travel trailer

[Brandon]

Can anyone give me a crash course on travel trailers? Friend of a friend is selling one pretty cheap, says it doesn't leak and needs a stove (I can care less about this).

I think if I were to get it, it would be used a couple-few weekends a year and possibly for a week's vacation somewhere per year.

Also not sure if I would store it at home or at a storage facility, the yard floods pretty bad and would make it difficult/impossible to get out of yard during rainy spells.

 

[Cldedhnds]

What will you tow it with? Biggest concern for travel trailers and towing is the loaded tongue weight of trailer and payload of the tow vehicle. Payload is the number on the inside of the driver side door.

You need to check roof for holes and any cracks on any seams, entire rig. Anyplace water can get in walls or seems it will. This may not be noticeable from within or without. If it's good to go plan on caulking the life out of it and it will last a while.

 

[OutdoorDad]

Define "Pretty Cheap" as a percentage of the cost to store it outdoors at a local storage facility where it will deteriorate over time.

As it sits right now, is as good as it is ever going to be.

If he is asking X, and the annual cost to store is greater than 1/3 X, you will have paid for it twice in three years. Probably two years after taxes etc.



Knowing NONE of the numbers... with your anticipated usage, I suspect you'd be better off renting as you need. If it flies, floats, or if friendly... lease it. Don't buy.

 

[chezuki]

If it flies, floats, or if friendly... lease it. Don't buy.

I've never seen a travel trailer that flies floats or ****s.

 

[churchmouse]

Tires/maint will be a part of owning this. Especially if you are going to long haul it for vacation. Check the tires/bearings/wiring.
Tent or full enclosed..??

 

[Brandon]

F250 will be pulling it, it is a fully enclosed trailer. I don't plan on going long haul but tires would be replaced almost immediately if I do buy it.

 

[churchmouse]

F250 will be pulling it, it is a fully enclosed trailer. I don't plan on going long haul but tires would be replaced almost immediately if I do buy it.

1st thing to do. I have friends that got "deals" on trailers and did nothing to them. They had issues.

 

[bocefus78]

They need sealed up annually. Keep caulk and emergency roof sealant inside it. You always find leaks when camping in the rain. The emergency roof stuff can be put on in the rain.

Tires, brakes, and bearings can crap out just sitting. Storage is $35 per month outdoor as a minimum.

Mice love them and love to chew wires so electrical knowledge is a must.

The mattress is probably napkin thick. Guarantee its shorter than normal. Throw it out, extend the platform if possible and get a normal sized replacement.

Lots of good times in mine, but every other time I use it, something needs work. Keep tools inside. Mine is 25 years old and it's always something.

If going off grid, replace the interior and porch lights with led.

Winterizing can be done yourself. Blow compressed air thru water lines, dump rv antifreeze in traps, empty tanks, and pump some thru the water lines.

Good times for sure, but not if you don't like to diy. Rv service is pricey.

Also...crap in the bathhouse. Cleaning the tank and the stinky slinky absolutely sucks.

 

[Super Bee]

Can anyone give me a crash course on travel trailers? Friend of a friend is selling one pretty cheap, says it doesn't leak and needs a stove (I can care less about this).

I think if I were to get it, it would be used a couple-few weekends a year and possibly for a week's vacation somewhere per year.

Also not sure if I would store it at home or at a storage facility, the yard floods pretty bad and would make it difficult/impossible to get out of yard during rainy spells.

Well since I own a RV dealership, I will throw in my two cents.

The thing you need to look out for most is water damage. People get lazy and do not re-seal the roof as needed. Inspect all four corners of the roof, they should be solid. If the camper has a rubber roof look for general wear, patches or damage. Typically, campers will begin leaking in the front first. I am not sure of the layout of this unit but if there are cabinets in the front, open them and look for water damage. Walk around the entire floor looking for soft spots. Look for "waves" in the paneling, especially under the windows. Make sure the refrigerator and AC work properly as campers refrigerators are quite expensive. Run water through the system and look for leaks.

If the camper is nice and the price is right even if it needs a few things it may be worth it.

What is the price, year, make, model of the camper? There are definitely some brands and models to stay away from. Contrary to popular belief, they are not all built the same. Feel free to PM me if you would like.

Best of luck.

Tim

 

[Dirtebiker]

Well since I own a RV dealership, I will throw in my two cents.

The thing you need to look out for most is water damage. People get lazy and do not re-seal the roof as needed. Inspect all four corners of the roof, they should be solid. If the camper has a rubber roof look for general wear, patches or damage. Typically, campers will begin leaking in the front first. I am not sure of the layout of this unit but if there are cabinets in the front, open them and look for water damage. Walk around the entire floor looking for soft spots. Look for "waves" in the paneling, especially under the windows. Make sure the refrigerator and AC work properly as campers refrigerators are quite expensive. Run water through the system and look for leaks.

If the camper is nice and the price is right even if it needs a few things it may be worth it.

What is the price, year, make, model of the camper? There are definitely some brands and models to stay away from. Contrary to popular belief, they are not all built the same. Feel free to PM me if you would like.

Best of luck.

Tim

Can you give us a short list of brands to stay away from?
ingo discount?

 

[Brandon]

I will post the details of the make/model when I get them. I have seen the camper before but did not pay it much attention.

Honestly started off looking for a pop up when my friend brought up this trailer. If everything does work that would be awesome, if it doesn't I won't mind to much as all we really wanted was a step up from a tent. (So long as it doesn't leak / badly)

If I remember correctly, the cabinets are on the side, I think the front area is a living room type area but I am not 100% positive.

 

[Super Bee]

Can you give us a short list of brands to stay away from?
ingo discount?

INGO discount? Well sure. . . I give military and first responder discounts, I guess I could pass it along to INGO members as well.

As far as brand to stay away from, I get this question 10 times a day. Most times I hate telling people as I do not ever want it to seem like I am tearing down competitors units just to make mine look better. My short list to avoid would be:

1. Anything made by Gulfstream. The Titanic had less leaks than most Gulfstreams.

2. Anything made by Dutchmen. ( Once in a while you may find a nice one, but they are few and far between ).

3. 2002-2009 ish Rockwood and Flagstaff travel trailers. They have foam floors and they are garbage. I have one right now here at the shop a local dealer pawned off on an elderly couple who did not know better. The floor is completely rotted out and we are trying to decide on the best way to fix it.

4. The new Colemans. They are Dutchmen trailers with a new name. I have heard nothing but bad things about them.

5. Anything by Aero Lite. I do not believe they are made anymore, but there are a bunch out there used.

6. Keystone Zeppelin- Just plain junk.

8. Mid 2000's Jayco's. They were also in the foam floor thing for a few years. Jayco makes a fine product, just watch out for the foam floor units.

9. Jayco hybrids. I have been told it is a bad roof design and they rot out around AC units. I have seen 2 year old Jayco hybrids with sagging ceilings.

10. Any Hybrid, doesnt matter who makes them. Look them over very well as they tend to leak at the ends. I see many people bring in hybrid trades with "new laminate flooring". Well thats because the floor rotted out and many people are trying to cover it up.

11. Any Coachmen travel trailer made before 2009 use caution. When the economy tanked, Forest River bought them and have turned them around. But the older units are hit and miss. . . more of a miss.

12. KZ. Some products coming out of there lately have been really bad I have been told. I had a part time service guy who worked full time for KZ and the stories he would tell. . . wow.

This is the list I tell family and friends. These are just my opinions and everyone has there own. I am just going by everything I have seen, heard and worked on for many years.

 

[bacon#1]

Well crap, I just bought a KZ a few months ago. Hoping they didn't make mine on Monday or Friday. Knew I should have gone with the Jayco.

 

[Snipercop]

Leaks suck and a new roof is expensive. I bought an older one that was fine.. didn't leak a bit until I moved it. It had sat in the same place for a couple years before I bought it. Small repairs can be done cheaply and correctly. A new roof is not cheap. Check the roof thoroughly for cracks, rips, and small holes around the ladder, rack and any antennas or fixtures. Look for evidence of water damage on the ceilings and inside cabinets. I have owned campers and boats ONE time. For the use I got out of them - what sounded like a heck of a deal at the time turned out to be a waste of money for me. The first year or so, we used both of them. After that, it became more of a chore and not worth the hassle for a weekend trip.

 

[rvb]

Can anyone give me a crash course on travel trailers? Friend of a friend is selling one pretty cheap, says it doesn't leak and needs a stove (I can care less about this).

I think if I were to get it, it would be used a couple-few weekends a year and possibly for a week's vacation somewhere per year.

Also not sure if I would store it at home or at a storage facility, the yard floods pretty bad and would make it difficult/impossible to get out of yard during rainy spells.

other folks have covered a lot of good things like water/roof/floor/appliance issues to look for. Unless the trailer is very large, sounds like you have enough truck.

we have to store ours off site due to HOA. There's an advantage there, in that it's not so obvious to a potential thief when you're home vs when you're on vacation. Figure ~$30-$40 / month for storage.

There are LOTS of floorplan options for campers. Make sure the floorplan suits your needs, the size of your family, how you plan to use it, etc. If the floorplan isn't compatible to how you'll use it, it won't seem like a great deal after just a couple uses.

Other costs folks don't always consider when buying (in addition to the storage):

Depending on size of the camper, you may need/want to invest in a weight distributing hitch / sway control. That could be an extra $200-$750 depending on what system you get. (I spent $360 on the one I chose).

You'll probably want insurance on trailer (in addition to the liability associated with the tow vehicle) to protect against things like hail damage, tree falling on it, etc... that could be a couple hundred per year.

Registration w/ BMV.

-rvb

 

[rvb]

Well since I own a RV dealership....

In Fort Wayne? Which one?

-rvb

 

[Scout]

I bought a camper earlier this year. I had put a deposit on a fifth wheel that I thought was just beautiful, but after I got home and thought about I realized it wouldn't work so well for a family of four. I ended up with a bunkhouse.

Sit down and think about what you want and what you need. My wife and I spent two days looking at dealerships, some people spend weeks or months. Also, there are plenty of camper forums online, and a few on Facebook. Travel Trailer Life and RV Newbies are two fb groups I belong to. Lots of helpful people.

 

[Super Bee]

Well crap, I just bought a KZ a few months ago. Hoping they didn't make mine on Monday or Friday. Knew I should have gone with the Jayco.

I am sure you will be fine. The units I heard about were the high end fifth wheels, The Rushmore series was one of them. I was told there were a lot of buy backs on those units. I have seen a ton of them run through the auction. . . I assume KZ is running them through, though I dont know for sure. They should be selling for $40 to $50 thousand and up and are only bringing $10 thousand through the block. There were a couple other lines they were having issues with but I can not remember which ones at the moment.

 

[Brandon]

I understand the idea in putting thought into the floor plan, but it would be me and the girlfriend, and maybe 2 others max at a time. Really just wanted a step up above a tent and this would work, if it isn't a total disaster But def. good advice for anyone else that may be looking for a travel trailer

I'm thinking storage off site sadly is what will have to happen. Sucks having 2 acres and a 350' driveway and not being able to store it but again the yard floods to bad to take it out back

 

[bacon#1]

I am sure you will be fine. The units I heard about were the high end fifth wheels, The Rushmore series was one of them. I was told there were a lot of buy backs on those units. I have seen a ton of them run through the auction. . . I assume KZ is running them through, though I dont know for sure. They should be selling for $40 to $50 thousand and up and are only bringing $10 thousand through the block. There were a couple other lines they were having issues with but I can not remember which ones at the moment.

Thanks
Yeah mine definitely is not that big. Did alot of research and it seemed to get positive reviews. And people that had issues KZ seemed to be responsive.
Sorry to hijack the thread.
Anyways my advice I would have to agree with rvb, definitely look at WD/SC. Pulled mine a few times without in wind and next to big rigs I didn't like how it made me feel in the seat of my pants. And if you think it's to big and you won't need all that room, you will use every inch of it.