Looking for Storage Suggestions

[BigGuy82]

Due to surgery, I won't be using my Bighorn until January. I live in upstate NY and am heading south mid-January, so I figured I'd store it in Georgia to avoid winterizing it and more importantly to avoid having to drive south from Rochester NY in the winter - pulling through snow/ice storms doesn't appeal to me. Since I've never had ths coach parked for this long (4-5 months), I'm relying on my car storage experience, so here's what I'm doing:

• Storing on gravel instead of indoors or over grass - I figure less chance for rodent infestation
• Pumping up the tires to 130 (normal is 110) to avoid flat spots
• Not jacking it up on the Level Up system to avoid stressing te suspension in the opposite direction in which it is supposed to work
• Pulling the batteries
• Draining all tanks
• running the generator monthly won't be possible but I'll be running it under load prior to storage
• Locking the pin

I'm interested in any opinions on the above plus any other suggestions.

Thanks

 

[NWILSON]

Add a fuel preservative (Stabil, Seafoam, etc) to the fuel tank prior to storing if there's any fuel left in the tank. Tow the rig around the block to make sure it's distributed well in the fuel if you need to. Run the generator for 20 or 30 minutes to be sure the fuel lines and carburetor are purged of untreated fuel.

 

[danemayer]

Georgia gets an occasional freeze. You should winterize.

Instead of over-inflating the tires, I would manually extend the rear jacks to just slightly take the weight off the wheels.

 

[CoveredWagon]

I wouldn't bother pulling the batteries, just make sure they are fully charged and disconnected. I leave my golf cart for 6 months at a time and it's aok. If you can use the blow down system to winterize the Rv. I'm told that's the best way.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

... I'm relying on my car storage experience, so here's what I'm doing:

• Pulling the batteries

Will you have power in Georgia site? If so, just installed a simple battery tender device.

I have 2 of these. One for our truck (only used for camping) and one for our motorcycles (I move between bikes 1x per week). You can always use a good batter tender.

Link to Amazon



If no power, I'd go with a simple solar setup. My solar keeps our batteries at 100% all winter long as I don't have power at our storage.

Link to Amazon

 

[BigGuy82]

Georgia gets an occasional freeze. You should winterize.

Instead of over-inflating the tires, I would manually extend the rear jacks to just slightly take the weight off the wheels.

Based on your advice, I just got done checking the temp history for last year and they had a couple of consecutive freezing days, althought that hops up pretty quick. The averages are in the mid-high 40's but an examination of daily temps tells the story. Looks like I'll winterize - cheap insurance.

I thought about extending the jacks so the tires are barely touching, but are there any drawbacks to partial jack extension over a long period? Any problems with things like valves/orifices plugging or stuff like that? I would prefer not to over-inflate but I was worried about the jacks.

Thanks!

 

[kowAlski631]

Temps in Georgia vary widely. Winterizing is a smart move.

 

[danemayer]

Based on your advice, I just got done checking the temp history for last year and they had a couple of consecutive freezing days, althought that hops up pretty quick. The averages are in the mid-high 40's but an examination of daily temps tells the story. Looks like I'll winterize - cheap insurance.

I thought about extending the jacks so the tires are barely touching, but are there any drawbacks to partial jack extension over a long period? Any problems with things like valves/orifices plugging or stuff like that? I would prefer not to over-inflate but I was worried about the jacks.

Thanks!

If on a reasonably level site, I almost always level ours with weight slightly off the tires. We were in Goshen for a month that way, and Breckenridge for 2 1/2 months. I also keep it that way when in storage for the winter.

 

[BigGuy82]

Well, I got the Bighorn all tucked away in Georgia just before the hurricane hit - it didn't affect the coach at all, but the ride home north on I-95 in all of the evacuation traffic was "memorable". It's a good thing I installed a 65 gallon Titan tank - the fuel/food areas were just as clogged as the highway.

Anyway thanks for all of the tips and a special tip of the hat to whoever put together the "Winterization Guide" on this forum. Concise, accurate, to the point and it made the job a whole lot easier. I found the part that addressed the Splendide w/d expecially helpful.

Thanks!