News & Notes: March-April 2025
Georgia State Parks Provide Vision, Mobility Assistance
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources estimates that in 2023, approximately 607,000 people with color blindness visited its state parks. To assist those with red-green deficiencies, three of the parks now offer free colorblind-adapting glasses: Cloudland Canyon State Park, in northwest Georgia; Sweetwater Creek State Park, just west of Atlanta; and Skidaway Island State Park, near Savannah.
In addition, Amicalola Falls State Park in Dawsonville has installed two EnChroma-adapted SeeCoast viewers at the base of its waterfall. The EnChroma glasses enable visitors to view landscape colors they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see.
The Georgia DNR’s Outdoors Beyond Barriers initiative also seeks to make the parks more accessible for visitors with mobility impairments, with all-terrain wheelchairs at nearly 20 state parks, accessible campsites, fishing docks, kayak launches, and more.
For additional information, visit gastateparks.org/accessibility.
Cummins Unveils New Dual-Fuel RV Generators
Cummins Inc. has introduced a new family of RV generators that are emissions certified in all 50 states. The three-product family consists of the QG 7000i DF, the QG 4000i DF, and the QG 2800i DF. The QG 7000i DF was displayed at the Florida RV SuperShow this past January.
The new RV fixed-mount generators incorporate a returnless electronic fuel injection (EFI) system with the capability to run on gasoline or propane vapor at the flip of a switch. The generators’ EFI features a closed-loop design, providing automatic adjustments for altitude and other operating conditions to maintain maximum output. Returnless EFI simplifies installation by removing the return line to the fuel tank. With no carburetor in the EFI system, fuel varnishing issues have been virtually eliminated, according to company literature.
The new generators also feature clean sine wave inverter power out-put and 240-volt-AC capability, said to protect delicate electronic devices. The “i DF” family also utilizes variable-speed engines, permanent magnet alternators, and tuned muffler systems that incorporate focalized vibration isolation mounts.
Additional features include the J1939 communication protocol, making the generators compatible with coach multifunction displays.
The new Onan generator family will have staggered availability over the next 12 months, with the QG 7000i DF first to be offered.
Production Milestone For Class B Manufacturer
Pleasure-Way employees gathered to celebrate the construction of the company’s 20,000th Class B motorhome in July 2024.
Pleasure-Way Industries, a family-owned-and-operated-business based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has been building RVs since 1986. This past July, the company produced its 20,000th Pleasure-Way Class B motorhome.
“I still remember the day that I built the first one,” Merv Rumpel, company founder, said.
Merv launched Glenwood Trailer Sales in 1968, which marked the start of his journey in the RV business. After 18 years, he recognized a gap in the market for high-quality Class B motorhomes. In 1986, Merv and his team produced the first 10 Pleasure-Way units in the back shop at Glenwood Trailer Sales. Now, 39 years later, the company follows the same practice of handcrafted and custom-fit builds to achieve the quality for which Pleasure-Way is known.
Today, Dean Rumpel, Merv’s son, serves as Pleasure-Way CEO. “The cornerstone of any company is their people. We are fortunate to have great staff that take pride in their work, which results in a product we are all proud of,” Dean said.
Learn more about Pleasure-Way motorhomes at pleasureway.com.
Outdoor Recreation Act Becomes Law
A bill focused on outdoor recreation — the Expanding Public Lands Outdoor Recreation Experiences (EXPLORE) Act — was signed into law by President Joe Biden on January 4, 2025.
The bipartisan EXPLORE Act is a first-of-its-kind outdoor-recreation-specific bill package, achieved without cost to taxpayers. The act will support local and national economies, enhance access to outdoor spaces for Americans (particularly those in underserved communities), and modernize policies to bolster the recreation businesses that connect people with nature.
The legislation was aided in part by advocacy efforts of the RV Industry Association (RVIA), the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR), and other industry partners.
The EXPLORE Act is expected to grow rural jobs; increase access to public lands; ensure more Americans can enjoy the physical and mental health benefits of an active outdoor lifestyle; and provide gateway com-munities assistance for outdoor recreation businesses. In addition, it will extend federal land shoulder seasons to spread out demand and create more RV camping opportunities; establish partnerships to modernize campgrounds on federal lands as appropriate; and bring broadband/Wi-Fi to front-country campgrounds to address safety issues and provide technologies that park visitors expect.
Grand Design Announces Enhanced Warranties
Grand Design RV has announced improvements to its warranty program. An industry first, the company’s 3-year and 5-year warranties are now fully transferable to subsequent owners, joining the existing transferable 1-year warranty. This new policy allows RV owners to transfer the remaining coverage to new owners upon the sale of their unit.
The transferable warranty program applies to all Grand Design products. Grand Design also recently announced that the company would offer a 5-year frame warranty. The frame warranty extension applies to new and preowned Grand Design products.
Company officials note that the new transferable warranty highlights Grand Design RV’s commitment to quality and customer service. Grand Design is now the only RV manufacturer to offer a 5-year frame warranty and a complete set of transferable warranties, including a 1-year base, a 3-year structural, and a 5-year frame warranty.
For more information about Grand Design RV’s enhanced warranty program, visit granddesignrv.com.
2025 RV/MH Hall Of Fame Inductees Announced
The RV/MH Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame selection committee recently shared the names of the men who will make up the class of 2025. Each year a maximum of five people each from the RV and manufactured housing industries are chosen from the slate of candidates. The RV industry inductees for 2025 are as follows:
Chad Reece, vice president of government and industry relations at Winnebago Industries
Garry Bewernick, president of Atlas Trailer Coach Products
Larry Troutt Jr., owner of Topper’s RVs and former chairman of the RV Dealers Association
Jason Lippert, president and CEO of Lippert
Thomas Irions, CEO of ASA Electronics
The 2025 Hall of Fame class will be inducted on August 18, 2025, at the RV/MH Heritage Foundation’s museum and conference facility in Elkhart, Indiana.
California Lemon Law Requirements
In September 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom signed California AB 1755 into law. This update to California’s existing lemon law is said to benefit consumers as well as RV manufacturers and is expected to reduce the number of lemon law cases impacting the California judicial system.
The legislation covers all RVs. It requires lemon law claims to be made within one year after the expiration of the applicable express warranty, but no later than six years after the date of original delivery.
As of January 1, 2025, new litigation procedures began to incorporate early mandatory mediation between the consumer and the manufacturer when the consumer files a civil action seeking restitution or replacement.
Beginning on April 1, 2025, the consumer, prior to seeking civil penalties, will be required to provide written notice to the manufacturer that demands restitution for or replacement of the vehicle.
According to the RV Industry Association, the legislation only impacts the portion of the Song-Beverly Act related to an action seeking restitution or replacement of an RV, or for civil penalties related to such a request.
In addition to early mandatory mediation, the legislation incorporates a predispute notice with updated procedures and deadlines for manufacturers to respond to such notice. It also includes time-based initial disclosure and documentation requirements for manufacturers.
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Source: https://familyrvingmag.com/2025/03/01/news-notes-march-april-2025/
