# Battle Scars On Ob



## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Well, a week in Michigan's UP yielded a very nice vacation, but the way home produced some damage. At my last fuel stop of the trip, I caught the cement gas pump shield with the back of the OB







. The part that suprised me was that I caught it with the outboard side of the trailer as I turned away from the pump. The station was very tight and there were plenty of inconsiderate cars trying to jockey for pump posistions







. Apparently I turned tight enough that the back end swung out and clipped the post. I realized this could happen, but never thought that it would swing as far as it apparently did. The end result was torn sikirting, a little damage to the underside of the rear wall (torn water proof covering) and a bent bumper. The trailer was hung up, so I had to unhook and rehitch with the truck turned 45 degrees the other way to free the trailer. Luckily there were some very nice guys who helped me out with the process and then assisted me in getting out of the station. Also luckily I did no damage to the station other than taking some yellow paint home with me.

So, for repairs, a little heat and a big prybar straightened the end of the bumper. However, I still need new skirting and a way to patch the torn covering on the underside. I've contacted my dealer about replacement skirting but haven't heard back yet. Any ideas??








Of course the real damage was to my pride... I've never hit anything before and being stuck there with plenty of gawkers was less than pleasant.








Something tells me I'll never be comfortable in a gas station again.









Anyway, everyone watch out when you pull away from the pumps!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

That really stinks......Everyone can relate to the jockeying of vehicles at the gas pumps. Your pride will heal and I doubt you will ever do this again.

John


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## RV Pilot (May 15, 2006)

Oh man...That rots! Glad to hear no further damage was done....Gas stations are a pain and my biggest fear....You ended up getting a double whammy...Gawkers turned Helpers!....I would just keep on the dealer until you hear from them. Just a thought but is there any other dealers that you can call? Maybe call KeyStone and they can give you a list of em in your area.... Maybe some your not aware of that could help....


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## pjb2cool (Apr 8, 2004)

Geeze, that is a _real_ bummer...I hate gas stations while towing, and feel for you Nathan. I guess the upside is that no one got hurt - crushed between the camper and the post, PLUS no animals were injured during this incident. Pride will heal faster if you don't ever go back to that particular gas station ever again. Thanks for the post, good luck with the rest of your repair...P.J


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## mollyp (Aug 10, 2005)

Ouch! Sorry about that Nathan, but thanks for the heads up. May prevent this from happening to someone else.


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

Hi Nathan,

Sorry to hear about your boo boo








We got our first one in April and it is not a good feeling at all...
Like others said, call Keystone, or go to their website and use their Dealer Locator

Good luck with the repair and keep us posted,


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## Zymurgist (Apr 2, 2007)

Wow, Glad you guys are all ok, and the damage is in the PITA category (as opposed to ripped open fiberglass or frame damage)

We started with our trailer 4 months ago and I still find myself turning too tightly at times. The rear end swing I know about, but have no idea how much it swings. I guess we could take it a parking lot, set up some cones and play, each of us taking a turn while the other watches outside so we can get a feel for the magnitude of the rear end swing?

Anybody have any other idea how to get a better feel for that?

Good luck getting her back ship shape Nathan, like I said, glad you are all ok.

See YA!
Carl


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

> The part that suprised me was that I caught it with the outboard side of the trailer as I turned away from the pump.


Been there, done that. I did the same thing pulling away out of my storage facilty one day. Swung away from the space a little early and caught the outside marker light (the red one) on the steel beam and popped it right off. As well as the gutter extension on the top of the trailer.

No damage to the trailer, but sure heard and felt it.

Mark


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Nathan, I think it may be time for us to start a sub-cult of those of us who have been attacked by those DA** gas station poles!!!! If it hasn't happened to you - you just don't know ....









Yup - Puff's first scar is firmly entreanched on the driver's side under the slide (and then there's also the skirting/molding piece that has now broken off and needs to be replaced). I was trying to avoid a large boat-of-a-car (which was being backed directly into me by an idiot) and simply turned too sharply...well, maybe not - I did cause the car to miss ME, but Puff paid the price!

I'm convinced that the 1st one was the worst....not that I'm planning any more scars, but the next one (I'm sure there will be one) may not be quite so painful. btw, Puff is fine and hardly notices her disfigurement at all


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I hear you on gas stations. I always try to hit the ones big enough for big trucks...like truck stops. Others watching while you screw up always sux! A little boo-boo adds some character!


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

NDJollyMon said:


> I hear you on gas stations. I always try to hit the ones big enough for big trucks...like truck stops. Others watching while you screw up always sux! A little boo-boo adds some character!


I agree with Jolly. Truck stops are the only place I will pull into for gas.

I usually plan out my stops for fuel. I have a truck stop book for all the major interstates.

I also had a bad experience while in a tight gas station. When I pulled out onto the street, I caught the curbing. And the curbing caught my curbside stabilizer and bend it pretty good. I hammered it back into shape (somewhat) and it still works. Just a little out of kilter.


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

Bummer! But on the bright side, you no longer have to worry about the first scratch.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

This is my biggest fear getting stuck in a tight gas station. I has a section of my skirt replaced by the dealer and they did a great job could not tell it was ever damaged. The dealer called it J wrap. Good luck getting it replaced.


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## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

> The station was very tight and there were plenty of inconsiderate cars trying to jockey for pump posistions


Whenever possible, when towing I try to use Flying Js to avoid that situation. They have seperate RV islands that give you more maneuvering room so you don't have to deal with the cars crowding around the pumps and/or taking up too much room parking in front of the store.











3LEES said:


> I hear you on gas stations. I always try to hit the ones big enough for big trucks...like truck stops. Others watching while you screw up always sux! A little boo-boo adds some character!


I agree with Jolly. Truck stops are the only place I will pull into for gas.

I usually plan out my stops for fuel. I have a truck stop book for all the major interstates.
[/quote]

Before a trip I'll plot out where all the Flying Js are along the way. Then as I come to them, I'll pretty much stop at them all, even if I really don't need gas that bad. That helps me avoid having no choice but to use a smaller gas station further down the road, and running the chance of not having enough room to get the trailer in and out of the station easily.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

That sure is a bummer Nathan real sorry to hear what happened
I have seen alot of campers get some serious damage to theirs at those pumps
I have had my share of real tight gas pumps but so far nothing has happened yet(Knock on wood)

Don


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## z-family (Oct 2, 2004)




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## FraTra (Aug 21, 2006)

That is my BIGGEST fear! I am paranoid every time I stop for gas. I have yet to hit anything but on our last trip I found a small dent in the rear seam trim on the drivers side. Can't figure out what it was but the dent has yellow paint in it. I kinda figured something came up from the road.


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## beachbum (Nov 27, 2006)

I feel your pain!! On the way to the Luray Rally, running out of diesel, I pulled into a LITTLE station outside of Charlottesville, VA. Getting in was tight. The owner had to move his truck for me to get out. Only thing was, the eave and gutter on his building was way lower than my awning. DW says, 'there's wood falling". I get out, walk around and sure enough, knocked part of the eave off this old building. Scraped/abraded the awing fabric, but thankfully did not wreck the roller tube or arms. I was able to back up just enough to free the awning and clear the pumps. Parked and talked to the owner, who said he was just glad there was not a lot of damage to the TT. He wasn't too concerned about his building. With diesel at $3.05 a gallon, I figure he could get a new eave. Could have been a whole lot worse!! So, lesson learned. Don't wait til the low fuel light comes on to get fuel and use BIG stations.
Got some awning repair tape and things are OK.
david


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

I know about the inconsiderate car thing - I was filling up in Hannibal, MO on the way back from picking up the camper at Lakeshore. Several "classic" cars pulled into the station - one of which pulled in and "trapped itself" between the pump and the Outback. The only way for it to get out would have been to back up. The woman in the passenger seat gets out and starts making comments to me like "you are blocking the way and you have us trapped in" and "be sure you don't hit my car on the way out".

Ticked me off...the husband, who was driving, gets out and smiles sheepishly at me, knowing his spouse had just been a royal b to me for no reason other than his own driving. I look over at him and just say "there isn't a magic shortening stick I can use for this thing". Later on when they were getting back in the car, I said to him (with his wife listenting) "I have a hotrod myself...maybe we will meet on the track someday". Would love to have that opportunity...guy was driving one of those fancied up 20's era "hotrods" with the sb chevy crate motors. I was smellin' blood just lookin' at it.

-CC


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## need2mellowout (May 10, 2006)

On our OBâ€™s maiden voyage I got in a tight gas station and got a battle scar.

I scrapped one of the concrete bollards at the pump and slightly bent the metal cover that provides access to water heater and fridge. I was lucky it could have been much worse.

It was a great lesson learned. I always look for the big gas stations. Even if Iâ€™ve exited and have to go back on the Interstate and go to the next exit I do since itâ€™s worth it for peace of mind. On each of our trips I keep a file on gas stations and where theyâ€™re at.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone. I'm definetly going the check out the swing in an empty parking lot (without any poles!!!). I've figured out how to get the skirting off and back on, so I'll just have to find a dealer that wants to sell some to me. The good news is that I can of course still camp with it!


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