60DegreeAd_RIS.qxp 12/13/06 8:38 AM Page 1 TURNING IT UP, AGAIN. Introducing another industry first by Freightliner Custom Chassis. We’ve done it. Freightliner Custom Chassis’ new independent front suspension by ZF®, with an industry-leading 60-degree wheel cut, You’ve Been Packing! enables you to maneuver like you’ve never thought possible. You probably packed a little extra for whatever adventures you might encounter on your trip. If you’re Why? It’s about negotiating those tighter spaces and tighter turns; not sure of the axle end weight of your vehicle, your RV is most likely overloaded. The new Michelin ® about having more controlled confidence at the wheel; about 305/70R22.5 XRV, with its expanded load capacity *, is ready to take on more weight than ever. expanding the limits of where you go and how you get there. *The Michelin 305/70R22.5 XRV has a per-axle maximum load capacity of 15,660 lbs in singles and 27,760 lbs in duals at 120 psi cold pressure. You So don’t be afraid of the road ahead…take on the world one turn at should always weigh each axle and check Michelin’s Load and Inflation Tables to determine proper fitment and air pressure for your vehicle. a time with Freightliner Custom Chassis, The Leader at Every Turn. 1.800.545.8831 | freightlinerchassis.com Call Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation at (800) 545-8831, or visit us on the Web at www.freightlinerchassis.com. FCC/MC-A-030. Specifications are subject to change without notice. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation is registered to ISO 9001. Copyright 2006, Freightliner LLC. All rights reserved. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation is a member of the Freightliner Group. Freightliner LLC is a DaimlerChrysler Company. Go Ahead, 6 Turn It Up ... SPRING 2007 VOLUME 4 NUMBER 2 with an all new Aqua-Hot Hydronic RV 12 26 Roughing it Departments Features Heating System. Smoothly President’s Corner 4 Developing New Combinations 6 Training Our New Coach Owners The Allegro Bay 35 TSB April 2007 Volume 4, Number 2 Roughing It Smoothly® magazine is published four Tiffin Management Team 20 Nashville! 12 times a year by Book Production Resources for Music City USA Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc., 105 2nd Street NW, Red Don Lewis—Deep Roots in Alabama Bay, Alabama 35582. BPR offices are located at Springtime in the Smokies 26 9302 Alanbrooke Street, Temple Terrace, Florida Owner Profile 22 A Pictorial 33637. Printed in the United States of America. Dale Cathey—An Irrepressible The and have a new name and an all new Postage paid at Birmingham, Alabama 35211. Postmaster: Send all changes of address to Book Entrepreneur look, but still have the same great heating features: Production Resources, P.O. Box 292912, Tampa, Florida 33687-2912. On the Road With Harold 24 Editor’s Note ® This issue of Roughing It Smoothly has a postal Interviews from Montana The April 2007 issue features the great state distribution of approximately 38,000 copies and and Idaho of Tennessee—its capital city and the great Endless hot water in your motorhome a dealer distribution of 11,000 copies. It was printed by American Printing Company, 428 national park that it shares with North Car- Industrial Lane, Birmingham, AL 35211. Allegro Club News 34 olina. Following our general style for feature Quiet, uniform heat distribution Copyright © 2007 by Book Production Resources. Club Listing and Rally Schedule stories, both are do-it-yourself guides to ® All rights reserved. Roughing It Smoothly is a spending an extended vacation this spring Independent climate zones throughout the motorhome registered trademark of Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc. In Your Corner 36 in Tennessee. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in Wynne Enterprises—An Innovator While you’re in Nashville, keep in mind Engine Preheating for cooler climates any form without the written permission of the publisher. in RV and Marine Windows that you’re only three hours away from Tiffin Publisher, Book Production Resources; Editor, Fred Motorhomes manufacturing plant in Red Thompson; Typesetting and Page Makeup, Andy Dealer Profile 39 Bay, Alabama. We hope you will take the Cargile; Copy Editor, Carolyn Breuer. King’s Campers—A Dealer for opportunity to come and visit us and enjoy Vehicle Systems, Inc. is now Aqua-Hot Heating Systems Inc. Contributing Writers: Bob Tiffin, Fred Thomp- a plant tour. Please call ahead and check on son, Maureen Callahan, Robert Wilson, Danny All Seasons Inman, Liz Jones, and Harold Breuninger. space availability if you wish to stay in the Contributing Photographers: Dean Dixon, Fred Gourmet Quick & Easy 44 Tiffin Campground (256-356-2769). Same ownership and same great heating systems, just a new name and a new Thompson, Harold Breuninger, Cory Photography, If you have suggestions and ideas for William Britten, and GSM National Park Service. Tennessee Comfort Food the magazine, please write to me at P.O. look. We’ve also enhanced our heating systems to be even better than before! Tiffin coach owners may receive a free sub- scription by calling toll-free to 877-538-7467; News You Can Use 45 Box 292912, Tampa, FL 33687-2912 or writing to Roughing It Smoothly®, P.O. Box 292912, call me toll-free at 877-538-7467. Ed- Tampa, FL 33687–2912; or emailing fred@ Serious Tech Talk 48 itorial contributions are welcomed but bookproduction.com. Please include your phone not returnable unless you include return Call 1.800.685.4298 number, the last six characters of your VIN From the Road 51 number, and the year and model of your coach. postage. Items accepted for publication or visit our website If you sell your coach, please call Liz Jones at 256- are subject to editing. 356-0205 and give her the VIN number, year and Cover photo by Dean Dixon Photography, model, and the new owner’s address so that the Nashville, Tennessee new owner can enjoy the magazine. www.Aqua-Hot.com The following names are registered trademarks of Tiffin Motorhomes, Inc.: Open Road®, Phaeton®, Allegro®, Allegro Bay®, Allegro Bus®, Zephyr®, Roughing It Smoothly®, and Pusher®. PRESIDENT’S CORNER The techs go over all of the important fuse locations. For ex- to use keyless entry. As the tech walks up the entry steps, he ample, the ceramic fuse that serves the slide-outs can blow and turns around and sits down in the wheel well and explains all you won’t be able to bring them in. Knowing where that fuse is of the switches. located and having extra fuses on hand can save a lot of grief. Continuing to follow the clockwise pattern so we don’t miss Along that same line, when we are training on the Allegro anything, we spend considerable time on the television (going Bus, the batteries located in a rear compartment on the pas- through the programming for stations on antenna, satellite, or senger side have a 300-amp fuse. If your batteries have lost their cable), the DVDs, 5-disk player, and the satellite dish receiver. Training Our New Coach Owners charge, and you try to jump start them from a 200-amp land-line A front cabinet usually houses the tank monitoring systems, charger, you can blow the fuse. That fuse is not a common item the awning controls and wind sensor, the Xantrex inverter, and by Bob Tiffin and probably should be carried as a spare. The jump should be one or two slide-out switches. We always emphasize putting the made from a service truck, the amperage of which will not over- driver’s seat forward before extending the driver side slide-out, power the fuse. and stress checking clearances on both sides before extending We then go over the fuse panels which are usually accessible the slide-outs or the awning. At this point, or soon after, we teach Throughout the 34 years that TMH has been manufacturing you must run your Onan generator at least two hours a month from the outside. In the case of the Bus, it is the compartment the emergency crank-in procedure for the slide-outs. On the hy- motorhomes, I have gotten feedback from owners regarding the to validate the warranty. We go over the warranties for the HVAC, just forward of the driver side front wheel well. There are quite a draulic slide-out, we teach the emergency retract system. amount of training they received by their dealers at the point the jacks, the furnace, and the refrigerator. We try to teach pa- few of them, but Tiffin does a great job of labeling. Spartan and We give a thorough explanation of the relationship between they acquired their coaches. The feedback has been both pos- tience in dealing with problems that will invariably arise at some Freightliner also do a good job of labeling the fuses that they the Xantrex inverter and the batteries, and how you can run the Titive and negative, with more of the former than the latter. As time in the future. place on the coach, such as the left and right turn signals. television and several appliances plugged into specified inverter- I visit dealerships, I inquire about customer training and en- There are just a lot of details that you have to talk about like Tire pressures are very important. Most owners seldom think sourced outlets. courage our dealers to be thorough. Depending on the custom- taking care of the entry door. Then there is the awning and about checking the tire pressure on their cars so it is important Thermostats, which may vary from model to model, are a key er’s previous experience, training on a motorhome should take its operation.