August 2007

Here’s a way to repair a deteriorated battery cable end for a stud bolt terminal. Start by removing the battery cable from the battery and cutting a slit, parallel to the cable, in the thimble cable end with a hacksaw.

Since I took office as FMCA president, Darlene and I have tried to attend each FMCA area rally plus both FMCA international conventions every year. We meet new members and renew old friendships at these gatherings.

rom 1994 to 2003 Tim Ruddy anchored the Dolphins offensive line, many of those years as center for legendary quarterback Dan Marino. How Tim and his family embraced motorhoming after his retirement from a successful career in professional football is the subject of a three-part story, which concludes this month as the Ruddys complete a two-month summer trip in their Tiffin Allegro.

Have your children or grandkids ever returned home from summer camp and bragged about the silly skits, wild games, and oh-so-cool counselors? Home life is pretty boring compared to learning how to play a nose kazoo or “Dress the Counselor” at camp.
Most children look forward to relaxed family RV trips, but, at times, a little “formal” entertainment is needed. The following are ways that ordinary parents or grandparents can re-create that wild and crazy summer camp experience.

All pre-registered families will be assigned a day and time of admittance based on the date their registration is received at FMCA headquarters in Cincinnati. Convention parking is divided equally over a three-day period.

America’s oldest permanent settlement west of the Rocky Mountains was founded by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark two centuries ago. The explorers and their Corps of Discovery wintered at Fort Clatsop from December 1805 to March 1806.

In its weight and tire safety program, the Recreation Vehicle Safety & Education Foundation (RVSEF) notes that the three basic elements of safety are attitude, knowledge, and application. One must first make a personal decision that ensuring the safety of one’s motorhome, its occupants, and others is of paramount importance and that one is willing to take measures to achieve this.

Flashflight LED flying disc from Nite IzeFlashflight LED flying discs from Nite Ize Inc. can provide hours of tossing fun during the daytime and at night.
The original Flashflight is a 10 1/2-inch-diameter disc that utilizes LED and fiber-optic technology for illumination to the outer edge for maximum visibility.

What do 2006 Cy Young Award-winner Brandon Webb, professional bowling’s all-time money-earner Walter Ray Williams Jr., and veteran NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace have in common? They all enjoy traveling in recreation vehicles.
This year, Webb, along with his wife, infant daughter, and four dogs, arrived at the Arizona Diamondbacks spring training camp in an RV. Williams travels to PBA tournaments in an RV that allows him to bring his family and 30 bowling balls to each match without the hassle and expense of putting them on a plane.

This month I am dedicating my column to the questions most frequently answered by the staff in our Membership Services Department. I have found that although the facts are quite familiar to those of us who work with the issues daily, they may not be to members who deal with us infrequently, or those who are new members of FMCA.
Beverly Spurgeon, director of membership services, and the Membership Services Department staff have compiled the following list of the most frequently asked questions and the answers.

Corrections

• The listing for Four Winds International in the June 2007 “Coach Manufacturers And Custom Converters Showcase” article on page 100 indicated that the company offers the Windsport 35W as a handicapped-accessible model. We have been advised that the company no longer builds this handicapped-accessible floor plan.
• The “Towing Equipment” article in the May 2007 issue (page 62) advised that tow dollies can be used to tow all vehicles that are towable using a tow bar.
  

Ford recently extended its cruise control switch recall to include 2003-model F-150 through F-550 Super Duty trucks. The original recall covered 1994 – 2002 vehicles.
Today I contacted Ford’s RV customer service (800-444-3311) to inquire as to whether the recall included the Ford type A motorhome chassis, as the V-10 engine is basically the same one used in some of the recalled vehicles.

Using a wok allows cooks to make sizzling meals with little cleanup.
Dedicated wok users cook almost everything in this one pan. Cooking in a wok is fast, helps food retain its color and nutrients, conserves fuel, and doesn’t overheat the galley.

A few reasons why folks flock to this beautiful region each year.
When early mapmakers first charted New York’s Finger Lakes region, they had no way to study the landscape from the air. Otherwise, they would have viewed a total of 11 lakes instead of the fingers of five.

Look-alikes in nature find safety in sameness.
We spend a lot of our time outdoors trying to identify what we see, and sometimes this can be quite difficult. During spring migration, look-alike birds give us fits.

Traveling with youngsters; organizing tips; selecting a coach for full-timing.  Full-Timer’s Primer By Janet Groene, F47166 July 2007 In this annual column, the spotlight is on children. Only a handful…

As national treasurer, one of my responsibilities in accordance with Policy & Procedure 2027 is to “have all books of FMCA and/or its subsidiaries audited and certified annually at the close of each fiscal year by an Independent Certified Public Accountant.” This year’s annual audit was performed by Plattenburg and Associates, and the financial figures accompanying this report were taken directly from the 2006 audit report. As much as I would like to report to you that FMCA had another good year financially, I am unable to do that for 2006.

Tennessee is only about 120 miles long from top to bottom, but it’s 440 miles wide. In spite of this, members of FMCA’s Tennessee Primetimers chapter cover it all. As chapter president Chuck Roam said, “The uniqueness of the chapter is that we’re so spread out.”

Former FMCA national president Glen R. Key, L26355, passed away at his home in Chandler, Oklahoma, on April 25, 2007, at the age of 90.
Glen and his late wife, Martha, joined FMCA in 1976.

DEAR RV DOCTOR:
My emergency start switch is not working on my Fleetwood motorhome. Can you provide troubleshooting steps?
Ron Berube, Endicott, New York
Ron, in many cases, the emergency start switch on a motorhome is nothing more than a momentary dash switch wired to a simple solenoid.

Forty-something years ago, no one would have thought about building a motorhome that included a garage. At that time, dune buggies made from stripped Volkswagen chassis and Jeeps were the two primary vehicles for off-road motorized sports, with dirt motorcycles and dual-sport motorcycles just making their way onto dealership floors.