
_______________________
11
DRIVING, PARKING AND MIRRORS
Driving your motor home will be different from driving
your family car
or
truck. Your motor home is large, and
you need to be alert to your vehicle's position in traffic.
Be cautious when maneuvering to allow for the length
a:nd
width of the vehicle. Always allow extra room to
corner and to change lanes. Your vehicle's rear view
mirrors will help you keep aware of your vehicle's
position and the position of other vehicles and/or ob-
structions near your motor home.
You
must monitor
them constantly while you are driving. Become familiar
with the operation of the side mirrors and learn to use
themtoview objectsandthe road besideand behindthe
motor home.
The rear view mirrors are controlled from a panel lo-
cated on the driver'sdoorarmrest.
To
adjustthe mirrors,
select either LEFT
or
RIGHT mirror and press the
appropriatearrow. Activate the mirrorheaters by press-
ing the HEATER position.
Rememberthat your motor home is heavierthan a car,
making it less maneuverable and harder to stop. Also,
because ofits greaterside surface area, it is more easily
affected by cross winds. Allow extra distances forpass-
ing and stopping, and drive at a moderate speed,
particularly in traffic and in gusty wind conditions.
Driving on winding or mountain roads is not difficult
if
done with reasonable care. Observe proper vehicle
speedswhen ascending ordescending hills and always
operate in the pr9pertransmission range. Downshift
on
hillsto avoid overheating orundue engine loads. Down-
shift when descending grades. Engine braking power
will help control vehicle speed, and relieve some of the
strain on the brakes.
Mountain driving or desert temperatures can put ex-
treme demands on drive train components -especially
the transmission. Under extreme heat conditions you
may need to turn off the vehicle air conditioner to
improve engine and transmission cooling.
Be aware ofthe extra heightofyour motor home. Check
for low hanging tree branches or other obstructions
wheneveryou drive or park. Avoid lowoverhangs when
pulling in for service. Always check overhead clear-
ances of overpasses and bridges. This may
be
particu-
larly important ifyou drive with the overheadvents open
or
if the motor home is equipped with a roof air condi-
tioner, roofrack, CBorTV/radioantenna. Beforeleaving
on a trip, checkyour route. Some tunnels prohibit motor
. homes with
LP
gas systems.
When parking parallel to a curb, be sure to allow 'for
poles
or
obstructionsasthe frontand rearportionsofthe
motor 'home swing wider than an automobile. When
parking on an incline, turn the front wheels into the curb
in the direction
of
the roll
to
aidthe parking brake. When
parking, alwaysshiftthe transmission to PARK("P") and
set the parking brake, if applicable.
NOTE:Although
your
motorhome is equippedwith
power
steering, the front wheels
may
be difficult
to
turn when
at
a dead stop. When maneuvering in
some close situations, give yourselfsome room to
move eitherforward
or
backward. The vehicle has
to
be
in motion forthe front wheels to
be
turnedwith
ease.
WARNING
DO NOT PARKOR IDLETHE MOTOR HOME
OVER COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS SUCH
AS
TALL GRASS OR DRIED LEAVES. THIS
IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT IF THE EX-
HAUST SYSTEM HAS NOT BEEN PROP-
ERLY MAINTAINED. COMBUSTIBLE MATE-
RIALS MAY CATCH FIRE FROM THE HOT
EXHAUSTGASES,
SOOTORSPARKSTHAT
COULD ESCAPE THROUGH CORROSION
HOLES OR CRACKS.
If operating, parking
or
idling your vehicle off-road is
unavoidable, as is often the case
in
recreational use:
Be aware that combustible materials could catch fire
from the vehicle's hot exhaust system.
Avoid driving your vehicle through
or
over combustible
materials such as leaves, grass, vegetation or stubble
high enough to touch, catch orcollect on its hot exhaust
system.
Parking or idling should be done only in an area where
there are no combustible'materials under the vehicle.
REAR VIEW VIDEO MONITOR
Yourmotorhome maybe equipped with an optional rear
viewvideo monitor. The camerais located atthe top rear
ofthe motorhome.The rear view picture is displayed on
a screen
on
the motor home instrument panel. The
monitor screen may be overlaid with a distance scale
reference which gives approximate distance of objects
to the rear of the motor home.
To
operatethe video monitor, the ignition switch mustbe
on and the gear shift in reverse.
To
override normal
operation, the ignition switch must be on and power on
at the monitor.