One of the facts of life when Fulltiming is having to do maintenance and repairs while on the road, where ever you are.
During our recent travels to Indianapolis IN Shipshewana IN, Florida NY, College Park MD, Atlanta GA and FT Myers FL we have not had any problems with our 5th Wheel or GMC Truck.
Our recent maintenance and repairs have been a little overwhelming !!!
About a month ago while we were at Disney's Fort Wilderness, our bathroom started smelling pretty bad all the time. While looking for the source of the smell, I saw water around the Toilet Pedestal at the floor. I removed the toilet and found quite a bit of Potty Water inside the Toilet Pedestal. The China Bowl had cracked at the area where it seals to the Pedestal. I bought a Dometic 320 Toilet (much better toilet than the factory installed Thetford model) and installed it at Fort Wilderness. The Dometic 320 is a larger, much better IMHO and now our bathroom smells are gone.
About a week ago we started our trek from Ft Myers FL to Weatherford TX (Dallas area). We made it to Pensacola FL to see family and stayed put a few days waiting for the remnants of Hurricane Patricia to move on out of MS, LA & TX. We finally got started heading West again last Tuesday, got half way between Mobile AL and Jackson MS on Highway 98 and our Trail Air Pin Box lower Glide Plate broke loose. There are 3 shafts that support and allow the lower plate that sits on the hitch is glide back and forth during travel, two of the shafts broke and the plate almost came off. Stopped at a close by campground and got the truck unhooked. The CG owner helped me remove the lower Jaw from our Trail Air Pin Box, and gave me directions to his sons machine shop. I took the lower jaw, met his son and he welded the lower plate in place, so now it is stationary. The Pin Box held up good for the rest of our trip to Weatherford.
Arrived at the Campground in Weatherford and was checking in and looked back at our 5er and saw our Roof Membrane bellowed up about 6 inches from the front cap about 6 feet back. I pretty much just sighed and thought, now what? I have contacted our Manufacturer since we are still in the factory warranty and am currently working on options to get this repaired and corrected. I contacted RV Armor to see if they can repair and install their Lifetime Warrantied Roof System. Hope to get things worked out this week as we cannot travel with our Roof in this condition. Going down the Interstate with our Roof Membrane in this condition will just make things worse and will do more damage so we need to get it repaired before we move.
Camper Chronicles said
01:07 PM Nov 1, 2015
Really sorry Rob. I was recently working on me one year recap and was suprised by how many repairs we have had in the first year. To a certain extent it is expected...shaking your home all the time, but it can be overwhelming for sure especially when things all happen at once!!
Trace
Rob_Fla said
01:12 PM Nov 1, 2015
Thanks Trace, some of the items that have failed have been manufacturer / construction related but many of the items have been supplier / vendor purchased items that are used on a many brands and models of RVs.
bjoyce said
01:55 PM Nov 1, 2015
We seem to always be fixing something, but it might also be ourselves or some family matter. RV repairs, medical issues, family issues or even veterinary issues seem to affect our travels a lot.
ticat900 said
02:06 PM Nov 1, 2015
I sell RV trailers from entrylevel to top of the line both TT and fivers.There not designed for full time living and I don't care who you are or what you opine
there held together with screws and sealers and glue and silicon. they flex more than people realize.its the nature of the beast.
they will always be problematic. always. People whom full time in one spot have 1/4 the problems that people whom frequently move
Rob_Fla said
02:14 PM Nov 1, 2015
Guess if I was going to fulltime in one spot, I would not purchase a 5th Wheel or a Travel Trailer, a Park Model would be my choice to fulltime in a RV in one spot or better yet a Condo !!!
Fixing stuff is just part of being a Fulltimer, if you are not prepared to deal with repairs and maintenance, you should not be fulltiming and traveling.
-- Edited by Rob_Fla on Sunday 1st of November 2015 02:16:33 PM
ticat900 said
02:32 PM Nov 1, 2015
Robert that be your choice. I like living in Rv resort campgrounds but I sit in one spot for 5 months or so because I find life a lot more interesting and energenic in rv resorts and campgrounds verses a condo or park model etc atmosphere but don't like traveling all the time that was not my point though, my point is RV,s especially TT and 5ers will always have problems no matter which one u buy because of the way there constructed and therefore people constantly moving verses those that sit say 2-3 months at a time will have more repairs and failures
those are my personal observations over the years
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 1st of November 2015 02:34:01 PM
BiggarView said
02:39 PM Nov 1, 2015
I hope to be more philosophical about such things. When we go full time, we are not on full time vacation we are, hopefully, full time in mobile living quarters. As such, we will have repairs and such albeit somewhat different than the ones we have in an Stixenbrix. Such is the nature of living and owning a home be it stationary or mobile. Some years, one will have few if any major events that will try one's patience and some years it will surely cause one to doubt one's sanity. I hope that through it all, I have the strength to laugh at any adversity that comes our way. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger and wiser.
Rob, we've been in your shoes (if life in a Stixenbrix counts in this discussion), and we're still here to tell anybody that'll listen about it. I can tell that it will be the same with you and your home on wheels. In 3 1/2 years we embark on our adventure, we shall learn from you "grasshopper"
Brian
bjoyce said
02:41 PM Nov 1, 2015
In my experience, I see a lot of failures when people move after sitting a while. That is when their slides won't come in, their fridge won't work on propane, and other issues with parts that have not been used in months.
ticat900 said
02:47 PM Nov 1, 2015
your slides and your lpg fridge don't fail from sitting. to imply that you must travel frequently so the lpg side of fridge or slide will work longer and worry free is ridiculous in my opinion
bjoyce said
02:53 PM Nov 1, 2015
I am out.
NWescapee said
09:32 AM Nov 2, 2015
Rob - sorry to hear of your troubles, we can certainly relate as we sit here in Fort Mohave AZ waiting for new axles to be manufactured and shipped. Repairs and maintenance are part of this life and sometimes they seem to come in waves, or at least that's what our experience has been. I'm just hoping that this "wave" we're on right now is about to end and we get some smooth water for a while. We spent a month in this same general area last spring (across the river in Laughlin NV) when our truck died and needed an engine replaced.
NorCal Dan said
03:04 PM Nov 3, 2015
You can offset some of the costs by purchasing a warranty on your rig and truck. I had one on my Monaco and all my repairs cost me was the deductible. When our Norcold reefer quit it was nice to get a $5500 replacement installed for $250. I know a lot of people say it's a bad investment, but for us it came in mighty handy when those big ticket items failed. If your rig is still under original warranty you can usually get a better deal on extended warranties. I know Howard did a write up on the subject you should read.
One thing is for sure...hauling these rigs down the road will break things...
TRAILERKING said
03:21 PM Nov 3, 2015
ticat900 wrote:
your slides and your lpg fridge don't fail from sitting. to imply that you must travel frequently so the lpg side of fridge or slide will work longer and worry free is ridiculous in my opinion
For sure some things go South when sitting in certain environments for a long time. That is why some things should be exercised while sitting for long periods. Things like roofs and exterior can take a beating when sitting in the harsh sun, winds, and rain. By the way the LPG side of the fridge can usually have issues from nesting insects not to mention electrical side of things from the extreme elements of some of the HOT climates.
Rob_Fla said
05:52 PM Nov 6, 2015
We got all the approvals and are getting the RV Armor Roof System installed next weekend, to repair the membrane on our Redwood that billowed up in route to Dallas TX.
Crossroads / Redwood RV is coving the cost of the RV Armor Roof System since we are still in factory warranty.
Now we are working with Crossroads / Redwood to get our Lippert Trail Air Pin Box replaced. (we had to do emergency welding repairs on it on our trip from Pensacola FL to Dallas TX.
Camper Chronicles said
04:26 PM Nov 8, 2015
bjoyce wrote:
In my experience, I see a lot of failures when people move after sitting a while. That is when their slides won't come in, their fridge won't work on propane, and other issues with parts that have not been used in months.
That has been our experience as well. We try to use those systems PRIOR to moving especially when we are moving from full hookups to boondocking.
One of the facts of life when Fulltiming is having to do maintenance and repairs while on the road, where ever you are.
During our recent travels to Indianapolis IN Shipshewana IN, Florida NY, College Park MD, Atlanta GA and FT Myers FL we have not had any problems with our 5th Wheel or GMC Truck.
Our recent maintenance and repairs have been a little overwhelming !!!
About a month ago while we were at Disney's Fort Wilderness, our bathroom started smelling pretty bad all the time. While looking for the source of the smell, I saw water around the Toilet Pedestal at the floor. I removed the toilet and found quite a bit of Potty Water inside the Toilet Pedestal. The China Bowl had cracked at the area where it seals to the Pedestal. I bought a Dometic 320 Toilet (much better toilet than the factory installed Thetford model) and installed it at Fort Wilderness. The Dometic 320 is a larger, much better IMHO and now our bathroom smells are gone.
About a week ago we started our trek from Ft Myers FL to Weatherford TX (Dallas area). We made it to Pensacola FL to see family and stayed put a few days waiting for the remnants of Hurricane Patricia to move on out of MS, LA & TX. We finally got started heading West again last Tuesday, got half way between Mobile AL and Jackson MS on Highway 98 and our Trail Air Pin Box lower Glide Plate broke loose. There are 3 shafts that support and allow the lower plate that sits on the hitch is glide back and forth during travel, two of the shafts broke and the plate almost came off. Stopped at a close by campground and got the truck unhooked. The CG owner helped me remove the lower Jaw from our Trail Air Pin Box, and gave me directions to his sons machine shop. I took the lower jaw, met his son and he welded the lower plate in place, so now it is stationary. The Pin Box held up good for the rest of our trip to Weatherford.
Arrived at the Campground in Weatherford and was checking in and looked back at our 5er and saw our Roof Membrane bellowed up about 6 inches from the front cap about 6 feet back. I pretty much just sighed and thought, now what? I have contacted our Manufacturer since we are still in the factory warranty and am currently working on options to get this repaired and corrected. I contacted RV Armor to see if they can repair and install their Lifetime Warrantied Roof System. Hope to get things worked out this week as we cannot travel with our Roof in this condition. Going down the Interstate with our Roof Membrane in this condition will just make things worse and will do more damage so we need to get it repaired before we move.
Trace
there held together with screws and sealers and glue and silicon. they flex more than people realize.its the nature of the beast.
they will always be problematic. always. People whom full time in one spot have 1/4 the problems that people whom frequently move
Guess if I was going to fulltime in one spot, I would not purchase a 5th Wheel or a Travel Trailer, a Park Model would be my choice to fulltime in a RV in one spot or better yet a Condo !!!
Fixing stuff is just part of being a Fulltimer, if you are not prepared to deal with repairs and maintenance, you should not be fulltiming and traveling.
-- Edited by Rob_Fla on Sunday 1st of November 2015 02:16:33 PM
Robert
that be your choice. I like living in Rv resort campgrounds but I sit in one spot for 5 months or so because I find life a lot more interesting and energenic in rv resorts and campgrounds verses a condo or park model etc atmosphere but don't like traveling all the time
that was not my point though, my point is RV,s especially TT and 5ers will always have problems no matter which one u buy because of the way there constructed and therefore people constantly moving verses those that sit say 2-3 months at a time will have more repairs and failures
those are my personal observations over the years
-- Edited by ticat900 on Sunday 1st of November 2015 02:34:01 PM
I hope to be more philosophical about such things. When we go full time, we are not on full time vacation we are, hopefully, full time in mobile living quarters. As such, we will have repairs and such albeit somewhat different than the ones we have in an Stixenbrix. Such is the nature of living and owning a home be it stationary or mobile. Some years, one will have few if any major events that will try one's patience and some years it will surely cause one to doubt one's sanity. I hope that through it all, I have the strength to laugh at any adversity that comes our way. If it doesn't kill you, it makes you stronger and wiser.
Rob, we've been in your shoes (if life in a Stixenbrix counts in this discussion), and we're still here to tell anybody that'll listen about it. I can tell that it will be the same with you and your home on wheels. In 3 1/2 years we embark on our adventure, we shall learn from you "grasshopper"
Brian
One thing is for sure...hauling these rigs down the road will break things...
For sure some things go South when sitting in certain environments for a long time. That is why some things should be exercised while sitting for long periods. Things like roofs and exterior can take a beating when sitting in the harsh sun, winds, and rain. By the way the LPG side of the fridge can usually have issues from nesting insects not to mention electrical side of things from the extreme elements of some of the HOT climates.
Crossroads / Redwood RV is coving the cost of the RV Armor Roof System since we are still in factory warranty.
Now we are working with Crossroads / Redwood to get our Lippert Trail Air Pin Box replaced. (we had to do emergency welding repairs on it on our trip from Pensacola FL to Dallas TX.
That has been our experience as well. We try to use those systems PRIOR to moving especially when we are moving from full hookups to boondocking.
Trace