There are many kinds of campers on the road. There are campers that pack their kids in the minivan and pop a tent at the lake a few hours away from their home a few weekends every year. There are others who buy an RV to go on cross country summer trips to see the Grand Canyon and the Smoky Mountains. And then there are the full-timers. People who sell their homes and make their home on the road, staying the winter in the south and moving north in the summer. For some of these full-timers, a 27' camper might work, others perhaps a 30-35' footer. And for some, a huge trailer that is towed behind a Heavy Duty Truck is what someone is looking for. The 15th Annual Rally for Heavy Duty Trucks (in which all RVers are welcome) is coming up on October 14-20th in Hutchinson, Kansas at the Kansas State Fairgrounds RV Park.
Steve Dixon is a heavy duty truck (HDT) owner and one of the organizers of the Rally. Dixon has been an RVer since his wife and him got married 25 years ago. "For a while, I was building my own airplane and our plan was to fly from place to place around the country," Dixon recalls, "And we would always go to the Sun N' Fun Airshow in Florida." Dixon explains that he could never plan far enough ahead to book a hotel in time, so they decided to tent camp. "It rained the whole time, so I bought a pop-up camper and we had that for 7 years and loved it," Dixon says. Eventually they wanted something with a bathroom and got a self-contained 23' camper. "It was really great," Dixon recalls, "But we eventually out grew that, too." Dixon explains that his wife would cook for 20-30 people at a time at events like the airshow and the tiny kitchen in the 23' was just not cutting it. They bought a 30', then a bigger toy hauler, and then started getting involved in the bigger rigs.
The HDT Rally allows attendees to meet with HDT owners and even tour or drive HDT truck and RV’s. [Photo by Steve Dixon]
"I just think for some of these trailers it is not safe to pull them with a pickup truck," Dixon says, "So we went with a Heavy Duty Truck." This was around the time, about 12 years ago, when they decided to go full-time. "We had a big and beautiful log house in the mountains in Tennessee," Dixon says, "But it was just too big for the two of us." They attended a HDT rally in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and loved the community so decided to attend a national rally. "A few years after attending the national rally every year, the organizer came to Gail, my wife, and asked if she could help with registration," Dixon says, "And eventually the organizer wanted out so my wife does most of it and I help with the computer stuff."
"When we first started working with the rally there were about 20-25 rigs attending," Dixon says, "And last year we had over 100." Though the rally still has an emphasis on social and community, there is also an emphasis on education. "We are people that are pulling over 40' trailers so safety is certainly a concern," Dixon says. Some of the seminars talk about specific aspects of HDT RVing such as lighting requirements, others are more introductory information on HDT RVing, as well as full-time RVing culture. Beyond the seminars, though, there is just enjoying everyone's company.
"We chose Kansas because it's about the closest you can get to center," Dixon says, "And we get people from all over North America - from Alaska down to Mexico." Dixon also really likes the fairgrounds where the rally takes place. "It has big level spots for our big rigs and a big commercial kitchen we can use," he says. Every morning, they cook breakfast for the participants (3 days full breakfast, 2 days continental) and on the last day they cook a farewell brunch.
So what kind of rig does Steve and Gail pull? It is an impressive, custom made, 30,000 pound 48-foot trailer. “Gail said she wants a nice kitchen and I could do whatever I want with the rest,” he says, “So that’s what I gave her.” The kitchen, as seen here, is filled with high-end appliances with plenty of room to cook and visit in. Dixon designed the trailer himself and brought his design to Spacecraft Manufacturing in Concordia, Missouri. “They said they could do it and I worked out the details with the engineers,” he says, “And we have been living in it for over a year now.” Along with the 48’ trailer and their HDT truck, they pack a smart car in the garage in their rig to get around when stopping for a few weeks.
Dixon is not a retired full-timer, he is an airline pilot. Being a pilot, the RV lifestyle really agrees with him. “I don’t really need to be anywhere specific,” Dixon says. “And when I need to go fly for a few weeks, Gail drives me to the airport and I get on a plane to get to my plane.” When The Buzz interviewed Steve, he was on a layover in Tokyo. Usually, Dixon and his wife will travel somewhere and then park for a while. Dixon will go work for a few weeks and his wife will take their smart car around the area and when he gets back they move somewhere else. In a few weeks, they’ll be heading out to Kansas to set up for the rally. “We will probably spend most of October in Kansas making sure everything is ready,” Dixon says.
The rally, running October 14-20th, is one that will be educational, social, and, well, big!