Hello
from Harvey
Hello. My
name is Harvey and I feel I’ve gained a poor reputation. And somewhat unfairly. I’ve certainly created a lot of attention and
many enquiries after my health. Who ever
knew that an RV could be so popular, so please allow me to introduce myself properly. May I start by saying that I’m a shy retiring
chap and therefore rarely appear in the forefront of photographs, but you will
have seen me photo-bombing in the background from time to time!
After sitting
idle for a couple of years it’s fair to say I’d developed a small paunch. And I’m not getting any younger – perhaps you
could call it a Dad-bod. So with poor
fitness levels and a general lack of activity, it’s taken me a while to get back
up to snuff.
It also doesn’t
help that people are constantly messing with me. Adding things here, removing
things there, replacing this and modifying that. It’s a bit like having a hip replacement,
tonsils out, and a nose job all at the same time. You’d be feeling poorly for a bit if all that
happened to you I’m sure!
For those of
you who interested, here are a few technical specifications about myself. I’m a 2007 Forest River
Lexington 283 GTS, imported new into the UK.
At that time I was converted to LPG along with electrical and other
modifications needed for operating on this side of the Atlantic. I’ve only done 23000 miles however at 15
years old, I can no longer be referred to as a spring chicken. I’m built on a Ford E450 chassis and have a 6.8l
V10 gasoline engine which makes me extremely thirsty, thus the LPG conversion.
My vital
statistics are as follows: (although I’m American with a strong UK influence
and should therefore be quoted in imperial, I will use metric for the benefit
of my fans)
Length: 9.3m
Height:
(including roof box) 3.3m
Width: 2.55m
with slides in. Speaking of slides, I
actually have 3 of them which attracts rather a lot of attention when parked up! For some unknown reason, slides on motorhomes
aren’t a thing in Europe so I appear to be quite a novelty.
Weight: No-one is exactly sure however 6.5 tonnes has
been nominally apportioned (I’m sure I’m not the only one who is a bit coy
about their weight)
As of a
couple of days ago I’ve had some signwriting added so the origin of my current
inhabitants can no longer be in doubt.
Now you can add Kiwi to my USA and UK influences. No wonder I’m confused!
Below are
some photos showing me inside and outside, as you can see I’m quite spacious
with my slides out and reasonably manageable for driving when they’re in - as
long as errant GPS doesn’t take me down roads for which I wasn’t designed.
It’s true
though, I have been a troublesome child at times. And as we sit here, I’m still not working
100% satisfactorily – this time it’s my flashers (sorry, indicators, again for
the benefit of my audience). A couple of
days ago both the rear indicators turned themselves on, as in solid orange
lights, and stayed on. Randomly, the
right indicator still works (returning to solid orange rather than off) but the
left won’t work at all and neither will my hazard lights. Luckily I have some friends in Newport who
are qualified & experienced Harvey surgeons so I’m sure they’ll figure out
what’s wrong with me soon.
I’d like to
take this opportunity to thank my fan club for all their messages of concern
and support. The 3 weeks I spent stuck
in Redditch certainly won’t be reflected on with fondness however happily in
the end I was reunited with the travelling Woodies and all is well.
Now that I’m
pretty much fighting fit again, I really can’t wait to get on with this
adventure - there’s so much of Europe I haven’t seen! I promise to do my best not to cause my
occupants any more angst and be a reliable and trustworthy chap henceforth.
Much love to
you all.
Harvey
So spacious that's some serious mobile homing right there
ReplyDeleteHey Jax :-) Yep he's a comfortable little home for sure. Nice to hear from you :-)
DeleteThanks Harvey you look spacious and comfortable and a bit of a poser ! R
ReplyDeleteTo be honest my self esteem has been a little low lately however I do rather fancy the look of myself in the odd selfie :-)
DeleteA pleasure to make your acquaintance Harvey, I wish you all the best for your travels with the Woodies. I am sure they will show you a good time. Look after them well and in return they will ensure you also have a very memorable trip and have everything you need. A word of warning to you tho Harvey, although like you, they are not as young as they used to be, they sometimes (often) forget this and on occasion you may find you are partying like you were 5 years old, not 15!!!!! Enjoy the ride with the Woodies, and we look forward to the next exciting instalment of Adventures with Harvey
ReplyDeleteThanks Jono, nice to hear from you and thanks for your wise words of advice. I'm sure a few of my adventures will remind you of your time driving an even bigger vehicle around these parts!
Delete