Made the purchase, what's next?

[Shark1007]

Thanks everyone for the advice on the other thread. I pulled the trigger this morning on a Forest River Rockwood Windjammer 3001W at auction. It's a 2012 and real clean.

I'll next join Good Sam, can we get insurance through them? What coverages should I consider? Wife is psyched and I'm pretty happy too, we like the layout and the sharp nose/aerodynamic design. I'm a disabled vet, so I think I can get some benefits from the Nat'l park system.

Any other tips I need to do immediately. I was figuring replace battery(s), inspect hubs and brakes, service/lube hubs, evaluate tires then check all systems.

Any advice appreciated, thank you. This one appears to have electric jack, automatic leveler, etc.

[rockhillmanor]

Shark1007 wrote:
We are redoing a new place and

I will have 30A wired

to the far side of the garage so I can plug in. ...

MAKE SURE the person you have wiring the plug for you does NOT wire it for 220. They see that RV plug and think dryer and many of licensed electricians will wire it 220. Thinking you don't know what you are talking about.

If they do when you plug in boom! You will have about $3,000 damage to your new RV. Just saying. Been there done that. And I even made a point of telling the idiot how to wire it and he still wired it wrong.:R

Go here, read and print out, AND then staple it to the forehead of the person that is going to wire an outlet for you. Saying "you wire it wrong you will pay for the damages".!!

click on 30 amp
http://www.myrv.us/electric/

Congrats on your new RV. Hang on to your wallet, there are tons of 'must have' things to buy for your RV. :C

[Majja13]

Also don't be afraid to look outside of the TT industry for solutions. I use command hooks for a lot of things in my TT. We also use some totes in out pantry it makes it easier and allows me to stack more things in one small area in a nice organized container. Also if the syrup leaks it is not all over the entire cabinet. We use a french press for coffee.

Congratz on the new rig.

[Alabama_Jim]

Welcome to RVing. I pray you have many fun and safe tripts. It guy gives a good list. I know our car coverage through State Farm covers the RV roadside service. I took out a separate policy for damage or loss of the TT. I would suggest you take your time thinking through what you want to carry in your RV. It is very easy to buy everything you think you may need and have an RV loaded to the point of being trashy. You may want to take 2 or 3 overnight trips to see what items fit your needs.

[Tvov]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I usually recommend to new owners that they camp in there driveway the first time. That way if you forgot to pack anything you can run back to the house to get it. Then Camp close to home the first couple of times to get your feet wet. Once you know what you do, and don't, want to take with you then your good to go.

No use hauling along stuff you don't need and leaving at home stuff you wish you had taken.

+1 to this.

While your trailer is connected to your truck, it may well be already "covered" by the trucks insurance. Depends on your insurance, and what you want the insurance to cover. For the first few years that we owned our TT, I got extra insurance to cover any damage that could occur when not hooked up for towing (falling branches, storm damage, etc). At this point, we are going on our 12th season with the TT so I dropped the extra insurance.

Try not to buy too much too soon!! Although it is kinda fun to buy all that stuff... Get a few close to home camping trips in, talk to other campers, ask here on the forums for ideas - then figure out what you want to get. The first couple years we owned our TT we filled it with stuff, then spent years taking stuff out of it, lol!

Flat tire - figure out what you need to do to get a tire changed. If you can't do it yourself, make sure you have some sort of coverage to pay for that service. I found out that the jack in my F250 fits perfectly under my trailer to lift it to change a tire, so I haven't bought any special jack thing. BUT - I also found out that the lug nuts on the trailer wheels do not match my F250 lug wrench, or any other lug wrench I have, so I made sure that I have a proper fitting socket wrench in the camper for changing a tire.

Have fun! and see you on the road!

[2012Coleman]

Shark1007 wrote:
Wilco, do you think the roof treatment is needed immediately on a 2012. I am going to look at changing out tires based on some reviews I saw.

The Windjammer just looks cool to me. I like the layout and the closet storage in the "vee" We bought at repo auction cheap and I can afford to do some mods.

Mine is a 2012, and I would not put any coating on the roof at this point. Clean the roof with a soft brush and mild soap that doesn't contain petroleum distillates like spic and span. I have found by chance that the Camco roof cleaner works very well, so that is what I use. I go around the TT using an 8 ft ladder - my brush handle reaches the middle. I could walk on the roof, but I prefer not to. Good call on the tires. I just replaced the factory Towmax after a blowout and observing belt separation in another. Replace the spare too. Then follow the advice given to Go Camping!

[deltabravo]

donn0128 wrote:
Check with your auto insurance carrier before you pop for any insurance. Good Sam is not necessarily best or cheapest.

Ditto.

[AmericalVette]

Shark1007 wrote:
Thanks everyone for the advice on the other thread. I pulled the trigger this morning on a Forest River Rockwood Windjammer 3001W at auction. It's a 2012 and real clean.

From one Vet to another, congratulations and all best wishes to you and yours.

[Shark1007]

Wilco, do you think the roof treatment is needed immediately on a 2012. I am going to look at changing out tires based on some reviews I saw.

The Windjammer just looks cool to me. I like the layout and the closet storage in the "vee" We bought at repo auction cheap and I can afford to do some mods.

[spike99]

If you can, park RV in your driveway / side of house for a long weekend and "camp inside it". If you need to go into the house to get an item (like pillow, toilet paper, dishes, etc.), they you need to buy double for your RV.

Also consider next MODS (Modifications) to buy. Some folks install tinted window film (especially on the bedroom windows), Electrical Surge Protection (IMO, this is a must), extra towel holders in bathroom, etc. etc. If you think a MOD will better your RV experience, then proactively buy/make install it.

For the roof (being an older age RV), I would deep clean it and apply RV liquid rubber roof. This coating stops all possible water leaks and best of all, it stops black streaks as well. Lots of You-Tube video of this product. re: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKNgsZ4LHyM

Hope this helps.

[TheWB]

rbpru wrote:
TheWB,

What size tire changing ramp did you by, the 4 inch or 5 inch lift?

I have 15 inch tires.

I got the 4" one. Plenty of space.

[CavemanCharlie]

I usually recommend to new owners that they camp in there driveway the first time. That way if you forgot to pack anything you can run back to the house to get it. Then Camp close to home the first couple of times to get your feet wet. Once you know what you do, and don't, want to take with you then your good to go.

No use hauling along stuff you don't need and leaving at home stuff you wish you had taken.

[temccarthy1]

To Shark 1007... Do not agree with "itguy08" that "Amazon rarely has the best prices"...have checked with Camping World and Walmart.. and Amazon consistently beats them.. not on every item but most, but who has time to run all over town and shop a tall these retailers and hope you find a sale or they are out of an item you went there for.. When you spend $35 or more which is easy when you are stocking up on accessories,, Amazon ships free and even though they usually quote 5 days, 80% of the stuff comes in 2-3 days. Their return policy is also the best in the free world bar none! And as I stated, their customer reviews of EVERY item make it easy to know whether it is worth it or not! That advice to me is invaluable especially when you are new to a TT and not sure what you really need. I was not an Amazon shopper until I bought the new TT and sat down to find out what I needed not really knowing.. Those Amazon customer reviews were extremely important! I didn't mention the water filter, but that is important too.. Every campground has different quality water, and you don't want to take a chance-- 1 cartridge lasts a season. Also, forgot to mention you will want a black tank cleaning blaster wand that you attach to your non-drinking hose and stick down the toilet to clean your black tank every time you drain it. Just takes 5 minutes, but read the reviews and find out how important this is.. Also got a small one for my hot water tank... cleans out the scale.. Neither was expensive and I would never have known how important these were by just walking past one in Walmart. To each his own! My time and money are valuable and I want to make informed decisions on the products I buy.. Amazon has given me that in a big way! ( No-- I don't work for them either-- just an informed consumer!)

[RVcircus]

1. Do a safety check of tires, suspension, brakes, hubs, hitch, lights, etc.
2. Do a quick once over for any other issues like sealant or appliance issues. 3. Go camping.

[rbpru]

TheWB,

What size tire changing ramp did you by, the 4 inch or 5 inch lift?

I have 15 inch tires.