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Thread: 1st Time Snowbirds
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11-14-2022, 03:17 PM #1
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1st Time Snowbirds
Hi,
We are new to towing an RV this year and are planning our first snowbird trip to Florida from northern Ohio (Toledo area) with our 2021 Solitude 2930RL fifth wheel. We are staying for 3 months (January thru March) in Florida and will be leaving home a couple of days after Christmas. We are not going to be in a hurry and are planning to do it over a 4-day period. I have a couple of general questions for all you experienced folks out there as we start planning our trip.
1) What is the best method to use to check for the weather ahead in the areas we will be travelling? Would like to leave when it appears we have a couple days of clear weather ahead.
2) Is there an alternate route that is the best way to get around the worst traffic areas in Atlanta when travelling south on I75?
3) We are planning to put some food staples in our refrigerator (12 cu. ft.) in the RV the day that we leave and turn it on using the propane while on the road and turn it off when stopped for the evening/night. We don't plan to open it until we get to our destination as we will have a cooler in the truck for the trip. Is this what most other people do when travelling a long distance (during the winter months)? Can we expect that the refrigerator will keep the food cold enough when we turn it off in the evening? Is there a problem with running the refrigerator when the outside temperatures can be near or below freezing at times?
4) What RV Apps are best? for Pre-planning? While on the road to avoid getting yourself in trouble with low bridges, dead ends, etc.? Locating RV friendly gas stations and motels?
5) Any other general advice would be appreciated.
Best Regards,
DaveDave & Pat
2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Diesel Short Bed 4WD with 6.6L Duramax and Z71 Sports Pkg.
2021 Solitude 2930RL
Reese Sidewinder Pin Box and B&W Companion Fixed Hitch direct mounted via OEM pucks
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11-14-2022, 03:29 PM #2
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For weather I use the weather app on my smart phone, just put in the name of the city we are approaching to see what is ahead.
I never shut off the refrigerator at night, just let it do it’s job automatically.
I use RV Trip Wizard, some people don’t like to pay for a trip planner, but this one always seems to suit my needs as it shows estimated fuel stops, has gas stations on the maps and can be changed to satellite view so I can make sure a fuel station has plenty of room for me to get in and out. It does a good job of showing campgrounds so planning our entire trip is quite easy.2022 Reflection150 226RK
2022 F150 Powerboost hybrid with 3.5L Ecoboost
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11-14-2022, 03:34 PM #3
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Welcome! We full-time, so here is a little bit:
1. Any weather app. All weather predictions are good for no more than 5-7 days out, more often only 2-3 days. For Wind, I use the Windy app on Android.
2 and 4. I use the RV Trip Wizard from RV Life. It is a subscription service and is well worth it. I also bought the LowClearances.com POI database which I have loaded into my Google Maps and my Garmin RV 870 GPS. I also purchased the Mountain Directory, which shows all of the "steep grades" in the country.
3. Turn on the refrigerator at least 24-48 hours before you intend to put cold or frozen goods in it. As for the propane, there are two schools of thought. 1. Leave it on and drive with it on (I'm in this camp). 2. Turn it off because of the potential explosive fire hazard it poses if you get into an accident. I think it will be a personal preference for you. As for turning the propane off at your destination, you should be able to set the refrigerator to AUTO and it will switch between electric (110VAC) and propane automatically. When it has 110VAC, it will use that, when it doesn't, it will use propane.
5. There is a bunch here, but it would take much more room than I have here to write everything out. You can search the forum and find all sorts of good advice. Just be specific in your searching.Mark & Mary. Full-timing across the USA (and Canada)!
Current Coach: 2021 Grand Design Reflection 320MKS
Current Rig: 2019 Ford F350 SD Crew Cab, w/8' box, Lariat, SRW, 6.7l Diesel
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11-14-2022, 04:15 PM #4
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11-14-2022, 08:22 PM #5
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Marcy & Gary
2014 Grand Design - Reflection 303RLS
2022 GMC 3500 Denali Duramax Longbed SRW
2015 GMC Denali 3500 - Retired
2003 F350 - retired
Michigan
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11-15-2022, 03:55 AM #6
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For campground info I use the Allstays App. Free and has served me well for years.
I run the fridge in auto all the time and in all weather. Works great. I added a temp display so I can keep things from freezing in there.
Just came down I-75 from Michigan. The highway is in good shape and no big construction zones. We zipped through Atlanta (stayed on 75, not the bypass) around noon on a Monday. One minor slow down on the south side but no big delays.
Favorite stops along the way include
: KOA in Lebanon, OH, Walnut Meadows in Berea, KY, Holiday Travel Park, Chattanooga, KOA Tifton, GA, then Florida where you can ride your new eBike all winter long. Ha.
Note that many RV resorts on Florida’s Gulf Coast around Fort Myers and North Port are closed due to Ian. Which has caused the open ones to be super busy.
Have a great trip. Suggest you only roll during daylight hours on dry road days which means be ready to adjust plans as you go. If it’s really cold (below freezing during the day) you might consider leaving the antifreeze in your plumbing until you get far enough south to have above freezing while driving. This since it’s probably not a good idea to run the furnace while rolling. In our rig it won’t stay running when towing. Flame blows out. I know this only because I forgot to turn it off one time.2021 Reflection 312 BHTS, Silverado 2500 Duramax
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11-15-2022, 04:14 AM #72021 398M Full Body Paint 8k axles. LRH tires. Disc brakes.
Two bathrooms, no waiting 155 fresh, 104 black, 104 grey 1860 watts solar.
800AH BattleBorn Batteries No campgrounds 100% boondocking
2020 Silverado High Country 3500 dually crewcab Duramax Allison
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11-15-2022, 05:03 AM #8
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I don’t. But my fridge is one of this “new high tech” (actually old school ammonia absorption)units that uses propane and very little electric power.
2021 Reflection 312 BHTS, Silverado 2500 Duramax
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11-15-2022, 09:18 AM #9
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Just wanted to say welcome to the group. You got spot on advice from other members.
Steph & Lise
2019 F150 Lariat 2.7 EB
2020 Imagine XLS 22MLE
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11-15-2022, 10:06 AM #10
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Thanks for the info. With regards to #3 . I won't have access to 110V/AC electricity the night before we leave as our RV is at a storage facility. I have read some posts that say your RV battery could go dead by running the refrigerator just on propane overnight or longer as the monitor panel uses some DC power. I can't imagine that it would be much of a drain on the battery just overnight for the refrigerator monitor panel when not connected to shorepower, but I have seen some posts regarding this. Maybe the persons posting this had a battery going bad to begin with.
Dave & Pat
2020 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD Diesel Short Bed 4WD with 6.6L Duramax and Z71 Sports Pkg.
2021 Solitude 2930RL
Reese Sidewinder Pin Box and B&W Companion Fixed Hitch direct mounted via OEM pucks
Lesson Learned
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