The podcast episode commences with an exploration of the intricacies of enhancing one's truck suspension system, particularly focusing on the merits of the Road Active Suspension. This innovative suspension upgrade is positioned as a superior alternative to traditional load-bearing solutions such as airbags or Timbren products. Eric Stark, the host, shares his personal experience with Road Active Suspension, elaborating on the transformative effect it had on his truck's handling and drivability. The discussion delves into the technical aspects of the product, including its variable rate tension coil springs, which are designed to engage seamlessly with the vehicle's existing leaf springs. This engagement not only mitigates the common problem of vehicle squat when towing but also enhances ride quality both under load and when unloaded, making it a versatile solution for truck owners. Stark interviews Nolan Mass from Road Active Suspension, who provides insights into the installation process, customer service ethos, and the brand's commitment to quality and durability. The conversation underscores the importance of proper maintenance and the longevity of the product, appealing to RV enthusiasts seeking reliability and performance in their towing experiences.

Takeaways:

• The podcast episode discusses the important aspects of RV maintenance, particularly the necessity of having a reliable tire pressure monitoring system to prevent blowouts.
• Listeners are introduced to the concept of micro gardening, emphasizing its practicality for RVers who wish to enjoy fresh produce while traveling.
• Eric Stark shares a cautionary tale about RV awnings that can potentially trap individuals inside their RV during unexpected circumstances, highlighting the importance of safety.
• The episode features an interview with Nolan from Road Active Suspension, who discusses how their suspension systems can significantly improve towing performance and ride quality.
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa is presented as an underrated destination for RVers, with its rich cultural heritage and community events adding value to potential visits.
• The hosts encourage listeners to explore new products, such as innovative air conditioning systems for RVs, that enhance comfort while traveling.

Wholesale Warranties RV Extended Warranties

Road Active Suspension

Stikky Books

TST Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Breezonic Ultimate RV Ari Conditioner

Mclarens Collectibles

If you're considering adding or replacing the overload springs or load leveling system on your truck, stay tuned for the road active suspension interview. In staying on the road and then enjoying the RV life, we're going to talk about micro gardening today while RVing.

So Alexis is going to take the lead on that one. So that'll get interesting. And then in the next stop, we're going to visit Cedar Rapids, Ohio, a little hidden gem in the Midwest.

Then in shadows of the past, the towns that once were, we're going to visit Proto Vin, Iowa. And then in RV Envy, we're going to talk about sticky books and a new air conditioner that's taken the RV market and overlanding market by storm.

This is Eric Stark with the Smart RVer podcast, your trusted source for tips and insights to embrace the RV lifestyle without worries. So let's talk everything RV today. And this is episode 178. So let's dig right in. In. And so we have Alexis on the show today.

Hello.

Who's gonna just stun us?

I am.

I am with her. Her insight on Protovan, Iowa. Yes, said it right. I've got the name down finally.

I've actually been there, so this is exciting.

Exactly. So she's gonna tell us about her hometown. Maybe not her hometown, but a place she been before.

Yes.

Or has been before. So here we go with the bad grammar already.

Oh, no.

Oh, well, it's the way it happens sometimes. So. Hey, I just want to share one little thing that came up last week in a conversation with a customer.

So they brought it, bought a brand new RV from a dealership in Missoula. They get it home and the AC doesn't work, nor does the heat. So no heat, no ac.

So they call the dealership and the dealership says, oh, you just need a new thermostat. It's probably defective. They had to go get the thermostat from the dealership, take it home and install it. Then the. The heater worked after that.

So the heater is working now, but there's no ac. We're going in the summertime, so it's a little bit of a panic for them. And so they call the dealership up and say, this is what's happening.

Said, well, and the dealership tells them we have no technicians. So this is the husband talking to him. And so the wife's like, what? You know? And so she calls him back and gets the same response.

We have no technicians.

What?

Doesn't that seem impossible? A dealership would have no Technicians. So it got me a little curious. So I called and the guy says, well, we have technicians here.

And I kind of explained what was going on. Not in great detail. I actually more like I was just calling their behalf, you know, or someone's behalf. He's like, I don't know. So I don't know.

But it's an interesting thing, though, that the customers walked away with that kind of confusion.

Yeah.

Or with that answer. So it's hard to say. So this is kind of that dealership thing. We just hear it over and over and over again.

Yes.

So before you ever buy the rv. Oh, and they did have the RV checked out thoroughly before they actually paid for it. Everything worked so mysteriously, it stops working.

But that happens, you know.

So one other thing we're going to talk about today at the end of the show, how an RV awning can actually block your door and keep you trapped in your rv. So stay to the end to hear what. What happened in this one case or one scenario. So now let's jump right into enjoying the RV live.

So Alexis is going to share with us micro gardening while RVing. So this is going to be very interesting. So let us have it, Alexis.

Here we go. This is for the plant lovers. Okay, so picture this. You're parked at a stunning lakeside camp campground.

The sun's setting, and you're tossing fresh basil and cherry tomatoes from your own RV micro garden into a sizzling campfire skillet. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it?

Oh, it does. I mean, I'm all over it.

Cherry tomatoes and basil.

Right. Bacon in there, too.

Micro gardening is actually a hot trend for RVers, especially those craving homegrown flavor on the road. And all about herbs. It's about microgreens, even tiny peppers in pots, jars, or hanging baskets, perfect for cozy rigs.

You got fresh, nutritious eats, you save a few bucks, and you feel like a eco warrior.

Eco warrior.

I don't know about that. But you do feel, I think, closer to earth, all while adding this type of nutrition to your travels. It's actually a really good thing.

And you can save money, so that's part of it. Securing pots for the bumpy roads is an important thing to do because you don't want your plants flying all around.

Managing water when you're boondocking is also an important thing. And then keeping plants happy through. If you're in the desert heat or the mountain cold air, that can be a little tricky.

So you do need to know what you're doing before you just jump into this, it is very. It's a very good thing to do. But you do need to do a little research before starting.

So starting small can be a good idea with just basil or microgreens. Strap those pots down with bungee cords and use a little spray bottle to water them. Keep it very simple.

You'll end before you know it, you'll be whipping up pesto pasta or salad.

In your RV or something.

Something. But it's a. It's a very trendy thing to do. It's very cool. So.

Yeah.

Learn about it.

Or more people are doing. Yeah. Gardening. They are. I would think this have to be more for the full timer living in it or someone who's RVing a lot.

That would be good.

I don't think it's gonna be for everybody.

Yes. You know, because it takes time and.

I don't think you have to. I'm not gonna go down that road. I'm just gonna leave that one. Yeah. It's interesting, though.

So it's just another aspect of RVing, so you can incorporate your life into it, you know, so your life isn't closed out.

Exactly.

So micro gardening, you know, it may not be for you. It might be for some, not others. You know, if you do it, it's going to help you save some money.

Yeah.

Which, you know, saving money these days is very important. It's what we like, you know. So this episode, I'm trying to think here. So the. Some of the tariffs have already kicked in.

These supposed tariffs are going to wipe out the world. So we're seeing some price increases right now. So we're actually in. I don't know what month are we in? May. In May.

Yes, we are.

So this episode will be out June something or other. June 6th. I think we'll see that. And that helps us or makes us think more about how to save money.

Because we still have to buy certain things regardless. Whatever's going on in our life, we have to buy certain things. Brings us to our money saving tip.

So when it comes to the RV life, there's little things we can do to help us save money. And sometimes we can actually boost up our safety as well, so we can save a little cash, make our RV travels a little bit safer.

And when things are safe and we're saving money, it brings us some peace of mind. And so what we're going to talk about is tire pressure monitoring systems today for tires. You know, everybody's heard of them. Well, I think so.

A lot of people have. Maybe some haven't. I don't know. It's like in that Geico commercial. If you're living under a rock, maybe you haven't.

But tire pressure monitoring systems, they can help you keep track of what's going on your tires to help you avoid a blowout, keeping your pressure at the highest level possible, which is normal for a trailer. If your trailer tires call for a maximum pressure of, let's say 80 psi, that's where you keep it.

You don't try to lower it to make the right softer, and you keep it at the highest pressure possible. There's some reasons for that. You know, it's a tire thing for trailer tires because the sidewalls have so much load on them that they need that.

But you know, when you have a blowout, it's not just the tire that blows out. You know, that can be a couple hundred bucks for a tire itself, but it's all the other damage.

And that's where we've talked about the RV Defender before as well. We'll put a link to RV Defender in the description of this podcast so you can see what I'm talking about.

But when you have a tire pressure monitoring system, you can kind of see that if your tire pressure is dropping while you're driving, if the heat's rising, oh, I got a problem. So you're gonna pull over and address that problem.

And when you're keeping them pressured up or you're monitoring the pressure, it's gonna reduce the wear and tear because you have a better idea when the pressure is dropping, if it's low.

You know, before you set out on a trip, maybe you just didn't have time to air up the tires, but you have a tire pressure monitoring system that's gonna be low, looking at you in the face saying, hey, you need to do something. So it might be that reminder. Then you're also going to save money by not wearing out tires prematurely, you know, because they do add up.

And also when they're aired up properly the way they should be, you're going to have less wear and or less drag as you're driving down the road or rolling resistance. And so that's going to help you get better fuel economy, which that you would carry over to your vehicle.

If you're using a truck to tow your trailer or if it's a motorhome, keeping those tires aired up properly will give you better fuel economy. So that'll save you some money as well. It might not be like tons of money all at once, but over time, if you travel A lot, especially in the summer.

You're gonna save some cash, which helps, you know. And all these tire pressure monitoring systems are very do it yourselfer friendly. You don't have to be a genius to install them.

And then most of them have apps that you can monitor on a smartphone or, or they'll have a monitor, they'll sit on the dash. I kind of like the monitor on the dash thing because it's right in front of you. One less hat or a hobby you have on your phone.

And you know, some of these apps don't work that well. They don't refresh quick enough. So it can be kind of a hassle.

But that's a simple upgrade and unfortunately you're gonna be looking at several hundred dollars to get a decent one. But over the long haul it might save you thousands depending on what happens with your tires.

And if you're looking for a brand that you want to just buy and know you can trust it. TST Tire Pressure Monitors is a good brand. That's what we sell in our store, that's what we recommend.

So we'll have more on this on our website, the smartrver.com so this will be under a money saving tips and you'll be able to read all the article with a couple links as well to some different brands. Now, in staying on the road today, it's not going to be just me yakking.

We're actually going to have an interview with Road Active Suspension with Nolan from Road Active Suspension. And Road Active Suspension is a, as I mentioned, it can replace your leveling system in your truck or if you're looking to upgrade.

This system is absolutely amazing. I put it on my truck and that's kind of what tuned me into this. They've been around since the 90s. I haven't heard of them till recently.

It's like, man, what have I missed all these years? We're gonna start that interview and then you guys can take what you get from it.

And it'll also be a link to Road Active Suspension's website in the description of the podcast as well. All right, so let's check out that interview.

We have Nolan Mass from Road Active Suspension here today. We're going to talk about suspension upgrades for pickup trucks, primarily pickup trucks, but it works on vans and some other vehicles.

And it's for the rear, so it's going to replace products like Firestone or Timbren, things like that. Or if you don't have anything, this might be the upgrade that your truck will need. To tow, just to have a better ST drivability.

It's an awesome product. And what brought me to this was a customer of ours told me about it, and I got curious and called up Rodactive Suspension. Talked to Sean there.

He convinced me I have to have it on my truck. And I was looking at replacing my Firestone airbags, but I went with Road Active, and, man, what a difference.

This product changed how I felt about the truck. And they had a video that kind of showed that too. And I didn't really think the video was accurate. I'm thinking, nah, these guys are full of it.

Well, it turns out they're not. This product is absolutely unbelievable. It changed the way I felt about my truck and how it drove.

So I had to talk to them and get them on here because I got to share this with everybody. Everybody needs to know about Road Active suspension. That's how I feel about it. So, Nolan, I'm glad you could make it today.

We nice conversation here. So welcome to the Smart RVer podcast.

Hey, Eric, thanks for having me. I really appreciate it. Also love that, that you love our product. That makes us really happy.

Well, that's good. It's great product. So, you know, as I was installing it, I really thought this is going on too easy. Very simple installation.

You know, I watched the video and it just like, nah, it can't be that easy. It really is. So that's what's cool about it. It's a do it yourselfer type installation. It doesn't have to be done at a shop. So anybody could do this.

Maybe your grandma even, I don't know, depending on her age and shape. But that's what's so cool, is it's such an easy installation. And there's no cables to run, no wires to run.

Just tighten up those springs, and you brought them a little or put them all disc in the kit to make it accurate. So that's really nice. So, Nolan, how long have you been with Road Active Suspension?

So I really got to talk with, you know, so many of the customers and pickup owners out there that were experiencing the problems that. That, you know, that you experience.

A lot of the RV ERs and travel owners, you know, experience, and when they hook up their trailer, which is, you know, the initial, you know, visual cue they see is, you know, the squat. So I get to, you know, talk with a lot of folks about that.

I got to talk with a lot of RV dealers, trailer sales places, pitch installers, 4x4 shops that, you know, are in this, in the industry, sold other products, rear suspension upgrades. You know, obviously not limited to that, but it really gave me a, it gave me a good basis for, for what I do today.

So it was just, just a joy being able to bring, you know, a product that actually works and does what it says to the pickup owners and that, that need that additional support and are having, having issues, you know, with, with drivability and, and need. Need that additional safety assets.

Awesome. So Nolan has a lot of experience with the company, a lot of experience with the product. So that's great.

And you know what's nice about that is when you have a company, even like when I talk to Sean, he knew the product inside and out just like you do. You guys know it well, and that's what makes a difference sometimes. And you guys answer your phone. I forgot about that. You guys answer your phone.

That's customer service. And that's going away these days. And I like companies that answer their phone.

They, they're becoming my favorite.

He knows every little, the minute detail about every little thing. So if there's a question, if anybody has a, anybody here has a question about anything, he's going to know anything about the product.

So him, him being kind of the lead on, on the phone talking to guys like, like Eric is really valuable to the company. And he's just such an awesome guy.

Yep. Yeah, it makes a big difference. Okay, so now that was the easy question.

How long you been there?

I mean, obviously you know that. So let's get into a little more difficult ones. So the first one I have, and.

This is probably one that I think.

A lot of people will be wondering about, what makes Road active suspension different from other suspension upgrades like airbags, sumosprings or even Timbren products?

Yeah. So I mean, just know right out of the gate, you know, all those products are working. They're.

They're essentially resisting the weight at the frame of the vehicle.

You know, the bump, stop, Snubbers like, like a Sumospring or Timbren, you know, they're obviously manufactured with different materials and what have you, but they're resisting the weight.

So you know, as you're, you hook up your trailer or put, you know, load in the bed of your truck, you know that the frame is going to come down and with that snubber it's going to hit the axle of the vehicle. So same with an airbag setup. You'd obviously pump air in and out there with our product instead of resisting the weight at the frame of the vehicle.

Our spring is a variable rate tension coil springs. You know, when you set the hooks over the rear half of the leaf spring.

So when you set the tension on our spring, it works like a muscle to hold the leaf spring in an arch position. There's a really an interaction between our tension coil spring and the leaf spring of the suspension itself.

And so the outcome and what you feel as the driver is going to be much, much different. Then a product is going to resist that weight at the frame of the vehicle.

And then so you're going to see obviously some different benefits than some products that are going to resist the weight at the frame of the vehicle.

Okay, very good.

Yeah, that explains this big difference there. And you said something about it affects the way the vehicle drives or rides afterwards, which it does. I was very impressed with that.

It was so noticeable and it was.

Such a good difference where like you.

Put on Firestone airbags like when I did, there's no change in the way it rode. It just got airbags now. No excitement, got airbags. All right, so now another question here.

How does road Action suspension, how does it change the ride quality when the truck is loaded versus unloaded?

Yeah, no, great question. That's, that's probably, that's one of the most common questions that we get.

And that's one of the most common questions that I got when I was speaking to customers every day.

So, you know, the answer is gonna, is gonna vary based on the truck that you have, how worn your leaf springs are, how sensitive you are, how you drive your truck. The answers that we get vary.

And if you look at all the reviews, there's a lot of guys that'll say, hey, you know, I installed my kit, love everything about it because, and partly because it didn't hurt my unloaded ride, I didn't feel a difference in my unloaded ride quality. So that's kind of one end.

The other that's kind of, I guess, worst case, best case, Is like we have customers like Eric that they put it on and they can immediately feel a difference in the way the truck handles. And so it's also going to depend on you know, how the tension setting that is set. So we've got a range of adjustability on our spring.

So if you set it at a lower tension setting, it's not going to output as much suspension strength and I guess stiffness in quotes to the, to the leash spring. And when I say stiff, it's stiffness. It's not in a negative way.

For example, if you have, if you've got a half ton truck and you set the tension at the 1 millimeters tension setting and you, you kind of, you know, baby, you, you don't really drive above, ever drive above the speed limit. You kind of, you know, drive a little bit slower around curves and corners, that kind of thing.

And you drive primarily on smooth roads and your neck of the woods doesn't have rough roads. You may not notice a huge difference in the unloaded ride quality.

But when your truck, when you're towing that, you're going to feel that that spring really kick in to provide over and above what you were getting before the other end is.

And the way that for myself and I would say the majority of our customers that they feel immediately and again it also is going to depend on the condition of your leaf spring. If you have like an, for example, another example, if you have an older pickup truck that maybe the leaf springs are a little bit worn.

And so you know, if you have more leaf springs, you're going a lot more kind of wallowy, soft around curves and corners type feeling.

And you install our kit, you're going to notice that bigger difference because our spring is engaging with those old leaf springs and really bringing them back to life.

So you're going to notice going on curves and corners, going over bumps, potholes that you'd say more, it's more, the vehicle is going to drive more like a sports car essentially. And so that's what, that's the feeling it's going to, it's going to help the truck hug the road much, much better.

And so that's, that's the typical experience of pickup truck owners when the vehicle is not loaded.

When you're loaded, you're also going to have obviously a much greater degree of improvement and reducing of squat, obviously better control because when you're squatting the front of your, the nose of the vehicle is going to be up in the air and you're going to lose Some tire contact and some. Some control there.

So obviously, adding the suspension component and to the existing leaf springs is going to improve the unloaded or the loaded ride quality as well as.

Yeah, you know, you said it hugs better like a sports car, and it does. You know, it's hard to imagine a truck feeling that, and that's what I did. That was one of the things like.

Yeah, that's how you describe it hugging the road. It just feels like it's clamping down on the road and like claws. So it's pretty nice. Makes a big difference, you know.

So as you're answering questions, you're kind of, you know, covering other things, which is great. So you. Yeah, like, I was going to talk to you about adjusting it, which you talked about. You got into that.

So the adjustment is pretty easy on it, pretty straightforward. But another question that might come up because, you know, so many products that get put on vehicles need maintenance.

You know, they got to be lubricated. You got to do this, you got to do that, you got to adjust them from time to time.

Is there anything like that with road active suspension that you have to do after you install it?

Yeah, I can actually expound on first the adjustment part, because that is a. That is a question that we get a lot just kind of expound on that. So we have a range of adjustability. So our kit really is designed to be.

Set it and forget it. So once you, you know, once you find that correct tension setting at the start, you know, you shouldn't have to consistently readjust that.

So that's a definite positive on the maintenance side. I mean, we e coat everything we can e coat. There's certain parts that we need a zinc. Zinc plate.

So, you know, we do everything we can to help with corrosion and resistance. There one thing that we recommend.

It's always a good idea to use some sort of lubricant, like an amsoil, something like that, to just spray down your. Spray down everything like, you know, you would otherwise. If you.

Especially if you live up north where there's a lot of salt in the roadways in the wintertime, always a good idea to do that. So definitely recommend doing that. But other than that, you know, you don't.

There's no, you know, as opposed to like an airbag setup where you deal with leaky lines, you know, and that kind of thing. Winter can really be a detriment to. To those lines and. And the bags. I mean, you don't have to worry about any of that.

Everything's Mechanical metal and it's built to last, right?

Yeah.

No air compressors, no nothing. Yeah, so that's pretty cool. So just spraying it down with some metal lube is awesome. And that's pretty simple. Yeah, just do that and you're done.

You know, a lot of this stuff come. You know the questions I'm coming from, they're coming or asking, they're coming from forums, you know, like Tacoma World and things like that.

Because these are people that have vehicles where like a Tacoma is kind of a sporty truck, you know, so they don't want to put something on there clunky. And so when you think about some of the vehicles that are using these full size trucks, Tacomas, it's a product that's very universal.

It goes across the divides of different vehicles. You know, because a Tacoma driver is definitely different than a let's say a Ford F350 driver.

But it works in all those vehicles and it works I would say equally well.

Would that be correct?

I would put a caveat on that. Our product is such a great.

We really tune the springs and we, we feel that we've provide, provided the best product out there for your less than half ton, half ton, three quarter ton and the demands of those there is some diminishing returns once you get to especially the one ton market. Now we could obviously we could tune these stronger. We are working on some things to be able to offer a more competitive product for the 1 tons.

But on the 1 ton market you've got something unique is, and it mentioned it to you before, is that those 1 tons, they pretty much all nowadays come with a factory top overload spring. And obviously the, the, the spring pack in general just on a one ton truck is going to be much, much thicker.

So when you apply our heavy duty spring to a thicker leaf spring pack number one, it's not going to have the same impact on that thicker one ton pack as it would on your and a half ton truck with maybe two or three leaf springs. And then additionally those one ton trucks at the factory come with that factory top overload spring.

So that factory top overload spring needs to be removed in order to fit our product on top of there.

So you're taking a step back in order to install our product from a, from a ride height standpoint, you know, squat standpoint really isn't going to offer too much on those vehicles. I just kind of give you about the same in terms of, you know, reducing squat.

What it is going to do for those vehicles is it's going to engage sooner because that factory top overload spring meets a. It requires a few inches of squat, about 2 or so inches of squat before hitting a snubber that's connected to the frame.

And so when all of that is removed, our spring is put on. It's going to engage much sooner than that. Factory top overload spring was, was, was engaging. But then also in.

One of the common complaints with folks with factory top overload springs is oftentimes the, the, the snubber and the top overload spring bounce off each other and so they cause a bouncy ride when going over kind of, you know, bridge abutments and, and kind of rough roads.

So you take that out of the equation, add our product, our product already is going to have a significant impact in bound reducing bounce and you know, all of that. So it's going to be huge benefits.

There's, there's a lot of pickup owners that will in those one ton cases will install our product just for, just for that and helping. It's going to be a bigger impact on stability but the impact is not going to be the same in terms of you know, reducing squat on a one ton truck.

And that's you know, very oftentimes if, if you, if you've got a one ton truck and need to reduce squat, we typically, and Sean and the other other guys, they'll recommend, they'll say hey maybe our product isn't for you, you know, maybe go with the different suspension upgrade.

So I would say for your hat for your Tacomas, you know and we've getting, we're getting a more and more footprint with your Tacoma, your Overland type guys that, guys that have truck bed campers and they're going, you know, an off road type situations. I mean remarkable, we're getting some remarkable results.

A lot of our growth has, has been and our popularity is, has been from your half ton, three quarter ton guys towing travel trailers, RVs.

That's our, that's been really our bread and butter and what you know, I guess we're a great match for we found out, you know was we've been a great match for.

But I would say over the last, especially the year, last year or two we've had more and more Tacoma owners especially and Overland folks that have begun testing and using our product and those off more off road type situations and additional support with some really, really good results. So I mean you know, but those are, those are great applications for our product too.

Yeah, great. Also you brought up the Tacomas and Overlanding that type of stuff. Does your product work with trucks?

Let's say with lift kits, three inch lift kits, six inch lift kits.

Yeah. So great question.

Typically, yes, but we recommend if you've got a, if you got a lift kit, we recommend reaching out to us first to confirm proper fitment.

If you order from our website, there's a very good chance or if you order anywhere, there's a very good chance that our product is going to fit your vehicle if you've got a lift kit on it.

But there are certain, there are certain lift kits and it's going to vary because there's so many different lift kits out there and packages, you know, different year make models of trucks. It's difficult for us to keep track of every single one and know specifically when, when a lift kit is mentioned that hey, yes, it's going to work.

So our process typically is if you got a lift kit, send us an email and Sean or the other people will take a look at it. To confirm fitment, we just request pictures typically and we'll work on a customer by customer basis if we have to.

We just want to, you know, we don't want a customer.

We want to prevent a customer from ordering the product and figuring out that it doesn't work and then have to like incur restocking fees and things like that. And we just, we just want to, don't want that, any of that to happen.

Right?

No.

That's good.

Yeah.

That's one thing. I kind of, while you said it too, that if it's not the right fit, you guys aren't going to recommend it. And Sean seemed to be that way too.

It might not work on your truck, but send me some pictures.

Let's make sure if, I will say if, you know, if it does fit on the truck, guys with lift kits are some of the happiest customers because, you know, you get a, get a lift kit on your truck, you got a higher center of gravity and get a lot more instability sway you. Also a lot of those guys experience axle rat wheel hop issues and our product really helps with that.

It doesn't typically completely get rid of it, but there's great benefit and improvement in the axle wrap wheel hop problems that those guys with lift kits experience.

Yeah.

So that's good. So most of them are, you know, my customers aren't going to have lift kits, but some do, you know, or. Yeah, different vehicles, different things.

So another question is, is there a heavy duty version versus a medium duty version?

Yeah. So for many years we you know, so the product was originally designed in South Africa for pickup owners that were driving in the bush.

And that product, initial product design was much, much smaller than what we're seeing today. We've built, built it up and beefed it up so much to better fit the United States market. So we've went through several iterations and spring sizes.

So we've got actually right now we've got three different spring sizes. We've got kind of the smallest, which is the original original that we still utilize.

On some of the older Ford Rangers S10, some of the super small vehicles we've got a standard duty which we offer for most of your Tacomas, your newer Ford Rangers, your newer Chevy Colorado's and Canyons. And then we, and then we offer that also on your, for your half ton trucks. And we have a heavy duty kit.

And our heavy duty kit is by far our most popular offering.

And since that time, you know, that's really when we've seen the, the most growth in popularity is that that heavy duty kit is an amazing match for the, for the half ton truck market. So if you're towing or hauling with the half ton or three quarter ton truck, we have that heavy duty kit's going to be great, a great fit for you.

Okay, so that sounds good. So that explains that. Another question too is how long do these last? What's the lifespan? Buy it once, forget about it or every 10 years.

Yeah, you know, the kit is really designed to last as long as you're going to have your truck.

I mean, you know, Sean still talks to guys that they've had their truck for 20 years and they're like, you know, I'm getting it, finally getting a new truck and I still have it on my old one. Can I put it on my new one? You know, so you know they're built to last for a really long time, you know, as long as you're going to have your truck.

I mean, so the lifetime of the vehicle again, you know, it's a good idea, you know, to help along with it, you know, prolong just like you do everything else. And under the, under your vehicle, if you're in a.

If you're up north or somewhere, we experience, you know, you know, salty air, that kind of thing to you spray down over a few years and that's.

Right.

So that's good. Unlike so many products today where they don't last a lifetime. Well, I shouldn't say a lifetime, but a long time.

And, you know, it's not like in three years, you got to buy some parts, have it repaired, you got maintenance, so you put it on, forget about it. There's no software updates. You know, it's pretty simple. You don't have to look at your phone to do anything. You don't have a compressor going bad.

So, yeah, that product, your product just absolutely makes perfect sense. Put it on, forget about it. So I'm glad I used it. I'm glad you're able to come on today and answer these questions.

I mean, I have more questions, but we just don't have the time to go through them all. But I'm going to put all the questions on our website@the smartrver.com and also road Active Suspension has a very interactive website.

Tons of videos, all sorts of stuff happening. I think whatever page you go on, there's things moving and things happening. And of course, you can call me if you have questions.

Sean will answer the phone. And he's the man. He knows it all there, right?

Sean is the man. He's the man here, too.

So, yeah, so that's. That's absolutely awesome. So, Nolan, I really appreciate you coming by today and sharing these answers to these questions. Questions.

And I'm sure I'll have more as time goes on. And I'll. In fact, what I'll do is I'm going to run these by you first before I put them on our website, and maybe you can help me out.

A little bit, but I think it will clear it up.

And if people have any questions again, they can go to the RoadActive website, which all that information will be in the description of this podcast or the video, whichever, how you're taking this in. So, again, thank you very much. Very helpful information. You guys have a great company as well, and so pat everybody there on the back for us.

We really appreciate good products.

Amazing. Thanks for having me, Eric.

All right, my pleasure.

So that was great interview. We really appreciate Nolan's insight on Road Active Suspension. And so you're going to want to check it out if you're looking to upgrade your.

Your suspension in your truck. Like, I Said I put it in mine. It was a day and night difference.

And, you know, I expressed some of that in the video, so I'm not going to belabor those points. So now that's going to bring us to our next stop, which today I'm going to be doing. Yeah, Alexis and I have done the old switcheroony thing here.

Sorry to throw you all off.

Yep. So now we're going to suffer a. A journey through Cedar Rapids, Ohio, with me.

Iowa.

Iowa. See, that's how bad it's. At least it's not Obama Nebraska, like last time.

Yeah. Yeah.

So, you know, Cedar Rapids might not be the first place you're going to think of going on an RV trip. It's not something I. Or a place that I would think of going to.

Yeah.

In fact, Iowa in general isn't, you know, for whatever reason, you just.

We just get these ideas of states and places and kind of run with it and we, you know, work our life around it like we'll avoid that state, you know, at all costs, for whatever reason. But it really sounds like it is going to be a good place to go for an RV adventure.

Now, I've never been there myself, and I'm kind of more inclined to want to go there now. Good. After reading this article, Iowa or Cedar Rapids. It's along the Cedar river, and it's a city known as the City of Five Seasons.

Yeah.

And so the fifth season isn't what you think. There's not another season.

But what they say is the fifth season is the time to enjoy all the other seasons, like spring, summer, fall, and winter, without rushing. So that's why they call it a fifth season, you know. So in other words, they're saying, hey, enjoy this place. Don't be in a rush to do it.

Now, it's not a big, massive city. It only has 135,000 people. That's the population. So it's not huge. It's. It's a manageable city. You know, It's. You can go there and enjoy it.

It has all the big city amenities. Like every city this size anymore, you get over 50,000 people.

It seems like they got all these, you know, helicopters, bring in these big box stores and stuff, land and everything, you know.

True.

All of a sudden, it looks like every other city with a red Robin, a Walmart and a target, and 800 gas stations. Besides that, it sounds like a cool place. So it's the second largest city in Iowa, if that matters to you.

But they have a lot of arts and culture there. And they have a very rich Czech and Slavic heritage.

Yes.

And so those two things in itself, they run through the city. And so that gives everything some flavor there, including the food, which is we would expect.

And then they also have festivals to celebrate the Czech and Slavic heritage. So those types of things can be very easy to go to. Go to a city and enjoy some festivals.

It's a reason to go there, and you're there for the festival, but then you get also the flavor of the city as well. And you can determine whether you like it or don't like it. It's up to you. But there's a lot of history there.

Not only just history in general, US History, but a lot of foodies like going there because different types of food. There is nature around Cedar Rapids, so there's something for Everybody there, including RVs, RVers, there's parks, there's museums.

They've got it all.

They do.

So it sounds like a really cool place to go and explore. Spend a week there or a weekend if you're passing through Iowa, going someplace else. Maybe swing into Cedar Rapids and check it out for yourself.

And now they don't have RV parks in Cedar Rapids that I could see. They're around the area, but that's all right. You know, who wants to be in the city anyways?

On the outside, tons of restaurants, like I said, and they have some interesting restaurants. We don't have time to get into all of them and all that fun stuff. And you can get propane, dump stations.

Everything you need is in Cedar Rapids, even a good time.

So check it out and we'll have the entire story on our website, the smartrver.com so you can have get the entire flavor of it without ever even leaving your house.

Right.

How was that?

It's amazing.

That is awesome. Only here at the Smart rver. All right, so that wraps up Cedar Rapids. And now right next door, there's another town, and it's called Protovent.

Now, this is where Alexis grew up. Well, not really. She visited there once, so it has a soft spot in her heart. So she's going to share the shadows of the past with us today.

In this case, I took. I tore the page out of Grandpappy Popeye's book and gave it to Alexis.

You did all right, Alexis, so let's hear what you have to say or what you can share with us about Protovent Iowa.

All right, here we go, ladies and gentlemen. Towns that once were we take a quiet detour off the main roads into the rolling Farmland of northeast Iowa, a place called Protavan.

But time, as always, brought change. Young people left for the cities. Farms grew bigger, but fewer businesses shuttered one by one, and the sound of Czech songs gave way to silence.

Today, Protovin remains on the map. Barely a few dozen residents still tend their homes, and the church still holds mass, but the town feels more like a memory than a moment.

Its high school closed years ago. The baseball diamond sits quiet, and the Sokol hall, now mostly used for reunions and remembrance. Still, once a year, life returns.

Czech Days, a celebration of heritage and heart, fills the streets with laughter, kolaches, and accordion tunes. For a weekend, Protovan is alive again.

But when the tents come down and the visitors head home, Protovan goes back to sleep, its legacy living in its stories, in old photographs, and in the hearts of those who called it home. Because some towns don't vanish at all. They simply fade, like a song in a language we used to know.

Wow. That sounds just like an NPR reading.

Wow.

Thank you.

That was very nice. So Proto Vin is a pretty cool place.

Yeah.

Or was.

It was. I love going back. It was.

I don't know why I said I was thinking of another town.

I said was, but no, it's great. It's very homey there.

And, man, I actually want to take hole there because during check days, they have bratwurst galore and the kolaches, which are like this pastry, Czech pastry. It's delicious.

Oh, they're not shoes.

No. I mean, if they're hard enough, you could probably wear them as shoes, the.

Pastries, and that's a big deal. That's one of their big things.

It is, absolutely.

So Protivan. Sounds pretty cool.

Yeah.

All these little towns have all this rich history, and, you know, speaking of rich history in little towns, I'm going to talk about Ogden, Utah, for A split second here.

Oh, yeah.

Nothing do with Proto vin. Nothing like Proto Van, but you were just there. Ogden is kind of a. Well, it's a town.

So if you're in Ogden, Utah, or near it, I gotta tell you to go to McLaren's collectibles. If you're into antiques and collectibles and stuff, talk to Neil there. He's the owner. This store is absolutely awesome.

It's well lit and it's clean and it's organized.

That's awesome.

Which, you know, a lot of these stores you go into for collectibles and stuff, they're eclectic, to say the least. They're different. But this store, you can see everything.

So you're not looking at something, you want to buy it, and you got to take it outside and find out it's really a pile of junk. You can see it in the store. And he has some phenomenal stuff there. Absolutely phenomenal stuff.

Great.

In fact, that's where we got this radio sitting, right? Yeah. You can't see it if you're listening, but in the video you'll be able to see it.

Very cool.

And he has other stuff. I mean, it's just incredible. So you got to go check it out. And that's In Ogden, Utah, McLaren's collectibles.

All right, so now the full article on Cedar Rapids and Proto VIN will be on the website, the smartrver.com. i kept calling it Proto VIN or something. Yeah, or whatever. Probiotic. I don't know.

You're doing good, so.

But yeah, it's another place to go check out. So we want to thank Alexis for that. Nice reading today. Very nice. So that brings us into RV envy. And today we're going to talk about sticky books.

Oh, what are sticky books? So, you know, sticky books are these small little books. If you're watching the video, you can see I'm holding one up.

And so they're a very quick read. And they have one on Starry Nights or Night Skies. Not Starry Nights, Night Skies. One on Tracks, which is Animal Tracks. One on charts.

So just to lay this out, if you've ever looked at a chart, like a stock chart, and they got lines and things on it, this book will help you understand what all that stuff means. Probably within an hour.

That's neat.

I mean, within minutes you start going, oh, I get this. I get that. You know, it's not so much for investing, but it's understanding how what all that stuff means.

Yeah, sure.

So you can sound like you're a smart investor, you Know you're losing all your money. Oops.

Now at least you sound smart.

And so there are books on tracks and night skies are the same way. You'll learn very quickly. It has little. It's a workbook as well. So you're doing stuff as you go along and that helps you remember it more.

And then they give you tips for memorizing or remembering these things so you just don't forget it all. It's like, you know, a lot of books you read and you forget it.

Yeah.

So they want you to remember it. These books are just absolutely awesome. And you can get them on their website@stickybooks.com so I highly recommend checking them out.

And especially for RVing, you know, you got some downtime.

Yeah.

Waiting, killing some time.

Learn something.

And the night skies and the tracks definitely falls into RV Cool, you know.

Yeah.

And the charts. Yeah. You don't want to become a day trader and lose everything you have. That's not a good thing. That goes against that money saving tips.

Yeah.

That's in RV envy. And also I mentioned something about a new air conditioner and it's the Breeze Onyck. Oh man.

I can't pronounce the name of the company that makes it as Eber Eberstocken or something. It's a German company. How pathetic is that? Right?

Okay.

But if you Google or Breeze Onic. I said the Onyx Breezonic. So this air conditioner is very small, is very compact, you know, you can use on RVs, vans, Class Cs, van conversions.

And it's super quiet and super efficient, super cool. So if you're trying to run your RV off of an inverter, I mean your AC off an inverter, this is the air conditioning for you.

You know, recently I talked about the Furion air conditioner and it for RVs and it definitely is a cut above all the others. But this one now is better than the Furion. But it does come with a price tag.

I'm waiting for some more information. So we're gonna check back in on this maybe in the next couple episodes. Not sure when, but we will come back to it.

In fact, we'll probably have them on as an interview.

Cool.

Because it's such a cool air condition.

Commissioner.

Yeah, that'd be great.

All right, so that pretty much brings us to the end of the show today. As a reminder, go to our website or our web. Not our website.

Our go to, like, itunes, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast and subscribe to our podcast, share it with others. Go to our YouTube channel and subscribe as well. Keep us out there. Let other people know we are moving up in the ranks on our podcast rating.

Yes, we are number three on feedcast. So we are making some headway in the RV world in our podcast. So share it with others.

We're doing something right, and everybody needs to hear about it. All right, so in our next episode is 179. Now, before we stop here, I forgot about this. I brought up the awning in the beginning, blocking the door.

So this is a true story. A husband and wife, they're using their rv. They're in a windstorm, and the awning tears off the rv. You know, the arms come off the awning.

Now you got to picture this. The awning just falls down, straight down the side of the rv. So they're at an age where now they're trapped in their rv.

And I've heard this story, not this story, but similar stories more than once. The door is closed. They can't get out.

And now they're older, so, you know, they don't have the physical strength, the whatever, the stamina to bust out of it. So they actually had to call for help, and someone had to rescue them. So that's pretty bad. So you got to think about that.

And I've heard it from other people, too. The same thing. I couldn't get out. I couldn't get out. You know, and then the other windows, you know, you aren't escape windows.

And do you really want to jump out of an escape window? So kind of think ahead about your awning. If it were to happen, you know, it sounds like it would never happen, but it does happen.

So, you know, if you can get that door open or window open, you know, make sure you got a knife and you can cut your way out.

Yeah.

You know, if you get the door open just a little bit and cut a slit from top to bottom, you know, that's the starting point. You know, at least you.

You're accomplishing something, because if it happens to you on the side of the road, it might be a while before someone stops or you can get some help. So that's just a real life story. So don't get yourself locked in your RV because your awning failed.

All right, everybody, so it's been a great show today. I want to thank everybody for watching and listening. And of course, you can go to our website and everything we talked about today will be there.

So this is Eric Stark with the Smart RVer podcast, your go to guide for smarter RVing and unforgettable adventures on the open road.