Forum Discussion
wa8yxm
Sep 29, 2016Explorer III
You said you hope it's a goodie.
Ford engine: Well Ford does do a fairly good job on Truck Engines for the most part, I've had no complaints on the Ford Trucks I've driven (Big ones, not pickups, Ford Pickups scare me but that's not an engine issue)
John Deer chassis. Excellent.
So go over every inch of the RV inside and out.
Wall paper/finish pealing, bubbling, any flaws? NO, FANTASTIC
Floor good and solid throughout FANTASTIC
Roof, Good and solid ghrought, No visible faults, No cracks (You may wish to re-caulk seams while up there, also clean the Air Conditioner condenser (And anything else cleanable) while up there) Fantastic.
Furniture and fixtures in good condition, FANTASTIC
From photos I saw no flaws.
Outside, Siding in good condition, no bubbles, de-lamanation, flaws Great, WASH AND WAX, I recommend a very labor intensive wax job (Simonize) for the first wax but after that 2x a year or more and just Turtle Wax Zip Wax or _______ quality auto wax will do.. your wallet will thank you (Check out MPG pre-post waxing for why)
Possible upgrades: What power converter do you have... Many RV's of that era had a very poor unit, you may wish to upgrade to either a Progressive Dynamics 4600 or 9200 (the 9200 is for stand alone converters, the 4600 if it's built into the power center) Or even add an inverter/charger (I did). Most of those are very good chargers.
Make sure all the screws in the aforementioned power center are tight.
Make sure Generator generates, also learn how to use it, Remember if you have an AUTO TRANSFER SWITCH, power Air Conditioners down for THREE FULL MINUTES when changine, in fact power EVERYTHIGN down (Trip main circuit breaker) unless your transfer system is manual (Move the plug) system. Always turn all loads OFF before transfer and keep A/Cs down for THREE FULL MINUTES.
Plumging>. Check for leaks, Sanitize (Do both at once) Flush multiple times 1st time with baking soda (about 1/2 cup dissloved in water shoudl do it, to one full cup) in the tank.
Have engine and tranny serviced by a certified technician.. Also rear end. Check dates on tires.
Load it up, scale it (all 4 corners) and inflate tires as per tire maker's recommendations for the weight they carry.
Replace (long term) Incasdent lamps with LED's (I do this all over hte place, not just RV) EXCEPT for Turn Signal lights. Try LED there, if you get fast flashign go back to Incasdent.. Mine (I replaced just the tail lights) did not affect flasher rate..
I'm about half done inside the RV with LED upgrade.
Ford engine: Well Ford does do a fairly good job on Truck Engines for the most part, I've had no complaints on the Ford Trucks I've driven (Big ones, not pickups, Ford Pickups scare me but that's not an engine issue)
John Deer chassis. Excellent.
So go over every inch of the RV inside and out.
Wall paper/finish pealing, bubbling, any flaws? NO, FANTASTIC
Floor good and solid throughout FANTASTIC
Roof, Good and solid ghrought, No visible faults, No cracks (You may wish to re-caulk seams while up there, also clean the Air Conditioner condenser (And anything else cleanable) while up there) Fantastic.
Furniture and fixtures in good condition, FANTASTIC
From photos I saw no flaws.
Outside, Siding in good condition, no bubbles, de-lamanation, flaws Great, WASH AND WAX, I recommend a very labor intensive wax job (Simonize) for the first wax but after that 2x a year or more and just Turtle Wax Zip Wax or _______ quality auto wax will do.. your wallet will thank you (Check out MPG pre-post waxing for why)
Possible upgrades: What power converter do you have... Many RV's of that era had a very poor unit, you may wish to upgrade to either a Progressive Dynamics 4600 or 9200 (the 9200 is for stand alone converters, the 4600 if it's built into the power center) Or even add an inverter/charger (I did). Most of those are very good chargers.
Make sure all the screws in the aforementioned power center are tight.
Make sure Generator generates, also learn how to use it, Remember if you have an AUTO TRANSFER SWITCH, power Air Conditioners down for THREE FULL MINUTES when changine, in fact power EVERYTHIGN down (Trip main circuit breaker) unless your transfer system is manual (Move the plug) system. Always turn all loads OFF before transfer and keep A/Cs down for THREE FULL MINUTES.
Plumging>. Check for leaks, Sanitize (Do both at once) Flush multiple times 1st time with baking soda (about 1/2 cup dissloved in water shoudl do it, to one full cup) in the tank.
Have engine and tranny serviced by a certified technician.. Also rear end. Check dates on tires.
Load it up, scale it (all 4 corners) and inflate tires as per tire maker's recommendations for the weight they carry.
Replace (long term) Incasdent lamps with LED's (I do this all over hte place, not just RV) EXCEPT for Turn Signal lights. Try LED there, if you get fast flashign go back to Incasdent.. Mine (I replaced just the tail lights) did not affect flasher rate..
I'm about half done inside the RV with LED upgrade.
About Motorhome Group
38,756 PostsLatest Activity: Sep 23, 2025