Newbie on deck...sort of

[Derick]

Greetings all -

I'm Derick, and I'm in Indiana. In 2016, I had purchased a Time-Out camper for my Goldwing. After 2 seasons, I loved the Time-out but when it came to bad weather I knew there were better options. I sold the Time-Out earlier this year and just recently purchased a 2007 Sunray RV Smoky Toy Hauler and tow it with my 2006 Toyota Sequoia.

I've never even stayed a single night in an RV and this thing is so cool!

I purchased it a week ago in the middle of eastern KY, and towed it back home to start cleaning, and putting a list together of what was necessary.

In the past week and a half we've:
Ordered new trailer tires
Cleaned from top to bottom
Removed old, ugly window treatments
Cleaned/re-cleaned the fridge
Tested all gas appliances
Tossed the old mattresses and former owners' junk
Cleaned it again
Cleaned the storage compartments
Re-attached a battery w/ solar charger
Tested the electrical
Dumped in toilet treatment and a few gallons of water

Lots more to do, but the top of the list is finding mattresses. They are odd RV sizes, and the main lower bunk has a clipped corner so that's fun. Keeping the old mattresses was NOT an option. I still need to sanitize the fresh water holding tank. Also need to test the fridge. I got next to zero instant gratification during our cleaning/shake down, and then saw online it takes 24-48 hours to really cool down. I also need to replace the bathroom fan, and the front vent..and I have covers for each of those. That's a priority because they leak.

Lots of good stories from the purchase of this unit, mostly that I think the previous owner was just purely clueless..but that's campfire talk. lol

Anyhow, being a newbie, feel free to pass along any suggestions or ideas on how to make life easier with this thing!.

[John_Wayne]

Pull the wheels repack the bearings and check the trailer brakes if it has them. If you need brakes sometimes it's cheaper to buy the whole backing plate with brakes and new magnets then get it in pieces. Enjoy and have fun

[zcookiemonstar]

Congrats on your new toy. Make sure you check the brakes and wheel bearings.

[2gypsies1]

Use Google and there are many companies that will cut the memory foam to your specifications. Here's one of many:

https://www.foambymail.com/

[Derick]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Buy a not too expensive memory foam mattress and cut it down. The best tool is usually an electric carving knife but a home made hot wire knife should work.

Yeah this is what I am likely going to do. I had my eye on a king sized mattress from sams club, because it would cover BOTH bunks...however it has multiple layers of foam, with obviously a cover. Do you have any sites or brands that you can recommend?

[Matt_Colie]

Pleased to meet you Derick,

It does sound like you bought a source file for a three beer story.

If it is a standard gas/electric reefer, they all take a day to cool down (pump down as a reefer guy would say). Find a place to get it on shore power so you can just have it ready. Be aware that those reefers seem to have a half-life of about 7 years. Sometimes, they just need to be turned upside down for a day. Sometimes they leak a little of the ammonia charge. Then you contact the guy in Amish guy in Shipshewana and he will put in a rebuilt cooling unit for about half the price of new.

Living in the north country as we do, solar can be disappointing. I suggest that you carry enough generator to get by on a bad weekend. You don't NEED enough to run the tv, A/C and the microwave (unless you want to ~$$) but it does not take much to charge the battery and you will need the battery for water and the reefer controls.

There companies that specialize on RV mattresses. I only know that they exist. I bet there is one near Elkhart. <=sicker bet

You will have other questions, but before you go anyplace, spend a night in the trailer at home. You can learn a lot of important real fast that way. I suspect that because of the Time-Out, you will have few real big surprises, but having to learn these things when there is no support makes them just for stock file for you story index.

Matt

[theoldwizard1]

Buy a not too expensive memory foam mattress and cut it down. The best tool is usually an electric carving knife but a home made hot wire knife should work.

[Lwiddis]

“Lots more to do, but the top of the list is finding mattresses.”

Nope, IMO. First up should be roof maintenance and second should be wall seam resealing.

[JAC1982]

Congrats! My in laws tow a slightly larger Travel Trailer (non-toy hauler) with their Sequoia and really enjoy it! Once you get your mattresses in order, spend a night or two in the camper in your driveway. That way you can get to learn how it all works, the quirks, and you can keep a running list (keep a pen/notepad out at all times) of things you decide you need, but may not think of. Then, I'd take another trip somewhere nearby as a "shake down" trip... get used to towing it, parking it, unhooking it, hooking it up at the campsite, etc.

We are in our 5th year of vacation RVing and we still do a quick weekend trip to a nearby campground at the beginning of every season, and every year we find something new that we either forgot about or need to fix before our longer trips later in the summer.