February 14, 2025 • 35 mins
The discourse presented within the Smart RVer podcast encapsulates a profound exploration of the RV lifestyle, emphasizing the creation of enduring family traditions while traversing the landscapes of the United States.
The episode features a conversation between Eric Stark and his guest, Alexis, who delineates the significance of establishing unique familial practices during RV journeys. They delve into various suggestions, such as collecting souvenirs—magnets, mugs, and other memorabilia—that serve as tangible reminders of their adventures.
Eric and Alexis share personal anecdotes, elucidating how these rituals foster a deeper connection with family members and enhance the overall RVing experience. They assert that such traditions are not merely activities but essential components that enrich familial bonds and create lasting memories that can be cherished for years to come, thus transforming the RV experience into a tapestry of shared moments.
In Staying on the Road, Eric gets into the benefits of taking care of your Trailer Tires and costs and upsets when you don't. Eric shares his friends experience of what the outcome is when you ignore the obvious tire solutions.
Takeaways:
- Creating unforgettable family traditions while RVing enriches the experience and fosters lasting memories.
- Collecting souvenirs, such as magnets or mugs, while traveling can enhance the journey significantly.
- Engaging in unique mealtime routines fosters connection and shared experiences among family members.
- Maintaining proper tire pressure and understanding tire maintenance is crucial for safe RV travel.
- Exploring unique destinations like Santa Fe, New Mexico, offers diverse cultural and historical experiences.
- Participating in outdoor activities and visiting national parks can greatly enhance the RV lifestyle.
RV Defender Tire Blow-Out SystemRevive RV Interior Renovation SystemsOur Online Resources:
The Smart Rver YouTube Channel - Check Out Our No-Nonsense YouTube VideosSunpro Mfg - RV Sunshade, Windshield Covers & Slide Out Awning FabricsHot Boat Ropes - Marine Cordage- Anchor Lines, Dock Lines, Tow Lines, etc.Top Rated Podcast -The Smart RVer Podcast WebsiteAffiliate Links
Wholesale Warranties RV Extended...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is Eric Stark with theSmart RVer podcast, your trusted
source for tips and insightsto embrace the RV lifestyle without
worries. So let's talkeverything RV today is episode number
170. So let's jump right intoit. We have Alexis here today. Like
I said, she's going to take usto Santa Fe, New Mexico. She's going
(00:20):
to tell us how to makeunforgettable traditions, family
traditions while RVing.
I am?
Yeah. You know, that'sprobably a very. What word would
I use? An interesting thing,because some families probably have
some very interestingtraditions. Why they rv? Yeah, you
know, they do drink themselvesto oblivion. Fight, fight to the
(00:44):
finish.
Just natural traditions.
Yeah, but that's what they doat home, too. No difference. Yeah.
Oh, my word, Eric, here you go.
Again, making the RV like home.
That's right. So, hey, this isanother episode where I really don't
have any rants or anything.
That's amazing.
Yeah, I got a couple of thingson a list, but I don't have the list
(01:05):
in front of me. I'm not goingto try to think about, because then
I might mess up the knob. Sowhat I want to do, though, is remind
our listeners that if you havesomething you want to share with
us, good, bad, ugly, anddifferent, a hack you have for your
rv, someplace you've been,maybe a suggestion for the show,
(01:28):
whatever it is, just use thecontact us page on our website and
let us know or call us. Thephone numbers there. The phone number
and the contacts informationwill be in the description of this
podcast as well. We want tohear from our listeners so we know
how to improve the show andwhat to talk about. Heck, even what
not to talk about sometimes.All right, so now let's go to enjoying
(01:54):
the RV life. And so creatingunforgettable family traditions while
RVing. Alexis, what are someunforgettable family traditions that
can be created while RVing?That's a mouthful.
I have no idea. I have nothingprepared because I don't have a family.
No, I do. My parents, theyorphaned me. Okay. No, I'm joking.
(02:18):
I have parents. They're fine.But see, this is what you can do
when you have your family, afamily of your own. Now you can make
your own traditions with them,no matter how terrible your parents
were. I'm just kidding. That'snot very nice. But one thing you
can do with the family membersis collect souvenirs. I know for
you and Karen, you guys liketo do. Is it stickers or magnets?
(02:41):
Magnets.
Magnets. And I've Gotten youonto mugs. Now, mugs are something
I like to collect. And I not,you know, I'm not sponsored by Starbucks,
but Starbucks makes cups ineach state that you can buy. And
we were just in Utah, and Ibought the cutest mug from Utah.
And they do this in everystate. Anyway, that's one thing that
makes it special. It's a goodmemory. That's an example of something
(03:04):
you can do, especially if youhave kids, you can do this. If you
don't have kids, you can dospecial mealtime routines. So maybe
you have a certain meal youall like to eat together. So bring
that. Maybe it's gourmet hotdogs. So you bring all the goods
for hot dogs, and you sit downtogether. You make the hot dogs you
like. You make them reallyspecial. Maybe you talk about your
(03:26):
day, what you did, what youenjoyed, what you didn't enjoy, and
you just have that family timethat can be really special. Maybe
it's something like annualtrip milestones. Maybe you go somewhere
every year. Maybe that's yourtradition. Maybe you head to the
same place. You know, you likeit already, so you guys go there
every year, and that's specialto you. It's really whatever is up
(03:47):
to your family. But my finalthoughts are just make the tradition
special. Make it somethingthat you enjoy doing altogether,
hopefully, and it's somethingyou can remember forever.
So that sounds pretty good. Alot of people probably do that. Don't
even realize it.
Yeah.
Whether RVing or other typesof travel, we've been collecting
(04:08):
magnets for years and yearsand years. I know big billion of
them, running out of space,places to put them. The traditions
are kind of interestingbecause sometimes the adults, they
just kind of go through themotions. Oh, we got to do this while
we're here. Like us, my wifeand I, we got to get a magnet while
we're here, you know, but weput some thought into it, try to
pick the right one. Yeah, welook at some and, you know, buy one
(04:30):
no matter what, though.
Good. Yeah.
And now it is mug. So I wasjust recently in Colorado and Wyoming,
and so I got a mug from eachstate. Oh, that one from that show.
That's a different one.
Okay. That's right.
So these traditions, though,like, on our website, they have some
actual families there thattalk about the things they do.
(04:53):
Yeah.
So if you look at the articleand enjoying the RV life, the unforgettable
family traditions, there'sarticle, real life stuff, and it's
important, especially if youhave kids, it's things they look
forward to. Sometimes theyseem pretty mundane, but the kids
be like, aren't we going to dothis right? They remember it could
be marshmallow night. Youknow, you have marshmallows over
(05:14):
the fire and the kids willlove that. So if you have kids, you
know, try to really make thata thing so they have really something
to look forward to. Becauseyou want them involved in the RV
lifestyle as well.
Exactly.
All right, so a money savingtip. Now this one's pretty obvious,
pretty basic. It's riding abicycle, okay? So if you're out camping,
(05:37):
you know, you can take abicycle to run errands. You don't
have to fire up the car, thetruck, usually a truck. Unless you
have a motorhome, you'repulling a car. It just will save
some money and it actuallychanges up the deal anyways. Maybe
you got two bicycles, one foryou and your, your spouse. You can
(05:57):
ride bicycles to run errands,you can ride bicycles to get exercise.
You can cruise the park. Ifyou're staying, like let's say in
Silverton, Colorado, you couldtake your bike to do a little bicycle
tour, kind of maybe, what'sthat called, a covert operation there
and go check out the town, seewhat's there, then go back in your
vehicle, maybe. So you can buya magnet or whatever that souvenir
(06:19):
is and take it back withoutbreaking it. Or food. Hot dogs for
that barbecue or. No, that hot dog.
Hot dog.
So bicycle is pretty easy tocarry in an RV or a travel trailer.
They racks, throw it on theback or in your truck. There's a
lot of. You can't have anexcuse. Well, I can't get it there.
(06:39):
That's lousy. But a bicycle isgreat. When my wife and I take our
trailer, anywhere our bicyclesgo, no matter where we go, the bicycles
go because they make iteasier. Sometimes just a quick little
run here, quick go run thereand exploring. So take the bikes.
You get some exercise, yousave some cash in the meantime. How
can you go wrong with that? Iguess you got hit by a bus. How would
(07:03):
that be? Yeah, I'd be overwith, right? So don't get hit by
a bus. So this informationwill be on the smartrver.com and
you can check it out and shareit with your friends and family and
come up with some ideas fortraditions and get that bicycle on
the rv. Now this brings us tostaying on the road. Now we're going
(07:25):
to talk about tiremaintenance. And this is primarily
for travel trailers.Motorhomes are a little bit different
because their tires are fallinto that automotive category. It's
a different animal now. Youstill need to check them and air
them up and do all the normalthings. But trailer tires are just
(07:47):
a unique breed. And most RVersor travel trailer owners, I would
say, don't understand trailertires. I know from our experience
in real life, they don't getit. And I, I understand that because
you just think it's a tire.It's a black thing, goes on the trailer.
They last forever. As long asthere's tread, that tire is going
(08:07):
to be good. And that's not thecase. Nope, it's totally opposite
of it. The typical trailer onaverage rolls about 2,000 miles a
year, and the trailer tirelasts about five years. So you're
gonna put on about 10,000miles on that tire. So you're still
going to have plenty of treadleft when that tire actually needs
to be replaced. So that's aninteresting thing. In his heart,
(08:29):
it's a hard pill to swallowbecause no one likes buying tires.
But you gotta, whether it'sfor your car, your trailer, your
truck, your motorhome, yourutility trailer, your little kid's
wagon, it doesn't matter. Noone likes buying tires.
You know what I like to do? Ilike to ask people, do you want to
die? Then buy tires. Good.
Way to go.
That's what I like.
Very direct.
(08:52):
Okay, go ahead.
This is very true. Because,you know, blowout on anything can
be a real problem. And on atrailer, a blowout in itself, you
know, the tire, let's say it'sa $250 tire, okay, who cares? The
tire blows out, you put a newone on. But is when that tread comes
(09:13):
off and it starts hitting theunderneath of the trailer, it could
ruin the, the plumbing system.It can actually tear into a furnace
or refrigerator, tear upcabinetry. So it can cost hundreds
or thousands more additionaldollars in damage. And you know,
we have recommended the tireDefender in the past. So that's that
(09:33):
steel fender that goes inthere. It mounts to the axles. They
work great. They do, but ithas to work on your rv. So you can
go to RV Defender, we'll havea link in the description as well.
And you can see it and you cantalk to them if one will work on
your RV or a set of them. Andthey're, they're a little pricey,
but they're definitely worthit because one blowout is going to
(09:55):
save you the money where topay for those things. Definitely
a cool product. But back totrailer tires. So I would Say, to
start properly with yourtrailer tires is to keep them inflated.
If you don't keep them at theproper pressure, it's going to ruin
the tires. And they're notlike car tires where you can fake
(10:16):
this or keep them at thelowest tire pressure like some cars.
You know, car owners likemyself, I put air in the tires close
to what the manufacturerrecommends, but not always what the
manufacturer recommends. Like,I might put more air in the front
tires on one of our carsbecause it'll get better mileage.
Tires might wear out a littlebit quicker, but if you rotate it,
(10:38):
they wear out equally, so it'snot so bad. Whereas, like, let's
say you bought a brand newDodge truck and they recommend putting
80 pounds of pressure in thetires. That thing's going to ride
like a brick down the road.You know, you're going to feel every
bump you run over an ant,you're going to fill it, you know,
so you don't want that. Soyou're going to reduce the tire pressure,
you know, maybe to 60 or 55 orsomething. Some people I know in
(11:01):
trucks, they put the tirepressure like 35.
Oh, my gosh.
Little too soft for me, but,you know, so trailer tires are not
that way. You're supposed tokeep them at the maximum pressure.
So if your tires say themaximum pressure is 80 psi, you put
them at 80 psi. And the reasonis trailers always have a load on
(11:22):
them.
Always.
They never do not have a load.The trailer itself is the load. Remember,
your trailer axles, if youhave two, are right next to each
other.
Yeah.
So the load is right there ontwo axles or on one axle if you have
a single axle. So it's alwayshas a load. That's why you keep them
at the maximum tire pressure.It's not just cause. That's the reason
(11:43):
why.
Mm.
And trailer tires are specialin themselves because they have.
In fact, they're called st.Special trailer. So they are special.
I was right. Wow. Man.
Cute.
What a day. So they're specialbecause the sidewalls are stronger.
Because trailer tires, youknow, when they go down the road
(12:03):
and you make turns and stuff,those sidewalls are taking the brunt
of everything. It's not thetread on the ground, it's the sidewall.
In fact, if you're backing upa trailer or watching somebody back
up a trailer, those tires willtwist and turn. It looks like things
are bending and breaking. Holysmokes. Straighten it out. Something's
wrong here. That's just whatthey go through because they're so
(12:23):
close together, the two axles,it looks horrible, but that's what
they're designed for. So youwant to buy trailer tires, keep them
properly inflated, and youwant to keep them inflated all the
time. You got need to checkthem. I would check them once a month.
I recommend in taking yourtrailer out once a month and driving
(12:45):
like 10 miles with. Yeah, I'mlooking at Alexis because I know
she doesn't do that with hertrailer. Oh, wait, her husband's
right over here. See?
Did we do that? Yeah.
You laughing. You know, if youdon't travel very far either for
your trips, maybe it's not asimportant if you're going out of
the area than you want to do.
Yeah, absolutely.
(13:05):
Now, maybe once a month, youmight think that's crazy because
hooking it up and all thatcould be a hassle. But you definitely
want to move them becausewhere they sit on the ground as well,
they get those flat spots inthe tires.
Yeah.
And what that does is itbreaks the cord that you can't see
on the inside, so it startsbreaking, and that becomes a weak
length, and that's where itcan come apart. So having trailer
(13:28):
tires properly inflated, usingthem, moving them down the road is
very important. So it's notjust tire pressure, it's everything
else. But go back to tirepressure for a second. You want to
check the tires, and this isall tires when they're cold, not
when they're hot. You want tocheck them when they're cold and
(13:50):
air them up when they're cold.So if you've been driving for four
hours, you let it sit for anhour. That's not cold. Technically,
overnight would be cold.
Okay.
If you can. Now, if you'retraveling, you got to check your
tires. You just have to do it.You check them and you do what you
need to do. But when they gethotter, they actually the air pressure
increases, which is okay. It'sthat cold pressure that's important,
(14:12):
and that gives you thatbalance starting point. You know,
it might even change whereyou're at. If you're at home and
the temperature is, let's say,80 degrees, you go someplace else
in the morning, thetemperature is 50 degrees, that pressure
will change, it'll drop. Soyou might have to adjust for that
and keep that in mind. Itdoesn't mean you have a flat. Now,
the other thing about trailertires is there, generally it's the
(14:35):
right size tire for the loadof your trailer. So your tires have
to match the weight of thetrailer or actually be a Little stronger
than the trailer. You want alittle overload or want them to have
a higher weight rating thanwhat your trailer is and the trailer
or tires. The weight rating isdependent upon the size of the tire.
(14:57):
So that will be dependent onthe size of the wheels that will
put on your rv and that'll bedependent on the, the hubs and the
axles. So all that comestogether and we talked about in the
last episode about weightratings and capacities, how the axles
have to be the right weightrating for the RV itself. So a lot
of. I shouldn't say a lot.Some RVs do not come with the proper
(15:19):
axles on them. So if theydon't have the proper axles, they
won't have the proper tires aswell. Now, like on my rv, the weight
rating of the axles was justabout the same rate weight rating
as the trailer itself. Empty.So that wasn't any good. So I upgraded
the axles, put on heavieraxles. I put on bigger wheels at
(15:40):
the same time so I could puton bigger tires. It had 14 inch wheels
and they, they just lookstupid to begin with. Little tiny
things, you know, Looks likeyou have wheelbarrow tires on there.
So also for the looks of it, Idid it. But it is actually needed
to be done. It needed to haveheavier axles. So that was the leaf
springs, axles, drums,everything. New wheels, new tires.
(16:03):
So it can cost some money ifyou have to do that. So that might
be something you check beforeyou buy an rv and sometimes you won't
notice any problems. Maybe younever check, but you're blowing out
tires all the time or breakingleaf springs. That can be because
they're not matching theweight of the trailer, they're overloaded
all the time. And when you'rebuying replacement tires, it's best
(16:23):
to go back with the same tiresize that came on the rv if it was
matched properly to everythingelse. You can sometimes go bigger,
taller, wider. Depending onhow your RV is configured. You don't
want it to hit the hitanything above or on the side. So
you have to measure and talkto a professional to help you with
that. If you can't figure itout on your own, it's usually not
(16:46):
too hard. Most tires have allthe dimensions on them. You can measure
it in inches and, and figureout what you need to do. But having
the correct size tires is veryimportant. And now when you're not
using your rv, you don't wantit to just sit on the same spot on
the tires all the time. And IMentioned that a moment ago. So that's
(17:06):
important as well. And somepeople will actually put wood underneath
the tires, which is fine,especially if you're in a hotter
area or on gravel or, youknow, some weird type of ground or
even asphalt. It keeps it offthe ground so the tire is not going
to get these weird shapes init. Or maybe the heat from the asphalt
(17:28):
will make that tire super hotright there. Like if you're in Arizona.
So you put it on a piece ofwood, but make sure the wood is wider
than the footprint of thetire. You don't want it like a 2x4
on a tire. You want like a 2by 10, so it's wider than the tire
and longer, so it's a biggerfootprint. And that helps protect
(17:49):
the tire as well. Because ifyou have something smaller, the tires
can be hanging off the sideand that's going to ruin the tire.
And a lot of wheel chocks andstuff like that made for RVing are
smaller. They have bigger onesand smaller ones. Smaller ones are
a buck cheaper. Buy the biggerones, maybe two bucks. Always buy
the bigger ones so you're notdamaging your tires. It's very important.
(18:10):
And now tire constructiontoday is probably the best it's ever
been. I don't know how muchmore that can be improved because
tire construction is dialedin. And what's interesting too is
today we still talk aboutplies. Like, I want a 10 ply tire,
I want a 6 ply tire. Whatwe're talking about is the sidewall.
(18:31):
But plies haven't existed fordecades. That went away with tires
that were numbered like F7815.Long gone. You don't have that numbering
sequence anymore. So when theytalk about plies today, it's actually
just a rating. The plies wererated at a certain weight rating.
So you don't actually haveplies today. You just have a tire
(18:52):
that's rated at a certainrate. Weighting, like maybe a 10
ply would be rated at £5,000,you know, years ago. Well, that same
tire would just be rated at 10ply for £5,000, even though it's
not a 10 ply tire. That numberis probably not accurate either,
by the way. So don't take thatat face value. Too many numbers in
my life to remember all thisstuff. You know, I want to get so
(19:15):
hung up on, on the ply ratingbecause the tire size is going to
dictate what the ply ratingis. And there are some people who
want, like, I want a 14 ply nomatter what, I got to have this ply
or that ply. It gets a littleridiculous because you're paying
extra for tires that youprobably don't really need. It just
becomes a personal thing. Andif you're upping that weight rating,
(19:39):
can the rest of thesuspension, axles and everything,
handle it? Was it designed forit, or do you just want the tires
to be able to hold it?Something to think about there. You
might not need that weightrating. Most people that go beyond
that don't really need itbecause they're not hauling stuff
that would warrant that. Somake sure you also inspect your tires.
Don't let them just sit untilyou go on a trip and it blows out
(20:02):
and go, oh, that tire is bad.Check them regularly before you go.
Now. You know, I should havestarted this whole thing off with
my buddy Jerry. Jerry's gonenow, but God rest his soul. Now I
had to say.
(20:26):
Sorry.
So Jerry was going on a tripone time, and we're actually. He
was on the trip, and he callsme, hey, one of my tires blew out.
Okay. Yeah, I. I told you manytimes about trailer tires, how it
works, and he never believedme. And I was, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I know. I. You said all that.So what should I do? Well, you got
to get a tire, obviously.Yeah, that's kind of a dumb question.
(20:47):
Oh, I don't know, Jerry. And Isaid. I said, jerry, actually, it's
two tires. You know, you needto replace both of them on the axle.
I said I would get all four.
Honest.
Because one blew, the othersare going to go. And so he's like,
no, I'm just going to get one.I said, you know what? You're going
to be buying another tirewithin 100, 200 miles is how Jerry
(21:08):
died. No.
Oh, good. Okay.
No, he's killed by a tiremechanic. So any pace he goes down
the road. And the same thing.The tire that was in front of the
tire, that blew because it wasa rear tire. The tire in front blew
(21:28):
because when the rear tireblew, all the weight went on that
front tire and weakened it.
Yep.
So then it blew. And then, youknow, the rest of the story is he
had to buy all four tiresbecause all four tires blew out.
And he had four differenttires on there because he didn't
want to do it all.
No.
So Jerry thought he wasoutsmarting, you know, the tire manufacturers,
the whole world, and myself,and he ended up losing, using that
(21:49):
back. So it's not a matter ofbeing right, but I was right.
Just saying.
So Inspect your tires and makesure you're not traveling with bad
tires. And as I said earlier,that five year thing can really suck.
Now, I've seen tires that havebeen on a spare, never touched the
(22:09):
ground, and they've blown outas a spare.
Yeah.
You know, they just, justhappen blow out. So they're not the
most reliable thing. And makesure you have a spare. Make sure
you maybe have two spares. Youknow, if you're going to push the
limit, make sure you got twogood spares.
Yeah.
And remember, if you have toreplace all four year tires or all
(22:31):
two of your tires, do thespare at the same time.
Thank you.
Just as old.
Smart.
Don't take one of your tiresoff because you want to save 50 cents
and put it on the spare.You're not doing yourself any favors
that way.
Yeah.
And keep your spare covered.Actually keep your tires covered
when you're not using your RVas well. There's a lot of things
to look at with a trailertire, but the bottom line is five
(22:54):
years, that's it. You know,and you can try to squeeze it if
you're traveling local andyou're going maybe 20 miles, 50 miles.
But if you drive distances 100plus and you're out of the area,
you don't want to be at themercy of the tire shop if there's
one nearby. You get a blowout,maybe you put your spare on, is as
bad as your other tires and itblows out. Now you're driving to
(23:16):
a trailer or a tire shop,leaving your trailer parked on the
side of the road, your familyscratching your head, their head
like, dad, why are you sostupid? Yeah, didn't you listen to
that podcast from the Smartrver about this?
Hello.
Come on, Pops. So do yourfamily a favor, do yourself a favor
and make sure your tires arein good shape on your trailer. So
(23:38):
that is all I have to say onthat. And by the way, there'll be
a link in the description toour other website, SunPro Manufacturing,
where there's a full articlehere about trailer tire maintenance
because they said a lot, saidit quickly, so you can read that
and digest it more slowly. Nowthat's going to take us to Santa
(24:01):
Fe, New Mexico. Alexis, whatis happening is this is.
An exciting place to go. Sowe're gonna go to Santa Fe, which
is nestled in the foothills ofthe. I'm gonna say this wrong. San
J. De Cristo Mountains. Can'tcorrect me, all right? Jerry's not
(24:23):
here to correct me. And is avibrant destination known for Its
rich history, thriving artscene and stunning natural beauty.
And fun fact, it's the oldeststate capitol in the US and the city
boasts a unique blend ofNative American, Spanish and Anglo
cultures. So here's somehotspots. The Santa Fe Plaza. Ah,
(24:47):
the center of the city. Herewe go. Where you can shop till you
drop. Lots of shops. And myfavorite is to people watch. I love
people watching wherever I go,especially airports. Have you ever
done that? Watch peoplestruggle? They look so mad, so funny.
I'm not.
Okay, you don't like to fly.All right, then we've got the Georgia
(25:10):
O'Keeffe Museum. She's arenowned artist. She has a very unique
and beautiful art style. Socheck her out. And then we've got
the Canyon Roads Artgalleries, which are all over the
place there. It's a vast artdistrict. It caters to everyone's
varied taste in art. So you'regoing to find something you love.
There's. And then of course,for the food lovers, we've got iconic
(25:31):
eateries like the Shed. It's amust eat. This place serves authentic
Mexican food and cool thing.They sell their incredible homemade
salsa online. I looked theother day. Looks incredible. It's
not that expensive. Looksbeautiful. I'm gonna get some. And
then Cafe Pascals. This placeis well located. If you're in the
(25:51):
art district, it's really easyto grab a bite because there's a
ton of variety about anythingyou want. And then two. For outdoor
enthusiasts, we've got theBandelier National Monument. Preserves
a high density and variety ofarchaeological resources from the
ancient Pueblo period,including Kavlats carved into cliffs
(26:14):
and volcanic. Volcanic tuff.I'm having a hard time with pronunciation.
And then of course, the SantaFe National Forest. You don't have
to travel far to find thesebeautiful mountain slopes of volcanic
formations, deep river gorges,primitive wilderness areas. There's
just a ton to see on thearchaeological front. There's a lot.
(26:39):
My takeaway is you've got toput this on your list to visit because
it's really incredible.Actually, New Mexico as a state is
pretty incredible. So this isjust one of the cities you can visit.
That sounds prettyinteresting. Back to you. So Santa
Fe is a very nice place. I'vebeen there once or twice, so I definitely
(27:00):
recommend it. It's an rverplace. It's a artsy place. A lot
to do something about NewMexico in general. There's always
so much to do there.
You know, Definitely lots to see.
It reminds me of this towncalled Madrid. Oh, imagine that.
We're going to be talkingabout today in shadows of the.
Here we go.
Tails it once were. So let megive you a little story about Madrid.
(27:23):
Let me put on my glasses this time.
There we go.
See? Wow, man, like a 98 fonthere. All right, so there's everybody
ready out there, ready tolisten. Got the fireplace going,
the marshmallows ready to goon the fire. Nestled in the Ochese
Mountains along the scenicTurquoise Trail lies a gem of a town
(27:44):
called Madrid. PronouncedMazarid by locals, this enchanting
place was a bustling coalmining town. Today, it beckons travelers
with its unique blend ofhistory, art and natural beauty.
Look at this place. The adobebuildings, the art galleries, the
vibe. It's like stepping intoanother world. The Mineshaft Tavern
(28:08):
is just up ahead. Famous forits green chili cheeseburgers, Madrid's
roots stretch back to the mid19th century when coal mining fueled
its growth. By the early1900s, it was a thriving company
town, producing coal for theSanta Fe Railroad and electricity
generation. The streets werealive with over 4,000 residents during
(28:33):
its heyday. The 1920s and 30sbrought Madrid national fame with
its elaborate Christmas lightdisplays. But as coal demand waned
after World War II, so did thetown's fortune. By the 1950s, Madrid
had become a ghost town. Inthe 1970s, Madrid found new life.
(28:54):
Artists and free spirits,drawn by its affordability and beauty,
began to settle here. Today,Madrid is a vibrant community with
art filled galleries, eclecticshops and cultural events. Look around
and you'll find turquoisejewelry, pottery, and sculptures
made from reclaimed miningequipment. No visit to Madrid is
(29:17):
complete without a stop at theMineshaft Tavern. A hub for locals
and visitors alike. Thishistoric hot spot offers hearty food,
live music, and a rustic charmthat transports you back in time.
Their green chilicheeseburgers, as good as everyone
says, paired perfectly with alocal craft beer, this coffee from
(29:39):
Java Junction is amazing.Seated on their porch, you can take
in the charm of Madrid.Afterward, visit the Madrid Old Coal
Town Museum to dive deeperinto the town's rich history. The
museum is a treasure trove ofartifacts, photographs and exhibits
that paint a vivid picture ofits coal mining past. As the sun
(30:02):
sets over the Ortiz Mountains,Madrid's charm only deepens. The
clear skies reveal a blanketof stars, a reminder of the natural
beauty surrounding thecaptivating town. Sitting by the
fire, you can't help but feelthe spirit of this place. I can't
wait to return during thewintertime to see the town blanket
(30:23):
in snow. Madrid, New Mexico, atown of history, creativity and endless
wonder. Plan your visit anddiscover its unique Native American
peel for yourself. So that'sMadrid, New Mexico.
Very nice.
So you ready to go there?
I really am.
You know, all these places wetalk about, it's just never ending.
(30:45):
Just adds more to the map,really. Does you have to live to
be like a hundred?
Yeah. Come on, Cole, we gotta go.
So what we really need issponsors or listeners of the show
that want to donate like amillion dollars to the cost. We don't
have to work anymore and gotraveling, you know, I mean, that
would be really cool. That waywe can actually, we can talk more
(31:07):
about it, more places, youknow, elaborate. We can send you
a cheeseburger.
Yeah, we will too.
I mean, that would be verysweet. I mean, I'd go for that if
someone send me acheeseburger. Yeah, I probably want
more than that. All right, soyou can read that article on our
website as well. Shadows ofthe past is there and yeah, it's
(31:30):
there. All right, so now let'sgo to RV Envy and we're going to
talk about The Chill Cube18,000 BTU air conditioner from Lippert
components. Now what's reallyso cool about this air conditioner?
Besides this really a highperformance air conditioner. It's
going to cool down the insideof your RV at least 30% quicker than
(31:52):
any other brand on the market.And it's so quiet. It's a day and
night difference in noise. Andnoise is the big thing. Like in all
RVs, you listen to that airconditioner just drone on. It becomes
this nuisance. You have totalk over it. You know, the TV has
to be louder if you'rewatching TV or Netflix or something.
(32:15):
The Chill Cube 18,000 BTU airconditioner eliminates that. In fact,
I was just at a trade show,I've ordered some and one of them's
earmarked for my rv. What'sgoing on there now? To tell you about
my rv, I have a new RV with anew air conditioner on it and I thought
it was a little small. So Ihave another brand new air conditioner
in my shop, but I got that onea really killer deal to go on there.
(32:39):
So now I'm going to have threeair conditioners for my rv. Two are
coming all or one's comingoff, the other one's going to get
sold. So the dometic ones aregoing away. Way going to go with
the Lippert. And the othercool thing about this Lippert Chill
Cube is You don't have to usethe wall thermostat, so you can just
replace the ceiling or theceiling assembly in the upper unit.
(32:59):
The air conditioner itself, ithas a remote and it also has controls
on the ceiling assembly, soyou can access it either way. So
you don't have to use the wallthermostat. Now, if you want a wall
thermostat, they do sell onethat will replace your wall thermostat
if you have a heat ACthermostat, which most RVs do today.
So if you insist on that, youcan do that. Now, when you take off
(33:20):
the your existing airconditioner, you put the Lipperton,
you can still use yourthermostat for the furnace. That'll
still work fine. That's notreally a problem. So the remote makes
it kind of cool because youcan turn it on, off, adjust it anywhere
in the rv, as long as it cansee it. It's a line of sight function,
and there's a reason for that,too. So if you're outside, you can't
(33:40):
be adjusting your RV andforget to turn it on, turn it off,
you can't mess with. Kind ofmakes sense then if you have two
RVs, the same remote will, Imean, two RVs, two air conditioners,
the same remote will work onboth of them, which is kind of nice.
That is nice, right?
Or if your neighbor has oneand they invite you in, you can turn
it off. What's wrong with myair conditioner? You know? Yeah,
(34:04):
so it's, it's very cool andprice wise, it's going to come in
a little bit cheaper. The sameprice as like a 15,000 BTU air conditioner.
Depends on where you buy it,time of day. All that good stuff,
like always, is definitelyworth looking into. If you're thinking
about a new air conditioner oryou're just sick and tired of the
noise. And that's my thing.I'm sick and tired of the noise.
(34:25):
But also when it's hot or outand you go to someplace warmer, it's
going to cool it down insidequicker. Like maybe you've been driving
all day, you're in Arizona,you get there like, oh, man, this
is going to take forever tocool down. This thing will cool down
so much quicker. It's amazing.So you absolutely love it. This is
at Wells Purchases that youwon't go wrong with. So Alexis says,
(34:48):
yes, I do. I mean, you know,find out. This thing's the biggest
piece of junk on the face ofthe earth. I'm just kidding. Lippert
actually makes some goodstuff. They make some bad stuff.
Like everybody, you know, abig company. The good, bad, ugly,
the indifferent. All right, sothat brings us to the end of RV envy.
And actually that brings us tothe end of the show. So all this
wonderful information is goingto be on the spot. Smart rver website.
(35:09):
And as always, recommend us toyour family and friends. So they
continue to learn about RVsand how to maintain them and places
to go and starting familytraditions. So it's been an awesome
show, and I want to thankeverybody for stopping by today and
listening or watching onYouTube. So this is Eric Stark with
the Smart RVer podcast, yourgo to guide for smart, smarter RVing
(35:33):
and unforgettable adventureson the open road.
This is Eric Stark with theSmart RVer podcast, your trusted
source for tips and insightsto embrace the RV lifestyle without
worries. So let's talkeverything RV today is episode number
170. So let's jump right intoit. We have Alexis here today. Like
I said, she's going to take usto Santa Fe, New Mexico. She's going
(00:20):
to tell us how to makeunforgettable traditions, family
traditions while RVing.
I am?
Yeah. You know, that'sprobably a very. What word would
I use? An interesting thing,because some families probably have
some very interestingtraditions. Why they rv? Yeah, you
know, they do drink themselvesto oblivion. Fight, fight to the
(00:44):
finish.
Just natural traditions.
Yeah, but that's what they doat home, too. No difference. Yeah.
Oh, my word, Eric, here you go.
Again, making the RV like home.
That's right. So, hey, this isanother episode where I really don't
have any rants or anything.
That's amazing.
Yeah, I got a couple of thingson a list, but I don't have the list
(01:05):
in front of me. I'm not goingto try to think about, because then
I might mess up the knob. Sowhat I want to do, though, is remind
our listeners that if you havesomething you want to share with
us, good, bad, ugly, anddifferent, a hack you have for your
rv, someplace you've been,maybe a suggestion for the show,
(01:28):
whatever it is, just use thecontact us page on our website and
let us know or call us. Thephone numbers there. The phone number
and the contacts informationwill be in the description of this
podcast as well. We want tohear from our listeners so we know
how to improve the show andwhat to talk about. Heck, even what
not to talk about sometimes.All right, so now let's go to enjoying
(01:54):
the RV life. And so creatingunforgettable family traditions while
RVing. Alexis, what are someunforgettable family traditions that
can be created while RVing?That's a mouthful.
I have no idea. I have nothingprepared because I don't have a family.
No, I do. My parents, theyorphaned me. Okay. No, I'm joking.
(02:18):
I have parents. They're fine.But see, this is what you can do
when you have your family, afamily of your own. Now you can make
your own traditions with them,no matter how terrible your parents
were. I'm just kidding. That'snot very nice. But one thing you
can do with the family membersis collect souvenirs. I know for
you and Karen, you guys liketo do. Is it stickers or magnets?
(02:41):
Magnets.
Magnets. And I've Gotten youonto mugs. Now, mugs are something
I like to collect. And I not,you know, I'm not sponsored by Starbucks,
but Starbucks makes cups ineach state that you can buy. And
we were just in Utah, and Ibought the cutest mug from Utah.
And they do this in everystate. Anyway, that's one thing that
makes it special. It's a goodmemory. That's an example of something
(03:04):
you can do, especially if youhave kids, you can do this. If you
don't have kids, you can dospecial mealtime routines. So maybe
you have a certain meal youall like to eat together. So bring
that. Maybe it's gourmet hotdogs. So you bring all the goods
for hot dogs, and you sit downtogether. You make the hot dogs you
like. You make them reallyspecial. Maybe you talk about your
(03:26):
day, what you did, what youenjoyed, what you didn't enjoy, and
you just have that family timethat can be really special. Maybe
it's something like annualtrip milestones. Maybe you go somewhere
every year. Maybe that's yourtradition. Maybe you head to the
same place. You know, you likeit already, so you guys go there
every year, and that's specialto you. It's really whatever is up
(03:47):
to your family. But my finalthoughts are just make the tradition
special. Make it somethingthat you enjoy doing altogether,
hopefully, and it's somethingyou can remember forever.
So that sounds pretty good. Alot of people probably do that. Don't
even realize it.
Yeah.
Whether RVing or other typesof travel, we've been collecting
(04:08):
magnets for years and yearsand years. I know big billion of
them, running out of space,places to put them. The traditions
are kind of interestingbecause sometimes the adults, they
just kind of go through themotions. Oh, we got to do this while
we're here. Like us, my wifeand I, we got to get a magnet while
we're here, you know, but weput some thought into it, try to
pick the right one. Yeah, welook at some and, you know, buy one
(04:30):
no matter what, though.
Good. Yeah.
And now it is mug. So I wasjust recently in Colorado and Wyoming,
and so I got a mug from eachstate. Oh, that one from that show.
That's a different one.
Okay. That's right.
So these traditions, though,like, on our website, they have some
actual families there thattalk about the things they do.
(04:53):
Yeah.
So if you look at the articleand enjoying the RV life, the unforgettable
family traditions, there'sarticle, real life stuff, and it's
important, especially if youhave kids, it's things they look
forward to. Sometimes theyseem pretty mundane, but the kids
be like, aren't we going to dothis right? They remember it could
be marshmallow night. Youknow, you have marshmallows over
(05:14):
the fire and the kids willlove that. So if you have kids, you
know, try to really make thata thing so they have really something
to look forward to. Becauseyou want them involved in the RV
lifestyle as well.
Exactly.
All right, so a money savingtip. Now this one's pretty obvious,
pretty basic. It's riding abicycle, okay? So if you're out camping,
(05:37):
you know, you can take abicycle to run errands. You don't
have to fire up the car, thetruck, usually a truck. Unless you
have a motorhome, you'repulling a car. It just will save
some money and it actuallychanges up the deal anyways. Maybe
you got two bicycles, one foryou and your, your spouse. You can
(05:57):
ride bicycles to run errands,you can ride bicycles to get exercise.
You can cruise the park. Ifyou're staying, like let's say in
Silverton, Colorado, you couldtake your bike to do a little bicycle
tour, kind of maybe, what'sthat called, a covert operation there
and go check out the town, seewhat's there, then go back in your
vehicle, maybe. So you can buya magnet or whatever that souvenir
(06:19):
is and take it back withoutbreaking it. Or food. Hot dogs for
that barbecue or. No, that hot dog.
Hot dog.
So bicycle is pretty easy tocarry in an RV or a travel trailer.
They racks, throw it on theback or in your truck. There's a
lot of. You can't have anexcuse. Well, I can't get it there.
(06:39):
That's lousy. But a bicycle isgreat. When my wife and I take our
trailer, anywhere our bicyclesgo, no matter where we go, the bicycles
go because they make iteasier. Sometimes just a quick little
run here, quick go run thereand exploring. So take the bikes.
You get some exercise, yousave some cash in the meantime. How
can you go wrong with that? Iguess you got hit by a bus. How would
(07:03):
that be? Yeah, I'd be overwith, right? So don't get hit by
a bus. So this informationwill be on the smartrver.com and
you can check it out and shareit with your friends and family and
come up with some ideas fortraditions and get that bicycle on
the rv. Now this brings us tostaying on the road. Now we're going
(07:25):
to talk about tiremaintenance. And this is primarily
for travel trailers.Motorhomes are a little bit different
because their tires are fallinto that automotive category. It's
a different animal now. Youstill need to check them and air
them up and do all the normalthings. But trailer tires are just
(07:47):
a unique breed. And most RVersor travel trailer owners, I would
say, don't understand trailertires. I know from our experience
in real life, they don't getit. And I, I understand that because
you just think it's a tire.It's a black thing, goes on the trailer.
They last forever. As long asthere's tread, that tire is going
(08:07):
to be good. And that's not thecase. Nope, it's totally opposite
of it. The typical trailer onaverage rolls about 2,000 miles a
year, and the trailer tirelasts about five years. So you're
gonna put on about 10,000miles on that tire. So you're still
going to have plenty of treadleft when that tire actually needs
to be replaced. So that's aninteresting thing. In his heart,
(08:29):
it's a hard pill to swallowbecause no one likes buying tires.
But you gotta, whether it'sfor your car, your trailer, your
truck, your motorhome, yourutility trailer, your little kid's
wagon, it doesn't matter. Noone likes buying tires.
You know what I like to do? Ilike to ask people, do you want to
die? Then buy tires. Good.
Way to go.
That's what I like.
Very direct.
(08:52):
Okay, go ahead.
This is very true. Because,you know, blowout on anything can
be a real problem. And on atrailer, a blowout in itself, you
know, the tire, let's say it'sa $250 tire, okay, who cares? The
tire blows out, you put a newone on. But is when that tread comes
(09:13):
off and it starts hitting theunderneath of the trailer, it could
ruin the, the plumbing system.It can actually tear into a furnace
or refrigerator, tear upcabinetry. So it can cost hundreds
or thousands more additionaldollars in damage. And you know,
we have recommended the tireDefender in the past. So that's that
(09:33):
steel fender that goes inthere. It mounts to the axles. They
work great. They do, but ithas to work on your rv. So you can
go to RV Defender, we'll havea link in the description as well.
And you can see it and you cantalk to them if one will work on
your RV or a set of them. Andthey're, they're a little pricey,
but they're definitely worthit because one blowout is going to
(09:55):
save you the money where topay for those things. Definitely
a cool product. But back totrailer tires. So I would Say, to
start properly with yourtrailer tires is to keep them inflated.
If you don't keep them at theproper pressure, it's going to ruin
the tires. And they're notlike car tires where you can fake
(10:16):
this or keep them at thelowest tire pressure like some cars.
You know, car owners likemyself, I put air in the tires close
to what the manufacturerrecommends, but not always what the
manufacturer recommends. Like,I might put more air in the front
tires on one of our carsbecause it'll get better mileage.
Tires might wear out a littlebit quicker, but if you rotate it,
(10:38):
they wear out equally, so it'snot so bad. Whereas, like, let's
say you bought a brand newDodge truck and they recommend putting
80 pounds of pressure in thetires. That thing's going to ride
like a brick down the road.You know, you're going to feel every
bump you run over an ant,you're going to fill it, you know,
so you don't want that. Soyou're going to reduce the tire pressure,
you know, maybe to 60 or 55 orsomething. Some people I know in
(11:01):
trucks, they put the tirepressure like 35.
Oh, my gosh.
Little too soft for me, but,you know, so trailer tires are not
that way. You're supposed tokeep them at the maximum pressure.
So if your tires say themaximum pressure is 80 psi, you put
them at 80 psi. And the reasonis trailers always have a load on
(11:22):
them.
Always.
They never do not have a load.The trailer itself is the load. Remember,
your trailer axles, if youhave two, are right next to each
other.
Yeah.
So the load is right there ontwo axles or on one axle if you have
a single axle. So it's alwayshas a load. That's why you keep them
at the maximum tire pressure.It's not just cause. That's the reason
(11:43):
why.
Mm.
And trailer tires are specialin themselves because they have.
In fact, they're called st.Special trailer. So they are special.
I was right. Wow. Man.
Cute.
What a day. So they're specialbecause the sidewalls are stronger.
Because trailer tires, youknow, when they go down the road
(12:03):
and you make turns and stuff,those sidewalls are taking the brunt
of everything. It's not thetread on the ground, it's the sidewall.
In fact, if you're backing upa trailer or watching somebody back
up a trailer, those tires willtwist and turn. It looks like things
are bending and breaking. Holysmokes. Straighten it out. Something's
wrong here. That's just whatthey go through because they're so
(12:23):
close together, the two axles,it looks horrible, but that's what
they're designed for. So youwant to buy trailer tires, keep them
properly inflated, and youwant to keep them inflated all the
time. You got need to checkthem. I would check them once a month.
I recommend in taking yourtrailer out once a month and driving
(12:45):
like 10 miles with. Yeah, I'mlooking at Alexis because I know
she doesn't do that with hertrailer. Oh, wait, her husband's
right over here. See?
Did we do that? Yeah.
You laughing. You know, if youdon't travel very far either for
your trips, maybe it's not asimportant if you're going out of
the area than you want to do.
Yeah, absolutely.
(13:05):
Now, maybe once a month, youmight think that's crazy because
hooking it up and all thatcould be a hassle. But you definitely
want to move them becausewhere they sit on the ground as well,
they get those flat spots inthe tires.
Yeah.
And what that does is itbreaks the cord that you can't see
on the inside, so it startsbreaking, and that becomes a weak
length, and that's where itcan come apart. So having trailer
(13:28):
tires properly inflated, usingthem, moving them down the road is
very important. So it's notjust tire pressure, it's everything
else. But go back to tirepressure for a second. You want to
check the tires, and this isall tires when they're cold, not
when they're hot. You want tocheck them when they're cold and
(13:50):
air them up when they're cold.So if you've been driving for four
hours, you let it sit for anhour. That's not cold. Technically,
overnight would be cold.
Okay.
If you can. Now, if you'retraveling, you got to check your
tires. You just have to do it.You check them and you do what you
need to do. But when they gethotter, they actually the air pressure
increases, which is okay. It'sthat cold pressure that's important,
(14:12):
and that gives you thatbalance starting point. You know,
it might even change whereyou're at. If you're at home and
the temperature is, let's say,80 degrees, you go someplace else
in the morning, thetemperature is 50 degrees, that pressure
will change, it'll drop. Soyou might have to adjust for that
and keep that in mind. Itdoesn't mean you have a flat. Now,
the other thing about trailertires is there, generally it's the
(14:35):
right size tire for the loadof your trailer. So your tires have
to match the weight of thetrailer or actually be a Little stronger
than the trailer. You want alittle overload or want them to have
a higher weight rating thanwhat your trailer is and the trailer
or tires. The weight rating isdependent upon the size of the tire.
(14:57):
So that will be dependent onthe size of the wheels that will
put on your rv and that'll bedependent on the, the hubs and the
axles. So all that comestogether and we talked about in the
last episode about weightratings and capacities, how the axles
have to be the right weightrating for the RV itself. So a lot
of. I shouldn't say a lot.Some RVs do not come with the proper
(15:19):
axles on them. So if theydon't have the proper axles, they
won't have the proper tires aswell. Now, like on my rv, the weight
rating of the axles was justabout the same rate weight rating
as the trailer itself. Empty.So that wasn't any good. So I upgraded
the axles, put on heavieraxles. I put on bigger wheels at
(15:40):
the same time so I could puton bigger tires. It had 14 inch wheels
and they, they just lookstupid to begin with. Little tiny
things, you know, Looks likeyou have wheelbarrow tires on there.
So also for the looks of it, Idid it. But it is actually needed
to be done. It needed to haveheavier axles. So that was the leaf
springs, axles, drums,everything. New wheels, new tires.
(16:03):
So it can cost some money ifyou have to do that. So that might
be something you check beforeyou buy an rv and sometimes you won't
notice any problems. Maybe younever check, but you're blowing out
tires all the time or breakingleaf springs. That can be because
they're not matching theweight of the trailer, they're overloaded
all the time. And when you'rebuying replacement tires, it's best
(16:23):
to go back with the same tiresize that came on the rv if it was
matched properly to everythingelse. You can sometimes go bigger,
taller, wider. Depending onhow your RV is configured. You don't
want it to hit the hitanything above or on the side. So
you have to measure and talkto a professional to help you with
that. If you can't figure itout on your own, it's usually not
(16:46):
too hard. Most tires have allthe dimensions on them. You can measure
it in inches and, and figureout what you need to do. But having
the correct size tires is veryimportant. And now when you're not
using your rv, you don't wantit to just sit on the same spot on
the tires all the time. And IMentioned that a moment ago. So that's
(17:06):
important as well. And somepeople will actually put wood underneath
the tires, which is fine,especially if you're in a hotter
area or on gravel or, youknow, some weird type of ground or
even asphalt. It keeps it offthe ground so the tire is not going
to get these weird shapes init. Or maybe the heat from the asphalt
(17:28):
will make that tire super hotright there. Like if you're in Arizona.
So you put it on a piece ofwood, but make sure the wood is wider
than the footprint of thetire. You don't want it like a 2x4
on a tire. You want like a 2by 10, so it's wider than the tire
and longer, so it's a biggerfootprint. And that helps protect
(17:49):
the tire as well. Because ifyou have something smaller, the tires
can be hanging off the sideand that's going to ruin the tire.
And a lot of wheel chocks andstuff like that made for RVing are
smaller. They have bigger onesand smaller ones. Smaller ones are
a buck cheaper. Buy the biggerones, maybe two bucks. Always buy
the bigger ones so you're notdamaging your tires. It's very important.
(18:10):
And now tire constructiontoday is probably the best it's ever
been. I don't know how muchmore that can be improved because
tire construction is dialedin. And what's interesting too is
today we still talk aboutplies. Like, I want a 10 ply tire,
I want a 6 ply tire. Whatwe're talking about is the sidewall.
(18:31):
But plies haven't existed fordecades. That went away with tires
that were numbered like F7815.Long gone. You don't have that numbering
sequence anymore. So when theytalk about plies today, it's actually
just a rating. The plies wererated at a certain weight rating.
So you don't actually haveplies today. You just have a tire
(18:52):
that's rated at a certainrate. Weighting, like maybe a 10
ply would be rated at £5,000,you know, years ago. Well, that same
tire would just be rated at 10ply for £5,000, even though it's
not a 10 ply tire. That numberis probably not accurate either,
by the way. So don't take thatat face value. Too many numbers in
my life to remember all thisstuff. You know, I want to get so
(19:15):
hung up on, on the ply ratingbecause the tire size is going to
dictate what the ply ratingis. And there are some people who
want, like, I want a 14 ply nomatter what, I got to have this ply
or that ply. It gets a littleridiculous because you're paying
extra for tires that youprobably don't really need. It just
becomes a personal thing. Andif you're upping that weight rating,
(19:39):
can the rest of thesuspension, axles and everything,
handle it? Was it designed forit, or do you just want the tires
to be able to hold it?Something to think about there. You
might not need that weightrating. Most people that go beyond
that don't really need itbecause they're not hauling stuff
that would warrant that. Somake sure you also inspect your tires.
Don't let them just sit untilyou go on a trip and it blows out
(20:02):
and go, oh, that tire is bad.Check them regularly before you go.
Now. You know, I should havestarted this whole thing off with
my buddy Jerry. Jerry's gonenow, but God rest his soul. Now I
had to say.
(20:26):
Sorry.
So Jerry was going on a tripone time, and we're actually. He
was on the trip, and he callsme, hey, one of my tires blew out.
Okay. Yeah, I. I told you manytimes about trailer tires, how it
works, and he never believedme. And I was, yeah, yeah, yeah,
I know. I. You said all that.So what should I do? Well, you got
to get a tire, obviously.Yeah, that's kind of a dumb question.
(20:47):
Oh, I don't know, Jerry. And Isaid. I said, jerry, actually, it's
two tires. You know, you needto replace both of them on the axle.
I said I would get all four.
Honest.
Because one blew, the othersare going to go. And so he's like,
no, I'm just going to get one.I said, you know what? You're going
to be buying another tirewithin 100, 200 miles is how Jerry
(21:08):
died. No.
Oh, good. Okay.
No, he's killed by a tiremechanic. So any pace he goes down
the road. And the same thing.The tire that was in front of the
tire, that blew because it wasa rear tire. The tire in front blew
(21:28):
because when the rear tireblew, all the weight went on that
front tire and weakened it.
Yep.
So then it blew. And then, youknow, the rest of the story is he
had to buy all four tiresbecause all four tires blew out.
And he had four differenttires on there because he didn't
want to do it all.
No.
So Jerry thought he wasoutsmarting, you know, the tire manufacturers,
the whole world, and myself,and he ended up losing, using that
(21:49):
back. So it's not a matter ofbeing right, but I was right.
Just saying.
So Inspect your tires and makesure you're not traveling with bad
tires. And as I said earlier,that five year thing can really suck.
Now, I've seen tires that havebeen on a spare, never touched the
(22:09):
ground, and they've blown outas a spare.
Yeah.
You know, they just, justhappen blow out. So they're not the
most reliable thing. And makesure you have a spare. Make sure
you maybe have two spares. Youknow, if you're going to push the
limit, make sure you got twogood spares.
Yeah.
And remember, if you have toreplace all four year tires or all
(22:31):
two of your tires, do thespare at the same time.
Thank you.
Just as old.
Smart.
Don't take one of your tiresoff because you want to save 50 cents
and put it on the spare.You're not doing yourself any favors
that way.
Yeah.
And keep your spare covered.Actually keep your tires covered
when you're not using your RVas well. There's a lot of things
to look at with a trailertire, but the bottom line is five
(22:54):
years, that's it. You know,and you can try to squeeze it if
you're traveling local andyou're going maybe 20 miles, 50 miles.
But if you drive distances 100plus and you're out of the area,
you don't want to be at themercy of the tire shop if there's
one nearby. You get a blowout,maybe you put your spare on, is as
bad as your other tires and itblows out. Now you're driving to
(23:16):
a trailer or a tire shop,leaving your trailer parked on the
side of the road, your familyscratching your head, their head
like, dad, why are you sostupid? Yeah, didn't you listen to
that podcast from the Smartrver about this?
Hello.
Come on, Pops. So do yourfamily a favor, do yourself a favor
and make sure your tires arein good shape on your trailer. So
(23:38):
that is all I have to say onthat. And by the way, there'll be
a link in the description toour other website, SunPro Manufacturing,
where there's a full articlehere about trailer tire maintenance
because they said a lot, saidit quickly, so you can read that
and digest it more slowly. Nowthat's going to take us to Santa
(24:01):
Fe, New Mexico. Alexis, whatis happening is this is.
An exciting place to go. Sowe're gonna go to Santa Fe, which
is nestled in the foothills ofthe. I'm gonna say this wrong. San
J. De Cristo Mountains. Can'tcorrect me, all right? Jerry's not
(24:23):
here to correct me. And is avibrant destination known for Its
rich history, thriving artscene and stunning natural beauty.
And fun fact, it's the oldeststate capitol in the US and the city
boasts a unique blend ofNative American, Spanish and Anglo
cultures. So here's somehotspots. The Santa Fe Plaza. Ah,
(24:47):
the center of the city. Herewe go. Where you can shop till you
drop. Lots of shops. And myfavorite is to people watch. I love
people watching wherever I go,especially airports. Have you ever
done that? Watch peoplestruggle? They look so mad, so funny.
I'm not.
Okay, you don't like to fly.All right, then we've got the Georgia
(25:10):
O'Keeffe Museum. She's arenowned artist. She has a very unique
and beautiful art style. Socheck her out. And then we've got
the Canyon Roads Artgalleries, which are all over the
place there. It's a vast artdistrict. It caters to everyone's
varied taste in art. So you'regoing to find something you love.
There's. And then of course,for the food lovers, we've got iconic
(25:31):
eateries like the Shed. It's amust eat. This place serves authentic
Mexican food and cool thing.They sell their incredible homemade
salsa online. I looked theother day. Looks incredible. It's
not that expensive. Looksbeautiful. I'm gonna get some. And
then Cafe Pascals. This placeis well located. If you're in the
(25:51):
art district, it's really easyto grab a bite because there's a
ton of variety about anythingyou want. And then two. For outdoor
enthusiasts, we've got theBandelier National Monument. Preserves
a high density and variety ofarchaeological resources from the
ancient Pueblo period,including Kavlats carved into cliffs
(26:14):
and volcanic. Volcanic tuff.I'm having a hard time with pronunciation.
And then of course, the SantaFe National Forest. You don't have
to travel far to find thesebeautiful mountain slopes of volcanic
formations, deep river gorges,primitive wilderness areas. There's
just a ton to see on thearchaeological front. There's a lot.
(26:39):
My takeaway is you've got toput this on your list to visit because
it's really incredible.Actually, New Mexico as a state is
pretty incredible. So this isjust one of the cities you can visit.
That sounds prettyinteresting. Back to you. So Santa
Fe is a very nice place. I'vebeen there once or twice, so I definitely
(27:00):
recommend it. It's an rverplace. It's a artsy place. A lot
to do something about NewMexico in general. There's always
so much to do there.
You know, Definitely lots to see.
It reminds me of this towncalled Madrid. Oh, imagine that.
We're going to be talkingabout today in shadows of the.
Here we go.
Tails it once were. So let megive you a little story about Madrid.
(27:23):
Let me put on my glasses this time.
There we go.
See? Wow, man, like a 98 fonthere. All right, so there's everybody
ready out there, ready tolisten. Got the fireplace going,
the marshmallows ready to goon the fire. Nestled in the Ochese
Mountains along the scenicTurquoise Trail lies a gem of a town
(27:44):
called Madrid. PronouncedMazarid by locals, this enchanting
place was a bustling coalmining town. Today, it beckons travelers
with its unique blend ofhistory, art and natural beauty.
Look at this place. The adobebuildings, the art galleries, the
vibe. It's like stepping intoanother world. The Mineshaft Tavern
(28:08):
is just up ahead. Famous forits green chili cheeseburgers, Madrid's
roots stretch back to the mid19th century when coal mining fueled
its growth. By the early1900s, it was a thriving company
town, producing coal for theSanta Fe Railroad and electricity
generation. The streets werealive with over 4,000 residents during
(28:33):
its heyday. The 1920s and 30sbrought Madrid national fame with
its elaborate Christmas lightdisplays. But as coal demand waned
after World War II, so did thetown's fortune. By the 1950s, Madrid
had become a ghost town. Inthe 1970s, Madrid found new life.
(28:54):
Artists and free spirits,drawn by its affordability and beauty,
began to settle here. Today,Madrid is a vibrant community with
art filled galleries, eclecticshops and cultural events. Look around
and you'll find turquoisejewelry, pottery, and sculptures
made from reclaimed miningequipment. No visit to Madrid is
(29:17):
complete without a stop at theMineshaft Tavern. A hub for locals
and visitors alike. Thishistoric hot spot offers hearty food,
live music, and a rustic charmthat transports you back in time.
Their green chilicheeseburgers, as good as everyone
says, paired perfectly with alocal craft beer, this coffee from
(29:39):
Java Junction is amazing.Seated on their porch, you can take
in the charm of Madrid.Afterward, visit the Madrid Old Coal
Town Museum to dive deeperinto the town's rich history. The
museum is a treasure trove ofartifacts, photographs and exhibits
that paint a vivid picture ofits coal mining past. As the sun
(30:02):
sets over the Ortiz Mountains,Madrid's charm only deepens. The
clear skies reveal a blanketof stars, a reminder of the natural
beauty surrounding thecaptivating town. Sitting by the
fire, you can't help but feelthe spirit of this place. I can't
wait to return during thewintertime to see the town blanket
(30:23):
in snow. Madrid, New Mexico, atown of history, creativity and endless
wonder. Plan your visit anddiscover its unique Native American
peel for yourself. So that'sMadrid, New Mexico.
Very nice.
So you ready to go there?
I really am.
You know, all these places wetalk about, it's just never ending.
(30:45):
Just adds more to the map,really. Does you have to live to
be like a hundred?
Yeah. Come on, Cole, we gotta go.
So what we really need issponsors or listeners of the show
that want to donate like amillion dollars to the cost. We don't
have to work anymore and gotraveling, you know, I mean, that
would be really cool. That waywe can actually, we can talk more
(31:07):
about it, more places, youknow, elaborate. We can send you
a cheeseburger.
Yeah, we will too.
I mean, that would be verysweet. I mean, I'd go for that if
someone send me acheeseburger. Yeah, I probably want
more than that. All right, soyou can read that article on our
website as well. Shadows ofthe past is there and yeah, it's
(31:30):
there. All right, so now let'sgo to RV Envy and we're going to
talk about The Chill Cube18,000 BTU air conditioner from Lippert
components. Now what's reallyso cool about this air conditioner?
Besides this really a highperformance air conditioner. It's
going to cool down the insideof your RV at least 30% quicker than
(31:52):
any other brand on the market.And it's so quiet. It's a day and
night difference in noise. Andnoise is the big thing. Like in all
RVs, you listen to that airconditioner just drone on. It becomes
this nuisance. You have totalk over it. You know, the TV has
to be louder if you'rewatching TV or Netflix or something.
(32:15):
The Chill Cube 18,000 BTU airconditioner eliminates that. In fact,
I was just at a trade show,I've ordered some and one of them's
earmarked for my rv. What'sgoing on there now? To tell you about
my rv, I have a new RV with anew air conditioner on it and I thought
it was a little small. So Ihave another brand new air conditioner
in my shop, but I got that onea really killer deal to go on there.
(32:39):
So now I'm going to have threeair conditioners for my rv. Two are
coming all or one's comingoff, the other one's going to get
sold. So the dometic ones aregoing away. Way going to go with
the Lippert. And the othercool thing about this Lippert Chill
Cube is You don't have to usethe wall thermostat, so you can just
replace the ceiling or theceiling assembly in the upper unit.
(32:59):
The air conditioner itself, ithas a remote and it also has controls
on the ceiling assembly, soyou can access it either way. So
you don't have to use the wallthermostat. Now, if you want a wall
thermostat, they do sell onethat will replace your wall thermostat
if you have a heat ACthermostat, which most RVs do today.
So if you insist on that, youcan do that. Now, when you take off
(33:20):
the your existing airconditioner, you put the Lipperton,
you can still use yourthermostat for the furnace. That'll
still work fine. That's notreally a problem. So the remote makes
it kind of cool because youcan turn it on, off, adjust it anywhere
in the rv, as long as it cansee it. It's a line of sight function,
and there's a reason for that,too. So if you're outside, you can't
(33:40):
be adjusting your RV andforget to turn it on, turn it off,
you can't mess with. Kind ofmakes sense then if you have two
RVs, the same remote will, Imean, two RVs, two air conditioners,
the same remote will work onboth of them, which is kind of nice.
That is nice, right?
Or if your neighbor has oneand they invite you in, you can turn
it off. What's wrong with myair conditioner? You know? Yeah,
(34:04):
so it's, it's very cool andprice wise, it's going to come in
a little bit cheaper. The sameprice as like a 15,000 BTU air conditioner.
Depends on where you buy it,time of day. All that good stuff,
like always, is definitelyworth looking into. If you're thinking
about a new air conditioner oryou're just sick and tired of the
noise. And that's my thing.I'm sick and tired of the noise.
(34:25):
But also when it's hot or outand you go to someplace warmer, it's
going to cool it down insidequicker. Like maybe you've been driving
all day, you're in Arizona,you get there like, oh, man, this
is going to take forever tocool down. This thing will cool down
so much quicker. It's amazing.So you absolutely love it. This is
at Wells Purchases that youwon't go wrong with. So Alexis says,
(34:48):
yes, I do. I mean, you know,find out. This thing's the biggest
piece of junk on the face ofthe earth. I'm just kidding. Lippert
actually makes some goodstuff. They make some bad stuff.
Like everybody, you know, abig company. The good, bad, ugly,
the indifferent. All right, sothat brings us to the end of RV envy.
And actually that brings us tothe end of the show. So all this
wonderful information is goingto be on the spot. Smart rver website.
(35:09):
And as always, recommend us toyour family and friends. So they
continue to learn about RVsand how to maintain them and places
to go and starting familytraditions. So it's been an awesome
show, and I want to thankeverybody for stopping by today and
listening or watching onYouTube. So this is Eric Stark with
the Smart RVer podcast, yourgo to guide for smart, smarter RVing
(35:33):
and unforgettable adventureson the open road.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!