Something I’ve been troubled and have been thinking much about is where this past 27 years of my life fussing over vintage RV stuff has gone and where its going if anywhere……..do we fit into the future? This weekend my son and his girlfriend are here so I’m away from the shop but I’d like to express where I feel we fit into the future and the ECO thing…….come back during the weekend and follow as I sneak minutes when I can….
(Update#1)
So a family walk thru Harry P. Leu gardens on a beautiful day…..what a change in scenery from the shop!
Oh Brother, where art though! Good to see John…..
but like I was saying, global warming, fossil fuel consumption, pollution, carbon footprint ……lets see what else….. Where do we fit into that, I mean are we part of the problem or a possible solution?
Everyone’s first thought is ” what a fuel pig?” I know you’ve heard that and I’m sure many others. Wasteful, bilgepump fodder, relics and wayyyyy more.
Lets break this down a minute…… is an RV more cost effective than a house? Actually even the behemoths run on 50amps, our house has 150 amp service. That means with everything on, any motorhome can run as intended on less.
Plus, unless in storage, to keep some homes temporate to 78 degrees takes a fair amount of energy! If you factor in your house is your transportation…..that’s where you stomp the Crap out of the carbon footprint thing.
That is I feel if it’s not too big. Smaller class A Motorhomes are cheaper to heat and cool, keeping 6 gallons of water hot isn’t hard and if you don’t need docking privileges to move….. of course that is if you can adapt to the lifestyle…it can all work. Folks of my generation were preoccupied with bigger houses and finer grade paper on our books. My Mom rode 1 time in my motorhome….bringing here to Orlando from her home for 60 years in Jacksonville. She would have never made the changeof adapting to even a weekend in an RV.
But if one DOES, an RV lifestyle is alive and well here in Florida…there are more RV parks down here!…….and who is to say its not a bad way to look at things. I’ve had dozens of past customers who found their Motorhomes useful and effective for whatever they were doing. A scoutmasters headquarters for the guys after the lights are out……that’s you if it fits. Another is a get away machine that builds awesome memories, the Intergalactic banana is priceless! And when the weather turns bad like the way they are talking it will be in the future….well then unplug and go somewhere else! Bad neighbors? Leave! Racoons got in the garbage or a bear stole the car then go somewhere else!
I mean how much is that stuff worth plus the fact that when you are living in it you are laying out a smaller carbon footprint than you do just living in your house watching the ballgame.
Could be raining like crazy and other than unplugging you can replentish the beer supply in the comfort of your own living room.
And this is where the vintage RV thing fits in……we’re talking about smaller machines, no on board computers no one can work with……. if the lump of coal has stayed together this long it must have been put together on a Wednesday! Heck, the energy in its manufacture has long sense paid for itself and anything you add will bring something to make your life better.
Its not something late model bean counters have sucked the quality and useful longevity out of in exchange for profits…… No, you’re not obliged to any corporate monopoly……
Your restoration of said “old bucket of bolts” will take far less material from the earth swapping all that manufacturing for solid craftwork on something tried and true………yep, that old motorhome! Better to pay for custom craftwork than buy the dollar budget built……
And then there is our “belchfire” drive train……we have actually installed several 350 Olds motors into a custom designed drive train …….installed 2 different diesel concepts and I’m just waiting for someone with the vision….and the bucks to want me to build a vintage hybrid motorhome! Yes, it can happen and my belief is it will.
Ok so I talked myself out of being part of the problem even though it’s not apparent at fist glance…..we DO care about the planet with the stuff we’re suggesting! We ARE cost effective on many levels and the fun factor multiplied in makes fooling with these crazy machines putting money into them to get something much more out a great idea!
I mean all that in something cool like these things…….look at that, an old war horse Airstream and a GMC giving some last words to the timid freshly restored Revcon before the test run………. “good hunting driver”
Like I told you before, these old things are alive! And our dream is still alive too and still a contributer
Id have to say “Back to the Future” applies to us too.
Ill blurt out more later, stay tuned for (UPDATE #2)
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