PPL Motor Homes

Archive for the ‘RV Parts & Accessories’ Category

PPL is introducing its RV Awning Selection, Configuration and Pricing Tools. The Awning Wizard will help you select and configure the complete combination of components needed for your particular awning application. The RV Awning Wizards are simple to use step by step menus to make sure that you select and configure a complete awning system for your RV. After you choose what you want and need for a complete awning sytem, pricing and online ordering is available. Links to pages that include the PPL RV Awning Wizards are as follows:
A & E 9000 Plus Awnings
A & E 8500 RV Awnings
A & E Sunchaser Awnings
Using these new RV Awning Wizards should help you find the best awning for your needs.

I would like to take a few seconds to thank John Hawkins with BAL products. John is the Aftermarket Sales Manager for BAL and is an expert on fifth wheel and trailer stabilization. A few weeks ago, John came to our dealership and shot several videos on BAL’s stabilization line up. The videos included a general overview video about what a consumer should expect from all of BAL’s stabilization products and several other product videos. The general video discussed a step by step system on what a consumer should do to stabilize their fifth wheel or travel trailer. If a customer is having issues with their unit being unstable John would start with BAL scissor jacks. After the scissor jacks are installed then a consumer should consider wheel chocks and Lock Arm Stabilizers. Between these products along with a King Pin Stabilizer, if you have a fifth wheel, a customer should have a very stable unit. Other than the general video John also helped us shoot product videos on the following products:

Video – BAL Scissor Jacks, Product Page – 24028, 24002C, 24002D, 24003D
Video – BAL X-Chock and Wheel Chocks, Product Page – 28005, 28010, 28000
Video – BAL Lock Arm Stabilizers, Product Page – 23216
Video – BAL King Pin Stabilizers, Product Page – 25003, 25035, 25037, 25030
Video – BAL Light Trailer Tire Leveler, Product Page – 28050
Video – BAL Light Trailer Single Axle Chock, Product Page – 28020
Video – BAL Power Pack Motor Kit, Product Page – 24210

Hopefully, these products and videos will be a help in deciding on what stabilization products to use. Once again a big thanks goes out to John Hawkins!

Thanks,
Boyde McMakin

Thetford’s new SmartTote Portable Waste Tanks are in a league of their own. The two main differences that set the SmartTote tank apart from competitor’s portable tanks are it’s PermaStore and AutoStop features. The PermaStore feature is the hose handling and hose storage feature. The SmartTote Contains a five foot hose that is permanently stored in the bottom of the tank. There is no need to worry about carrying an extra hose to use with your portable tank. With the PermaStore feature the hose stays with the tank and all a consumer needs to do is pull the hose out of the tank, connect it to the dump site and the tank automatically dumps itself. The second feature that sets this tank apart from others is the AutoStop feature. This tank comes with an AutoStop level gauge that allows you to know when the tank is full and also prevents the tank from overfilling. These new tanks come in several different sizes and two different models. This Sizes range from 12 gallons to 35 gallons. You can read more about these tanks at PPL’s Thetford SmartTote Portable Waste Tanks page or view our video on the features of the product.

OK, so my husband is the man who has to have all the gadgets and thingamajigs for the RV and for all his toys.  On a recent trip to Rusk, I found out just how important one of his gadgets really is.  We had a blow out on a passenger side tire and pulled over to access the damage.  Fortunately, it was minimal…a fender skirt and tire! As I began to fret over how we would handle this and if road side assistance would be needed, my husband opened the compartment on the fifth wheel and pulled out this ramp looking thing.  I was thinking we needed a jack, but this is so much safer and easier.   He simply placed this ramp in front of the good tire and pulled up onto it.  It safely elevated the bad tire and made it so much easier to change.  Within 20 minutes we were cleaning our hands and back on the road.  That would not have been possible without this ramp, Trailer Aid Plus.  This is a great gift idea for the RV owner in your life.   A way to change a tire safely without the fussing.

A fun day was had at PPL – today was our first summer weenie roast!  We had a couple of new items to try out – the perfect campfire grill & flame disk fire burners.  The grills worked perfectly – we cooked over 150 weenies on them.  Their slogan is “our weenies never fall off” and they were right!  The flame disk fire burner also worked great – they look like the old jiffy popcorn pans.  You light them and they burn for 30-45 minutes with steady flame – plenty of time to grill your favorite foods.  We also thought they’d work great to keep handy for hurricanes – no charcoal needed just light up the flame disk – grill and cook then toss when burned out. Can even be used inside the house!  I’ve included a couple of pictures below so you can see the fun we had.  We’re already plotting and planning on when next to surprise our customers and enjoy ourselves with our next summer grilling event.

When RV steps are extended, there is tremendous pressure on the mounting bolts and undercarriage where the step assembly is mounted. Stepping on the step not only stresses the step mechanism but rocks the RV as well. A nifty solution to this problem is the Swing-Down, Self-Storing, RV Step Support. We put this product under an RV step that sagged 1/2″ to 3/4″ when a heavy guy stepped on the bottom step. We have seen instances where the step was ‘secured’ to the underside of a plywood box, and over time began to pull the box apart. A step support eliminates the sag and stress of an unsupported step, and because this product is ‘self-storing’, you don’t have to store it and then go searching in a compartment to find it. It can be a little tricky to position this support under the step with a ‘wrap-around’ step rug in place, but placing it parallel with the length of the coach is the best way to fit it in. As long as the rug spring is beyond the ‘securing pin’ end, the support can swing up over the spring and still get the pin in.

Just saw a neat and nifty new RV product at the PPL Parts Super Store… it is called EZ Towels. They are compact, biodegradable towels that are tablet size and grow with water.  I tried one this morning and they are stronger than paper towels and would be much handier to keep in an RV than a big roll of paper towels.  They cost 99 cents for 50 towels and come with a small carrying case.  I can see lots of uses for this item, camping  boating, fishing, even a few in my purse for those restaurant mishaps with the kids…  I’ve already picked some up.

The Revolution Sewer Hose line up is another great product from Camco RV. Once again Camco has taken the hassle out of dumping the tanks of a recreational vehicle. This new product line features new revolution swivel fittings. These fittings rotate 360 degrees for an easier, quicker, and more reliable hook up to your RV. This feature is especially useful for the RV owner that has limited access to their sewer hose hook ups. In those cases, the bayonet fittings of the sewer hose must be lined up to the fitting on the RV. With the new Revolution fitting design an RVer can adjust the sewer hose fitting to line up with the RV fitting with just a turn! Not only does the Revolution line up include the new swivel fitting design it also includes these great features: Available in complete kits or individual fittings, Non-restrictive hose design for free flow and faster dumping, Heavy duty vinyl hose with attached fittings, Translucent bayonet elbow, and many other great features. Overall this is another great product from Camco RV.
Manufacturer Part Number Revolution 39625.

An RV LP Systems Maintenance & Safety class will be lead by the RV Professor. The  RV Professor is Terry Cooper,  a Master Certified RVDA technician. He teaches classes throughout Texas and he’s going to be at PPL on Saturday, March 20th. Don’t miss this FREE class! Learn the do’s and don’ts of your LP system. Terry provides advice on repair, maintenance, and, most importantly, Safety! Join him at PPL for this important class where you will find helpful hints, safety tips and more.
Where: PPL Training Center (located in our Parts Superstore)
LP System Maintenance & Safety
When: Saturday, March 20th Time: 11:00 am and 2:00 pm

PPL Sponsors training classes throughout the year. If you would like to be notified by email, please call 1-800-755-4775 and asked to be added to the list.

Here’s a crazy question that could cost you extra if you don’t know the answer to it.  I never realized until today when I broke the screen door latch on my RV, that there are left handed and right handed latches.  My first thought was, of course it’s a right hand latch then I started thinking about it and wondered if right or left is determined from the inside or outside.  Thanks to Ryan, a very helpful employee in PPL’s RV Parts Superstore, I found out that the right or left side of the door is determined from inside the RV looking out.  Makes sense to me now, but I almost spent $15.00 only to get home and have to come right back.  Thanks Ryan!