After Chasing Bad Guys All My Life, Now it's Time to Take Life Easy - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 11-04-2014, 11:29 PM   #1
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After Chasing Bad Guys All My Life, Now it's Time to Take Life Easy

Good day to all of you,

My wife and I are first timers with a TT. We both retired in 2011 and started camping with a tent. That was nice and initiated us to the world of camping but after a few excursions of setting up and taking down in pouring rain, in 2013 we decided on getting a pop-up camper, a Palomino Bronco. This camper was great for a year but we got tired of not having enough room for our stuff and having to crank the top up every time. In the spring of 2014, we exchanged our pop-up for a hard-side truck camper. Much more room but again, we struggled with storage, payload weight and having to crank it off and on the truck. In Sept, 2014, we decided to finally go for the gusto and we purchased a 28' Denali 289RK. Man, what a nice baby!!! Too bad we got it at the end of the season and now we have to wait until May to pick it up...winter is going to be long...!!! So far, I have appreciated all the good advice on this forum as it will prepare us for our first outing with the TT. Looking forward to share our experiences with you and reading about yours!!!!
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Old 11-04-2014, 11:43 PM   #2
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First off, thanks for the service you gave your country. I have many LEO's as friends down here in the States and admire the jobs you all do. Welcome to the forum, and winter isn't THAT long..... at least not down here. Welcome aboard.
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Old 11-04-2014, 11:54 PM   #3
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Thanks sawpilot, very much appreciate!!! The winters up are from about this time to the end of March.....a bad winter goes into mid_April. So, we are hoping that by the 2nd week in May, the snow will be gone and the ground will be dry
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Old 11-05-2014, 12:19 AM   #4
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Need to hook that thing up and drag it south of the snow line ASAP!

Thanks for your service! And welcome to the forums.

I live in NC where with the exception of a couple of weeks in early January we can usually camp year round, or are close enough to Florida that we think we can.

Aaron
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Old 11-05-2014, 12:47 AM   #5
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Thank you for your service. Welcome to the site. If you look around you will probably find a answer to your questions.

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Old 11-05-2014, 09:41 AM   #6
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Welcome aboard, nice to see another Ontario resident on the site.
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Old 11-05-2014, 03:07 PM   #7
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Welcome ......being retired you could just be a Snowbird & move south for the winter. That's how I met my wife. She was here in the desert with her folks from South Dakota. Now 31 years later she hasn't lived in any snow.
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Old 11-05-2014, 03:27 PM   #8
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Thanks all for the warm welcome!! To DesertRat, yes we would love to leave this white stuff behind for the winter and go south however, we still have family commitments up here (ie; elderly parents to care for)....but some day, our Denali will roll south!!
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Old 11-06-2014, 10:50 PM   #9
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Welcome, I have a lot of friends with the same story on upgrading every year. When we started, we luckily went for the biggest I could safely tow, which happens to be the same as yours. We are glad we did too..

Welcome to the forum and happy trails!!
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Old 11-07-2014, 02:13 PM   #10
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Thanks EricNSTL.....we can't wait to take the rig out next May. It will be a long winter ;(
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Old 11-08-2014, 01:55 AM   #11
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Thanks EricNSTL.....we can't wait to take the rig out next May. It will be a long winter ;(
We were the same a year ago when we brought ours in Nov 2013, but it was worth the wait when I pull it off the dealers lot in May. Enjoy.
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Old 11-08-2014, 01:25 PM   #12
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Hey EricNSTL....since we have the same rig, would you have any advice for us such as things you don't like, problems out of the gate, what to watch out for etc....? We are TT newbs here so any information would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 11-08-2014, 02:42 PM   #13
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Congrats We also just got our first I had wanted one almost forever Bought a 2008 Monta Vista have my truck all set up for years in anticipation. 93 > 5 speed stick > 4 wheel drive dully This RV is about 38 feet long Yup I was a truck driver for over 35 years ..
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Old 11-08-2014, 03:34 PM   #14
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Thanks PistolPete......glad you were a truck driver for 35+ 'cause towing 38' probably ain't no picnic. For me, this will be a first at an overall length of 33'. The learning curve will be steep
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Old 11-08-2014, 03:45 PM   #15
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Plan your turns in advance swing as wide as the lane will allow . Right turns are the ones you need to pay closer attention to . Plan your stop lights as well as you can . busting through a yellow is not good . You will pick it up pretty quickly .. Adjust your mirror so you see the tire of your trailer in the corner of the mirror .. that way you will know how close you are to the side of the road on those turns .
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Old 11-08-2014, 06:02 PM   #16
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Thanks PistolPete....that's good advice, especially setting your mirror to see your TT wheels - I would not have thought of that one right off the bat.
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Old 11-10-2014, 02:18 PM   #17
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Backing that trailer is so easy if to remember the width is a constant the space is not going to shrink keep an eye on that tire and you know if your going straight in The righ morror left morror right mirror constant rechecking will about make you dizzy .
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Old 11-10-2014, 02:25 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PistolPete45&Mary View Post
Backing that trailer is so easy if to remember the width is a constant the space is not going to shrink keep an eye on that tire and you know if your going straight in The righ morror left morror right mirror constant rechecking will about make you dizzy .
'nother trick is to put your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel.

Move your hand to the left and the rear end of the trailer moves to the left, move your hand right and the rear of the trailer moves right.

It all becomes second nature after a while... for most folks.

Aaron
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Old 11-10-2014, 02:44 PM   #19
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Thanks!!!
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Old 11-10-2014, 06:44 PM   #20
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Quick firearm question for Mountie: Being retired Mountie are you allowed to carry a handgun? What restrictions, if any, are there for you. I am retired LEO and can carry anywhere in the US but not into Canada. Just wondering about your situation. Thanks.
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