Family RVing Magazine
  • FMCA.COM
  • CONTACT US
familyRVing
  • in this issue
  • tech
    • Tech talk e-newsletter archives
    • more tech talk
  • Digital editions
  • towable guides
  • Classifieds
  • contact
    • contact us
    • advertise with us
    • media room
  • FMCA

Family RVing Magazine

Tech & Travel Tips: October 2004

November 1, 2004

Hitch Pin Indicator

Hitch pin indicatorWhile hooking up my tow bar on a rainy night, I caught myself putting the hitch pin through the receiver even though the tow bar was not inserted far enough for the pin to engage it. To prevent a recurrence, after things dried out I locked the bar into the receiver and then put a band of masking tape around the tow bar to mark the point where it met the receiver. I then removed the tow bar and sprayed red paint onto the part of the bar that had to be in the receiver to be firmly engaged. Now, if I see red I know I did something wrong.

“” Frank S. Winter, F114882
Manalapan, New Jersey


Decal Display

We do not like to put anything on our motorhome that adheres to the body of the coach. This presented a problem when we had several stickers that we wanted to display, so we came up with this idea.

We purchased a pair of chair clamps from Camping World that are made to hold folding chairs on the rear RV ladder. Then we had a piece of Lexan cut to fit the width of the ladder, onto which we placed the decals. (You can make it any size depending on what you need to display.) Holes were drilled to match the screws on the clamp, the plastic was attached, and the clamps were fastened to the ladder. When you need to use the ladder, the clamp and Lexan can be swung to the side.

We liked this idea so much that we then attached our FMCA “goose egg” to the second clamp. The best part of this is that the clamps can be unscrewed and moved to our next motorhome, should we purchase another one.

“” Marjorie Rawls & Janice Pollack, F254556
Harpersville, Alabama


Coach Leveling

Careless leveling (photos 1, 2, and 3) isn’t good for your motorhome’s tires and suspension, or for your personal comfort. Sloppy props are likely to shift or crumble, requiring you to move the coach and relevel it, or sit out the rest of your stay on an uneven playing field.

The correct way to level the motorhome (photo 4) is to center the tire(s) on board(s) that are long enough and wide enough to support the entire load.

“” Gordon Groene, F47166
Dowling Park, Florida


Key Identifier

Key identifierWe have so many keys to our motorhome that it can be hard to remember what each one unlocks. We’ve engraved several of the plain key caps, but several keys have black plastic key caps that are hard to identify quickly, especially with an armful of packages. For these we now use a “smiley” key cap, which is easy to locate at night. It fits over the top of our black plastic-coated keys and can be purchased at home-improvement or hardware stores.

“” Arlene Chiarolanzio, F181694
Florham Park, New Jersey

previous post
Born Free’s 30-Foot Wide-Body
next post
Chic Shortcuts

You may also like

Remco “” “The Towing Experts”

February 1, 2004

FMCA’s “Traveler’s Message Service” Guidelines

February 1, 2004

Technical Inquiries: March 2004

April 1, 2004

Color-fall Creations

October 1, 2004

The Liberty Coach Family

April 1, 2004

Cascade Mountain Magic

September 1, 2004

News You Can Use

October 1, 2004

A Celebration For The Young At Heart

May 1, 2004

Surviving Desert Summers

September 1, 2004

Cruising The Ohio River

September 1, 2004






  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

©2023 - Family Rving Magazine All Rights Reserved.


Back To Top

FMCA members have access to exclusive articles and RV tips, plus a digital library of RVing know-how. For full access to website content, plus must-have travel benefits, join FMCA today and get instant access to Family RVing magazine.

If you already have a membership with us, sign in now to get full access!

Join Now Sign In