Are you kidding me? Five dollars a gallon by summer for regular gas? Help! How do you get the best possible gas mileage when towing your camper or driving your motor home?

First, we all realize the extra drag friction puts on under inflated tires. So, check your tires for the recommended proper amount of air pressure by the tire manufacturer located on the side wall of every tire, and air those tires up.

If you are pulling a travel trailer, wheel bearing grease is one of your new friends. There are two ways to grease your wheel bearings. The old fashioned way requires the removal of the tires and disassembly of the brake drums to access the wheel bearings and repacking them with wheel bearing grease. This is labor intensive and usually a dirty job. The easy way is to purchase a unit called 'the bearing buddy.' This unit replaces the dust cap located in the middle of your brake drum and is equipped with a spring loaded washer that, when properly greased through the grease fitting that is permanently installed on the unit, will constantly apply grease to the bearings as needed. When purchasing bearing buddies, remove the dust cap from your camper and take it with you to be sure the one you get will fit right the first time. (One trip to the parts store will also save you gas!) If your camper's wheels are equipped with a center cap, removal of the cap will be necessary to install the bearing buddy and access the grease fitting. If you really like the looks of that center cap, you may drill a hole in it so you can access the grease fitting and still keep the original look of your camper.

Next make sure your brake controller is set properly to prevent unnecessary brake drag. Since all brake controllers are different, please refer to the owner's manual for your type of controller for the proper setting procedure.

Wind drag is a large contributor to your loss of fuel mileage while towing your camper. If you travel to any extent or are looking for better handling when towing you RV, there is a wind deflector available that straps to your tow vehicle's roof and directs the air flow over your camper instead of against it. These units come either 15 inches high and 48 wide or 17 inches high and 60 inches wide. They can be easily removed when you are not towing your camper or can be folded down when not needed.

If you are as lucky as I am and own a motor home (9 miles a gallon fuel lover) you know the importance of a properly tuned engine. Change those old spark plugs, install a new cap and rotor, spark plug wires, and add a can or two of sea foam carburetor and engine cleaner to all fuel tanks. (This stuff really works.)

Usually it is more efficient to run your generator and roof air than dash air conditioning, as the extra load on your engine will consume more fuel then your generator per hour.

If you're like me, your camper has all the things you could pos

sibly need no matter what the season. Lighten the load; carry less weight. If possible, travel with all of your holding tanks empty, fill your fresh water tank when you arrive at your destination. If you don't need it with you on this trip, leave it home.

Last, camp close to home, its not how far you go, its just getting away that really matters. If possible, locate all campgrounds that are downhill from your house, and coast as much as possible. As always be safe have fun and don't let the high price of fuel stop you from what you enjoy, just be smarter the way you enjoy it.

Roger White owns Roger's Mobile R.V. Repair, serving the RV Industry for 30 years. If you need assistance with your RV, he can be reached at 364-4260. He lives in Gassaway with his wife and son.