Storing Unit:

[reubenray]

We will be doing our PDI/overnight camp in about 3 weeks. The Cougar then will be taken to a storage facility. This facility is fairly new and has security gates and cameras on it and is only 10 minutes away from my house. What steps do I need to take to insure the Cougar is secure and stored correctly? I have been searching for particular lists, but have not found anything yet. Below are my concerns and questions.

1) The salesman said the 2012 models have separate keys for the entry door and the slam-latch doors that other keys will not match. Is this correct? I do not plan on leaving anything expensive in the storage areas, but may leave some leveling stuff. Are there other methods to secure the entry door?

2) I am getting some blocks to put under the front and rear jacks to keep them from extending to far. The lot is fairly level. Do I want the camper to be fairly level or slopes for roof drainage?

3) The Cougar has a battery disconnect and I plan on turning it off. Will there be power to raise and lower the jacks when we get ready to take a trip? I will also be installing some diagonal bracing and will need to raise and lower the jacks for this.

3) Some of the campers at this lot had wheel protectors and some did not. There is no shade. Do I need to get these and will someone steal them?

4) We do not plan on leaving any food in it and also plan on spraying the inside with ant poison. Will this do? I also plan on checking the bottom to make sure there are no holes for mice. Do I still need to do something for them just in case?

[Johnnyfry]

Well, we just picked up our rig (truck and Cougar) in San Antonio after leaving it at Uncle Bobs storage since November when we flew home to DC for the holidays.

I disconnected the battery, turned the propane off, put wheel covers on and silver reflector shades in the windows. Although it was parked with quite a starboard list I did not attempt to level it as it would have made the hitch up trickier.

When we picked it up no mice, no ants, no leaks and no smells. Battery had juice, nothing broken into. The truck had a dead battery and we had to call AAA (or I guess we could have called Good Sams).

On to the next adventure, hopefully including Alaska later in the year!

John

[reubenray]

Being you mentioned AAA and Good Sam did you have an issue with AAA? I am still debating between the two of them.

[jq1031]

Originally Posted by reubenray

Being you mentioned AAA and Good Sam did you have an issue with AAA? I am still debating between the two of them.

I switched to Good Sam mainly because it's more RV oriented. AAA does a good job for tow vehicles but often don't know a thing about dealing with a RV problem. An example would be an awning or slide that won't retract.

[campingcpl]

Originally Posted by reubenray

1) The salesman said the 2012 models have separate keys for the entry door and the slam-latch doors that other keys will not match. Is this correct? I do not plan on leaving anything expensive in the storage areas, but may leave some leveling stuff. Are there other methods to secure the entry door?

2) I am getting some blocks to put under the front and rear jacks to keep them from extending to far. The lot is fairly level. Do I want the camper to be fairly level or slopes for roof drainage?

3) The Cougar has a battery disconnect and I plan on turning it off. Will there be power to raise and lower the jacks when we get ready to take a trip? I will also be installing some diagonal bracing and will need to raise and lower the jacks for this.

3) Some of the campers at this lot had wheel protectors and some did not. There is no shade. Do I need to get these and will someone steal them?

4) We do not plan on leaving any food in it and also plan on spraying the inside with ant poison. Will this do? I also plan on checking the bottom to make sure there are no holes for mice. Do I still need to do something for them just in case?

We have stored every trailer we have owned at a storage area and have never had any problems with anyone breaking in or taking anything that I had on the trailer. The only problem we had while storing at one area was some guys that liked to ride their ATV's in the gravel area where a lot of the trailers where kept. They would sling rocks everywhere and I was affraid of them breaking a window. I told the owners of the storage area and he put a stop to it pretty quick.

As to your question about the locks, I have heard that the slam locks are better security but nothing is totaly secure. If someone wants in bad enough they will. I have the standard barrel locks and 2 different keys for the doors. We normally leave everything in the trailer durring the summer season and have never had anything stolen out of the trailer. I do leave the blinds pulled so no one can see inside the trailer. If your concerned about the security of the lot you are going to keep it at you can always check with the local athorities to see if they have had any trouble there in the past. I always check out the places I will be storing our trailers.

As for putting the jacks down while being stored, that is a personal preference. Personally I don't bother putting the stab jacks down. I normally just block the tires and then raise the front of the trailer so water will run off the back of the unit. It also makes for easier hook up when I'm by myself.

As for the battery I just disconnect mine and hook it back up when needing to do stuff in the trailer.

The wheel covers are another personal preference. They are a good idea if you are storing it on concrete. The sun and heat from the concrete will dry the tires out pretty fast.

We leave none perishable stuff in the trailer (caned food, box dry goods) and haven't had any problems. We normally take everything out in the winter time. We did have a problem with some mice this winter but that has been resolved. Spraying for insects is a good idea. We used the Maxx Home Defense and it works great. We have never had a problem with ants. For the mice, we filled all the holes with steel wool and then used expanding foam to seal up the openings. We also sealed up any opening under the trailer. We have traps and use dryer sheets in the trailer and since we trapped the couple of mice that were already in the trailer we have not seen any signs of anymore mice.

[f6bits]

1) Supposedly the deadbolt doesn’t have a master key like the door handle does. I do plan on replacing the handle in the future. I did replace my cargo locks with ones from Mr. Lock, but not due to storage lot worries - just for campground security. What’s in my storage compartments isn’t terribly expensive, but it’d be very inconvenient if someone made off with my sewer hose.

2) I don’t use my stabilizers in the storage lot. It’s a very level lot. I don’t even chock the wheels, and the trailer didn’t budge during a *major* windstorm. I just use the tongue jack to make sure the trailer is level front to rear.

3) I disconnect the battery when I’m through closing up the trailer in storage, and reconnect when I go back to work on the trailer or take it out. Leaving it connected will drain the battery after a few weeks and leave me nothing when I return.

3) My trailer is between two others, so the wheels get *very* little sun. In your case, covers would be nice. In my lot, it has the same security as yours and theft doesn’t seem to be an issue. I’ve never seen anything tampered with or disappear. It’s also recommended to park on wood so your tires aren’t in prolonged contact with the asphalt.
http://markpolk.rvtechtips.com/2012/...n-storage.html

4) Critters aren’t an issue at my lot. I advise against treating for ants unless you see them in the lot somewhere. Spray is nasty, and traps just attract ants in order to kill them. It sounds like your trailer is clean enough. Plugging holes and gaps is always a good idea, and if mice are an issue at the lot you may have to resort to mouse traps. I suspect there are stray cats in my area that keep the mouse population down.

For insurance, I have AAA for my cars and trailer. I just had some windstorm damage repaired on the trailer and AAA handled it without a hitch.

[campingcpl]

We never had a problem with mice untill we moved the trailer to the new storage are we are at now. We used to always park it on the concrete at the other storage area but this new place has a grass area that is backed by woods. Out of all the years we have owned trailers this is the first time we have had an issue with mice.

The Maxx Home Defense is pretty much oderless and it doesn't stain or leave any signs of it after spraying it. I use it in our home atlease twice a year.

We have State Farm for insurance and have never had an issue with them taking care of any claim.

[Festus2]

If the 2012 models have their own unique storage locks and keys, that is a significant improvement over the older models which all have the CH751 key/lock combination which could be opened by everybody. If yours doesn't have this generic key/lock, then you are lucky and probably do not need to change them out as many others have done.
Since you already have a fairly decent slope on your roof from side to side and front to back, I don't think there is any need to raise or lower your unit to allow for good roof drainage.

When you are ready to raise or lower your jacks after the unit has been in storage or at any time, I would recommend that you plug the RV into your truck, leave the engine running and then operate your landing jacks. I always, except for some minor adjustments from time to time, plug the unit into the truck when raising or lower the front landing jacks.

Wheel covers are a worthwhile and inexpensive investment.

Not sure about using ant spray - wouldn't be my choice - but if that area is prone to ants, there are various options available to you - some of which have been mentioned above.

I think it is a good idea to have a look under your RV and plug up all the gaps you can find to prevent mice from entering. Steel wool and canned foam are a good way to plug some of these holes. I always leave a couple of "loaded" mouse traps tucked away just as a precaution for when we dry camp - sometimes in a forested clearing or open field.

You asked, "Will people steal them?" You just can't prevent some folks from stealing your stuff. If they want it badly enough, they will take it. All you can do is make it more difficult for them and use common sense about leaving valuables around your campsite. It sounds like your storage facility is secure and that you have taken steps to remove as much as you think necessary from your unit. Not much else you can do.

[SteveC7010]

I pull my battery and keep it at home in the basement where it won't freeze. I also trickle charge it once a month over the winter.

As for leaving the battery in the trailer, disconnect the ground side to be safe. Even then, the battery may not have a full charge come spring.

Regardless, conventional wisdom is to only operate the landing gear with the tow vehicle connected and running. Since we dry camp a lot, I also run out the slides before unplugging from the truck. Saves a lot of battery drain.

[reubenray]

Originally Posted by SteveC7010

I pull my battery and keep it at home in the basement where it won't freeze. I also trickle charge it once a month over the winter.

As for leaving the battery in the trailer, disconnect the ground side to be safe. Even then, the battery may not have a full charge come spring.

Regardless, conventional wisdom is to only operate the landing gear with the tow vehicle connected and running. Since we dry camp a lot, I also run out the slides before unplugging from the truck. Saves a lot of battery drain.

Living just outside of New Orleans I don't believe I need to worry about the battery freezing.

Being there has been several suggestion about hooking up the fiver to the TV I plan on doing this.