We call the first trip of the season “The Shakedown Cruise”. Before your RVing season begins, you need to de-winterize your rig and make sure all the facilities are operating properly. You don’t want to pull out on the first trip of the year and find out you’re 500 miles from home and have a problem with your RV. We found the perfect spot for our Shakedown – Cherry Creek State Park. It’s a great getaway spot, but it is close to home (3 miles), close to the city (within Denver city limits) . . . and if we discover a problem, we’re close to the services needed to fix the problem. State Parks offer all the amenities you need for an overnight shakedown and almost every major city in the country has a State Park close by.
Shakedown Checklist:
• Check electrical system and fuses
• Fill your water tanks with just enough water to test toilet operation, test sinks and outlets for leaks
• Check your fluids and tires
• Check the braking system in your towing vehicle and on the trailer
• Attach/adjust mirrors
• Check your hitch and coupling system hookups
• Test your battery levels and charge if necessary
• Check your water heater system
• Fill propane tanks if needed
• Think Safety: make sure you have a First-aid kit, road flares, a good shovel, tool kit and hoses!
Be prepared for anything. Our first Shakedown was scheduled for late March. We planned it it early February - the weather in Colorado was amazing, hardly any snow and temperatures running in the 50's and 60's. But as luck would have it, two days before we are to leave for Cherry Creek - it snowed three feet!!! Nothing stops us . . we made it to the park with no problem. We backed into a beautiful spot, turned on the water and whammo - toilet sprung a leak . . . water everywhere! It's exactly this type of thing that makes your Shakedown worth the trip, and parking in a big city makes the repairs that much easier. We unhooked, went to our favorite RV store, got the parts and had it fixed by nightfall!
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