2 years ago the wife and I bought a new trailer suited for empty nesters and rather than trading in our previous trailer, we sold it to our niece and her husband. This was going to be their 1st trailer and they and their 2 children were very excited to receive it as this trailer was meticulously taken care of. They own a large parcel of mountain property and intended to park it there and use it frequently. I towed it to their house and patiently went over entire trailer and EMPHASIZED that the MOST CRITICAL part of maintenance was to clean, inspect and maintain the roof. They failed to adhere and recently indicated that the floor is spongy in several spots. I asked if they remembered the conversation I had with them and they said yes but didn't have a ladder handy....rant over.

I have heard rants about RV roofs, and the maintain they require and all I can say is "Why in sam hill do we keep buying toys that expected to use outside with a roof that won't shed water.

Warnings on RV maintenance are not heeded at least 50% of the time. You tried!

And on another thread, I was berated for suggesting the elimination of roof penetrations is a great thing.

valhalla360 wrote:And on another thread, I was berated for suggesting the elimination of roof penetrations is a great thing.That happens often here, so you are in good company.

Yep, once it is out of your hands, it's best to forget about it and let the new owners do what they will. Because they will do whatever they have a mind to do and nothing you say or do will change them.I frequently contemplate buying a steel cargo trailer with no roof vent and no rear door, and building it out as a TT. I could have a vent on the rear wall and a mini split A/C. Order the trailer with some steel attachment points welded to the roof, and mount solar panels up there without having to puncture the roof.

Frustrating !!! | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

time2roll
Nomad
Sep 11, 2021
So what did they get when they traded this trailer in on something new?
spoon059
Explorer II
Sep 11, 2021
Education costs money. Sounds like your niece and her husband got themselves an education. This is the main reason I bought an RV carport. I am still employed full time, so we only use our camper less than 60 nights a year. The other 300+ nights it is kept out of the rain, sun, leaves, snow, bird poop, etc. I still maintain, but if I miss something, its much less likely to have catastrophic results. Best $2400 I ever spent. I've had it for 10 years now, that's $240 a year for covered RV storage. We plan to be in this house for another 5 years, that'll drop it to $160/year for covered RV storage.

Our next house I plan to have a large metal enclosed barn so its completely out of the rain and out of the sun.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Sep 11, 2021
rexlion wrote:
Yep, once it is out of your hands, it's best to forget about it and let the new owners do what they will. Because they will do whatever they have a mind to do and nothing you say or do will change them.

I frequently contemplate buying a steel cargo trailer with no roof vent and no rear door, and building it out as a TT. I could have a vent on the rear wall and a mini split A/C. Order the trailer with some steel attachment points welded to the roof, and mount solar panels up there without having to puncture the roof.

In spite of popular belief, cargo trailers DO eventually leak.

Do some searches and you will find lots of complaints about cargo trailers leaking at the joints/seams or rivets.

Every rivet hole from the outside is a potential leak and every panel joint/seam is a potential leak.

By the way cargo trailers are clad in Aluminum or FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Panels, not steel. It would take a semi truck to pull a cargo trailer clad in 100% steel.

And yes, you can paint aluminum with proper prep and primer which is what cargo trailer manufacturers do.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Sep 11, 2021
Your niece and her husband are in good company. People tend to be "out of sight out of mind". It's amazing how many posts there are come spring about "I took my RV out of storage and the wall/floor/ceiling is soft".

I always recommend that RV owners check their campers after the first rain of the season, and again after every major storm. Leaks happen. This lets you at least throw a tarp over it until you can repair the leak. A leak caught early is an inconvenience. A leak not caught is a disaster.
rexlion
Explorer
Sep 11, 2021
Yep, once it is out of your hands, it's best to forget about it and let the new owners do what they will. Because they will do whatever they have a mind to do and nothing you say or do will change them.

I frequently contemplate buying a steel cargo trailer with no roof vent and no rear door, and building it out as a TT. I could have a vent on the rear wall and a mini split A/C. Order the trailer with some steel attachment points welded to the roof, and mount solar panels up there without having to puncture the roof.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Sep 11, 2021
valhalla360 wrote:
And on another thread, I was berated for suggesting the elimination of roof penetrations is a great thing.

That happens often here, so you are in good company.
valhalla360
Navigator
Sep 11, 2021
And on another thread, I was berated for suggesting the elimination of roof penetrations is a great thing.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Sep 11, 2021
Warnings on RV maintenance are not heeded at least 50% of the time. You tried!
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 11, 2021
I have heard rants about RV roofs, and the maintain they require and all I can say is "Why in sam hill do we keep buying toys that expected to use outside with a roof that won't shed water.

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Frustrating !!!

19 Replies

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