Frustrating lack of information on equipment used in new AS

[Sodbust]

My wife calls me a rivet head now.. Fits well I guess.. ( but she has it too!)

All I can say is if you are new to trailer pulling remember one simple rule..

DONT BACK UP WITHOUT HELP,. I am a farmer and drive full sized semi trucks,, been backing up trailers all my life.. After a weekend out in our stick and staple wonder for a trailer last season,,,, as I was getting it parked into our yard I did not like where it was sitting and felt if I backed up 10 feet I could move it over another 2 foot. Well I had forgotten about one of the kids old cars still parked in our back yard and clipped the side of our camper and can opener the side about a foot long..

From this point on,, my wife is now a full time (back up) spotter.. I don't care if we are at a gas station,, or a Walmart,, if I have to back up just 1 foot,,,, she gets out and watches what is going on.. Don't want to see all your happiness go up in smoke with a big dent into your new Airstream..

Sodbust NW Kansas

[Bruce B]

Sounds like sage advice! I hate when life teaches me a lesson the hard way and it happens so often... My wife calls it "weamtork" when we have to do things as a team. I guess I am sometimes dificult to work with at times. We have lots of practice sailing. I'll ask her to help while backing up for sure.
Thanks,
Bruce

[Gene]

You can use walkie-talkies while backing. You can't always see your wife in the mirrors; that takes experience. If you have the slightest doubt, get out and look. Don't worry about anyone trying to get by while you very carefully back up or go back and forth for a while. People love to watch (you will too) and it's hard to ignore them; try to. Everyone has to go through this.

Gene

[Bruce B]

New 16 is delivered and towing happily behind the F-150. Colonial was incredibly accommodating, helpful and just basically awesome. We towed her to a park in northern NJ where we spent our first night in the Bambi. What awesome fun! Park name is Mahlon Dickerson Reservation. We had the entire place to ourselves. I can see this will be addictive!
More pictures later when I get in front of something larger than an IPhone.
Yes, I spent much of last evening reading manuals, it is just what I am about......
Bruce

[Road Geezer]

So, we've owner out 27' FC--our first RV of any kind--for just over a year now. We've been out just over 20 times so far. During this period I've found that the best way for me to get acquainted with all the systems has been to read most of the specific product manuals once thru lightly, only returning later to really understand something when needed, such as ... what does it mean when the refrigerator indicator starts blinking on the second day we're camping....

I'm "mechanical" by nature so things electrical usually put me off and I almost immediately call the dealer or an "electrical-type" fellow Airstreamer when something goes wrong. Both the dealer and fellow aluminaughts have been very helpful.

I've found owning an AS has the advantage of putting us in a community of very helpful people who, based on our common product experience, are eager and able to help with questions.

I'm finding that as I get more experience, I'm much more comfortable diagnosing and fixing problems on my own, and that the various product manuals really are pretty good at helping troubleshooting.

Your new AS looks great! Welcome to the asylum. :-) Like you, we didn't wait for warm weather to use our new arrival. We spent our first several weekend outings mostly inside "Iggy", toasty warm, listening to coastal rain storms pelting the aluminum. They were great times.

Enjoy the journey.

Paul

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Rifboy

Attachment 153272

New 16 is delivered and towing happily behind the F-150. Colonial was incredibly accommodating, helpful and just basically awesome. We towed her to a park in northern NJ where we spent our first night in the Bambi. What awesome fun! Park name is Mahlon Dickerson Reservation. We had the entire place to ourselves. I can see this will be addictive!
More pictures later when I get in front of something larger than an IPhone.
Yes, I spent much of last evening reading manuals, it is just what I am about......
Bruce

Nifty ... now you understand the disease ... just ask my wife; she has it, too!

[Travel Bird]

Originally Posted by Rifboy

New 16 is delivered and towing happily behind the F-150. Colonial was incredibly accommodating, helpful and just basically awesome. We towed her to a park in northern NJ where we spent our first night in the Bambi. What awesome fun! Park name is Mahlon Dickerson Reservation. We had the entire place to ourselves. I can see this will be addictive!
More pictures later when I get in front of something larger than an IPhone.
Yes, I spent much of last evening reading manuals, it is just what I am about......
Bruce

Congratulations!!! Looks sweet. Safe travels!!

[Gene]

Reading manuals is a good thing, though excessive use can cause serious medical problems. Woodall's publishes a soft cover book on RV systems—how they work and how to fix them—that is a good resource. Can't remember the name, but a little research on Amazon should reveal it.

Glad to hear you are enjoying yourself.

Gene

[graysailor]

Lots installation manuals but I find that the operating manuals are lacking information. Took me an hour to figure out how to light the oven for an example.