My wife and I recently purchased our first travel trailer and can't wait for spring!! I have been reading the posts on this forum for a couple of weeks and am very thankful for all the info you have all posted. I must say that I had no idea how much work it takes to maintain a travel trailer. It sounds like a full time job! We upgraded from a pop up thinking it would be less work and more enjoyment. I hope that it is not as much work as it sounds! Thanks again for all of the helpful tips I have gotten already! Come on Spring!!!
New 2014 22 FBS OWNER
- Thread starter Rdegroat
- Start date
mbopp
Well-known member
Welcome and congrats on the new trailer.
We went from a pop-up, to a hybrid, then the 21FBS (a tad shorter & no couch compared to the 22FBS.) My wife has the trailer almost fully stocked with its own kitchen utensils, bedding, food staples, and even some camping clothes. A bit of food shopping and we can be gone.
Set-up is levelling, run the slide and awning out, and have an adult beverage. Much quicker than a pop-up.
Maintenance? Inspecting and re-caulking the roof as needed is the biggest issue. Dicor self-levelling caulk is preferred for flat seams, Pro-Flex for vertical runs.
We enjoy camping in Pa, either Chapman SP or Allegheny National Forest. I've heard Ricketts Glen is nice also.
We went from a pop-up, to a hybrid, then the 21FBS (a tad shorter & no couch compared to the 22FBS.) My wife has the trailer almost fully stocked with its own kitchen utensils, bedding, food staples, and even some camping clothes. A bit of food shopping and we can be gone.
Set-up is levelling, run the slide and awning out, and have an adult beverage. Much quicker than a pop-up.
Maintenance? Inspecting and re-caulking the roof as needed is the biggest issue. Dicor self-levelling caulk is preferred for flat seams, Pro-Flex for vertical runs.
We enjoy camping in Pa, either Chapman SP or Allegheny National Forest. I've heard Ricketts Glen is nice also.
I will have to look into these places, I can't say that I have heard of either of them. I am also wondering about what to do with the TT battery over the winter. I have not disconnected it at this point since we have been going in and out quite a bit and I do have electric line plugged in a lot. Will it be ok if I continue this or should it be disconnected and brought inside?
travelin2
Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
Ricketts Glen is a neat park. Lots to do if you like the outdoors. Haven't been there in a few years though. Last time we where we car camped with my boys. I believe I read somewhere recently that the lake was to be drained so the dam's breastworks could be repaired this summer. Check DCNR's website for lots of state park info.
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Snapper
Member
Congratulations on your new trailer. You will find that the travel trailer is a great upgrade from the pop up. Just a little advise on the battery. I had a battery freeze last year and crack. I Also left mine plugged in and I was told that this is not a good idea by a local trailer company. What happened was the battery shorted by building up sulfate deposits by constant continuous charging and no discharging during the winter storage. They also said that it is not good to let the inverter run all the time without some discharge. The cold weather causes a lot of contracting and expanding of the plastic material. They recommend to remove the battery and place it on a "battery tender", which cycles the battery charge while being stored. They indicated that RV batteries last longer when they are charged and .almost completely discharged during the charging cycle. They said they are completely different than car batteries that are designed to stay continuously charged. Good lick with the trailer.
JWalker
Northeast Region Director-Retired
travelin2
Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
I leave mine in the coach BUT routinely I turn off the shore power to the coach and let the batteries drain from internal devices, turn on some lights, and weather permitting open my slides, run the furnace, anything to "exercise" the batteries. Afterwards I turn the shore power back on to recharge the batteries. Then repeat.
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JWalker
Northeast Region Director-Retired
Same here!!! Trailer is in storage so I have been tinkering on some truck mods, but it's almost to cold for that.
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
I'll be pulling ours out of the side yard next week as we are heading down to Arizona to the Arizona Heartland Owners Club Rally, plus a couple of nights at the south rim of the Grand Canyon.
Was loading up supplies for the trip today, plus shored up the TV's to the wall and lowered the TV antenna.
I was going to pull the trailer forward a little so I could put the slide out and vacuum, but my truck was at the Chevy dealer getting it's first oil change, and it had a couple of recall issues (software for the electronics and a power steering hose), plus got an estimate for the hail damage, so they had to keep it all day.
Just got home about a half hour ago.
Was loading up supplies for the trip today, plus shored up the TV's to the wall and lowered the TV antenna.
I was going to pull the trailer forward a little so I could put the slide out and vacuum, but my truck was at the Chevy dealer getting it's first oil change, and it had a couple of recall issues (software for the electronics and a power steering hose), plus got an estimate for the hail damage, so they had to keep it all day.
Just got home about a half hour ago.
dl_camps
Member
Hi there ~~~ We also upgraded from a pup to 21fbs a couple of years ago. It did seem like more work at first, but now everything is runs like clockwork. We just had to learn how to do the winterizing, which is no big deal now that we have done it a few times. Never had to do the antifreeze with the pup because we never used water in it. It is so great to just pull into a campsite and level out, not having to set up or take down in the rain is a big plus in my book. We store ours in our shed and I do weekly mouse checks just to be sure those critters don't get in. Anyway, we love our trailer and are sure you will too. I'm with you, can't wait for warmer weather. Only 10 below here in Wisconsin today, brrrr. Have fun with your new trailer.
