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JRTJH
05-31-2013, 12:22 PM
Over the past 3 years I've been all over the roof of my RV, never thinking how fragile it is. Yesterday, my DW and I towed the boat and trailer to one of our "secret fishing holes" in the UP. We set up the trailer, put the boat in the water and headed out to check the lake. We no more than got on the water and a storm blew in. Some small hail and high winds, so we "hunkered down" in a cove until it blew over. Decided to go get some dry clothes, and as we approached the trailer, we saw a tree laying over the roof.....

Anyway, to make a long story short, we're back home, 8 hour drive there, 1 hour on site and 8 hour drive home...We never even got a line in the water and our trailer is in the repair shop getting a new roof, ceiling and EPDM cover. The bath skylight, 2 fantastic vent fans and the AC will also be replaced, won't know about the damage to the back wall until they get it apart, but I'm really glad we weren't inside when those 5 sticks, two at least 6" in diameter came crashing through. I never gave a second thought about the roof being sturdy, but after this, it's clear to me that it doesn't take much to puncture all the way through to the inside of most RV's.

hankpage
05-31-2013, 12:29 PM
:eek: Glad you are both safe. I hope insurance will cover most of the cost of repair. Keep us informed of the progress, Hank

iamrwnut
05-31-2013, 01:03 PM
WOW, hope everything (insurance) works out. Happy noone was hurt. There will be many more camping/fishing trips once repaired.

Honda4us
05-31-2013, 01:53 PM
Man that blows... Glad everyone is safe the ret can be fixed :)

labs4life
05-31-2013, 04:22 PM
Wow! That is serious.

Hope it's done quick so you can get back out there!!

JRTJH
05-31-2013, 05:56 PM
On the way home, as we were talking (trying to stay awake) we both commented that we're glad we weren't inside when the tree fell. The big limb that punctured the roof just forward of the A/C came within a foot of the dining table. My DW's rocker is the streetside one. There was a limb about 3" in diameter that came through the roof and stopped about 3' off the floor. It was about a foot in front of her chair...

We are fine, just upset that we didn't get any fishing done, but with a new "skylight" to let the bugs in, neither of us really wanted to try sleeping in our trailer. I will say the only dry place in the whole camper was inside the oven :D

As for repairs, the insurance company has already approved repairs and they are telling me that it should be finished by the end of June. The "hot bass fishing" will be over, but splake will start about that same time and we've got a 6 day "credit" at the campground.....

Our comments to each other this evening at supper pretty much in agreement were that we are fine, nobody was hurt and the trailer is "just property" so we're ready to go again as soon as we get it back home and reloaded.....

Ya know, this is one hellava way to clean out all the junk that accumulate in the storage compartments over the years :p

Dreamsongs
05-31-2013, 06:16 PM
I really feel for you! Same thing happened to me.

I was sitting under the canopy when a micro burst blew in. Started to tear the canopy. I was struggling to fold it away when the while camper moved over 3 feet. Looked to my left and a huge tree has fallen on my rig. Insurance totaled it.

Learned much about my home campground and insurance. I now use good Sam GMAC insurance. They buy a new camper if it is wrecked, instead if depreciating it like a car.

Good luck!

Dave

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Dhuhn
05-31-2013, 06:29 PM
Glad to hear you where not hurt, and sorry to hear about your rig. Hopefully you will get it back as soon as possible so you can enjoy the rest of summer.

JRTJH
06-06-2013, 07:41 AM
We just got a call from the insurance adjuster. They are going to repair the roof (not total the trailer). It should be ready in 3 weeks. Repairs came to just under $8700. They are replacing everything on the roof, vents, skylights, A/C, antenna, EPDM membrane, all the endcap and side aluminum molding and all but one piece of the OSB subroof. Inside, all the A/C ducting and vents, roof luan panels, 8 roof rafters, all the insulation (I asked for extra insulation and the dealer said he uses foil backed bubble wrap and R-15 blanket insulation).

Now it's just a waiting game until it's ready. First trip??? Right back to the same camping site at our "bass lake"..... This time I know there aren't any trees left to fall on it at that site :D

fla-gypsy
06-06-2013, 09:16 AM
Wow that was a close call. Good to hear the Insurance company is coming through for you. Please share what Insurance you have, sounds like a stand up company.

JRTJH
06-06-2013, 03:34 PM
Progressive RV insurance. We have the total loss replacement with a new comparable RV for the first 5 years and it was the least expensive of all comparable policies at the time we bought the RV.

davidjsimons
06-06-2013, 04:03 PM
Sorry you had this experience and I'm happy nobody was hurt. It just goes to show how important a good days fishing trip can be. All will be well soon. Again, I'm sorry this happened to you.


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jsmith948
06-06-2013, 05:45 PM
Wow - considering the size of the tree limb - it is a good thing our trailers are built as well as they are. It's amazing to me the whole RV didn't collapse under the weight. Thankfully, you and your wife weren't kicked back inside. Although, having been on the water during lightening and hail, I'm sure you would have rather been on dry land. The only good thing is you will have a great campfire story for years to come! Glad you and yours are safe - all is well.

trucker LOU
06-06-2013, 09:42 PM
Hey John,glad you and yours are OK, may be a good time to add some wires in ceiling in case you want to add 2nd AC later.----Lou---

Lost
06-07-2013, 03:12 AM
Thank God that no one was hurt. I hope you get back to camping and fishing very soon.

JRTJH
06-07-2013, 08:15 AM
We will be back to camping in about 3 weeks (maybe less now) and fishing hasn't slowed down, just the area travelled has significantly decreased. All the UP trips are postponed (hopefully not cancelled) until we get the trailer back. We just changed some of the local trips planned later in the year for now. Funny thing, there's a lake right around the corner called "Big Bass Lake" and I've never caught a bass of any size out of it. Yesterday, I decided to just try again...... VOILA, a five pounder and 3 four pounders within the first 30 minutes.... after that, all I did was drown plastic worms LOL At least I know there's a few bass in Big Bass Lake :) And yes, I catch and release (usually) so they're still there.....

Lou, I'm thinking we may use this opportunity to look seriously at the Cougar X Lite line. They are about the same dry weight/GVW as our Springdale and my DW is "dead set" against having an RV that has been "wet before" so before the mold starts, she wants to trade.... Since a F250 still won't fit in our garage, we're limited on what we look at, but there are more "half ton" fivers now than when we initially bought in 2010. Besides, I have to stay under 32' so whatever we have will fit in the new pole barn LOL

labs4life
06-08-2013, 04:34 PM
Just extend the garage and the barn and you are all set. Glad you "know" there are big bass in BIG BASS LAKE. Good luck looking and hopefully you will camping again shortly!

JRTJH
06-09-2013, 07:22 AM
Thanks Labs, As a "chuckle", DW and I were thinking we could just put an extended Bay Window in the sliding door on the pole barn, that way, almost any size fifth wheel would fit, just have to lift the door out and around to close it LOL And, if we leave the boat in the house garage, an F250 would fit on the other side of the new pole barn. The only issue is that we built the pole barn on the other end of our property, so it's around the corner and down about half a mile from the house. That's a long LONG walk in a snowstorm to get to the truck if we wanted to go to town LOL

Oh well, it would probably be easier (and much more convenient) to just build another stall on the garage for a bigger truck and maybe even dig a pit in it so I could change oil and do chassis work without having to use a creeper ???? Nah, I'm thinking the DW will nix that idea even before I could explain it to her in any detail :eek:

hankpage
06-09-2013, 07:32 AM
John, It's June ..... will you please stop talking about SNOW??? Glad you two are okay and hope you get the trailer back soon and repaired to your satisfaction. (Dropping a log on the roof was a sneaky way of getting the DW to consider a new trailer, :thumbsup: ) Hank

JRTJH
06-09-2013, 09:54 AM
John, It's June ..... will you please stop talking about SNOW??? Glad you two are okay and hope you get the trailer back soon and repaired to your satisfaction. (Dropping a log on the roof was a sneaky way of getting the DW to consider a new trailer, :thumbsup: ) Hank

Don't forget the new truck to tow it with :cool:

jimmyv13
06-09-2013, 10:12 AM
My wife has the same feeling about mold in our trailer. We had a slide malfunction and ended up breaking a gear pack thus breaking the seal outside and allowing water in. The carpet has been wet a few times under the couch and I have done my best at keeping it dry now that I have located the problem. The wife is set on trading this one in once I fix the slide for something that does not have water damage. I don't feel any structural damage...soft spots, etc...but she's convinced we have mold growing.

Who knows, I've always wanted a 5'er.

JRTJH
06-26-2013, 08:10 PM
The metamorphisis continues. Our F150 "morphed" into a F250, the Springdale is finished, a week early, and is also home. It was unique towing it home with the bigger truck. Much less downshifting on slight grades on the interstate, but I didn't feel that it was more "solid" or "roadworthy" at least not in the short 75 mile trip home.

The repairs were done last week, but the service manager wanted to keep it over the weekend, do another leak test while they cleaned it up and got it ready for me to pick up. When I arrived at the dealership, I actually drove past it and didn't recognize it (there were no bugs on the front) LOL

I did a quick check of the roof, and the inside ceiling before I signed the release for the insurance check. All looked in good order. Then, after I got it home late yesterday evening, I parked it and checked the inside fairly well. There were a couple of issues with A/C vents not being sealed as well as I'd like, so about 5' of foil duct tape and those were good to go. Nothing else seemed to be any different than before the damage.

Today, I was all over the roof. Looking at every DICOR lap, every bulge in the EPDM and every installation on the roof. It really looks as good or maybe even better than when it came from the factory. All the roof edge moldings are straight (they weren't from Keystone), all the vinyl insert is straight, new and meets at the ends. All ends are screwed in place and sealed with clear sealant to prevent shrinking away from the margins.

Honestly, I was a wee bit concerned that things may not go as well as I'd like, but the trailer was finished a week ahead of schedule, the repairs all look to be good and I can't find any place where there's a "glaring" difference between what is left of the original interior ceiling and what is new. All the molding inside is new so there's no faded parts, all the staple holes are filled with putty and not visible, all the skylights are clean and new, the AC works and except for the ductwork sealing, I can't find anything to complain about.

So, as the transition from "catepillar" to "butterfly" continues, we're heading out for a weekend of fishing (no not to the falling tree campground) but to another one nearby. Hopefully, by the second week in July, we'll be in our new fifth wheel and I'll be sealing A/C ductwork all over again :)

It's really nice when a dealership lives up to what they promise and even exceed expectations. Thanks to Camping World of Northern Michigan in Houghton Lake. They really came through on this one with flying colors !!!!!
(tx)

Festus2
06-26-2013, 10:00 PM
JRTJH -
Now that your Springdale is back and looking in better shape than ever, you might want to reconsider getting rid of her......:D
Glad to hear that the repairs went well at the CW dealership.

JRTJH
06-27-2013, 03:52 AM
Festus,

The Springdale is a great RV for its intended purpose, lots of living space to move around in, little storage space inside or out, and small sleeping and bathing areas. It fits our "fishing and hunting" type of RVing well. However, this winter we want to "take up residence" at NAS Key West for a month or so and next year we plan to make the "once in a lifetime" trip to Alaska. For both of those trips, we'll definitely need more storage space than the Springdale has available.

The solution, it seems, is to move up to a slightly larger (30 vs 26 ft) fifth wheel that has more storage space. Honestly, had the current floorplan 27RKS been available back in 2010, we would have probably opted for it then. My DW is definitely opposed to a bath in bedroom "open floorplan" and much prefers the side aisle bath. That was one of the major factors in her choices. I was (am) OK with the limited storage that we currently have, after all, towing with an F150, available payload limits storage use anyway.

Additionally, with the rugged terrain we'll encounter on the Alcan, I just think a heavier duty truck would be a benefit. Not that an F250 would be any more reliable than an F150, rather there's more "reserve capacity" when towing with the larger truck. That, I think, equates to less stress at maximum load and hopefully will prevent things from breaking along the Alcan. We'll see LOL

Anyway, once I get my eyes (and heart) set on a new RV, the "glitz" of the new tends to "dull" the old even more.....

You're right though, since the Springdale is repaired and in as good or even better shape than before the accident, it offers us just what we were looking for (and what we currently need) to drag the boat all over upper Michigan looking for that "next big catch" LOL

davidjsimons
06-27-2013, 06:20 AM
I'm glad to hear that all went well for you in regards to getting your unit back in acceptable condition. Enjoy the rest of the Summer.


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Dhuhn
06-27-2013, 06:41 AM
Glad to hear your rigs fixed. Its always good to hear a good report from a dealer that did the work :thumbsup:

hankpage
06-27-2013, 06:53 AM
:thumbsup: Thumbs up to CW. We begged them to get the job done fast so we did not have to hear about all fishing you were missing out on. You didn't realize how much influence this forum could have on a dealer. "bouncey: .... All kidding aside ..... I'm glad (and impressed) that you have the trailer back so quickly and repaired to your satisfaction. Now get out there, "Wet a line and drown some worms." Travel safely, Hank

JRTJH
06-27-2013, 03:28 PM
Thanks for the good wishes, guys. It is nice to have it back home, even if it is only temporary. Sort of a "side comment" about upgrading, we just built the new pole barn, it's 32' long (actually inside it's 31'6". Now I'm thinking if I'd only have built it 36' long..... That would have opened up a "whole new world" of fifth wheel choices... Oh well, I have no doubt that if I start talking about adding 4 ft to the back of that barn, my DW will be adding 4' to the depth of the hole she buries me in LOL

Thanks Hank, your comments about "having pull with CW" explains why the quote on my new fifth wheel was $1500 more than the advertised price on the internet LOL Hmmmmm.... And they say "having friends in high places" is a good thing?????

Just kidding. We have it pretty much reloaded, ready to hit the road, but this weekend is thunderstorms and higher than desired winds, so fishing would be a pain. We'll probaby stay home, let the "downstaters" have the camping sites and head out mid week, after the July 4th partiers head back home.

Till then, "she who must be obeyed" has me doing yard work, mulching "her" flowers and trying to find a place to store even more craft supplies..... And I don't even like "crafting" ;)

jsmith948
06-28-2013, 04:43 AM
John,
Just a thought - your DW might buy into the pole barn extension if you incorpoate a crafts room into one corner of it;)
Glad your rig got fixed.

JRTJH
06-28-2013, 05:26 AM
John,
Just a thought - your DW might buy into the pole barn extension if you incorpoate a crafts room into one corner of it;)
Glad your rig got fixed.

Jack,

We have one pole barn (28' x 36') right behind the house. It has 10' doors so the RV won't fit. Besides, it would be nearly impossible to back into it the way it's situated behind the house. There are a couple of options on that one to get "crafting" out of the house. But the new barn is about 1/2 mile away from the house. It still sits on our property, but fronts a different road which has year round access (without me plowing it). We built the barn for the fifth wheel there so it's convenient to a hard surface road with access during the winter. No electricity (I'm too cheap to add it since the monthly service fee would be more than the electricity used). So for now, it's just a storage site for trailers, tractor, 4 wheelers and my boat.

When we built, I had no intention of buying (or even looking at) a new RV. When the tree fell, there was talk by the insurance adjuster of a total loss, so we looked to see what we could find as a replacement. That started the ball rolling, but when they said that the damage could be repaired, well, somehow, that "new RV" looking didn't stop LOL

So, new truck, new trailer, old (never used) pole barn. Hmmmmmm I know, blame it on that tree <wink> LOL