Due to the economic circumstances we are now experiencing in the US, there will unfortunately be an increase in the number of RVs for sale by their owners or for sale by the lending institutions that have repossessed them.

The falling value of homes and the skyrocketing fuel prices have impacted both RV owners and the RV Industry. Quite a few people who bought new RVs at the highest monthly payments that they could qualify for are now regretting their decision to get the RV of their dreams. In other words they over bought their RV and they are now paying the price for it.

Is this all doom and gloom for RVers and potential RVers? The answer is a resounding no! If you were ever thinking about buying an RV or upgrading to a different class of RV, now is the time to do it. There are a ton of new and used RVs on the market right now. The prices on these RVs are a lot lower because the fuel prices are high and the economy is shaky.

It is a buyer’s market for RVs right now. You will be able to get a lot more for your money. Of course you are going to have to still negotiate the best price you can for what you want, but now more than ever you are in the driver’s seat during these negotiations.

RVs do not have to sit idle; it is the owners that have concerns or let things get in their way of using them regularly. These types of owners are not RVers and probably made an impulse decision when they purchased their RV. You need to plan out in advance whether you will be able to use and afford the RV prior to buying one, not after. You won’t regret your decision about buying an RV. Just plan ahead and don’t put a financial strain on yourself as this will diminish your enjoyment.

There are a number of ways to handle mail while on a trip. Frankly, mail handling is much easier for a full-timer than for someone with a sticks and bricks house who is gone on extended trips.

1. If you're going to be gone for 30 days or less, just have the USPS hold your mail for pickup when you get home.

2. If you're going to be in one place during your trip, you can either have the USPS forward your mail piece-meal or sign up for their premium forwarding service. Neither of these options work, however, if you're going to be moving from place to place during your trip, despite the previous poster's claim to the contrary. If you live in a small town and/or know your postmaster personally, they may be willing to work with you, but I wouldn't count on that, particularly if you live in a large metropolitan area.

3. Have a trusted friend/neighbor/relative pick up your mail, sort through it, and send you what you want/need when you call for it, just have several prepaid priority mail envelopes ready.

4. Sign up for a mail forwarding service and have the USPS forward your mail to that address. The only problem with having the USPS forward mail, whether directly to you or to some other address such as a mail forwarding service, is that some things cannot be forwarded, such as new credit cards and magazines will be forwarded for just 2 months. Before leaving on your trip, check to make sure none of your credit cards will expire during your trip. If one of them will, contact the Credit Card Company and have them change your expiration date so that you receive the new cards prior to your departure.

Use 1/4 cup of household bleach for each 15 gallons of fresh water capacity. Dilute the bleach in one gallon of water before adding it to the fresh water tank.

Turn off the water heater and allow to cool. Once cool, drain the water heater and fill your fresh water tank with the bleach mixture as noted above. Put the drain plug back in the water heater, turn on the water pump, opening a hot water faucet inside until water comes out. Now run water through all the faucets until you smell bleach.

Let this bleach mixture sit for a least 3 hours...overnight is better. Then drain the water heater and the fresh water tank. Fill up the fresh water tank again with fresh water, fill the water heater again, as above, and you're ready to go. If the remaining bleach smell is objectionable to you, when you fill up your fresh water tank the second time, you can add some vinegar. While you're at it, you might want to get a water heater flushing tool and clean out the sediment in your water heater.

There are approximately eight types of RV classifications. Before buying a new or used RV, it is important to get a handle on what this new lingo means.Getting a bit of knowledge here will save you some confusion and embarrasment in the future.

8 Types of Rvs:

1. Class A Motorhome: You start with a stripped chassis, sprinkle in a suspension, some instruments, and let the manufactuerer build the whole thing up from there. The biggest and most expensive rigs are usually Class A Motorhomes.

2. Class B Motor home (Camping Van Conversion): This is a small motor home built on a van chassis. Usually you keep the same van body but raise the roof for more interior space.

3. Class C Motorhome: This is a motor home with a van front but a cut-away chassis. A shade bigger than a Class B, and is often built on top of a Commercial Freightliner, General Motors, Ford, Sprinter, and International chassis.

4. Travel Trailer: This is a tow-behind camper that includes almost all sizes and price points. What sets the travel trailer apart is that is fits to a normal bumper-level hitch.

5. Fifth-Wheel Trailer (5th Wheel Trailer): These are like travel trailers except they require a pick-up truck and a special (huge) fifth-wheel trailer hitch in the bed of the truck. There are all different sizes of fifth-wheel trailers, but many of the biggest and most luxurious RV’s are 5th wheels.

6. Folding Camping Trailer: Usually one of the first trailers someone gets. They fold down and are light and easy to move. Once at the campsite, they open up into a surprising amount of space.

7. Truck Camper: This is a small living space that can be slid into the back of a pickup truck. These are sometimes called Slide-In trailers.

8. Sport-Utility Recreational Vehicle (SURV): This is a typical motor home but with a garage all it’s own. You can take your motorized toys along with you… something like a dirt bike, motorcycle, or quad.

Now that you know the 8 types of RV’s, why not go out and see if you can spot the difference!

Trailer sway is also known as yaw in the truck and recreational vehicle industry. Sway in this situation is a side-to-side movement of the trailer on the hitch ball.

Trailer sway can occur at any time. You may be taking a vacation with your family and encounter problematic trailer sway. Many times, it is due to a situation that has caused there to be more weight than normal on a trailer and trailer hitch during a vacation. Sometimes it is hard to judge the exact weight of what you are pulling with you on these adventures. Without the proper trailer hitch, you can experience trailer sway even if you are under your weight-pulling limit. There are many factors that contribute to trailer sway but many times it has a lot to do with improper trailer hitch equipment for the job.

If you do not have the proper trailer hitch you may have to deal with trailer sway at the most inconvenient time. If your trailer is designed to be loaded in an unbalanced manner it may sway severely while being passed by faster vehicles on any road. You will need to change your trailer hitch to damp or eliminate this condition.

Severe trailer sway may cause you to lose control of your vehicle and trailer and that is something that is unacceptable for anyone.A specialized sway control hitch can work to pull your trailer safely.

Investing in a premier sway control trailer hitch system is a great way to keep you, your family, and others on the road safe. To be safe about your trailer hitch system, always try to get a hitch that will support more weight than what you think you will be towing. The more weight it can support properly, the better. There may come a time when you need that extra weight support.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sid_Gilman

Here is a list of equipments and accessories for motorhomes, fifth wheels and travel trailers must have. These help to make the trip of RV travelers more comfortable and enjoyable.

Washer and Dryer accessory combo

It would be so much easier if you could just put all our clothes in a washer-dryer while on the road rather than spend hours trying to fund a Laundromat and then waiting for the clothes to get done at every stop.

Kitchen areas

Can be fitted with specially designed RV appliances like stoves, ovens, microwaves, portable freezers and water softeners. There are even coffee makers and soda makers that take up limited counter space and ensure energy conservation for RVs.

Satellite Dish Hook-up

A satellite dish hook-up will help you to have TV programming and entertainment throughout your journey wherever you are. Besides this you can also have other RV appliances like DVD player, portable computers with wireless Internet services and other electronics on board. Solar panels are quick and easily installed solution to those additional power needs.

GPS Navigation Systems

A sophisticated technology to ensure that you never get lost.

Miscellaneous

Drapes, curtains, and other window treatments will make your RV feel more relaxed, home like and cut down on your energy costs. Everything from the paneling to the carpet can be customized to your taste and sense of comfort.

External RV accessories will include ladders, bike mounts window covers, awnings etc. Screen rooms can be added for added luxury. These are expandable providing plenty of room for a small gathering, cookout or park potluck. Moreover, these are quite inexpensive and keep the summer bugs away.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Brister

If you are the kind who travels with RV rentals, then there is not too much that you would actually need to know. But knowing all tips for good RV maintenance enhances your knowledge and prepares you to face all kinds of probable exigencies.

The most important thing you must do before going on your RV Vacations is to perform a thorough inspection of the automobile. You need to inspect it every morning before venturing on the next leg of your vacation.

1. You need to check the oil thoroughly. The oil needs to be topped up and free of any kind of debris. Protect your RV from having a seized engine.

2. You need to check the level of the coolant along with the oil. The happier and cleaner your engine is, the less trouble you will face while traveling.

3. Ensure that the jacks are kept up. You surely would not want to face trouble on the roads with your jacks.

4. Ensure that the lights are working well and there is no liquid leaking from it.

5. Make sure that everything starting from the power lines to the sewage drains are connected.

6. Check the tires properly for the level of inflation in them. You need to use a reliable pressure gauge for this instead of depending only on your own intuition.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dominic_Ferrara

Here are a few pointers to make your RV journey safe and fun. Obviously, since a lot of driving is involved, keeping your RV in good shape mechanically is of utmost importance. Have your motor serviced on a regular basis, and don't cut corners or put things off when it comes to repairs.

Finding internet access so that you can keep up with weather conditions in the areas you will be traveling to which is important. This is especially important for those that go RVing year-round or in the winter.

Consider joining RV Advantage discount clubs, as these can give you discounts on fuel and propane. There are also quite a few RV campgrounds that have memberships. Members get discounts on their rates. In addition, many of these membership campgrounds have free or cheap introductory rates, allowing you to stay for a couple of nights and see if you like it, offering you to become a member after you've explored the place a little bit.

You'll need to deal with dumping your septic tank, so finding a place to do that will be important. Most trucks stops, and all RV campgrounds should have some kind of sani-dump. There are helpful websites out there that can provide you with maps of all the locations within that region where you can dump your gray and black water holding tanks. There can be a lot of things to consider when you are planning an RV trip. Hopefully these tips have helped you be more prepared.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nelson_Stewart

If you are selling your RV or travel trailer, we can help! We have researched a few guidelines for selling your RV and options that are available. Follow the steps that we have laid out to make sure the selling process goes smoothly.

 1.     Get Your Papers Together 
 Make sure you have copies of all service and maintenance records. Many buyers are wary of purchasing a vehicle, and especially an RV, without some sort of proof that you consistently serviced and maintained it.

 2.     Make Sure Your RV Works
Sure it seems like an obvious step but many people overlook the simple things. Always be sure to do a thorough inspection before presenting to a buyer. If you encounter a large problem, either fix it or let the buyer know what the cost to fix it will be. Never try to hard any problems or malfunctions, that will only sour the relationship when the buyer discovers it.

 3.     Getting Your RV Ready to Show
Clean everything out of your RV before you show it. Wash, polish, clean up and do minor maintenance before showing your RV to any prospective buyers. When a buyer is looking at your rv, give them a quick tour and then leave them alone for a bit. Buyers will feel more comfortable poking around when you are not there. This gives them a greater sense of security and trusts in what they are about to purchase and can turn a prospective buyer into a serious buyer. Make sure to take plenty of photos of your RV. Photography everything on the unit, special features, options, etc

 4.     Finalizing the Sale
Sometimes everything will seem perfect to you but the buyer is hesitant to close the deal. Make sure to ask them why. Find out if there is anything you can do to help with their decision. This will help you find out if they are just a dreamer or if they actually have a problem with the sale and just haven't told you about it. If they absolutely don't want to purchase your RV ask them if their is anything you could do differently for the next buyer.Follow these simple guidelines and get the most out of your RV!

Source: http://www.starcraft.com/article/Selling-Your-RV-Guide/