Yearly maintenance?

[lp722]

Hi everyone. My wife and I are new to campers, and are looking to purchase a travel trailer in the next month or so. I'm wondering about routine maintenance and servicing. I'm fairly handy, and do most of the work on our cars myself, but I'm also not against taking it in to a dealer if need be. What kinds of things can I expect to be doing for maintenance and upkeep?

[CampMacKay]

I wash ours twice a year, this gives you a chance to look over all the caulking and sealer, and checking for loose or broken screws. Re-pack bearings every spring and keep an eye on the tire pressure & lug nut torque routinely. Also in the spring, I flush out the fresh water system. A few times through the season I will also drain and flush out the hot water tank.
Winterize when it gets cold.
Other than that I try to enjoy it.
(From experience, dealers are slow at fixing even the smallest things)

[dedmiston]

Do you have an on-board generator? If so, depending on the amount you use it, change the oil & air filter at least once a year or twice if you run it a lot. Change the plugs every other year. Depending on your model, they're pretty easy to work on.

[lp722]

Originally Posted by CampMacKay

I wash ours twice a year, this gives you a chance to look over all the caulking and sealer, and checking for loose or broken screws. Re-pack bearings every spring and keep an eye on the tire pressure & lug nut torque routinely. Also in the spring, I flush out the fresh water system. A few times through the season I will also drain and flush out the hot water tank.
Winterize when it gets cold.
Other than that I try to enjoy it.
(From experience, dealers are slow at fixing even the smallest things)

That's about what I was thinking. Do the hubs have to be pulled to lube the bearings, or is there a grease zerk on the hubs?

[lp722]

Originally Posted by dedmiston

Do you have an on-board generator? If so, depending on the amount you use it, change the oil & air filter at least once a year or twice if you run it a lot. Change the plugs every other year. Depending on your model, they're pretty easy to work on.

No, the model we're looking at doesn't. We're planning on picking up a 7k-8k watt portable to stow in the bed of the tow vehicle when traveling, so we can use it as an emergency household generator when we're not traveling.

[dedmiston]

Originally Posted by lp722

No, the model we're looking at doesn't. We're planning on picking up a 7k-8k watt portable to stow in the bed of the tow vehicle when traveling, so we can use it as an emergency household generator when we're not traveling.

Wow. That's a heck of a "portable".

Is it a contractor generator or a quiet camping gen?

[lp722]

Originally Posted by dedmiston

Wow. That's a heck of a "portable".

Is it a contractor generator or a quiet camping gen?

I didn't think about that. It's a regular generator. I think it was rated at 68db. How loud are camping-proposed generators? Don't want to irritate any neighbors.

[Danny Pyle]

Better off getting a inverter generator. Honda is probably the quietest but they are pricey. I have two 2000watt Hondas with the parallel cord.

[Lloyd]

Originally Posted by Danny Pyle

Better off getting a inverter generator. Honda is probably the quietest but they are pricey. I have two 2000watt Hondas with the parallel cord.

X2
Same here.

[lp722]

Originally Posted by Danny Pyle

Better off getting a inverter generator. Honda is probably the quietest but they are pricey. I have two 2000watt Hondas with the parallel cord.

What's the difference between an inverter generator vs a standard generator as it applies to travel trailers? Other than wiring it to the battery instead of plugging in the trailer power plug to the generator, I mean... Are they quieter or something?

[CampMacKay]

Originally Posted by lp722

That's about what I was thinking. Do the hubs have to be pulled to lube the bearings, or is there a grease zerk on the hubs?

If you have ez-lube optioned axles there will be a rubber or plastic cap on the hub cap that you remove to access the rubber cap over the zirk fitting. Check on YouTube and you will find lots of videos that explain how to use the ez-lube system, worth watching.
Example:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oeIJzoLJ2Go

I personally pull the hubs, clean & then hand pack the bearings, so I can inspect them too.

[travelin texans]

I would highly recommend NOT using the EZ lube zerks on the beraings, but pulling hubs & hand packing, they tend to use the cheapest grease seals on the market & if you pump too hard/fast you will pump grease into your brake drums & not have brakes. All 4 of my brakes were contaminated with grease from the factory. Doing it by hand also allows you to inspect/adjust the brakes which should be done annually also.

[lp722]

Originally Posted by CampMacKay

If you have ez-lube optioned axles there will be a rubber or plastic cap on the hub cap that you remove to access the rubber cap over the zirk fitting. Check on YouTube and you will find lots of videos that explain how to use the ez-lube system, worth watching.
Example:

I personally pull the hubs, clean & then hand pack the bearings, so I can inspect them too.

Originally Posted by travelin texans

I would highly recommend NOT using the EZ lube zerks on the beraings, but pulling hubs & hand packing, they tend to use the cheapest grease seals on the market & if you pump too hard/fast you will pump grease into your brake drums & not have brakes. All 4 of my brakes were contaminated with grease from the factory. Doing it by hand also allows you to inspect/adjust the brakes which should be done annually also.

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'll definitely be pulling the hubs then.

[Danny Pyle]

They are quieter and help prevent interference with electronics

[lp722]

Originally Posted by Danny Pyle

They are quieter and help prevent interference with electronics

Thanks! You guys think a 3400 starting watt inverter generator would be good for a 30 foot travel trailer?

[Danny Pyle]

I would check with your rv dealer and see what they recommend. Mine is a 24' and they recommend 4000 watts.

[lp722]

Originally Posted by Danny Pyle

I would check with your rv dealer and see what they recommend. Mine is a 24' and they recommend 4000 watts.

Thanks, I'll ask them as well. It seems like once you go over 3.4k watts the price of the generators practically quadruples. Is there a popular website or something to go to for RV-oriented generators at good prices?

[Danny Pyle]

I purchased mine from Outdoor Power Equipment @ Power Equipment Direct - Outdoor Power Equipment Superstore - Power Equipment Dealer, Outdoor Power Equipment Store, Outdoor Power Equipment for Sale, Outdoor Power Equipment Dealers. I bought the Honda 2000ei and the 2000watt companion with parallel cord. Was about the same price as the 3000watt.

[Danny Pyle]

They must be a sponsor here, I didn't type all of that!

[lp722]

Originally Posted by Danny Pyle

They must be a sponsor here, I didn't type all of that!

Haha... I've seen something like that happen on here twice now. :-) Thanks for the link!