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The homepage for Silver Palms RV Village features details on the “Perfect10RV Contest”.

The contest will allow contest registrants to post images of their rigs online and vote to determine who has the best RV. The winners will each receive a brand new GPS package: perfect for their newly famous RV.

According to Silver Palms RV Village, in order to vote for their favorite RV, contestants must sign up and register for the Perfect10RV contest. Once they are signed up and registered, members can upload their pictures and vote for their favorite RV’s in three categories: Class A Motor Homes, Fifth Wheels, and Travel Trailers.

The contest will begin in January 2009 and run through May 15, 2009. Contestants will be allowed to vote one time, per picture, for each class. The contest will have three winners: the RV image receiving the highest vote average in each class.

Source: Silver Palms RV Village

The RVIA recently reported that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation adopting the popular “RV Friendly” highway sign logo for use in the state’s commercial logo program for gas, food and lodging businesses.

California is the twelfth state to join the “RV Friendly” sign initiative, joining Minnesota, Iowa, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Michigan, Oregon, Louisiana, Tennessee, Washington, Florida and Texas. State RV groups and enthusiasts have been successful in implementing the program both through legislation and by working with their state transportation departments.

“California is one of the most popular destinations for RVers and the second biggest producer and seller of RVs in the country,” said RVIA President Richard Coon. “We’re happy that the country’s most populous state is now even more ‘RV Friendly’.”

The “RV Friendly” sign is a round, yellow reflector sign with “RV” featured prominently in the center. Gas, restaurant, camping and lodging businesses who purchase highway exit logo signs are the targeted buyers of the sign.

Adding the “RV Friendly” symbol to their existing highway service signs allows businesses to tell RV travelers that their gas, food, lodging or camping facility can easily accommodate RVs, including both motorhomes and towable units.

Source and Photo Credit: RVIA

The Yuma Sun reports on a new law (A.R.S. 33-2107) signed by the Governor of Arizona regarding what RV parks can charge for electricity.

According to the story, RV parks must now charge RVers the same rate that is charged to a “single family residential rate” by Arizona Public Service.

The law also contains other statues regarding leases, rental rules and other utilities you may be charged for.

Source: YumaSun.com

It’s going to take more than a tough economy to make RVers stay home.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, smaller, towable RVs are gaining favor with buyers. RV manufacturers are responding by offering lighter models that can be towed by fuel-efficient vehicles.

Traveling in a smaller RV requires some adaptation. With less living space available, RVers must be choosy about what they bring along. RV manufacturers make the best use of small spaces by designing their units with optimal placement of cabinets and storage.

Photo Credit: Holiday Rambler

One of the RV models mentioned in the Chronicle story is the The Campmaster by Holiday Rambler.

Photo Credit: Holiday Rambler
Available in four floor plans, The Campmaster includes a dinette, a spacious bed, while still offering ample room for camping or fishing gear.

Photo Credit: Holiday Rambler

Source: San Francisco Chronicle and Holiday Rambler

RESOURCES

• Holiday Rambler Hompage
• Browse Holiday Rambler Trailers on RV Trader
• Browse all travel trailers on RV Trader

While 2008 was a tough year for the RV industry, that did not slow down the growth of wireless web access for RVers.

According to WiFiRV, sales of their Internet access service for RVers continue to rise, even in a down economy.

2008 was a banner season for WiFiRV,” said John Borg II, CEO and founder of WiFiRV. “Now more than ever, RV and campground owners need to stay connected to the world. Our goal is to provide the best, fastest, most reliable Internet service to as many of them as possible.”

With parks becoming more competitive to attract patron travelers during the economic downturn Borg opened the budget for 2009 to meet their goal of bringing no more than 250 new properties online this year. WiFi is considered the most economical way to get Internet access to campers. That said, Borg warns property managers and owners that WiFi is not without challenges.

24×7 support is needed for this demographic, outdoor wireless engineering is difficult in RV resort terrain, and having a team of engineers nationwide is nearly required to ensure reliability for travelers needing online.

Source: WiFiRV

Is your RV ready for the switch to digital TV?

This February, TV stations all over the country will be switching their signals from analog TV to digital. TVs that are not ready for the new signal will get blurry pictures.

Some RVers might be in for a surprise when they turn on their TVs this spring.  According to a story on KSL.com, up to 90% of RVs and campers use standard analog antennas.

You can fix the problem with a digital converter box. You can find out more at the official site about the digital TV transition. http://www.dtv.gov/ 

Source: KSL.com
Photo Source: SXC

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Happy New Year from RV Trader Insider!

Earlier this month, at the 46th Annual National RV Trade Show in Louisville, Kentucky, Winnebago introduced the new 2010 Winnebago Via. The 2010 Via was selected as “Best In Show” by RV Business Magazine.

According to Winnebago, the new Via is the first of its kind and the most fuel efficient Class A motor home, estimated at 15+ miles per gallon.

“Winnebago Industries was the first manufacturer to introduce products built on the Dodge Sprinter Class C chassis and now we are the first to bring a Class A motor home built on the Dodge Sprinter chassis to the market,” said Winnebago Industries’ Chairman of the Board, CEO and President Bob Olson. “The new Via, and its Itasca counterpart, the Reyo, are innovative Class A coaches that combine design, space, efficiency and drivability into one compact 25-foot package. You won’t find another motor home like it in the market place, and I’m proud to say Winnebago Industries did it first.”

Despite its compact 25-foot length, the Via offers a front slideout room, a private bathroom area, fully equipped galley, and sleeping accommodations that are truly unique. In the rear, twin beds offer a flex bed concept that is easily converted into a queen bed for a larger continuous sleeping space.

Additional sleeping space is also found up front with the new Studio Loft. This new “spare” bed system neatly tucks into the ceiling of the coach when not in use and conveniently pulls down to create a second bedroom area.

The Winnebago Via will be available in the market in summer 2009.

Source: Winnebago

CrossRoads RV has reports that its all new SlingShot travel trailer was the lightest unit displayed at the 46th Annual National RVIA Show, December 4-7, 2008.

“The dealer response was overwhelming By developing a 30′ trailer, with a slide-out, weighing less than 3,700 pounds, we have created a new product segment in the industry.  Now smaller six-cylinder SUV’s and minivans are legitimate tow vehicles. By accommodating a much larger universe of tow vehicles, the SlingShot has become the best product launch in CrossRoads RV history”, states President, Mark Lucas.

The SlingShot units are a full 8′ wide, yet still weigh the least per square foot of living area versus any other unit in the industry. This was achieved by utilizing the latest in automotive and aerospace technology. The SlingShot features a total of five floor plans ranging from 19 feet to 30 feet in length, three equipped with a slide-out.

“Customers who already own a smaller tow vehicle have previously been forced to choose between a tent camper, tear drop or smaller floor plan with outside cooking facilities and limited floor space. These same customers can now tow a fully enclosed 26 foot travel trailer with sleeping room for six people. If you own a minivan because you have six people in your family, your travel trailer should accommodate your whole family,” states Larry Weaver, National Sales Manager for the SlingShot.

Source: Crossroads RV

Several RV manufacturers are working on designs for hybrid RVs in an effort to make RVs cleaner and more fuel efficient. While many of these plans are still on the drawing board, some have finally move to the prototype stage.

Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation recently introduced a prototype motorhome chassis that offers a glimpse of the greener RVs of the future at the recent National RV Trade Show.

According to Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation  preliminary prototype testing of the innovative ecoFRED™ chassis shows significant improvements in fuel economy compared with traditional gas pullers.

ecoFRED, so named because of its increased fuel economy and ecological/ environmental benefits, has the additional benefits of significantly less brake wear due to regenerative braking, leading to lower replacement costs. It also boasts better acceleration and increased towing capacity, and operates similar to driving an automatic transmission.

ecoFRED, which features a diesel engine coupled with an electric motor/generator and lithium-ion batteries, works in line with the transmission, enabling seamless operation incorporating both electric and diesel power.

The lithium-ion batteries featured on the hybrid system capture and store energy during the regenerative braking phase of the vehicle’s operation. The batteries are constantly charged through the operation of the diesel engine, eliminating the need to plug into an electrical source. Both the diesel engine and the electric motor can provide power to the drivetrain. The sophisticated hybrid supervisory controller selects the most efficient mode of operation – diesel, electric or both – depending upon current operating conditions and driver demand.

Source: Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation