General Outside Trailer Maintenance?

[SouthpawHD]

I've done some searching, but can't find exactly what I need to do.

For example, what kind of caulk should I use to re-caulk the outside (around windows, doors, seams)?

Should I be using grease or a rubber protectant on the rubber seals of the slides? What kind?

Do I need to grease the rails of a Schwintek slide?

Should I grease/oil my Lippert electronic stabilizer jacks?

How and where do I lube the gears of the TV antenna?

I know, some basic things, but my manual is all but worthless.

Thanks!

[SouthpawHD]

Very helpful info here, thanks!

[gmw_photos]

The seam at the top front edge of my trailer, when they caulked it at the factory, they apparently were standing on ladders at the sides. They caulked about two feet in from each side, about as far as you can reach from there.

Uh yeah.....right....that left about three feet of the seam in the middle not caulked. As soon as I got it home, I climbed up on the roof and finished the job they should have done.

Laying under the trailer, I found things like wiring running right thru jagged holes in the frame, where, left alone would have eventually wore thru the insulation.

Etc, etc, and more etc. As I always say, "some assembly required". These things are like buying something from Ikea.

Spend a quality saturday going over it. You'll be shocked at the things you'll have to "fix", but you'll also have a better understanding of how it's built.

[siamese]

TurnThePage wrote:

EstorilM wrote:
I need to start following this. The trailer is fairly new, but I haven't touched a single moving part on the entire thing yet. 😞

I wonder how long before I'll have to start worrying about the caulking? I'm already looking at it every time I walk by the thing. I know it's coming haha.

I'll watch some videos later, but with the slide extended, and gear tracks exposed, should I put actual automotive / wheel bearing grease on there? Or will that just attracts dirt and other crud?

That is what gets a lot of people (It's new, I don't have to worry about it yet). I closely inspected mine when it was new and found multiple places on the roof that would have likely leaked if it rained. I ended up Eternabonding around the entire roof within 2 months of owning it, and it's never leaked since 2004.

Yeah, that! I inspected the roof on my brand new, 2017 Jayco, and found five places in the sealant that needed to be fixed immediately. Along the seam between the aluminum front and the rubber roof where there's a big line of sealant, there were five places where it looked like someone had taken a 2x2 and jammed it hard into the sealant. I used a razor knife to remove some sealant where it was pushed up, and applied Dicor self leveling lap sealant.

Guess what would have happened if I had gone to the dealer three months later complaining of a leak, with water and mold inside the wall. You got it....they'd tell me it's not covered under warranty, because it's up to the owner to maintain the seals. From DAY ONE.

My gray water handle was missing the second time we used a dump station. I replaced it, and also checked the black water handle (had to cut a little hole in the under belly covering to see it. Sure enough, it was barely on. Fixed it.

I don't think you can assume much of anything on a new trailer. Check the torque on your lug nuts. Park on some concrete, and get under with a creeper and check the bolts that hold the suspension on.

Etcetera.

[TurnThePage]

EstorilM wrote:
I need to start following this. The trailer is fairly new, but I haven't touched a single moving part on the entire thing yet. 😞

I wonder how long before I'll have to start worrying about the caulking? I'm already looking at it every time I walk by the thing. I know it's coming haha.

I'll watch some videos later, but with the slide extended, and gear tracks exposed, should I put actual automotive / wheel bearing grease on there? Or will that just attracts dirt and other crud?

That is what gets a lot of people (It's new, I don't have to worry about it yet). I closely inspected mine when it was new and found multiple places on the roof that would have likely leaked if it rained. I ended up Eternabonding around the entire roof within 2 months of owning it, and it's never leaked since 2004.

[EstorilM]

I need to start following this. The trailer is fairly new, but I haven't touched a single moving part on the entire thing yet. 😞

I wonder how long before I'll have to start worrying about the caulking? I'm already looking at it every time I walk by the thing. I know it's coming haha.

I'll watch some videos later, but with the slide extended, and gear tracks exposed, should I put actual automotive / wheel bearing grease on there? Or will that just attracts dirt and other crud?

[gmw_photos]

I use dicor, and I prefer self level even on vertical lines. To me it's easier to run a small, controlled bead with the self level version. It doesn't sag on my vertical seams.

For the the slide room gaskets I use baby powder.

The only part of the schwintek mechanism that gets lubed is the gib blocks. I use CRC with teflon for that. See this vid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KbVRFMo1Rg

I don't have a TV antenna with moving parts, so I have nothing to add for that.

On the stab jacks, I spray with fluid film.

[Mortimer_Brewst]

darsben1 wrote:
Caulk = Eternabond either the self leveling for horizontal surfaces or regular for vertical surfaces such as around windows etc

I think you mean Dicor.

[mike-s]

No grease on seals. No silicone (ArmorAll) either. A good UV protectant (303 Aerospace) is good.

Winegard says silicone spray for the antenna - spray, not grease which attracts dirt.

[darsben1]

Caulk = Dicor either the self leveling for horizontal surfaces or regular for vertical surfaces such as around windows etc

Edited to correct my terminology error

[Passin_Thru]

Any RV rubber caulk. Its more flexible than home.
No protectant. Just wash and wax.
Yes. Grease with a dry graphite.
Never grease my jack.
Never done the Tv antenna.