
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
and 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
themtoviewobjectsand the road besideand behindthe
motor home.
The rear view mirrors are controlled from a panel lo-
cated
on
thedriver'sdoorarmrest.
To
adjustlhemirrors,
select either LEFT
or
RIGHT mirror and press the
appropriate arrow. Activatethe mirror heaters by press-
ing the HEATER position.
Rememberthat your motor home is heavierthan a car,
making it less maneuverable and harder to stop. Also,
becauseofits greatersidesurface area, it is moreeasily
affected by cross winds. Allow extra distances for pass-
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 propertransmission 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 ofthe
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 motorhome. Check
for low hanging tree branches or other obstructions
wheneveryou drive orpark. Avoid low overhangswhen
pulling
in
for service. Always check overhead clear-
ances ofoverpasses and bridges. This may be particu-
larly importantif you drivewith the overheadvents open
or
if the motor home is equipped with a roof air condi-
tioner, roof rack, CB orTV!radioantenna. Before leaving
on
atrip, checkyour route. Some tunnels prohibitmotor
homes with
LP
gas systems.
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When parking parallel to a curb, be sure to allow for
polesorobstructionsasthefrontand rearportionsofthe
motor home swing wider than
an
automobile. When
parking on
an
incline, turn the front wheels into the curb
in
the direction ofthe roll to aid the parking brake. When
parking, alwaysshiftthetransmission to PARK("P") and
set the parking brake, if applicable.
NOTE:Although
your
motorhomeis 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 beturnedwith
ease.
WARNING
DO NOTPARK OR IDLE THE 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
EXHAUST
GASES,
SOOTOR
SPARKS
THAT
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 may be equipped with an optional rear
viewvideo monitor. Thecamera
is
located atthetop rear
ofthe motorhome.The rearview picture isdisplayed 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.