Have a 5er,Want to get a used TC for me.What to watch for?

[wantabe351]

We have a 5th wheel Montana for our Trips and stored on a year round camp site. But I've got a driving urge for simpler camping trips plus wanting to tow our MC with us on some camping trips staying at SP or NP campgrounds..So been looking at TC and reading up on them for past 2yrs, See its a 2nd RV so its going to be used mostly by me or me and my wife for 1wk trips.. Money is a issue and its condition it is too, nothing gross inside or frame rot.. So I'm shopping here in the North east looking to spend 4 to 6k$ on a used 2000 to 2005 TC- which units should I be looking at and what areas of the camper do I watch out for? I also enjoy cold weather camping too! Thanks

[turbothrush]

Sorry I'm only familiar with the older non basement models.

i can tell you an oscillating multi tool is woth its weight in gold when you begin to disassemble the lower interior to get to the rotten floor. These tools excel at making otherwise almost impossible cuts without destroying things. You can even get bi-metal blades that will cut through nails and brads.

i guess the upside is you will have a camper worth keeping once you get it repaired.

[Akjoatmon]

Turbothrust

Do you have any experience repairing a rotten foundation in a fiberglass camper? I recently purchased a used Northern Lite that evidently was owned by one of the many who think they require less maintenance. The floor under the basement on the passenger side is rotten due to water and I am trying to determine how to fix it without gutting the thing.

[turbothrush]

If you are handy consider holding out for an older (90's) Northern Lite or Bigfoot with a decent outside skin and repair any interior or rot iissues. These fiberglass skin campers can look almost like new even after 25 years. Except for the graphics a shined up 1991 model and a 2018 model look pretty much the same.

Anything inside on these campers can be replaced without removing the outside skin and this includes the tie down points and jack mount points They can still leak of course but there is no wood studs to rot. The wooden 1 1/8 " sleepers in the floor can rot but the complete floor can be replaced without affecting the outside skin. The inside wall skin (1/8 " plywood) can rot but this is simply glued to the 1" styrofoam with either poly urethane construction adhesive or polyurathne glue. And no i don't work for Northern Lite but believe in their method of construction.

I also
agree about the electric jacks being nice but expensive to add on. I think they are about $1400 alone.

[joerg68]

If you buy one without electric jacks, it won't be long before you're looking to upgrade.

Seconding that. Our TC is on the truck year round, so it is not an issue. But your description sounds like you will be loading/unloading frequently. In that case, electric jacks will be very beneficial.

[handye9]

Pay special attention to jack mounts and the area around them. Doesn't take much water intrusion for the lag bolts (holding mounts) to pull out.

Having a DRW, you'll want to look for extensions (AKA swing out brackets) on the front jack mounts.

If you buy one without electric jacks, it won't be long before you're looking to upgrade. Upgrading can be spendy.

[towpro]

in the mean time, you can always drive north to truck camper warehouse on a weekend and see what your getting into. Bill will answer any questions you have. He does have some used, his website is not up to date so a call about inventory (and to make sure they are open that weekend) is always best.
I would not expect him to hide any issues from buyers on used campers.

Make a weekend out of it. go up Saturday morning, i stayed at motel 6, I didn't mind but wife says to recommend something better like the quality inn. Food at a place called 99 Restaurant was good.
Than if you have any questions, go back on Sunday before driving home.

all this is North of Brattleboro VT, but TCW is within maybe 1 mile across river in tax free NH (same people own long island store, but all inventory is in NH)

[jaycocreek]

I'm not here to argue with anyone..We all have our pet peeves for certain products,good or bad.Silicone products have a bad rep on RV forums..I don't know if it is from actual experience or going with the tide..Myself,in 50 plus years of taking care of RV's,I have never had a silicone product I chose, not do it's job but that's irrelevant to this thread.

Proper maintenance is easily identified in a pre-buy walk around as I am sure the opp is very well aware of, already owning a fifth wheel.Whatever product that was used regardless of what it is,is better than know maintenance at all.

My recent Lance was well taken care of..Don't much care what any previous owner used in maintaining it as long as it was maintained because once I bought it,I re-did it all my way, to my satisfaction.

Just one trip out in a truck camper on wash boardy roads can break or crack last years seal.Thst's one reason my next camper will be Bigfoot or Northern lite.Truck campers of normal build are just tough to keep sealed properly when used hard in rough places.

Good luck to the opp in finding a good used truck camper!

[SidecarFlip]

My comment to your comment is simply there are many products out there and RTV is one I don't want to see anywhere on any RV on the exterior.

[jaycocreek]

If I was to buy a used unit from say CL and the sell stated it was kept inside and maintained, I'd want to see where it was 'inside' at and maintenance records or at least some half used tubes of Dicor or Sikaflex..

It takes maybe 5 minutes and a ladder to see if it has been maintained.Not everyone uses the products you listed..Say grandma had the RV dealer re-seal and maintain it's more than likely they used some form of silicone...Oh ya...That nasty eight letter word on RV forums.(laughing) but it works...

Either way,one can tell in just minutes if it has been maintained especially on the roof.

[SidecarFlip]

mkirsch wrote:
My suggestion is you throw out the notion of looking for a specific unit, or even a specific range of years, and just look for one that is in acceptable shape and within your budget. Even if it's older.

Once you get into 12+ year old TCs, it's all about how they were used, maintained and stored. If it was not maintained it will be junk. Ideally you want to find one that hasn't been used much and was kept in a building when not being used.

Brand, build quality, manufacturer support are meaningless on a TC more than maybe 5 years old. At that point it doesn't matter how well it was built, if the owner doesn't take care of it, it will be junk. A good 12 year old camper is a good 12 year old camper, whether it's some brand that doesn't exist anymore, a bottom of the barrel brand, a middle of the road brand, or a top of the line brand. Start with a good camper and maintain it, and it will serve you well.

Exactly.

I can be a top tier camper that wasn't maintained and stored outside unprotected with no upkeep and be a landfill candidate or a economy unit that was taken care of and kept inside and be pristine.

The 2 factors that impact any used unit no matter what it is, TT 5er, tent camper, toy hauler or whatever is maintenance and storage.

If I was to buy a used unit from say CL and the sell stated it was kept inside and maintained, I'd want to see where it was 'inside' at and maintenance records or at least some half used tubes of Dicor or Sikaflex....:)

Far as appliances and convenience items go, no matter if it's top tier or economy, all the appliances will be similar, you want to look hard at the structure and if something don't work appliance wise, no a deal breaker, it can be replaced.

[thedavidzoo]

We initially looked for a used unit and found an only 1-year old Adventurer TC in another state. We talked extensively with the owner over the phone, multiple times, I mean REALLY asked questions. All sounded wonderful. No problems, virtually new...

So, we made a mad dash across 1 1/2 states with $ in hand only to discover that this 1-year old camper had been neglected, water in baggage compartment, siding swollen, broken awning from tree impact, mold on cabinetry doors and inside, warped interior moldings. Slide seal torn and loose. Nasty bathroom and fridge, etc.
Total waste of a long day! The experience disgusted us so much that we decided to get a quality new unit.

So, do not trust sellers no matter what they tell you! Inspect very carefully. Use your nose and eyes. Feel the surfaces for mold and dampness. Lift cushions, mattress. Look for any stains, runs, odd collections of dirt in corners that might indicate sitting/evaporated water, flowing water in the past.

Good luck!

[jaycocreek]

We had a 35ft Jayco fifth wheel we were living in at the time and bought a truck camper to camp and travel in, as you would like to do.The difference is that here in the northwest they are a dime a dozen.I look at RV's every day out of boredom and Spokane/Missoula and Kalispel are loaded with truck campers, if you ever are out that way in your travels..Some really good buys,in my opinion..

It sounds like in your area there are few to be had.Craigs list is your friend...

Buying used can be a challenge but there are some out there that have been garaged or covered all there life without any signs of leakage or some old geezer that was anal about maintenance with his camper.

I had to travel for my last one,something it sounds like you will have to do for a really good used TC.

Good luck.

[mkirsch]

My suggestion is you throw out the notion of looking for a specific unit, or even a specific range of years, and just look for one that is in acceptable shape and within your budget. Even if it's older.

Once you get into 12+ year old TCs, it's all about how they were used, maintained and stored. If it was not maintained it will be junk. Ideally you want to find one that hasn't been used much and was kept in a building when not being used.

Brand, build quality, manufacturer support are meaningless on a TC more than maybe 5 years old. At that point it doesn't matter how well it was built, if the owner doesn't take care of it, it will be junk. A good 12 year old camper is a good 12 year old camper, whether it's some brand that doesn't exist anymore, a bottom of the barrel brand, a middle of the road brand, or a top of the line brand. Start with a good camper and maintain it, and it will serve you well.

[SidecarFlip]

I know when I went ,up north' hunting last week, I saw plenty of RV's for sale, in yards, in parking lots, must have been 2 dozen and a few TC's as well.

Pretty easy to tell from the road what is good and what is nasty and most were neglected and nasty.