Date codes

Every tire has this code on the sidewall. It gives the date that the tire was manufactured but it doesn’t just spell it out right. You have to know what to look for and how to read it. It’ll be something like this: DOT PDML AZOF 0508. It’s on one side of the tire, so you may have to crawl underneath to look at the inside of your tires. The date code always starts with the letters DOT and ends with a 3 or 4 digit number. The first two numbers indicate the week of the year. 52 weeks in a year so that is the max. The last one or two digits tell you the year. In this example, 0508 means the 5th week of 2008, or the first week of February 2008. With the year 2000, the date codes have two numbers for the year. Only one for years before. A date code of 157 would indicate the 15th week of 1997 or you are lucky to be alive if this tire is still in use.

Ask to see this number when buying new tires. You really don’t want to pay full price for a tire that has already sat somewhere and deteriorated for a year. You probably won’t get one that was made last week, but you should expect it to be within the last several months. The tire dealer may look at you as an oddball or pretend to not know what you talking about. That’s when you check the number or get ready to find another dealer.

Tire Size

If you’ve bought new tires or looked at your own, you’ll see the mess of letters and number on the sidewall. It could be like this one my smaller RV.

LT225/75R16
Type-Width/Ratio of width to sect height-Radial-inside diameter

The first letters indicate the type of tire: P for passenger car, LT for light truck, and ST for special trailer. You won’t find anything special for bus and medium-duty truck tires. The number 225 in this case, is the width of the tire, given in millimeters, followed by a slash. The number after the slash is the ratio of width to section height. Then you have a letter. R for radial ply or D for diagonal (or bias) ply. That is followed by a number which gives the inside diameter of the tire in inches.

Load Range

The load range of a tire is a letter, A through E, and is on the sidewall of the tire. You will want to make sure you get the right range rating for your type of trailer or RV.

How Do I Decide?

The easiest way is to start with what is already on your axles, assuming these were the new tires from the factory. If you were not the original owner, then you should double check the vehicle plates and documentation for what should be on the vehicle. Someone may have put the wrong tires on there before you. If specs and everything checks out and they have done well for you, get another set of the same. You can probably find the same tire or a newer equivalent. Or you may want to ask what is the next best step up for the same tire. Or get the same specs on a tire of another brand. Don’t jump wildly based just on price or brand. Start with the current specs and see what is available.

There are many different tires out there because there are many types of vehicles and uses. Passenger car tires are more for a soft ride on your daily drive. They grip the road well and are for your average weather situations. Light truck tires are built with stiffer sidewalls to carry heavier loads. They are also for daily use so they have decent handling and are fine in average weather and storms. When you get into trailer tires, you can expect them to be designed for a soft ride and some give to slide sideways. You should stick with trailer tires on trailers. Don’t truck tires or off road tires on a trailer just because they are better or more expensive. They are not designed for the unique needs of trailer loads and handling.

Don’t get personal

Anything that reveals your name or hometown gives an advantage to a con artist. It makes it easier for them to bluff their way into your confidence. They know your home state but that’s all they need to know.

Home is sweet to you but sweeter to crooks

Don’t put “Home Sweet Home” type stickers on your RV. Or anything else that indicates you live full time in your RV. This tends to announce that you have more stuff with you. More valuable stuff.

Support can support a motive

I love the idea of plastering “Powered by the Sun” on a AllStays RV. But this advertises that I have solar panels, and other nice things that go with it like a charger, inverter and extra batteries. Your personal support of certain hobbies can lead to criminal assumptions whether they are right or wrong. Don’t indicate you are a video game champion, a gem collector or anything that could make someone else think you got some good pawn shop sellers.

Be careful with clubs

On the one hand, you may think that it will scare someone away from your RV. But like many things, what scares one varmint away attracts the eye of the law. NRA and gun club stickers can provide a legal reason for police, in some places, to search your RV at any time. You are providing the reason. You would be better to have a sticker that supports police or military.

Branded for you or branded for (unwanted) attention?

Sometimes we fix up our cars, trucks and even RVs with very nice extras. Those extras sometimes include or offer a way to brag about it. Should we put a high end stereo sticker on our vehicle announcing it? Should we advertise expensive accessories or suspension upgrades? A specific example is RVs that are based on the Dodge Sprinter chassis. These have a Mercedes engine. Owners have many options to re-brand the RV to make it scream “Mercedes” but do they really want to? It all depends on the attitude you want to project and the added risks you want to take with more attention. It may also depend on the type of RVing you do and locations that you go. But sooner or later, you’ll probably be in some uncomfortable locations. In a large storage lot, your RV is always an uncomfortable target.

Can you think of any other things to avoid that you see on other RVs in the campgrounds?

If you are having any electrical problems, don’t plug into an electric hookup until problems are checked and fixed. Who knows what kind of damage could occur if you plug in without knowing what the problem is that you are having.

Surges are not really surges in most cases. They rarely are in fact a huge surge or power off the power lines. Most problems are actually caused by ourselves or those around us. These are now quite common. We notice more of what we call surges because our equipment is getting more and more sensitive. We have many items with circuit boards in them, all of which are more easily damaged by power fluctuations.

Low voltage

Low voltage is actually more common than high voltage. This is the most common cause of damage as many electrical items can be damaged by low power. This can ruin computers, tvs, vcrs, dvd players and most anything with a circuit board. The fan may run too slowly and not cool the board. Water heaters with an ignition also have circuit boards. Relays can fail that kill the circuit board in fridges. Fluorescent lamps may fail early due to over cycling of the circuit board and ballast.

Always unplug certain items when not in use. Heating items, automatic coffee makers and toasters all can cause a disaster when off and plugged in.Years ago, my neighbor burned an entire condo down just by leaving his toaster plugged in.

High voltage

High voltage may not necessarily be a surge. It is voltage of more than 130VAC for longer periods of time. This can kill lights, heating elements in fridges, and sensitive electronics. Yes, modern electronics are killed by both low and high voltage.

Hooking up

Before even getting all parked and leveled in your space, check out the conditions of the hookup. Use your voltage meter, check the polarity and the voltage. First flip off the breaker at the campground pole. This allows you to avoid sparks and find out if the fit is good for your plug. Plug in your RV electric cord. Flip the breaker on.

What else can you do

Plug in a simple voltage monitor to one of your outlets.

Make sure you know what you are doing if you do any handy work in the RV. AC wires are wired differently in an RV than in the house. So even though someone knows how to add an outlet in their home, they may not know how to do it in an RV. The manual covering your load center should cover this.

You are always the safest when you are unplugged and control your own environment. Whenever you plug in, you take on risks with other people and the local power grid. When you are plugged in, anything you do can hurt others. Anything others do can hurt you. Get a good surge protector. Don’t buy the cheapest or the most commonly found one. Consider how much you have invested in your RV and step up to a better model. The other issue is that these are often stolen in RV parks. You can buy a lock for them. Or you can install a more expensive type that is wired inside your RV.

It is best to unplug your rig during a storm or whenever the power goes out at the campground. I have also unplugged when a unkempt RV parked next to me and plugged in. I just didn’t like the look of it and it’s better to be safe.

NEVER run a generator without disconnecting from the power grid. Do not trust any automatic switches to protect yourself or others.

Install a good solar electric system so you won’t need to plug in as often. Many people can’t afford this or think it’s not necessary. If you spend tens of thousands of dollars on an RV, a couple thousand dollars on solar isn’t that much. Make sure to add up the cost of some of your generator fuel, electric hookup fees and even camping fees when you may have been able to choose a more remote boondocking location. Solar may be paid for in fast order if you really think about all the little fees over time. That doesn’t even include the peace of mind of having your own power grid with you all the time. The power goes out at home? You could have a self contained powered living space in your driveway.

Stay safe and happy travels.