A VERY Bumpy Road

There have been a few places in our travels where, when leaving, we've breathed a sign of relief and said, "Thank you, God" (for getting us out safely).

The first I remember was a POP (Park over Property = a private property where people have kindly offered a place for NZMCA members to park over). The gentleman had advertised his space as suitable for big rigs and insisted someone with a large rig had previously fitted down the side of his house. Being both naive and desperate to stay in the area (with not many other options), we decided to give it a go. We got up the top of his driveway, then tried to turn across in front so we could back down the side of his house. Nope. it was not going to happen. We couldn't get far enough around to straighten up so that we could even start the rig backing in the other direction. On the first try, common sense finally kicked in and we decided to abandon the idea. I questioned the man again about the "big rig" that had fitted in here before. He then admitted that they had backed all the way up! Uphill. All the way up his narrow drive. By now, we just wanted to be out of there. There was only one way . . . to back down. As I said, his drive was quite narrow. It had a bank on one side and a drop on the other. We eventually escaped undamaged. Off to find a safer and easier place to stay the night.

The next place was another POP. This time in Wanaka. To access this place, we had to go over one of those humps in the road where you cannot see the road ahead as it drops so sharply. And as you go over, the road dips around to the left. Well, we got in. But after staying a couple of nights parked in a paddock while it rained continually, we were getting rather concerned about getting out. The previous day a motorhome had left and another one arrived, and we'd been in and out in our ute, so the paddock and the track were getting rather muddy and slippery. We had two neighbours, both wanting to leave. The caravan managed to get out without too many problems. The new arrival, with front wheel drive, was having problems even getting started on the grass, so we went to help out with the pushing. He got out of the paddock and almost up that hill, then rolled back down for a second try. This time he was successful. Dave and I had a quick discussion and decided getting out was not going to get any easier. We had originally planned to stay three nights but with the continuing rain, wondered if we could be stuck there for longer than planned. Being very thankful for four-wheel drive, we managed to get hitched and out of the paddock. However, about two metres from the top of the hill, wheels started spinning . . . . Dave let it run back down to the flat and had another go. This time going slightly wider to avoid a tree root. When it finally crept up and over the top (I was watching from up top), I realised I'd been holding my breath. Another, "Thank you, God".

This latest was a VERY bumpy road into the Orari River Mouth near Clandeboye, north of Timaru. The comments on the phone app had said it was a "bad road", but I'd thought, "How bad can it be? Probably just an unsealed road. No problem!" Wrong! This was the beginning of the road.

It looks very innocuous and hides its hidden tortures rather well.

After you've turned onto the road, there's no way out other than by backing up. There's a fence on one side and a bank on the other. No room to turn. No room to even pass an oncoming vehicle.

Much of the way, our speedo registered 0 kph. I think we got up to maybe 7. Once. If you can imagine a continuous piece of corrugated iron, multiply it in size so the wheel fits in each dip, then have the dips alternate so that your left wheel goes in one, then the right. We rocked and rolled the whole way down this road, wondering if we would ever come to the end. I don't think these photos really tell the full story.

The puddles were in many ways a reprieve. They were usually just one massive pothole rather than several. Fortunately we did not meet anyone, (although several cars arrived—and left—after we'd reached our destination). We stopped halfway along this road to check inside the rig—that's how bad it was. This was the widest part of the road.

We finally got to the end. Not even a view of the sea from where we parked, but okay otherwise. I strongly suspect my attitude towards the place was coloured by my feeling about the road in. We could have pulled the rig up on the ridge to have a view, but a guy we spoke to warned us about the spray from the sea. Also, there seemed to be a bit of loose metal to climb through. Having already managed to get in without sustaining any damage, we weren't keen to push our luck, so we stayed down on the flat.

The Orari River Mouth

One night was enough. The road had put me off the place and I just wanted to get out of there. The road out did not seem to be as long as the road in. Funny how that works. When we finally exited in one piece we pulled over and checked to ensure everything inside the rig was as it should be. "Thank you, God." Another experience to put behind us. Another lesson learnt: sometimes you DO need to believe what you read!

Note: All photos of the road were taken on the way out. I was too busy hanging on—and praying for a safe passage—to be taking any photos on the way in!


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Desperately Seeking Sleep – Is Your RV Mattress Too Firm?

They tell me that it takes a few weeks (months?) for a firm mattress to soften  . . . following use. Really? The mattress in our rig was so firm it almost felt like I was sleeping on the floor. It said it was good for backs, but it certainly wasn't good for me. I would toss and turn all night, trying to find a comfortable spot. And then it got to where each time I turned over, trying to get comfortable, I’d find my hips were already sore in that spot also! So what to do? 

 See how thin this mattress is. Only about 12-13cm deep.

Seek Advice

I went on Google. I trolled the Motorhome Friends Facebook page. I asked friends. We visited bed shops and questioned shop assistants. We concluded that the solution most likely to solve our problem was a new mattress. We would need to get one specially made as our current mattress space was the width of a queen bed, but quite a bit shorter. After the “experts” checked out our rig, they told us that a new mattress would not be able to fit through our door and manoeuvre around to position where we needed it to be without damaging the springs. Very disappointing! An alternative was a latex mattress; however, they were both very heavy and very expensive.

Feather Topper

It appeared toppers were our only option, and as a result, we purchased a lovely feather topper and popped it onto the mattress. I was looking forward to a great sleep that night. Dave was fine. He couldn’t see what was wrong with the mattress before! Sadly, although it was nice and cosy and DID make a difference, the difference was too little. The firm mattress won through, and I was still in pain.

Foam Topper Pads

Several people had suggested a foam topper pad and I’d originally rejected this idea as it seemed too simple. My mattress was far too firm for a simple foam topper pad. Time to reconsider. We purchased a foam topper pad—one of those ones that looks like the tray you put eggs into—and put in under the feather topper. I tried to convince myself that, yes, it had made a difference. But no, not enough. Sore hips were still a constant reminder that our mattress was still too firm for me. I was beginning to wonder if it was all in my head. The Princess and the Pea comparison was mentioned. Once.

Friends suggested a second topper pad. They had one we could borrow to see if it helped. This would save us spending still more money on something that did not work. Thanks, Garth and Helen! Onto the firm mattress it went between the other topper pads and it was test time again. I was willing myself to believe that this had solved the problem. I was sleeping better. Yes, I believe I truly was! But occasionally, I would still wake with sore hips.

It felt like we were getting closer and closer to the top of our rig every time we added another layer. The image of The Princess and the Pea was in my mind, and so I was determined to tough it out. Surely I would get used to this mattress, or maybe it would soften over time as people said it would.

Family Wisdom

One day I was talking with our daughter and admitted that all we had done to try to make the firm mattress softer did not appear to have been successful. I told her we couldn’t get a new mattress made for us as they couldn’t fit one into the rig without damaging it.

“Why don’t you get two singles made?” She asked. “And lay them side by side.” I stared at her, wondering why we had never thought of this! How did we ever manage to have such a clever daughter?

I was reluctant to spend more money on this problem and was prepared to wait longer, hoping for things to come right. But one day, Dave suggested we go check out some beds at Beds R Us in New Plymouth and so we measured up and paid them a visit. We walked out of there having ordered two new, made-to-order single mattresses.

New Mattresses

Last week our new mattresses arrived! We easily managed to get them into the rig, positioned them in place, put our feather topper and mattress protector over the top (to hold it all together) and prayed that it would all be enough. See how much thicker/deeper they are than the old one?

That night? Bliss. I have not had a sore hip since. The fact that they are deeper and we are closer to the roof has not proven to be a problem. The duvet fits better, too. It hangs down the sides and finishes as it hits the floor. Before, it spilled onto where you walked. Now there is more space to walk down the sides. No, they were not cheap. But sleep is important, and I have no regrets. VERY happy with our new mattress (mattresses). Getting a full night’s quality sleep is worth every dollar! 

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The Hitch

Many of you have been asking how the hitch works: how we connect up and tow the fifth wheeler. So this is an attempt to explain the hitching process—an explanation from a newbie who also has no mechanical expertise whatsoever . . . . 

Dave is the official backer-upper and I’m the one who tells him what to do (of course). A friend suggested we purchase a set of walkie talkies, which saves the neighbours from having to listen to me shouting at Dave. So we did. And they work really well! We got them on special at Super Cheap Auto for $47.99. They have a range of up to three kilometres, depending on the terrain, so no doubt could come in handy at other times as well.

The Hitch:

Back in March when we first got our Ranger ute, we took it to On the Way RV in Mt Maunganui for 2-3 days and they bolted a couple of bars (base rails) through the tray. Although the rest of the hitch can be removed reasonably easily and you can use the tray, these rails are pretty permanent. They lie across the tray, running from side to side. Another two arch-like pieces sit over them (running from front to back) and then the hitch connects on top. On the very top is a large flat plate shaped a bit like a horseshoe.

Note the lovely, clean, empty tray! It doesn't last, as you will see soon.

The hitch has a bar coming out the side (called a shank or hitch handle) and this pulls the jaws in the centre part of the horseshoe open or shut. The jaws are the part that close and hold onto the kingpin, which is a round steel pin that is under the gooseneck of the fifth wheeler (see second photo below).

Wikipedia tells me, “The term fifth wheel comes from a similar coupling used on four-wheel horse-drawn carriages and wagons. The device allowed the front axle assembly to pivot in the horizontal plane, to facilitate turning”. 

You can see the jaws (closed) in the centre top of this photo below.

When hitching, the round plate above the kingpin slides over the flat plate on top of the hitch and the kingpin slides into the horseshoe opening. The hitch moves and tips forward a bit, which allows the kingpin to slide in and up onto the skid plate. Note in the pic (four above) the hitch is tipped forward slightly. It straightens up as the rig slides on. 

This is a close up of the kingpin from underneath and shows the round white plate that helps it all slide onto the hitch.

Lining it up . . . 

As it connects, the kingpin forces the jaws open, then they close shut behind it, holding the kingpin in place.

Sorry, not the best photo of everything in place, but I tried to lighten it so you could see the jaws. It's pretty dark looking in to check that the jaws have closed around the kingpin. We have pulled out the torch in the past—nothing like being absolutely sure!

You then flip a small bail (aka handle latch) over on the shank (aka hitch handle), preventing it from pulling out (which would open the jaws and release the kingpin).

 Latch/bail off:

Latch/bail on: 

After hitching up, the power, light and brake cables are attached . . . 

 

. . . and also the safety cable—that's the little silver cord dangling down that connects on to something on the tray so that if we ever became unattached (horrors), it would pull the pin and the automatic brake on the rig would come on. We're taking their word on this—not planning on testing that anytime soon ever.

Next step, the legs come up. We retract them using a button in the side hatch until they lift up off the ground and the weight is on the hitch, then they are manually raised the rest of the way. There is a pin through each leg that comes out; you lift them up, and then put the pins back in.

The last job after you've closed the hatches and everything is ready to roll is to take the handbrake off. That's the red lever in the photo above.

I added a photo of us parked in the Waipa Workingmen's Club car park in Te Awamutu so you can see where the legs and kingpin are in relation to the whole rig.

Hope that all made sense! Let me know if you have any questions, but I can't promise to know the answer.