Roughing It Smoothly - Tiffin Motorhomes

How It All BeganThere’s Only 1 Tow BrakeThat Makes You Safe & Legal:Continued from page 4units coming to the plant for service that arewell over 25 years old.The aluminum-framed walls were builton a 30-foot table using jigs. We finished theoutside of the wall with aluminum sidingand the inside with luan. We laminatedthe sandwich together with a polyurethanefoam that was sprayed into the cavity. As ithit the air, it heated, expanded, and bondedall the components together. It made a verygood wall. In fact, some who owned theseearlier coaches have asked, “Why did youstop building ’em that way.”Because the roof was made of aluminumand the coaches were just 90-inches wide,we built a flat roof from 1972 to 1990. Theywere easy to maintain.As I recall, Horace Stepp drew the floorplans. Grady Baggett built the cabinets andset the inside walls. Grady and Theronassembled the cabinets. Monroe Thorne cutthe steel members and worked in the weldingshop with Grady Pharr. Larry Joe Hill hungmetal and installed the windows. We set upthree production stations in the welding shopand eight stations on the assembly line.We didn’t have any logo decals or stripingto put on the early units, so we calledLee Gault, a sign painter in Russellville, topaint a big “A” on the sides of the coachesand then the word “Allegro” on the front.Johnny Hargett decided we should goto the Louisville show that December. Wetook the two units we had just finished andheaded north, arriving on Monday. We hadnot reserved space inside the building sowe set up outside in the parking lot. Thenext day we got 10 inches of snow. Aroundlunch time an RVIA official came out andshut us down. I asked him how we couldbecome a member and he graciously tookme inside and signed us up. We’ve been amember of RVIA ever since and have notmissed a Louisville show. We sold both ofthose motorhomes at the show.Johnny knew about 20 dealers andliterally drove all over the U.S. establishingmore dealerships. Before he left the company10 years later, he and our sales staffhad established a 100-dealer network. Byspring we were building one motorhome aday. At the end of the year, the company hadbuilt 243 motorhomes and barely scratched$2 million in sales.I continued to operate the cotton ginevery fall for several years, trying to be inboth places at different times during the day.One Ohio dealer who may not have knownwhat a cotton gin was became confusedwhen he would call the plant during the fallto speak to me, and the secretary would say,“He’s at the gin. Can he call you later?” Tohim, “gin” meant an alcoholic drink andhe thought I was hanging out at a localtavern. When he finally visited the plant,it so happened I was working at the cottongin that day. In whispered tones, he leanedover and asked the secretary, “Is Mr. Tiffinan alcoholic?” Then later that day he foundout what a cotton gin was.The conclusion to this story is: “If wehad experienced a good year at the cottongin in 1972, you might not be driving aTiffin motorhome today.”Keep on “Roughing It Smoothly.”The Unified Tow Brake by US GEARRemote ControlMounts inMotorhome CockpitTwo for the Road: Dorothy and CodeeContinued from page 20“Well, the cement barricades in constructionareas used to terrify me, but they don’tphase me anymore. I still don’t like to putoil in, but I have a checklist for beginning atrip and I follow it,” she said.Wade, Nathan, and D-Ray enough. They weregreat,” Dorothy said.And how about Codee? Actually, this isCodee II. She lies quietly by the driver’sseat as the twosome travels. If Dorothy isfriendly with others they meet, Codee isstages for this summer. Tom, 57, is chief ofpolice in Bowling Green, Ohio, and Rusty,50, is assistant chief of police in Itasca, Illinois.They both are motorcycle enthusiasts.They will join their mother to visitsome of the major western national parksOne item on that checklist is to secure calm and interested. “But don’t try to come including Mt. Rushmore, Yellowstone, andeverything in the motorhome that could get into my motorhome without knocking and Jackson Hole. Rusty and his wife, Lynn,“ Our Tow Brake is permanantly installedloose and distract her. “Last year on my way asking permission,” Dorothy warns. “When will ride on their Harley. Diana, Tom’s wife,and protects us all the time. Our buddy’sthrough the east Tennessee mountains, I heard I first arrive at a campground, Codee and I prefers to ride in the motorhome withsomething banging around and crashing. take a nice walk around the premises. While Dorothy, as they follow along behind thetow brake has to be reinstalled each time,I stopped the motorhome on the side of the we want to be friendly, Codee’s presence cyclists.but quite honestly, he usually leaves itroad and went back to investigate and found also says to strangers, ‘Don’t disturb this Dorothy turned the interview aroundmy coffee pot on the floor. Suddenly, I lady,’” she said with assurance.and asked me, “How long have you beendisconnected and stowed away. It’s alotrealized that the rig was moving. It went Raising and training pets has been a lifelongexperience for Dorothy’s daughters. “Thirty-seven years,” I responded. “Thelike seat belts, if you’re not using them,married, Fred?”down a steep embankment and through sometrees. I had put it in “Park” but I had failed Terry raises and shows Belgian Sheep dogs best is yet to come,” she counseled.you’re not safe or legal.”to set the emergency brake. It damaged the at her home in the north Georgia mountains. “If I had it to do over again, I’d do it allfront cap and gashed up the sides pretty bad. Patti trains dogs for clients. And Carol raises the same. I hope to keep full-timing in aBob & BobbieThe motorhome was driveable and I headed miniature horses in Rogersville, Tenn. Tiffin Motorhome until they throw me offstraight for Red Bay for repairs. I can’t thank A major family trip is in the planning the road,” she grinned.Available from your local RV dealerwww.usgear.com36 ROUGHING IT SMOOTHLY STORY TITLE 37