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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Wrestling with My Camping World Purchase

I spent my Camping World gift card on two things, the 2011 version of The Next Exit,


which we hope to wear completely out this year when we hit the road full time.

And, if you remember the tire cracks on the Journey, Michelin recommends covering the tires when the motorhome is not in use, so I bought these:


I decided to get a pair of the tire guards to cover my front tires from direct sunlight when the Journey is in the storage lot.  The back tires are shaded by the RVs parked on either side.

To correctly pick the right size, you check the back of the box.


Then you break out your handy-dandy Mark I tape measure and determine the tire diameter.


Yep, I forgot to remember that camera focus thingy when I took this picture.  Anyway, after getting the diameter, check the chart on the box for the correct size to purchase.  My tires take the XL size.

Open the box and find this:


Two bungee cords and two vinyl tire covers.

The directions show how to install the covers,  it looks easy.


When was the last time you saw a bungee cord lay so nicely and neatly on the ground?  Guess what, they don't!

Following the directions, I threaded the bungee cord through the hole and then tried to stretch it around the tire.  I couldn't reach.  So I had to lay on the ground and try to reach around to get the bungee cord end and thread it into the hole on the other side.  I couldn't do it, I couldn't reach that far.


To solve the reach around problem I fell back on one of the most useful tools I carry in the Journey, my awning rod.


I was able to use the awning rod to grab the end of the bungee cord and pull it around, but I still had to lay on the ground to hook it all up.  After wrestling with the bungee cords, I got the tires covered.


I'll use the covers when I'm going to leave the Journey parked for a while.  They are alot of work to put on and would be even more difficult to use on dual back tires.  But with a tire costing more that $400 (each!!!),  I'll put up with the hassle.  I've already got an idea to make pulling the bungee cords around easier, but that'll wait for another post.

In the mean time, tomorrow afternoon, the covers come off and the Journey comes over to our house, because Friday after work, we leave for Disney World!  :c)

Thanks for visiting and feel free to leave a comment.

9 comments:

  1. great purchases with your 'gift card'!!..too bad the tire covers are such a pain to put on!!

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  2. After five years on the road, I still haven't purchased any of those tire covers. I'm not sure I can do those contortions after your description. :(

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  3. Have a great time in Disney World with the Grandkids. I can't wait to do that with ours. I sure hope Marti's ankle is up for it. We had some really neat and easy tire cover put on our Coach this fall I will try and get JB to put them on his blog.

    Take Care
    Brenda Brown

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  4. At $400 a tire, they should come with built in socks!!!

    Have a great time and enjoy your time with the family!! I just love Disney World :o)

    Safe Travels, Nancy

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  5. That sure sounds like a lot of work, but we too are going to bite the bullet and purchase some for our tires.

    Travel Safe
    Dawn and Denise

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  6. WOW leaving tomorrow for Disneyworld. Can hardly wait to ride along.

    Sherry
    www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com

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  7. I chose not to use tire covers. At a seminar, the Michelin rep said that the type like yours that covers the tire can cause problems themselves, but honestly, I have forgotten just what the issue was.
    Since the tires are treated to resist the sun, he recommended either nothing or the shade type that hang in front of the tire and are mounted to the wheel well or coach side and just hang straight down.

    Since I hate putting holes in the coach, I have not used anything and so far they are fine after five plus years.

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  8. What a pain. I've seen people lean plywood up against the tires. Looks easier ;) I've never been to DisneyWORLD..but spent my childhood in Bakersfield CA going to DisneyLAND every year. I wanna go again!!

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  9. MotherShip CaptainMay 9, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    I've used the wheel covers for several years now. It get's easier to install with time. I found that they snuggly fit over wheels and you don't really need to use the bungy cords.

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