PPL Motor Homes

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.

Many owners of RVs find that joing the appropriate owners association for their RV can really add a lot of enjoyment. Many really enjoy participating in ralleys and events. Obviously, if you join an owners association, you will have a lot in common the other members that you meet. Below is information on the association for Discovery owners. This is a link to many other RV owner associations which will similar objectives. PPL Motor Homes sells many Discovery Motor Homes  and is a proud sponsor of this owners assoication.

The DISCOVERY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC, was formed to promote the sharing of information and the camraderie of fellow Discovery motorhome owners. Membership in the club is limited to owners of Fleetwood Discovery motorhomes. The Discovery Owners Association is a non-profit group. We are NOT affiliated with Fleetwood, FMCA, or any other group. We depend on a bunch of dedicated volunteers to make this club work! The Discovery Owners Association provides its members in good standing the following benefits: We have several national and regional rallies each year (geographically seperated), with technical and non-technical seminars tailored to help you enjoy your Discovery and the RV lifestyle. Quarterly newsletter. This website, with the eGroup, Bulletin Board and On-Line chatroom to get your RV-related questions answered quickly. Many local and regional chapters have been formed and have local rallies and campouts that are open for all members.

I have a few coffee filters in my RV just like all of us do and I think of them for part of my morning coffee ritual.  Little did I know that they are good for so much more than morning coffee.  In fact, I was surprised to hear about some of the uses of a coffee filter.

• Cover bowls and dishes in the microwave
• Clean windows, mirrors and chrome…lint free
• Recycle frying oil
• Prevent a popsicle from dripping
• Put a few in a plate to drain bacon, fries or chicken nuggest.  It soaks out all the grease
• Use to hold ingredients when chopping fruit or veggies for a special dish
• Use as a disposable snack bowl for popcorn, chips, etc.
• Protect a cast iron skillet by placing one in the skillet when storing to absorb moisture
• Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant.  Line the pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes

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.

We’ve had our 5^th wheel about 3 years now and I am amazed at how much stuff I have accumulated.  Never fear, we always have whatever anyone could ever need at the campground…and then some.  I recently read an article in the Discover Express magazine that made me sit up and take note.  They suggested taking your RV and having it weighed at a public scale to see just how overloaded it has become.  Although we have not done that yet, I have taken time to clean out some of the extras.  After all, do we really need 4 cases of water and enough cleaning supplies to clean our 4 bedroom home for a year?  These are just a few helpful hints I learned:

• Remember to store heavy items low and forward and lightweight items up high.
• Make sure nothing heavy will hit the water pump or other fixed equipment.
• Try to balance the load between the two sides of the RV.
• Make sure everything has a place and is easy to get to when needed.
• Secure all cargo inside and outside the RV (anything rattling around loose is a potential hazard).

An RV diet plan may be a good idea for all of us.  As a long time pack rat, I know I tend to collect stuff that could cause trouble down the road.  Proper loading of the RV can minimize sway, swing and wobble and maybe even help a little on fuel savings.

Named as one of the top 100 items on the Texas Monthly Magazine bucket list, viewing the Marfa lights is a must do when you’re in the Fort Davis area.  We were there in March and I was glad we had our heavy jackets to stand out there for a couple of hours looking for some strange lights in the sky.  Marfa, Texas is a small town in West Texas known primarily for the Marfa Lights Phenomenon.  Some say these lights are aliens, some say they are gasses in the area, others believe they are reflections of the lights on the highway while others believe they are ghosts of the past.  Regardless of what they are, it is a real thrill to stand up there with a hundred other tourists speculating and watching for the lights.  We were all focused on the lights of the mountain range when all of a sudden a bright light appeared across the dessert.  This light seemed to get brighter and then dim again and, at one point, seemed to separate and there were two bright lights dancing in the distance.  So, whether you believe we saw the lights or not, we still had a great time and this is one more item we were able to check off on the Texas Monthly bucket list.

When you’re traveling in the mountains where the temperature drops in the evening, it is a good suggestion to disconnect your water filter from the hose before you go to bed at night.  Our son in law went one step further and drained his hose… we didn’t and we had no water the next morning until the temperature warmed up and the ice thawed.  One camper told me that he simply carries an old towel and a piece of window insulation blanket with him to wrap the pipes.  The pipes in the trailer will not freeze during that short time period because the heater is on inside, but you sure wouldn’t be able to take a shower in the morning.

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.