New to the road

kevindrummer47 wrote:
Thank you all , I have read several books on preventive maintenance and I am bringing my rv home to clean the roof seal any visable cracks and then put some rubber roof protectant , change the oil, check the transmission fluid, radiator fluid, give her a real bath, and take it to discount tire to check all the tire pressures . and I have money set aside for "just in case " situations. we are going to a rv resort about 20 miles away from the rental property, and will live there for about 3 to 6 months to have everything checked out electric, new tires, generator and air conditioning in the cab , everything working as intended. I will post back on here after a few months to let everyone know what encounters I may have , Again, Thank you all.

First, don't just check tranny fluid, coolant, brake fluid, CHANGE it, Next, get a truck air pressure gauge and YOU check the tires, you"ll need to as you travel in any case.

Jim

Best of luck in your new lifestyle! It sounds like you're a very concientious person who knows what to check mechanically. I think you'll do just fine. Make sure your tires are in good condition and check the date imprinted on them to see how old. You said the RV was stored for 5 years but even if the tires weren't driven, they still deteriorate. If they're older than 8 yr. it's recommended to replace them - and an earlier age if they looked cracked. Do come back with more specific questions. We'd all be glad to help!

Thank you all , I have read several books on preventive maintenance and I am bringing my rv home to clean the roof seal any visable cracks and then put some rubber roof protectant , change the oil, check the transmission fluid, radiator fluid, give her a real bath, and take it to discount tire to check all the tire pressures . and I have money set aside for "just in case " situations. we are going to a rv resort about 20 miles away from the rental property, and will live there for about 3 to 6 months to have everything checked out electric, new tires, generator and air conditioning in the cab , everything working as intended. I will post back on here after a few months to let everyone know what encounters I may have , Again, Thank you all.

Breakdowns suck and thats all there is to it,you'll need an emergency fund tucked away,get it checked from stem to stern by someone YOU trust and no band-aids,that "if it ain't broke,don't fix it" attitude is ok on the homestead but out on the road it's a totally different matter,you'll need to think "preventive maintenence"! With all that being said i travelled with my family for twelve years in a 32' Mallard A-Class (built by fleetwood,a total P.O.S. manufacturer)without a hitch,it was built on a P30 Chevy chassis and i was able with help from a buddy who is an expert mechanic,sons who are welders/half azzed McGuiver's and my abilities as a master carpenter to upgrade and maintain it so i had a safe,reliable rig and put a lot of miles on it so if your up to doing that you should be ok!

Good luck!!

Number 1 item - are the tires 7 years or older? If so, put on new tires now before one blows and causes damage to the coach (like the electrical system! don't ask) Tires don't care if they have been used or not, they still deteriorate.

Find a trustworthy mechanic and have all systems inspected, all fluids changed, brakes looked at too.

Find out if any of your appliances have recalls - especially the refrigerator - and make sure any outstanding work is done.

Just good preventative maintenance.

Have a $3-5 thousand dollar stash put aside for potential problems. Then GO FOR IT!!! A good place to visit for beginning rving is RV-Dreams.com Wonderful site and great folks.

We had a 91 Safari and took from Alabama to the Canadian Maritimes and back without issues. We spent about $2000 before the trip on inspections, etc. But it was a diesel - gas engine maintenance is a lot less expensive.

Welcome to the forum.
Did you check on the Full Timing Forum?
Do as much reading as you can to get an idea of what is involved, then start asking questions.

Pretty in-depth question there! Maybe should be more specific topic wise. There is allot planning and allot of enjoyment with allot of relaxing in between.