One of the fundamental notions of RVers Online is the simple concept of "RVers helping RVers". We have asked our Volunteer Advisors to send us an occasional copy of both questions and answers which are of general interest to RVers.
Please feel free to direct questions to our Volunteer Advisors by simply clicking on the name. The replies you receive will be those of our Advisors, and not necessarily those of RVers Online. We appreciate and thank them for their participation.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have an RV-related expertise you'd like to share, please drop us a note!
RV Chassis Issues
Dick Lorntson has been involved with RV chassis issues for more than 30 years. He is ASE ceritfied in heavy and medium truck suspension, steering and brakes, automobile suspension, steering, and brakes; and he is Master ASE ceritifed in collision repair for over 20 years. We welcome Dick to our highly qualified group of volunteer advisors, and appreciate his willingness to offer our readers his comments and guidance.
RV Solar Systems
Greg Holder (greg@amsolar.com) is a photovoltaic engineer, and designs solar systems for the RV industry. We're extremely pleased to have such a technically qualified person to respond to reader inquiries about solar systems. Here's the person who has literally "written the book" on RV solar design. Many solar questions can be answered by first checking the information at his website.
Inverter/Chargers
Gary Baxter (gbaxter5@juno.com) formerly worked for Xantrex Corporation, the top manufacturer of inverter/chargers for the RV industry. His responsibilities included representing the company's products at RV rallies and other gathering points for RVers. Our readers have had questions about selecting the right inverter/charger; and since the introduction of AGM type batteries, there have been a number of questions about inverter "settings" that are compatible with this new battery option.
Propane Appliances
Alan Cohoe (acohoe@ouc.bc.ca) is the Director of the RV Technicians School, part of the Okanagan University College in Kelowna, BC. One of his personal specialties is propane appliances -- and how to maintain and repair them. [Note: Alan is unavailable until after the commencement of the new school year in September]
RV Electric Systems (Including Heating & A/C)
Tom Braum as spent is working career in Heating, Air Conditioning and Electrical Systems as an Engineer designer. He decided to go full time and purchased a Foretravel Coach. Because of his background he spends lots of time keeping up to date on RV electric power, including heating and air conditioning systems.
General Service Inquiries (West Coast)
Carrier & Sons (service@carrierandsons.com) is an independent full service center for RVs, and is located near the airport in Eugene, OR. Based on reader recommendation, we've been there twice to service our own coach, and our experience has been extremely positive. We noted at their website they have offered to answer customer inquiries about general RV service issues, and they've offered to be included here among our Advisors to handle questions from West Coast readers. Their specialty is in high end motorhome service and repair, and they are a source for aftermarket products such as solar, satellite dishes, sound systems, tow bars, braking systems, etc. In fairness we'd ask our readers to respect the limitation to "West Coast" RVers.
Consumer Affairs, Motorhomes Len Souza has been an RVer for 30 years and has been an active contributor to this website for the past several years. His background is in Engineering; he was a Sales Executive in the Computer Industry. Since retirement he has turned to RV freelance writing; and he has been published nationally. He sees himself as an RV Consumer Advocate and has championed the cause of RV owners' Service, Quality and Reliability issues for the past 6 years. He offers advice on the process of choosing a new or used RV, negotiating the purchase and dealing with after sale issues such as the delivery acceptance and service problems that may arise. Len does not recommend brand names nor does he single out specific brands for criticism. Medium Duty Trucks Larry Talley (Larry.Talley@wcom.com) has done considerable research on issues pertaining to those mid-range trucks which are so well suited to towing today's ever larger towables. Note: These are not the 3/4 ton and 1 ton dually Ford/Chevy/Dodge varieties -- they're those really BIG rigs that look almost like what's in front of an 18 wheeler. We think anyone with a heavy fiver should explore this option.
Professional Driving Inquiries
Dick Reed (rvschool@gte.net) is the founder and owner of the RV Driving School, and has extensive experience not only as a professional driver, but as a teacher of professional driving to RV owners. We attended one of Dick's classroom sessions, and Stephanie took some of the "hands on" training behind the wheel. We were very positively impressed -- and we're pleased that Dick has volunteered to respond to driving safety inquiries our Online RVers may have.
Folding Trailers
Safe Driving Larry Moore, (larrymoore@reborn.com) an RVer and a professional driver with over 3.5 million miles of experience, knows all the ins and outs of driving an RV safely. Most of us have not literally "been to school" on how to drive the rigs we have. Larry has offered to respond to reader inquiries about how to safely handle our houses on wheels.
Working While RVing Coleen Sykora and her husband Bob Nilles left their traditional home and jobs in 1992, at the age of 32, seeking the adventures and freedoms than come with full-time RVing. They earn their living as they travel. As they work and travel, they meet other working RVers, learning about still more work-on-the-road options. They publish Workers On Wheels. An increasing number of our readers have inquired about more than just traditional "workcamping". Coleen and Bob have offered to respond to questions about making a living while traveling, and about the lifestyle of working RVers.
Computers for RVers Larry McLemore has volunteered to share his expertise on the topic of computing on the road. His background includes substantial training received from internet tech sources, and he's agreed to help readers with questions about traveling with computers. If Larry can't field your specific question, he'll be able to provide you with some tips on where to find the information you're looking for. Also, see his website. Computer Virus Protection Harlan Steinle will disclaim being an "expert" in computer technology, but he has spent time becoming familiar with techniques for steering clear of the increasing number of computer viruses that threaten RVers as they seek to stay online while enjoying RV travels. His background is both in Windows and Mac based operating systems. RVers with MacIntosh Computers: Jim Brandenburg is an avid Mac user, and has spent considerable time upgrading to the latest system software made available for owners of Apple MacIntosh systems. While he disclaims being all-knowing about everything Mac, there's a good chance that if you have a question about your Mac Jim will have some suggestions to consider. Datastorm Usage: Terry and Dianne O'Keefe, who also author one of our series on full timing for RVers, have offered to share their expertise with the use of the DataStorm satellite system for providing a high speed internet connection on the road. Weather Information for RVers. Jim and Sandi Brandenburg travel with lots of gadgets that attach to the roof of their RV; and Jim uses them to make extensive analysis of local conditions and forecasts. He offers to share his experience using this type of equipment in his travels, as well as to assist other RVers trying to locate the weather information sources that will provide them the best possible information. Jim's other hobbies include model railroading (which he does on the road!), motorcycles, and MacIntosh computers -- and he'd have some guidance on those issues as well. RVing with Children Shelley Zoellick has been involved with full time RVing with her children for a number of years. Increasingly young families are creating a new and exciting type of lifestyle by combining full time or extended RVing with raising a family. Shelley, who also publishes a newsletter on the subject, has graciously offered to respond to your inquiries about how to make this a positive travel and schooling experience for children.
First Aid for RVers James Johnson (jjohnson@luzerne.edu) is the Emergency Services Department Chair at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, PA, and has extensive experience in First Aid and CPR. He would be a helpful resource to RVers or RV organizations which are interested in developing educational programs and materials which address the unique neeeds of RVers. Medical advice will of course not be offered.
Traveling with Pets Suzanne Mark (Petravel@aol.com) spends most of her time traveling with her poodle companion, Hoover. She's written a number of articles, and done presentations at RV gatherings from coast to coast on the subject. When we read some of her writings, we'll confess we learned quite a bit ourselves! Lots of RVers travel with their pets -- and here's a place to direct your questions!
Financial Matters Barry F. Townes is a certified financial planner and has offered to share his expertise on finances, taxes and investments. Obviously only general advice can be offered in this manner, but Barry might be able to help point you in some helpful directions. NOTE: the "mailto" for Barry seems to be erratic on some browsers. His direct email address is: "BTownes@aol.com"
RV Insurance Tom Harrigan (tom-harrigan@email.msn.com) is a retired insurance agent and an active RVer who has experience in evaluating both RVers needs for insurance, and in helping them to evaluate their options. He is not committed to any one insurance company, and has offered to help RVers in "asking the right questions" when deciding on what coverages and policies to consider.
Dale Gindlesperger (dgindles@shol.com) Dale works for one of the major pop-up tent camper companies, and has offered to answer general questions about folding trailers.
Escapees Club
Joe Lacey (joelacey@escapees.com) is a lifetime Escapees member. At our
invitation, Joe has offered to respond to reader inquiries about membership
and benefits of the club.
RVing in Mexico David Eidell (mexbungalows@yahoo.com) has for several years been a regular contributor to this website, covering virtually every aspect of RVing in Mexico. His mini-series is an absolute "must read" for RVers contemplating a trip south of the border. David's expertise is derived from untold thousands of RV travel miles in Mexico, including many leading specialized RV caravans. His objective is to help RVers discover the many fascinating RVing destinations in Mexico. RVing in Australia Shane Eastman is a video producer who lives in Sydney, and has made documentaries all around Australia. She has RV'd extensively around the country, and has kindly offered to share her experience and expertise with all our Online Rvers who may be contemplating an RVing adventure "downunder".
RVing in New Zealand Linda Wharton (lwharton@hpd.acast.nova.edu) did a substantial amount of research before emarking an an RV adventure through New Zealand. Happily she's offered to share her knowledge with other RVers who might be contemplating such a trip.
RVing in Atlantic Canada
Desmond Cahill (d-scahill@ns.sympatico.ca) lives and has traveled extensively throughout Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and virtually all parts of the Canadian "Maritimes". We made a trip there a few years back, and wish we could have had the counsel of Des to help us identify special things to see and places to stay...
Ontario Provincial Parks
Ralph Burcher (ralph.burchert@netri.com) Ralph lives in southern Ontario, Canada, and has been an active participant with RVers Online since its inception. Ontario has 260 Provincial Parks. Ralph has offered to provide advice to our readers concerning trips planned to this area.
Genealogy for RVers
Joan Taylor (jctaylor1941@yahoo.com) has over 12 years experience in helping people get started with geneology. Joan has served as the Life on Wheels instructor for this topic, and teaches everything from the basic research techniques to online options for conducting genealogy research. The topic of her class at Life on Wheels has a great title: "Tracking Down your Dead Folks".
Bicycles for RVers
Many RVers enjoy taking along a bike for casual or more serious cycling treks along the way. Choosing the right type of bike is something we needed some help with -- and we found it at the family-owned Mission Cyclery in San Diego. Based on our positive experience, and John Carroll's (1juanito@home.com) willingness to help RVers with biking questions, we're pleased to add him to our list of online resources for RVers.
Bounder Coaches Bud Weisbrod (weisbrod@myexcel.com) is a retired Optical Systems Engineer and Flight Instructor has owned two Bounders, and has encountered many of the Bounder issues that owners may discover. He has suggestions for improving liveability, handling, adding accessories, and adding custom improvements.
Lazy Daze Joan Bakeman makes no pretense about having technical solutions for these units. But as a satisfied owner of this highly rated compact RV, she's offered to answer any questions readers who are interested in this size unit may have about Lazy Daze products.
Safari Coaches (Except Trek)
Russell Warren is an engineer by profession, and has had significant experience with Safari coaches (except Trek). He's offered to respond to reader inquiries concerning Safari motorhomes, and share the information he's accummulated over time.
Remco Transmission Pumps: Although not an "Advisor" in the traditional sense here, Remco has offered to have a presence here on this page to assist our readers with inquiries about Remco products. Just click here and send along your questions and comments to the Remco towing experts. Honor Roll: Some of our Online Advisors have contributed enormously to RVers everywhere through their generous contribution of time and talent; but in due course have found that the demand of other activities has required they discontinue their volunteer efforts for RVers Online:
RVers with an expertise they'd like to share with other RVers, please feel free to write us!