Do you cover your trailer in the winter?

[dieseldan723]

I live in the Pacific NorthWET and it rains a bit here. 🙂 For those living in similar climates, do you cover your trailer for the winter? In the past I have had two 5th wheels that were very large and I didn't bother.

We just purchased a new Fuzion 301 that we will be picking up on Tuesday. We did opt for the Duratain treatment (supposedly you don't have to wax it for 5 years), however I am still considering a cover and wanted to know what others have done.

One downside I see is that if it's covered I probably will not want to uncover it again until the weather turns good in the late spring. This would mean that I wouldn't tend to use it over the winter/spring. Also, from time to time we have guests that will stay with us and stay in the trailer for a few days.

Your thoughts?

TIA

[2BLAZERS]

I'm in process of biting the bullet and am actively shopping for one of those metal carport things. I figure if it saves me one little undetected leak damage it will be worth it....

[Doughboy12]

porkchop1221 wrote:
We had a cover this past winter and it was kinda of a pain to get it on. We also put tire covers on. It's in a outdoor storage place. Indoor would cost me at least 300-400 a month. I'm looking to buy a house that can hold the RV. I would love a car port but how much is that?

That's gonna be a big house, and a big living room. Aren't you afraid of the gas smell in the house?...lol

[porkchop1221]

We had a cover this past winter and it was kinda of a pain to get it on. We also put tire covers on. It's in a outdoor storage place. Indoor would cost me at least 300-400 a month. I'm looking to buy a house that can hold the RV. I would love a car port but how much is that?

[Sledge_Hammer]

How hard is it to get these covers up on the roof? I have a 38ft Hauler, and have some concern about being able to get it on top.

[dieseldan723]

Really appreciate all the thoughts. I would LOVE to build a cover (and still may at some point). My neighbor will hate me for it. They have given me a ton of grief for parking my trailer next to MY house (and I live across the street!)

For now I may get a ADCO cover and realize it's mostly a disposable one.

[djtytrev630]

Keep it in a fully enclosed storage, brother-in-law has a six yr old rapter that looks real bad... he leaves his outside. When you pay this much money for something you want totake care of it as best as possible... storage is $150 a month but in my eyes... it's worth it.

[Badhabt]

Yes...and I'm in the NW. The issue is really how scummed up the trailer gets with all the evergreen trees and RAIN. The gutters plug up with needles...then the the gutters overflow...and its SUCH a mess, black streaks galore(I bought the exterior protection for my gel coats sides and it doesnt help). I cover mine around november and take if off in March. I put a bucket of moisture absorbent in the trailer to keep the moisture to a minimum. My cover has a zippered area around the door to get in if I have to plus I can still access the genset from the outside so I can run it time to time. I left it off one season..and never again and I have had the trailer going on 7 years. The cover takes a bit to put on but surprisingly easy to take off (if its dry LOL).

[Doughboy12]

They do shrink wrap around here on boats and trailers...works great.

[wingsfan20]

Nope. Just live in it during winter.

[Lowsuv]

A carport does wonders for keeping a trailer looking new and avoiding leaks .
The solar heating expansion during the day and the cooling contraction at night eventually weakens the watertight joints at the corners , weathers the finish before its time , and accelerates ozone cracking of the tires .
We use a 3 sided shed with the opening facing North .
Our 2002 Komfort (purchased new ) still looks new .
We have had zero leaks .
We have had no tire cracking .
A shed roof has got to be twice or thrice better than a cover .

[ArcticDodge]

I put a tarp over the top every winter. We only get the occasional wind storm and we never get a constant wind that could cause abrasion wear. It really is more to help keep all the tree debris off than the constant rain. It really helps keep the entire rig cleaner. There are more than enough vents and other roof attachments that keep the tarp suspended in many places and allows air to circulate. Found the perfect sized tarp on ebay that is only slightly larger than the roof surface.

[Dirtclods]

Nope don't cover mine but my neighbor does and now he has wear marks on his rig.

[glazier]

Bad Brad wrote:
I left my first trailer out for several years. It's amazing how much impact the elements have on the exterior of our trailers...it doesn't take too many seasons to trash one. I have since built a large garage to protect everything I own.

That's the life of anything. The elements destroy anything, including our brick homes, I have always kept all my stuff in a garage. I don't know about the covers, but I bet anything covered is better than not. I would assume the installation of the cover would be very important, especially in preventing chaffing of the finish.

[Luv_Campin]

We cover ours in the winter with an Adco cover. I wash it before I cover it and when I unwrap her in the spring she still looks good and clean.