Trailers, Campers and RVs… | Page 6 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Trailers, Campers and RVs…

mimico_polak said:
My largest issue with fixing mechanical things (on the car or bike) is typically finding the issue. Replacement is easy….finding is a pain.

Which reminds me I need to fix the damn fan in the bathroom.
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Came close to buying one at least 5 times in the last 5 years.

Every time, a good dismantling and a good cleanup and greasing did the job. Runs smooth now
 
LePhillou said:
I dont consider myself very handy. But my father wasn't/isn't handy at all.
Then i worked in restaurants, did more gardening, started doing things here and there on the car/motorcycle like brakes, suspension, oil change, etc. Heck even things on my bicycle i didn't wanna play with

It's just so gratifying.

And with the age of youtube and the interwebs, there are less and less reasons to NOT do it. Where my in-laws are from, there was no "home builder" they built their homes, and that's just 1-2 generations (ie. my wife's grandparents). I learn a bunch from them and i feel less useless as a human.
Problem is, not a lot of people have access to those "resource" people to instill confidence.

Then you have the time factor too...
we got a family member to build our deck in the backyard... 14 x 16. Him and his wife do it for a living and they got here at 9, materials got tehre at 930, and they were completely done at 2pm
For a lot of people that would take weeks of doing a few hours here or there and figuring it out.
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So true about the youtube and other resources. I ended up doing a bunch of things on my old 1981 CB 750 because to pay anyone else to do it would have been more than the bike was worth. Thanks to youtube and some websites I tackled things such as rebuilding the starter clutch.

Same with the RV. Saved a lot of money by fixing things that have come up. Next up is the range hood outside cover. The hatch is on its last legs. I have a new unit. Just need to make the time this weekend to swap it out. The electrical hatch was the first thing I did before my first trip. These plastic parts kick the bucket after 12 years

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mimico_polak said:
My largest issue with fixing mechanical things (on the car or bike) is typically finding the issue. Replacement is easy….finding is a pain.

Which reminds me I need to fix the damn fan in the bathroom.
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I was doing some odd jobs for a friend and he added the bathroom fan to the list, "It doesn't work."

It would be either the switch, motor or loose connection right???

Nope, just no suction. When the reno was done fifty feet of DRIER HOSE was serpentined all over the attic then hooked to the soil stack fifteen feet away with a stub of 2" pipe.

A second bath was just vented into the attic. Fortunately it didn't get used a lot.

The friend is a lawyer and the work was done by one of his clients who is now deceased. He still has the contractor's widow as a client and she says a lot of people tell her that her husband didn't do very good work. No kidding and screwing a lawyer to boot!
 
nobbie48 said:
I was doing some odd jobs for a friend and he added the bathroom fan to the list, "It doesn't work."

It would be either the switch, motor or loose connection right???

Nope, just no suction. When the reno was done fifty feet of DRIER HOSE was serpentined all over the attic then hooked to the soil stack fifteen feet away with a stub of 2" pipe.

A second bath was just vented into the attic. Fortunately it didn't get used a lot.

The friend is a lawyer and the work was done by one of his clients who is now deceased. He still has the contractor's widow as a client and she says a lot of people tell her that her husband didn't do very good work. No kidding and screwing a lawyer to boot!
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All of the bathroom fans in my house discharged through the soffit. When I redid the roof I moved all with showers through the roof. I left a powder room through the soffit as it doesn't matter.

Kitchen exhaust was my favorite. Hose routed to near the soffit in an inaccessible attic space. Losers. Through the roof now.
 
So if the soffit is where attic air is taken in . Exhausting the moist bathroom air in the same location sounds like very solid building science…..


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crankcall said:
So if the soffit is where attic air is taken in . Exhausting the moist bathroom air in the same location sounds like very solid building science…..


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Remember looking into the attic of a townhouse we liked….the bathroom air was venting into the attic as there was no connection….mouldy as hell on the roof plywood. We noped out of there super fast.
 
I am looking to spend 2 nights in Bronte next weekend. That will likely be my last camping trip of the year. Just a couple of days to chill and have some campfires and maybe enjoy some gin or tequila.

Projects still to do... I may put this off until Spring. Or I could even do it on the trip. The trailer is a 2010 and from 2020 onwards a lot of the plastic parts are getting super brittle or are breaking. The hood vent is on its last legs...



This was the earlier project this year. The old Propane/CO alarm was going off every 30 seconds because the detector was long expired. Someone managed to reset it at some point so it gave us another 5 years. I really should have replaced it when we got the unit. Thing was made in 2009 and was supposed to be replaced in 2014!



At any rate I regularly buy parts from the same RV dealership so they give me a discount. Buying parts at a discount like this or from Amazon plus doing the work yourself saves a lot of $.





All ready for another 5 years!


A few years ago the pull handle for the black tank valve broke. Finally got around to replacing it.



The other weekend project was to replace the low level drain for the fresh tank. It has been essentially seized for a few years. It literally took a plier to open and close it and now the plastic is really buggered. Long overdue for replacement.



Test fit to make sure it is good to go...

All purdy now!



Hey Mimico... Something like this would be ideal for a 6 person sleeper. However, it is a bit on the heavy side for a minivan. For sure I would drive without using OD and have a transmission cooler and be very, very gentle with it. Something like a Pilot would be ideal for a trailer like this.



As for me this may be where we go next...
 
anyone here have experience with a Geo Pro, Palomino Solaire, Keystone Passport, Venture Sonic, Gulfstream Vintage Cruiser or Riverside Retro...hubby and I are thinking of doing more road trips starting next summer (I'm off and he's able to take the summer off from work as well - very generous employer) so we're looking at either a light trailer (aluminum frame, fiberglass exteriors) or getting a van and converting it into a camper (somewhat of one as we most likely wouldn't do a full reno with kitchen and bath amenities)...trying to think of the best way to go...
 
ifiddles said:
anyone here have experience with a Geo Pro, Palomino Solaire, Keystone Passport, Venture Sonic, Gulfstream Vintage Cruiser or Riverside Retro...hubby and I are thinking of doing more road trips starting next summer (I'm off and he's able to take the summer off from work as well - very generous employer) so we're looking at either a light trailer (aluminum frame, fiberglass exteriors) or getting a van and converting it into a camper (somewhat of one as we most likely wouldn't do a full reno with kitchen and bath amenities)...trying to think of the best way to go...
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I would try renting a camper and see if it’s something you really enjoy before laying out a lot of money.

Maybe do a couple wkend runs first, if it was me
 
@ToSlow we thought of that as well...most places are renting for around $150/night and to rent it for the summer would be a lot...we're looking at used models under $25,000 which is what we found a few Caravans for...we've slept in the back of our Santa Fe before on our CA road trip a few years ago, so we know it's doable, just not the most convenient...I'm talking in circles I know...LOL
 
Indiana seems to be the state where most of the big name manufactures RVs come from. So generally speaking, the assembly and quality, warranties are about the same depending on price point etc.


So it comes down to what you like, how it looks to you and the layout and features you can’t live without, or just want to have or find you just gotta have.

I’d suggest just booking a camp site at one of the main provincial parks, tent it for a couple of days, and mingle with folks that have a set up that looks interesting. You’ll get great feedback from various owners in different life stages and can’t wait to show you their set up.

We walk our dog and chat up some “neighbours” and find out quite a bit.

We camp often with our tent trailer and when first starting out before the tent trailer, we camped with other folks that had a 5th wheel and got to learn about the pros and cons of different set ups and how they use them, what they bring along etc. fishing, bird watching, kayaking, cycling, hiking, antiquing,

There are some folks that have larger trailers that host others and others that a retired and sometime bring their grand children or just do their own thing independently etc.

Sorry I can’t comment on the specific units you are looking into. Hope this helps in some way.

Cheers!


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@nakkers thanks for the suggestion...I owned a park model back in my early 20s with my ex and we loved it (well i loved it, him not so much)...now that I'm 55, camping in a tent is not so appealing (never was TBH) and hubby feels the same...he had the tent trailer with his ex and kids and isn't interested in doing that again...

going out Saturday I think to check some out...found some cool looking retros from Gulfstream...lightweight and look pretty neat...I figure, what the heck...I'm turning 55 in April and haven't bought anything new that was expensive since my car in 2013...so maybe I'm due to treat myself... :D
 
A friend used to buy used motor homes. It seemed that they either cost a lot of money to buy or a lot of money to fix.

Keep in mind that at some point the weight of the vehicle makes it a heavy truck and the service costs escalate.
 
My parents went through the whole cycle - 15 foot travel trailer, 20 foot travel trailer, 5th wheel, class A motorhome. Benefits/minus's to each. Spent a couple winters in Arizona/California, went to tons of provincial parks, enjoyed 1000 islands with the Seadoo etc. They all have issues no matter the make, but try and avoid the lower end "budget" options. They spent time at the factory in Indiana while waiting for warranty repairs, their friends had to stay there for a couple of months waiting for their turn in line/parts to come in. Meet a ton of friendly people as others have said. Seems to be a happy hour with drinks/food almost daily if you find the right crowd. Covid kind of threw a wrench in it so they sold motorhome and bought a park model at Sherkston Shores and seem to really like that now. If you are buying used look/smell very carefully for water damage/leaks.

Like everything else, its mind blowing once you get into a hobby and see the amount of money some people have invested in these things. Americans go big big big. Matching triple axle enclosed trailer with car lift in it full of toys. Pretty impressive. I really enjoyed Phoenix area, flying down the week of Barret-Jackson car auction a couple of times. Pima air & space museum, got to see SR71 Blackbird. Perfect weather down there, and not a mosquito in sight.
 
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I still have our 18 CK if you are interested in looking at it. Great trailer for 2 people and built better than the new ones. In puslinch not far from you. You could also check out our van but it's not for sale.

Sent from the future
 
if you buy a unit, and its a fairly common one , you can always sell it on if its not perfect or what you wanted. The depreciation hit is probably close to what youd pay in rental fees so its a wash.
 
@Scuba Steve what make and year is it?
The units we're looking at are only 2-3 years old so we won't be taking a HUGE depreciation hit if we do sell.

Anyone know of an RV inspector that could look one over for us if we choose a private sale (I'm sure I could get a dealer to look at it as well if need be)?
 
Pioneer 18ck it is a 2006 but has been indoor stored it was made in Lindsay ON by Fleetwood. No issues I put new rims and tires on it last year. Not sure what a dealer could check on any used unit that you can't check yourself most dealers are pretty shady. And yes I know the full history of the trailer cuz I bought it new.

Sent from the future
 
You never truly know a man until you buy his trailer .

( it’s always been a ‘buy his boat’ thing but I’ll lob trailer in here ) LOL


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