Friday, August 18, 2006
CAT RV NETWORK GROWING
RV NEWS
When you're traveling North America by motorhome, it's comforting to know that if you need service on the road, there's a place close by that can take care of your vehicle. Owners of motorhomes with Caterpillar® engines can rest easier than most: in the past year, the Cat® RV Center network has grown from 56 initial locations in North America to more than 90, with more joining the network every month.
A perfect example is Carolina Cat RV Center in Statesville, N.C. This location features a wide center bay reserved for RVs, power lifts designed for motorhomes, diagnostics and other specialized equipment for better servicing.
Becoming certified as a Cat RV Center location involves a significant commitment in terms of training and resources from a Cat dealer, and all are audited annually to ensure quality of service, according to Kapustka. The certification process includes training for service personnel, as well as mandatory facility enhancements, such as the new lifts and building renovations at the Carolina Cat RV Center.
Cat RV Centers certified through Level One are required to provide 24-hour, seven-day emergency service assistance, a clean bay and protection for the interior of the vehicle (including using drop cloths, booties and performing a condition assessment), a clean, comfortable waiting room with Internet access and cable television, and generator repair.
Level Two includes all of the previous features, with the addition of chassis service and mobile lifts with a service pit. Level Three, the highest level attainable, includes all of these features plus technicians certified by the RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association), a house repairs system, complimentary potable water and electrical hookups, an LP station and a dump station.
A 24-hour RV hotline (1-877-777-3126) and Web site (http://rv.cat.com) are available to help travelers find the nearest Cat RV Center when they're on the road.
When you're traveling North America by motorhome, it's comforting to know that if you need service on the road, there's a place close by that can take care of your vehicle. Owners of motorhomes with Caterpillar® engines can rest easier than most: in the past year, the Cat® RV Center network has grown from 56 initial locations in North America to more than 90, with more joining the network every month.
A perfect example is Carolina Cat RV Center in Statesville, N.C. This location features a wide center bay reserved for RVs, power lifts designed for motorhomes, diagnostics and other specialized equipment for better servicing.
Becoming certified as a Cat RV Center location involves a significant commitment in terms of training and resources from a Cat dealer, and all are audited annually to ensure quality of service, according to Kapustka. The certification process includes training for service personnel, as well as mandatory facility enhancements, such as the new lifts and building renovations at the Carolina Cat RV Center.
Cat RV Centers certified through Level One are required to provide 24-hour, seven-day emergency service assistance, a clean bay and protection for the interior of the vehicle (including using drop cloths, booties and performing a condition assessment), a clean, comfortable waiting room with Internet access and cable television, and generator repair.
Level Two includes all of the previous features, with the addition of chassis service and mobile lifts with a service pit. Level Three, the highest level attainable, includes all of these features plus technicians certified by the RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry Association), a house repairs system, complimentary potable water and electrical hookups, an LP station and a dump station.
A 24-hour RV hotline (1-877-777-3126) and Web site (http://rv.cat.com) are available to help travelers find the nearest Cat RV Center when they're on the road.
STILL MORE FEMA
RV Business
Friday, August 18, 2006
In the future, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may supply residents whose homes get destroyed by hurricanes with concrete houses instead of travel trailers and manufactured housing.
According to the Charlotte Sun-News, the concrete dwellings can be constructed quickly using a process in which concrete is poured into a prefabricated form.
The dwellings would allow residents to continue residing on their properties throughout the recovery process, and the structures could be incorporated into permanent houses, said U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach.
The state of Louisiana has already begun subsidizing the construction of the structures, said Scott Morris, director of the FEMA’s Florida Long-Term Recovery Office.
Until Hurricane Charley hit Charlotte County in Southeast Florida on Aug. 13, 2004, FEMA had never supplied trailers to displaced residents, Morris said. But the plan was on the shelf when the storm hit, so it was quickly implemented, he said.
Within the first few months after the hurricane, FEMA moved 18,000 mobile homes and trailers into Florida.
As a Sept. 26 deadline looms, only 1,597 of the trailers remain occupied statewide, including about 200 in Charlotte County.
One problem with mobile-home mobilization is that it required FEMA to find sites, negotiate land leases and invest millions of dollars in site preparation. That money instead could be spent building permanent structures on residents' property, Foley said.
That would prevent people from getting displaced from their home neighborhoods, said state Rep. Mike Grant, R-Port Charlotte.
FEMA, in the future, would still provide the smaller RV trailers for people whose housing can't be replaced by a concrete dwelling, Morris said.
Friday, August 18, 2006
In the future, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may supply residents whose homes get destroyed by hurricanes with concrete houses instead of travel trailers and manufactured housing.
According to the Charlotte Sun-News, the concrete dwellings can be constructed quickly using a process in which concrete is poured into a prefabricated form.
The dwellings would allow residents to continue residing on their properties throughout the recovery process, and the structures could be incorporated into permanent houses, said U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach.
The state of Louisiana has already begun subsidizing the construction of the structures, said Scott Morris, director of the FEMA’s Florida Long-Term Recovery Office.
Until Hurricane Charley hit Charlotte County in Southeast Florida on Aug. 13, 2004, FEMA had never supplied trailers to displaced residents, Morris said. But the plan was on the shelf when the storm hit, so it was quickly implemented, he said.
Within the first few months after the hurricane, FEMA moved 18,000 mobile homes and trailers into Florida.
As a Sept. 26 deadline looms, only 1,597 of the trailers remain occupied statewide, including about 200 in Charlotte County.
One problem with mobile-home mobilization is that it required FEMA to find sites, negotiate land leases and invest millions of dollars in site preparation. That money instead could be spent building permanent structures on residents' property, Foley said.
That would prevent people from getting displaced from their home neighborhoods, said state Rep. Mike Grant, R-Port Charlotte.
FEMA, in the future, would still provide the smaller RV trailers for people whose housing can't be replaced by a concrete dwelling, Morris said.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
MORE FEMA
RV Business
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will replace locks on as many as 118,000 travel trailers used by Gulf Coast hurricane victims after discovering that the same key could open multiple units.
According to an Associated Press report, some keys could open as many as 50 different locks – causing a security risk in heavily populated trailer parks in Louisiana and Mississippi.
"We're aggressively stepping out to minimize the risk," said FEMA spokesman Pat Philbin. He said FEMA worked though the weekend after discovering the problem last Friday at a Baton Rouge, La., trailer park that has hurricane victims.
It is unknown how many trailers will need to have their locks replaced, Philbin said.
In all, FEMA has issued about 150,000 travel trailers and mobile homes to evacuees since hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into the Gulf Coast last year. But about 32,000 have been taken out of service, Philbin said.
The snafu stems from a limited number of lock makers – three – that travel trailer manufacturers use when building units, FEMA officials said. That increases the likelihood of locks being the same, they said.
FEMA bought 13 different kinds of travel trailers for hurricane evacuees, the officials said.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will replace locks on as many as 118,000 travel trailers used by Gulf Coast hurricane victims after discovering that the same key could open multiple units.
According to an Associated Press report, some keys could open as many as 50 different locks – causing a security risk in heavily populated trailer parks in Louisiana and Mississippi.
"We're aggressively stepping out to minimize the risk," said FEMA spokesman Pat Philbin. He said FEMA worked though the weekend after discovering the problem last Friday at a Baton Rouge, La., trailer park that has hurricane victims.
It is unknown how many trailers will need to have their locks replaced, Philbin said.
In all, FEMA has issued about 150,000 travel trailers and mobile homes to evacuees since hurricanes Katrina and Rita slammed into the Gulf Coast last year. But about 32,000 have been taken out of service, Philbin said.
The snafu stems from a limited number of lock makers – three – that travel trailer manufacturers use when building units, FEMA officials said. That increases the likelihood of locks being the same, they said.
FEMA bought 13 different kinds of travel trailers for hurricane evacuees, the officials said.
Monday, August 14, 2006
RECALL
Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
AIRSTREAM / INTERNATIONAL 75 ANNIVERS 2007
Manufacturer : AIRSTREAM, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V299000 Mfg's Report Date : JUL 28, 2006
Component: EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE:LPG FURNACE
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 4
Summary:
ON CERTAIN TRAVEL TRAILERS, THE FURNACE VENT INSTALLED WAS NOT THE CORRECT LENGTH FOR THE FURNACE MODEL USED. THIS COULD ALLOW FURNACE EXHAUST GASES INCLUDING CARBON MONOXIDE GAS TO LEAK INTO THE UNIT WHEN THE FURNACE IS IN OPERATION.
Consequence:
WHEN THE FURNACE IS IN OPERATION EXHAUST GASES, INCLUDING CARBON MONOXIDE, COULD LEAK INTO THE TRAILER, DISPLACING THE FRESH AIR AND CAUSING ASPHYXIATION OR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. THIS CONDITION COULD LEAD TO SEVERE ILLNESS OR DEATH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VENT CAP/TUBE ASSEMBLY AND AIR BOX FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING AUGUST 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AIRSTREAM AT 1-877-596-6505.
Notes:
CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATIONS VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.
AIRSTREAM / INTERNATIONAL 75 ANNIVERS 2007
Manufacturer : AIRSTREAM, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 06V299000 Mfg's Report Date : JUL 28, 2006
Component: EQUIPMENT:RECREATIONAL VEHICLE:LPG FURNACE
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 4
Summary:
ON CERTAIN TRAVEL TRAILERS, THE FURNACE VENT INSTALLED WAS NOT THE CORRECT LENGTH FOR THE FURNACE MODEL USED. THIS COULD ALLOW FURNACE EXHAUST GASES INCLUDING CARBON MONOXIDE GAS TO LEAK INTO THE UNIT WHEN THE FURNACE IS IN OPERATION.
Consequence:
WHEN THE FURNACE IS IN OPERATION EXHAUST GASES, INCLUDING CARBON MONOXIDE, COULD LEAK INTO THE TRAILER, DISPLACING THE FRESH AIR AND CAUSING ASPHYXIATION OR CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. THIS CONDITION COULD LEAD TO SEVERE ILLNESS OR DEATH.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE VENT CAP/TUBE ASSEMBLY AND AIR BOX FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING AUGUST 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AIRSTREAM AT 1-877-596-6505.
Notes:
CUSTOMERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATIONS VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV.
