oregon. In Oregon, Jim finally got a factory representative to walk him through disabling the system for “amp” monitoring, leaving only the surge protection. That’s all that is needed. The factory sent us a new circuit board, and Jim installed it himself.
Which brings us to another important fact. It helps if you understand electronics.
The integrated braking system is the best. When you brake the RV, this electronic device automatically applies the same brakes to the Saturn. But the installer left several wires unconnected, some under the RV and some under the Saturn. We drove all the way to Salt Lake City, Utah, with no brakes on the Saturn. Camping World finally tracked down the problem on the RV; and from that point, we had “toad” brakes. In California, an RV dealer found a cut wire on the Saturn that was never connected correctly. Finally, we had lights on the “toad.” All of these issues cost us travel time and money.
The first time we drove at night, we didn’t know we were driving without Saturn taillights. We were tired from 10 hours of driving and trying to find Balmorhae State Park when a state trooper pulled us over. The trooper issued us a warning ticket and let us proceed without taillights since we were only a short distance from the park.
In that part of West Texas at night, it is very dark. When we finally reached Balmorhea State Park, the office was closed. We had not made a reservation, so we proceeded to find an RV spot in total darkness. Jim turned on the RV top spotlight. He had never used it before and quickly lost control of the light unable to turn it off. The light began to turn around and around flashing on tents, RV’s and campers in the pitch-dark campground. In the total darkness, we could only imagine what campers were visualizing. Was it a UFO or possibly a campground raid?
We could not find the drive-through sites! Both Jim and I were voicing our discontent to each other; the spotlight was brightly swirling around and around; Jim was slowly inching his way through the darkness. Two ladies coming out of the shower asked, “Can we help you?” These wonderful ladies led us with their flashlights to a site. If not for their kindness, Jim and I might have ended our adventure and our marriage right there! Every time we tell this story, we laugh and laugh.
We put 9,355 miles on the RV (used less than a quart of oil) and another 3,400 miles on the Saturn. Overall with diesel, gas, food and all expenses, we spent a few dollars over $15,000 for our four-month adventure. We have a clear title to the RV. Our complete trip is documented from beginning to end. We’re thinking of writing a book.
We got to spend quality time with our children, and Jim met his half-sister for the first time. We made some great friends and saw fantastic sights in our travels. We can definitely see why many couples sell their homes and RV full time. The best thing was that our relationship saw a new togetherness.
We will do it again but maybe at a slower pace.
We thank everyone for your suggestions and comments. While we hated to see our trip end, we hope our adventure through the Southwest United States was as fulfilling for our readers as it was for us.We already are dreaming of another trip, to capture more vanishing America. Happy RVing to all!
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