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HITCH HINTS:FRONT-WHEEL, REAR WHEEL, OR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE?DESTINATIONS:ADVENTURES IN THE BIG HORN MOUNTAINSBAYVIEW PARK, MARMORA, ONTARIO SPECIAL REPORT: CANADA’S RV FRIENDLY FESTIVALS!www.rvlifemag.com$4.95 ROAD TESTS: Grand Design RV Reflection 150 Series 295RL Travel Lite Falcon GT 24BH✓✓268 - 44 Crawford Crescent., Campbellville, ON L0P 1B0 Publications Mail Agreement #40010957Vol. 47 No. 1TOP FAMILY10MOTORHOMES47-1.indd 12018-03-20 3:45 PMPlateau TSAscentLexor TSPlateau FLPlateau XLMBPlateau XLTDPleasure-WaySuperior quality. Excellent customer service!pleasureway.indd 12018-03-20 3:32 PMContentsDepartments 6 HITCH HINTS ~ Andy Thomson Front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or all-wheel drive? 10 RV TIPS ~ Garth Cane Before you go… 16 THE COOKING LADIES ~ Phyllis Hinz and Lamont Mackay Maple bacon onion rings – the first signs of spring! Road Tests 20 GRAND DESIGN REFLECTION 295RL ~ By Norm Rosen Designed for half-ton towing! 26 TRAVEL LITE FALCON GT 24BH Ultra Cool Ultra Light!Destinations32 BIG HORN MOUNTAINS, WYOMING! Travel Editor James Stoness visits the old west38 CANADA’S RV FRIENDLY FESTIVALS Jennifer Turner charts your summer vacation!53 BAYVIEW RV RESORT A cool destination in Marmora, Ontario New For 201842 NEW MOTORHOMES FOR 2018 Steve Sansford reviews ten top touring machines57 COOL RV GEAR! A compendium of campground and RV accessories42323Volume 47 Number 1 | RV Lifestyle 3RV Friendly Festivalssee page 50ON THE COVERWinnebago Vista 27PE on the road in the Niagara Escarpment.Cover photo by Norm Rosen.Contents.indd 32018-03-20 3:46 PM4RV Lifestyle | Volume 47 Number 1Publisher: WILLIAM E. TAYLORbill@rvlifemag.comGroup Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLISmelanie@rvlifemag.comEditorial Director: NORM ROSENnrosen@rvlifemag.comTechnical Editors: GARTH CANEinfo@rvlifemag.comArt/Production Manager: GISELLE BANSALDesign: TAMARA TAYLOROnline Editor: TRAVIS KINGDONDigital Content Manager: STEVE SANSFORDContributing Writers:PHYLLIS HINZLAMONT MACKAYCRAIG RITCHIEJAMES STONESSANDY THOMSONAdvertising Sales:info@rvlifemag.com1-800-354-9145EXECUTIVE OFFICES: TORONTO:268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, Ontario L0P 1B0Tel: 905-844-8218 Fax: 905-844-5032MONTREAL:Tel: 514-856-0788 Fax: 514-856-0790VANCOUVER:Bob and Carole Taylor, 1745 Rufus DriveNorth Vancouver, BC V7J 3L8ADMINISTRATION:President/CEO: WILLIAM E. TAYLORGroup Publisher: MELANIE TAYLOR-WALLISVP/General Manager: ROY C. BAIRDVP/Special Projects: NORM ROSENAccounting: NANCY MUELLERCamping Canada’s RV Lifestyle Magazine is published seven times a year by Camping Canada Magazine Ltd. Reproduction of any material appearing in this magazine in any form is forbidden without prior consent of the publisher. Subscription rates: Canada (prices include G.S.T.) 1 year (7 issues) $19.99: 2 years (14 issues) $32. U.S. subscrip-tions:1 year (7 issues) $30 US. Other: 1 year (7 issues) $60 CDN. Single copies are $4.95 for regular issues, and $5.95 for the annual RV Buyer’s Guide and the annual Campground Directory issues.Subscription inquiries 1-800-354-9145Advertising rates available on request.Editorial contributions must be accompanied by return post-age and will be handled with reasonable care. The publisher assumes no responsibility for return of safety of artwork, pho-tographs, or manuscripts. Camping Canada Magazine reserves the right to refuse any and all advertising and disclaims all responsibilities for claims or statements of facts made by its advertisers or inde-pendent columnists.PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40010957Undeliverables to: 268 - 44 Crawford Crescent, Campbellville, Ontario L0P 1B0MONTREAL, QUEBEC© 2018 CAMPING CANADA MAGAZINE PRINTED IN CANADAvolume 47 number 1With the spring thaw fast approaching, and the RV roads to adventure opening up new vistas for family touring, we dispatched our intrepid crew of RV Lifestyle Magazine writers to cover a range of interesting destinations for early-season RV camping. James Stoness, our resident travel expert, came through with a spectac-ular suggestion – his touring feature on Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains encompasses everything the RV fam-ily could hope for in a new destination – unspoiled scenery, winding moun-tain roads that are RV-friendly, and a camping experience unlike anything you might encounter outside of the U.S. National Parks system. Our RV tech team came to the table with some very interesting tips for family touring. Garth Cane shared his many years of insights into travel-ling, Phyllis and Lamont, our Cooking Ladies, took us along on another gastronomic adventure, and Andy Thomson focused on solving some common RV hitching glitches. With so many innovations intro-duced by the various RV manufactur-ers, we asked Steve Sansford to com-pile a special report on some of the cool new RV models that are specially designed to suite the active RV family. Travis Kingdon expanded this explora-tion of new frontiers in RV design and technology as it applies to RV parts and accessories, and took a side-trip to visit Bayview Trailer Park… it’s a whole new way to enjoy the great out-doors! Our RV Lifestyle Road Test Teams focused on two towable RV mod-els for this issue – the Grand Design Reflection, an upscale fifth wheel trav-el trailer that is certain to turn heads wherever you travel, and the Travel Lite Falcon GT, a compact lightweight travel trailer that can tag along behind any mid-size SUV or pickup. All in all, it’s an issue that covers a significant amount of territory, in terms of destinations, RV preferences, and new ways to get the most from your RV experience. If this is your first encounter with RV Lifestyle Magazine, we thank you for sharing your leisure time with us. Please take a few minutes to browse through the issue, and then surf over to the website at www.rvlifemag.com for more information to make your RV experience more complete.RV TOURING TIME!Publishers MESSAGENEW >><< NEWWilliam E. Taylor,PublisherContents.indd 42018-03-20 5:03 PMFor cool videos and awesome animations to see how it works, go to... PULLRITE.COM/RVLMCLEAN BED TECHNOLOGY4 EASY STEPS • NO TOOLS REQUIRED • MADE IN USAShort Bed Towing Solutions withWant to tow with a short bed truck?Do you worry about hitting your trailer when you make sharp turns?Already own a manual slider that doesn’t work or tired of getting out of your truck to operate?Tired of base rails left in your truck after towing? Want a clean bed?• slides automatically• no worrying about hitting your cab• no getting out of your truck to complete a turn• CBT gives you totally removable rails• hitch components come apart with pins and clips...NO TOOLS NEEDED!SuperGlide w/ CLEAN BED TECHNOLOGY is your answer!800.443.2307PULLRITE_RVLM_Sept2017.indd 18/16/2017 2:30:38 PMRV Lifestyle | Volume 47 Number 1 www.rvlifemag.comHITCH HINTS by Andy ThomsonW6Hello Andrew: Thank you for your presentation at the recent RV Show at the International Centre a few weeks back. I definitely found your session to be most informative. You mentioned that you may have an article that explains some of the points that you covered. One question I missed asking - are there advantages or draw backs to front wheel, rear wheel or all-wheel drive vehicles?ThanksEd NHello Ed: That is a great question: which is bet-ter front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or all wheel drive? Each system has its advantages and disadvantages. FRONT WHEEL DRIVE The first front wheel drive American car was the 1937 Cord, which was too cool for words! The next front wheel drive vehicle hit the market 29 years later - the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. The Oldsmobile was also very cool car and it quickly earned a reputation as the best handling tow vehicle you could buy. At the time, everyone chalked up the great towing characteristics to the fact that the Toronado was a front wheel drive design, but today we know that it was likely due to the shorter rear overhang, reduced un-sprung weight, uni-body construction, and special firm sidewall tires. The first front drive cars we towed with extensively during that era were 1987 full size GM models such as the Olds 88/98, the Buick Park Avenue, and others on the same chassis. These cars had many innovations that made them by far the best tow vehicles we had used up to that point in time. The amazing han-dling was due to shorter rear overhangs, independent rear suspension and rack and pinion steering, and these features were eventually enhanced by the use of 16” wheels with fairly aggressive han-dling tires. When we got our first ‘87 front wheel drive tow vehicle we were imme-diately impressed with the performance, mileage and handling, but the big ques-tion everyone had was “would the front drive transmission hold up?” As it turns out, the transmissions held up just fine and the drivetrain never became an issue on the few hundred tow vehicles we put hitches on. Since then, we have set up thousands of front wheel drive vehicles for travel trailer towing. Actually, the most common driveline problem on tow vehicles is overheating of the rear differential on rear wheel drive vehicles. There are no sensors to monitor the rear axle temperature, and as engine power has increased, the rack and pinion sizes have pretty much remained the same size. In the old days, if you were towing in a headwind, the lack of power forced you to slow down - but with the powerful motors available today you can easily tow at 110 KPH in a headwind. Continuously putting this much power through the rear axle can over-heat it. It is also possible that the aero-dynamic characteristics of towing a trailer close behind the tow vehicle may create a back pressure under the back of the truck and this might reduce the air flow over the axle, reducing the cooling effect of the normal airflow. This seems to be more of an issue when the bottom Andy Thomson has been writing for RV Lifestyle Magazine for more than 25 years. He also owns and operates Can-Am RV Centre located in London, ON.continued on page 8FRONT WHEEL DRIVE, REAR WHEEL DRIVE, OR ALL-WHEEL DRIVE?Hitch Hints 47-1.indd 62018-03-20 3:51 PM“TURNS OUR PATIO AREA INTO AN EXTENDED LIVING SPACE”- STACEY AND GARY QUIMBY9100 AWNING“We are thrilled that our motorhome came with Dometic awnings that turn our patio area into an extended living space, which gives us additional shade and comfort since we are solar powered and rarely parked in the shade.”- Stacey and Gary QuimbyTo learn more about Dometic awnings or to find the perfect awning to fit your needs visit: dometic.com/awnings.HITCH HINTS by Andy ThomsonW8continued from page 6RV Lifestyle | Volume 47 Number 1 www.rvlifemag.comof the trailer is lower than the chassis of the truck. With a front wheel drive sys-tem, the final drive gearing is part of the transaxle, so it is cooled by the transmis-sion fluid and this effectively eliminates the issue. Front wheel drive cars also have a little less power loss in the drive-train, so they are slightly more fuel effi-cient than the rear wheel drive vehicles, and the chassis layout can often have less rear overhang. The other concern many people had about front wheel drive was trac-tion when towing, but this was never a concern for me, as I knew that with the proper weight distribution hitch, the front wheels would have more weight on them than the rear wheel drive cars did, and as it turned out, traction was better than the rear wheel drive models like the Chevrolet Caprice of the day. One thing I like about the traction with a front wheel drive vehicle is that if you are pulling out of a gravel driveway onto a busy road with a rear wheel drive tow vehicle, you really can’t step on the gas hard until you get the back wheels up onto the asphalt. With a front wheel drive vehicle, as soon as the front tires are on the pavement you are good to go. I also find this technique handy in campgrounds with grass sites and gravel roadways. You can back into a campsite with the front tires on still on the gravel, so when you are ready to leave you are not trying to pull away on wet grass. Of course front drives are generally better in snow etc. as solo vehicles. REAR WHEEL DRIVE One of the main reasons we started using front wheel drive tow vehicles was to get independent rear suspension. Our first rear wheel drive tow vehicle with independent rear suspension was the 2005 Chrysler 300, and later Cadillacs switched to rear drive with indepen-dent rear suspension… many high-end European cars always had this feature. Of course, all pickups are rear drive unless 4x4 is engaged, and this is also true for some SUV’s. The cross-over SUV’s that are so popular today, are actually front drive chassis with the rear drive added-on to get what the auto-motive industry likes to call All Wheel Drive. Rear drive can sometimes give you more power out of the same engine, because it is easier to route the engine exhaust for better breathing. For exam-ple, the front to rear mounted 3.6 Litre engine in the Chrysler 300 or Durango produces 300 horsepower, the same engine mounted sideways in the Dodge Caravan only produces 283 horsepower. Basically, the decision to tow with a front wheel drive or rear wheel drive vehicle is a “six of one, half a dozen of the other” situation, as both drive sys-tems can work well.ALL WHEEL DRIVE VS 4-WHEEL DRIVE The decision to go from rear wheel drive to All Wheel Drive is more often based on solo driving than towing, espe-cially with a pickup truck. In snow, a rear wheel drive pickup is not very good, as the back tires carry very lit-tle weight. Three-quarter ton pickups with their hard tire tread compound can get stuck surprisingly easily. Similarly, we have noticed that some of the larger crossover SUV’s that are front wheel drive, and some front wheel drive vans leave a bit to be desired in the way of traction in the snow. When the solo vehicle weighs 6000 pounds loaded, front wheel drive loses some of its traction advantage. When you are towing, it is much less impor-tant, because when you are towing a fifth wheel you are adding 1500 – 3500 pounds on the drive wheels. If you need extra traction when towing a trav-el trailer in the snow, you can reduce the weight distribution adjustment or even remove the torsion bars and this will add hundreds of pounds to the rear axle. If your trailer has 800 pounds of hitch weight, this short-term trick can add around 1200 pounds to the rear axle without the torsion bars. With a front wheel drive, you can do the same thing in reverse - you can bring the bars up an extra link to add weight forward. In either case, only drive at low speeds with the hitch misadjusted! So, for many people, four-wheel drive is not all that necessary for towing. Drive to all four wheels can be accom-plished in one of two ways. All Wheel Drive is going to be either a system that powers all four wheels all the time, or an automated system that detects slip on the drive wheels and instantly engages the other two. The more traditional 4x4 drive system will have a switch that allows you to choose when four-wheel drive is engaged, although most of the 4x4 vehi-cles now have a position for automatic engagement. These vehicles will gener-ally have a low range position as well. For serious off-road use, or when you anticipate lots of travel in deep snow, the low range is certainly a big asset. Low range usually locks the transfer case between the front and rear axles as well. For most of my life, I have towed with front or rear wheel drive vehicles, partly because 30 years ago you gave up independent front suspension and substantial fuel economy to get all wheel drive. Today, the only live axle front suspensions left are Ford and Ram three-quarter and one-ton pickups, and everything else that offers 4x4 drive has independent front suspension, even Jeeps. There is still some fuel economy loss, with nothing like the old days. Today, most 4-wheel drive systems are only going to cost you 1-2 Litres per hundred km on the highway, and about 1 Litre per hundred km around town. Still, this will continue to be the biggest cost of owning an AWD over the life of the vehicle. One downside to All Wheel Drive is that it can mask your awareness of road conditions in the winter. Two years ago, we were coming home from California on a two-lane stretch of Highway 60 through eastern Arizona. I did not real-ize before we headed along this route An Oldsmobile tow vehicle at Independence Pass.Hitch Hints 47-1.indd 82018-03-28 4:18 PMwww.rvlifemag.com Volume 47 Number 1 | RV Lifestyle 9that most of the road was over 6000 feet elevation, and we were heading into a snowstorm. I was towing with our rear wheel drive Chrysler 300 with 50% worn all-season 20” low profile tires, hardly a recipe for good traction in snow. Highway 60 runs through the middle of nowhere, so turning around was not an option, so I just kept gingerly driving along, balancing the rear trac-tion and maintaining enough momentum to climb the gradual hills. While I was able to navigate the roads even in winter conditions, at one point we came around a corner and saw a large valley about 3 miles across, and there were several vehicles in the ditches, including a trans-port, a Jeep, and a Hummer. Though the road was very slippery, we were able to gently build a bit of momentum on the down slope, and this helped us climb the hill and get out of the valley. The people in the 4x4’s were likely not aware how bad the road conditions were until it was too late. Having the trailer behind you helps with stability on snow. If I was driving an AWD would I have wound up the ditch? Possibly, but I am sure I would have crested the hill before the valley quite a bit easier. Still, at times all-wheel drive can be handy - for example, on gravel roads, or if you live in hilly country with lots of snow, it is a no brainer - just drive it like it is a 2 wheel drive and it won’t get you in trouble. One other thing to think of when driving on surfaces where the traction is compromised is to plan ahead when pulling off the road. It is not unusual in the winter to be on a clear expressway, but have snow covered parking lots and side roads. Before pulling into a parking lot, plan what your exit will be and then try and stop the car while you are still pointing downhill, so you can get rolling again. I remember being in Kentucky in an ice storm, and people had driven into downhill parking spots in front of a res-taurant – of course, when they came out they discovered that they could not back out of their parking spots! I stopped well out in the parking lot, with my rig point-ing downhill. So, if you don’t really need All Wheel Drive, you will certainly have lower operating costs and a simpler vehicle. Another way to look at it is if you add up the additional fuel, the option cost, and the extra maintenance, you could call a tow truck a couple of times a year and still be well ahead financially. W1966 Toronado.A distinctive Canadian Rockies resort featuring the Casino of the Rockies, a Les Furber-designed golf course and the St. Eugene RV Park. Now offering Speaking Earth, an exclusive 2-day First Nations experience. For more information visit SpeakingEarth.caST. EUGEN E RV PA R K / SPE A K I NG E A RT H GOL F COU RSE / C ASI NO of the ROCK IES / GOU R M ET FOOD OU T DOOR POOL / SILV ER WATER SPA7777 M ISSION ROA D, CR A N BROOK , BC | ST EUGE N E .C A R E SE RVAT IONS@ST EUGE N E .C A | 1.866. 292. 2020Hitch Hints 47-1.indd 92018-03-28 4:18 PMNext >