|
|
Post by Chuck on Jun 25, 2017 0:30:29 GMT -5
Now Rj you said some magic words " hit the ground " after many years of " hitting the ground " my knees are shot, back as well. I thought it was fun hopping up on a flat bed trailer, trapping an chaining down loads and climbing up the ladder to get in those cab over trucks, peace of cake and laughed at the old guys with ladders to get onto a flat bed trailer. Well I am not laughing any more but I'm sure they all are now  Safe Travels Chuck & Hildi |
|
|
|
Post by Edd505 on Jun 25, 2017 21:55:25 GMT -5
Yeah, I know. I'm only 56 now. I know what's coming one day... I miss the Good old days when "SNAP, CRACKLE, and POP" where sound I heard from my cereal, not my body. |
|
|
|
Post by Chuck on Jun 26, 2017 1:35:37 GMT -5
Ok Edd how well I know my friend, how well I know LOL  Safe Travels Chuck & Hildi |
|
|
|
Post by ronc on Jun 27, 2017 17:55:15 GMT -5
We try to keep it to 200-250 per day.
|
|
|
|
Post by jetzen on Jun 28, 2017 7:30:09 GMT -5
I do all the driving and as I get older I am starting to slow down.
I'm hoping at the rally that KZ does come through with the Ladies driving class so the DW can give it a whirl and maybe gain some confidence. She thinks that the truck alone is a beast and really doesn't like to drive it even though she has.
My goal is maybe she can take over some short driving duties like 150-200 miles or maybe 2-3 hours. |
|
|
|
Post by Chuck on Jun 28, 2017 9:40:54 GMT -5
I agree with jetzen, my DW is scared to death of my truck, it hard enough for her to get in an out let alone driving it... I have been teaching over the road truck drivers off an on for a number of years, yet I can't convince the DW to get behind the wheel of my F350 LB DW pickup. Maybe it's because the truck drivers wanted to so they could earn a living and she dozen't have to because she already has I like jetzen would like to see the driving class, maybe then she would get behind the wheel when she see's other women doing such, with heart problems if I ever fail she may have to just do such some day without notice Ugh Safe Travels Chuck & Hildi |
|
|
|
Post by rvdude on Jun 28, 2017 14:31:37 GMT -5
If I kept it to 200 or 250 miles a day... I'd never make it to Shipshewana in time for the rally. I could drive that for 6 days in a row, but then I wouldn't get to take a break or see anything on the way. For this trip, it will have to be 400 a day, then rest a day, then repeat.
|
|
|
|
Post by lynnmor on Jun 28, 2017 16:17:27 GMT -5
400 miles per day is rather easy if you don't make a big fuss about camping every night. I just pull into a Walmart and put it in park. Maybe every third day I'll use a campground to take on water and dump.
|
|
|
|
Post by johnr on Jun 29, 2017 6:52:09 GMT -5
My wife won't drive my truck by itself, let alone with the camper attached. As far as I know, she's never pulled a camper. Apparently sometime before we got together, her sister pulled a fifth wheel and her husband forgot to bolt the hitch to the truck. Nothing crazy happened, luckily, but it's ingrained in all of their memories and I've never seen any of the women in her family pull campers.
After my daughter learned to drive, I taught her how to hook up and pull the RV. Every time we went camping when she was home, she helped get it out of the barn and park it in the driveway. Hopefully she won't have the same stigma.
I think if they just got in and did it, there would be much less fear.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chuck on Jun 29, 2017 11:27:22 GMT -5
I agree with johnr
It fear of something happening, we had a really bad accident about 3 years back, every time we pass the
corner where the accident happened and there is a car there the DW gets really nervous an up tight yet
after three years ...
Also I believe there is a fear that the vehicle is twice as big as a car an the turns are much wider, thus
in some peoples mind bigger means harder to operate ... I saw some of this when teaching over the road men
an women drivers, once they got behind the wheel and drove a few hundred miles the white knuckles sort of
disappeared an they become more relaxed ... As I stated above their fear was size, not that they didn't
have the ability to drive, because they did, they thought because it was big and long it was harder to operate
when it wasn't ...
The other problem was once they become sort of comfortable was to keep reminding them that they had 53ft
of trailer behind them and the tracking was completely different than their car. I think this was harder
harder to install in the minds od new drivers than it was to get them behind the wheel ... It was a
consent reminder that they had something behind them when turning a corner...
Lastly you can always tell a old truck driver if you are following one in your car, they will always turn
a corner wider than a normal driver. The DW when we were 1st together use to get on me about turning wide
on corners, I kept telling her that the trailer no matter what was always behind me even in the car, it
get installed in you mind and you just normally do it. After she took a few rides with me in the semi she
stopped nagging about corners LOL
Safe Travels
Chuck & Hildi
|
|
|
|
Post by rvdude on Jun 29, 2017 22:09:43 GMT -5
I do the same thing Chuck. I've never driven an 18 wheeler, but I make real wide turns with my truck even when there is no travel trailer behind it.
|
|
