RV ACCESSORIES & SERVICES
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July - Canada Day and Independence Day Celebrations
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July 2009
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July Holiday Celebrations in Canada and the US are now complete and we hope that you enjoyed the celebrations wherever you may have been. Hopefully you were with family and friends enjoying the holiday, fireworks, golfing, fishing or just relaxing.
Of course we can't forget the passing of Michael Jackson. What a talent! Some love him and some don't but it can't be disputed that he is the King of Pop and as Barry Gordy said, perhaps the greatest entertainer who ever lived. The outpouring of emotion and everything we have seen on TV rivals that of Princess Di. The TV ratings will probably surpass that of the Princess Di funeral. History will certainly record this event and you and I will see how history remembers him.
We're going to celebrate my Mom's 85th birthday this weekend. There will be lots of family and friends around. We are looking forward to that as is one of the times we can be certain that we will have a family reunion.
We have finally had some time to get out and do some golfing. The weather has cooperated and one day I played like a champ and the next one a chump. That's golf for you.
Calgary is the place I call home in Canada and Surprise, AZ in the US. Right now the world famous Calgary Stampede is on and I am glued to the television every night watching the rodeo events and Chuckwagon races also known as the "Half Mile of Hell". What a great event! I look forward to this every year.
We're taking the grandkids on their annual RV vacation. We can't take them all at the same time this year as they are getting too big and we've added one more to the equation for a total of five. So we'll take the three girls together and then the two boys. They will all be at Judy's Family Reunion together so that will be great. They all enjoy being together which is a real treat for Grandma and Grandpa. The summer will be gone so quick and they'll be back in school again. We must take advantage of the time available while we can.
Each week I get RVing information that is quite interesting and I have included some of it in this month's issue. If you find it interesting please let me know and I will continue this in future newsletters.
Ken & Judy Wilton Owners and Fulltime RVers  |
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QUICK HOSE & FAUCET CONNECTORS
A few y  ears ago we introduced the only ONE-PIECE quick connect in the industry. You simply push it on to any faucet whether that be at the campground, in the RV water compartment or at home. You can even use this for connecting two hoses together or connect a "Y' connector, pressure regulator or short hoses for water softeners. It also works on the rig side for Class A's for connecting the fresh water or flushing hose. Over the years I have tried brass quick connects where you put one piece on the end of the hose and the other on the faucet. Eventually t  hey start to leak and end up in the garbage. This one piece unit is truly unique. It has a washer in it and threaded jaws. You simply push the connector up and onto the faucet so the connectors washer is flush with the faucet, and slide the outside collar of the connector up. The threaded jaws mesh with the threads on the faucet creating a leak proof seal. You have created a threaded connection quickly and easily. If necessary you can tighten it a little by hand. You can put the channel locks away for good!  "NOTE" If you do have a leak it hasn't been put on properly. Make sure the washer is flush against the faucet so it can seal correctly. The best way to do this is to hold the hose, not the connector, when you go to attach it to the faucet. This will prevent you from inadvertently pushing the collar up prior to it having a chance to reach the faucet.
It's an amazing
product. You can use it to connect to a "Y", pressure regulator, short hoses for water softeners or joining hoses together. It also works on the rig side for Class A's for connecting the fresh water or flushing hose. They work great at your home as well. I was just writing this newsletter when the phone rang and a
customer called in about the Hose & Faucet Connector. He bought
one at a rally in Gillette and was told what a great product it was.
He said if he had realized then how good it was he would have cleaned
us out. He went on to say "It's the best connecting device I have ever
seen!" He has been busy telling all of his RVing buddies about it.
Check out the website where you can view a video of this great product
in action. | |
Fleetwood's Motorized Division Sold
A
U.S. Bankruptcy Court has approved the sale of Fleetwood Enterprises'
motorhome business to a New York-based private equity firm for $53
million.
Fleetwood
said AIP may operate the Riverside facility for an undetermined period
of time going forward. AIP has agreed to assume certain liabilities,
including warranty obligations on Fleetwood motorized products,
according to Fleetwood.
Elden L. Smith, Fleetwood's president
and CEO, stated that management, "is pleased to see that the Fleetwood
name will be preserved in the RV market place with this sale to AIP.
The Fleetwood motorhome group will benefit greatly from having
ownership that is well capitalized, experienced, and committed to
growth in the RV industry. We are now focused on making this a smooth
transition for our dealers, Fleetwood motorhome owners, and associates."
Monaco Purchased by Navistar
Navistar
International Corp. has completed the purchase of certain assets of RV
manufacturing business of Monaco Coach Corp. for $47 million. Monaco
declared bankruptcy earlier this year.
The new company,
named Monaco RV LLC, is a wholly-owned affiliate of Navistar Inc.,
Navistar's principal operating company and is headquartered in Coburg,
Ore., where Monaco Coach was based.
Purchasing the Monaco
Coach assets out of bankruptcy allowed the assets, inventory and
intellectual property to be purchased for a significant discount, while
not assuming the liabilities of Monaco Coach, according to Navistar.
Facilities included in the purchase are located in Coburg, Ore.;
Harrisburg, Ore.; Wakarusa, Ind., and Milford, Ind.
Production
at Monaco Coach was halted prior to the bankruptcy filing. Navistar
said that Monaco RV expects to resume production at certain facilities
in the coming months.
RV Shipments Down 47% for May
The
RV shipment report for May represents a mixed big for the industry. The
RV Industry Association reports that total deliveries to retailers were
reported at 13,300 units, the same total recorded as in April, but
still off 46.8 percent from the same month 2008.
Motorhome
totals were slightly better than April 2009, while towables were
slightly less, according to RVIA. On a seasonally adjusted basis, May's
total presented an annual rate of 141,000 units, an increase of 7.5
percent over April.
Year-to-date as of May, towable shipments
were down by 57 percent, while motorhome shipments were off 74 percent,
compared to the same period 2008. Total RV shipments year-to-date as of
May were off 59 percent.
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RV Manufacturers Who Are Out of Business
- National RV
- Western RV
- Alfa
- Travel Supreme
- Weekend Warrior
- Pilgrim International
- Teton Homes
- Ameri-Camp
- Rag'n
- Extreme RV
- Big Foot RV
- Dolphin
- King of the Road
- Sunline Coach Company
- Sun Valley Inc.
- Travelaire
- Chinook/Trail Wagons
The GOOD NEWS? There are a lot more manufacturers still open and manufacturing trailers, 5th wheels and motor homes. I hope your manufacturer isn't on the list. If we looked at the list just a few weeks ago the list was longer with Country Coach, Monaco and Fleetwood all on the list. Things will improve.
The Good Sam Warranty program has said they will step in and insure RV's where the manufacturer has gone out of business. I have had their plan for years and have claimed it on a number of times. I have been extremely pleased with their claims service.
Safe and happy RVing wherever your wheels take you. Speaking of wheels, we just replaced all eight of our tires. Did you know that tires wear out just sitting around? Rubber deteriorates over time and tires only have a life of 3-5 years, depending on the sun exposure, what they are parked on etc. So just because you don't have many miles on your RV doesn't mean the tires are okay. Might be an idea to see if they are cracking and checking, wearing unevenly etc. Have them checked out by an expert. It might save your life.
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Motorhome Recalls
Click here to see if your motorhome has a recall on it. This is the Jan-Feb recall list.
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Shows We Will Be At
FMCA Intnl Convention Bowling Green, Ohio 20-23 AugustNewmar International Goshen, IN 1-7 FMCA NE Essex Junction VT 12-15 Country Coach Lynn County Frgrnds Albany, OR 19-23 September
Winnebago WA State Lynwood, WA 17-20 October
Balloon Festival
Albuquerque, NM 3-11
Rocky Mountain Ramble
Farmington, NM 13-17
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