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Welcome back,

There is so much to talk about, I don't know where to start. We attended the annual RV Open House in Elkhart, Indiana last week. Elkhart is the RV Capital of the World. If you are not familiar with the RV Open House; it started 10 years ago and is intended for RV dealers to visit RV manufacturers and purchase new inventory for the upcoming selling season. Forest River started the open house, and over the past decade it has grown substantially in size and scope. 

Forest River and Thor Industries own about 80 percent of all RVs manufactured today, and they wine and dine RV dealers in an attempt to keep their existing dealer base and sign new dealers up to buy their products. This year, the open house included a broader selection of RV product vendors and suppliers too. 

You never know what to expect!
Depending on where you are staying, the open house is spread out over a 20 mile area. You d rive from manufacturer to manufacturer locations to walk-through units and see what's new for 2020. We tow a Jeep Liberty behind the RV for transportation when we are at our destination. On the second day of the open house, I noticed the Jeep's transmission was not shifting properly. When we got back to the campground I saw a small amount of transmission fluid dripping from a metal line close to the transmission cooler. Upon closer inspection there was a small pin hole in the line where it rubbed against the frame for years. I knew we would not get a replacement line soon enough, so my thoughts were to cut the section of the metal line where the pinhole was out, and add a section of rubber hose with clamps as a field fix. I topped off the transmission fluid and drove to an auto parts store to buy the supplies I needed. After returning to the campground, I was able to make the repairs and get the Jeep back on the road. I always talk about what tools you should keep in your RV toolbox, but you can't really stock a variety of rubber hoses and clamps, in the event a transmission line starts leaking. We were lucky this time, but who knows what it might be next time. Here is a link to my video on what I keep in my RV toolbox and some essential items I keep in the RV. 

 
Be sure to watch this month's video (below) where I discuss and demonstrate the different types of screws used in RV construction, and what kind of screwdrivers and driver bits to keep in your RV toolbox
 
Enjoy the newsletter, and as always, if you have family or friends who like RVs and the RV lifestyle please share with them. 

Happy Camping,

Mark
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Enjoy the RV Journey
Need a Sway Control Hitch?

Check out the hitch Mark uses when he tows a trailer. 
The Original  Equal-i-zer Sway control hitch has been enjoyed by thousands of trailer owners for over 50 years. Learn more about the Equal-i-zer hitch, and find out which hitch will work best for you:


RV Tips - Holding Tanks
I think it's safe to say one of the "not so fun" chores of RV ownership is wastewater maintenance. You can't avoid it, so here are my top 5 RV holding tank tips to help make the job of using and maintaining waste-water in your RV easier. 
Read More  

Feature Article 
Winterize your RV in 7 Easy Steps

 

It's always sad to come to the realization that another camping season is winding down.  Depending on where you live, part of this realization is preparing the RV for winter storage, so it will be ready to go camping again next spring.  A big part of winterizing your RV is to protect the RV water system from potential damage, caused by exposure to freezing temperatures. Frozen and damaged water lines are in fact the most common problem related to not winterizing your RV, or not properly winterizing your RV. Read More 
Click here save 20% on our RV Winterizing & Storing online course.
RV Video of the Month
RV Screw Types, RV Screwdrivers & Specialty Driver Bits
RV Screw Types, RV Screwdrivers & Specialty Driver Bits
 
Have you ever wondered what type of screws are used to construct your RV? Have you ever gone to your toolbox to get a screwdriver, or a driver bit, but did not have the right type or size? Don't feel alone, this happens to lots of RV owners. Watch Video Now
RV Breaking News
Are you interested in keeping up with breaking news about the RV industry? If so  visit RVBusiness
A Look Back at RV History
with RV Education 101
Discover - Learn - Enjoy
While attending the RV Open House we took another tour of the RV museum at the RV Hall of Fame. It was fun to look at how things in RVs change, and how other things stay the same. Some of the earliest RVs came equipped with range burners, dinettes, ice boxes, heaters, sinks, toilets, and sleeping arrangements. 

The RV behind us is a 1935 Covered Wagon travel trailer, built in Mt. Clemens MI. At the time it was the largest trailer manufacturer in the country. The exterior is genuine leatherette, over a thin plywood shell. The roof is covered with coated canvas stretched over tar paper. Very cool.
Rollin' ON TV - ROTV

Visit the ROTV website to read some great articles, watch videos and to check out the latest ROTV television episodes.
Check out the latest Rollin On episode here

  Tired of dead RV batteries?

Stop the problem for good with the charger, maintainer & conditioner that Mark uses on all of his batteries. 

Save 20% on our RV Winterizing & Storing your RV Online Course
It's that time of year again. If you live in a region of the country that gets freezing temperatures, and you want to save some money by winterizing your RV yourself we have an online course for you. 

To save 20% now, just click  HERE 

Or go to  RV Online Training enroll in the winterizing course and use coupon code:   NEWSLETTEROCT2019
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