Although I lost my wife, co-pilot and navigator a few years ago, I still travel in my motorhome and continue to enjoy the lifestyle. Since I no longer have someone to guide my 36-foot coach into RV sites in a position that allows room for the slideouts, I came up with a great solution that cost me only a few dollars: I made two guides out of scrap wood and PVC sprinkler pipe.
The front guide is a couple inches longer than the distance the slideout protrudes from the coach. I hold the base of the guide horizontally on the side of the coach so it allows me to see the distance I will need for the slideout. (This works great with older, narrow sites.) I then place the guide on the ground at the point I want the front of the coach to be when parked.
The rear guide has a horizontal pipe attached to the vertical pipe and is placed where the rear of the coach should be. When backing, I look into the rearview mirror and when the coach touches the horizontal pipe, and moves it a bit, I know I am in the correct parking position.
In addition, I attached reflective tape on the tip of each vertical pipe. If arriving after dark, I attach a small LED flashlight to the side of the coach (with hook-and-loop fastener) so I can see the movement of the rear guide on the reflective tape as I back in. Once done, I store the flashlight on the dashboard of the coach using hook and loop so it is always available and within easy reach.
Because no PVC glue was used, the guides come apart for easy storage. I attached the pipe to a wood base using an epoxy that was compatible with both wood and plastic.
Jerry Rosen | Hacienda Heights, California
