First Long Trip - How to Prepare?
We have had our camper for just over a year now and with this being our first one, I thought I would ask about preparation for a long trip. We typically camp close to home with a couple of hours aw...
Forum Discussion
Good advice here, all.
My personal experience and that of my friends with whom I travel is that when the cheap tires fail, they do so catastrophically,as in belts separating, coming off, etc. If you are going on a cross-country run, not just down the road a bit, it might be time to upgrade your rubber. Not cheap but it will save you money if you have a catastrophic tire failure and the tire peels your rig open as it disintegrates.
Other than that...
I check the RV from stem to stern, as best I can. Torque the lug nuts, check the lights. As stated, if you are really making a long run jack the wheels up and check the wheel bearings for slop, grease and adjust as necessary.
Check and if necessary clean the battery terminals and all grounds I can see/find. Battery water if applicable. Check and change (if necessary) the oil in the generator.(My new Onan requires it's first oil change at 10 hours)check the seals and trim, fix and tighten as needed.
I am one of those guys that tends to carry spares...fuses, an extra fresh water pump, bulbs, tools, etc. I have box that rides in the pass-through compartment with all that stuff. I make sure everything is good in it. I go into overkill, admittedly. I've been RVing a long time and have had the Fickle Finger of Fate point at me a couple of times, so I do everything I can to prevent it and be ready for it if it does. We spend a lot of time traversing or camping in areas where people and towns are few and far between, so being ready is my motto.
These RV's are subject to all the beating and banging that our cars and trucks are, but they are not built like cars and trucks. Eventually stuff comes loose and if you don't maintain it stuff falls apart.
I carried a big floor jack for years, now I have a 20 ton bottle jack. It takes up less space in the 5'er. I am a hot rod guy, and I have a Craftsman 19.2 volt 1/2 inch impact gun, it is great for lug nuts...years ago I bought a second Mac torque wrench for the RV, and it is in the 5'er now.
My personal experience and that of my friends with whom I travel is that when the cheap tires fail, they do so catastrophically,as in belts separating, coming off, etc. If you are going on a cross-country run, not just down the road a bit, it might be time to upgrade your rubber. Not cheap but it will save you money if you have a catastrophic tire failure and the tire peels your rig open as it disintegrates.
Other than that...
I check the RV from stem to stern, as best I can. Torque the lug nuts, check the lights. As stated, if you are really making a long run jack the wheels up and check the wheel bearings for slop, grease and adjust as necessary.
Check and if necessary clean the battery terminals and all grounds I can see/find. Battery water if applicable. Check and change (if necessary) the oil in the generator.(My new Onan requires it's first oil change at 10 hours)check the seals and trim, fix and tighten as needed.
I am one of those guys that tends to carry spares...fuses, an extra fresh water pump, bulbs, tools, etc. I have box that rides in the pass-through compartment with all that stuff. I make sure everything is good in it. I go into overkill, admittedly. I've been RVing a long time and have had the Fickle Finger of Fate point at me a couple of times, so I do everything I can to prevent it and be ready for it if it does. We spend a lot of time traversing or camping in areas where people and towns are few and far between, so being ready is my motto.
These RV's are subject to all the beating and banging that our cars and trucks are, but they are not built like cars and trucks. Eventually stuff comes loose and if you don't maintain it stuff falls apart.
I carried a big floor jack for years, now I have a 20 ton bottle jack. It takes up less space in the 5'er. I am a hot rod guy, and I have a Craftsman 19.2 volt 1/2 inch impact gun, it is great for lug nuts...years ago I bought a second Mac torque wrench for the RV, and it is in the 5'er now.
