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Old 10-04-2017, 05:33 AM   #1
BIG KAHUNA
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To cover or not

As a new 5th wheel owner, Keystone Cougar 337FLS, I am about to experience my first Winter in New England. Specifically I live in New Hampshire where snowfall can be substantial and I'm wondering others' thoughts of whether it is in my best interest to purchase a cover. Also, what is the best way of clearing snow from the roof so it doesn't get damaged. Any insight will be much appreciated.
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Old 10-04-2017, 06:28 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BIG KAHUNA View Post
As a new 5th wheel owner, Keystone Cougar 337FLS, I am about to experience my first Winter in New England. Specifically I live in New Hampshire where snowfall can be substantial and I'm wondering others' thoughts of whether it is in my best interest to purchase a cover.
We've had this discussion several times in the past. Here's my reply from 9/4/17 in this thread ( http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums...ad.php?t=30266 ):

Several issues with covers:

First, they trap moisture. That's a bad thing. No further discussion on that needed.

Second, any wind, and they flap around, no matter how well you think you've tied them down. That flapping against the roof and walls will damage those surfaces.

Third, as Chuckster57 mentioned, they disintegrate due to UV damage and wind.

I live in the southern Adirondacks. I've never covered a trailer, and likely will not in the future. I have MaxAir vents so I leave the trailer roof vents open. Nothing gets in, but the trailer stays nice and dry. Mr Cougar has the walk-on roof so I don't worry about snow load too much. If I think it's getting to be too much, I have a SnoRake on a long pole and can pull most of the snow off with even climbing a ladder. The rubber roof handles the snow and rain very well. I do the usual maintenance on it. The worst is the vent caps for the holding tanks which tend to suffer from the UV. But they are cheap and easily replaced. So far, the filon sides have stood up nicely, too.

Indoor storage is always preferable, but own or rent, it's pricey. I would love to have a large carport for the trailer, but it's not in the budget at the moment.


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Originally Posted by BIG KAHUNA View Post
Also, what is the best way of clearing snow from the roof so it doesn't get damaged. Any insight will be much appreciated.
I use a handy little item called a Sno-Rake. It is made out of a foam material so it won't damage the rubber roof. The standard 4' handle can be replaced with any number of extension handles available at any hardware store. I have a 12' one so it's pretty easy to get a bunch of snow off the roof. They offer a bunch of different handle options now as well. http://www.snorake.com/ I keep one in each of our vehicles. They're the best for cleaning snow off a car or truck in a hurry. Auto dealers use them to clean the cars on their lots.

(If you use the Search function, there are many previous threads on the same topic.)
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Old 10-04-2017, 06:56 AM   #3
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I do not cover my TT. Dealers do not either.

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Old 10-04-2017, 07:04 AM   #4
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I did it for a short time on our previous Cougar. Wasn't worth the effort. I still have the cover.
I have a cover on the Bigfoot. When it disintegrates soon I won't get another.
The Carolina Carport style metal "covers" are fairly inexpensive.
I'm waiting on my son to build a real barn on his acreage and we will likely get a new RV then.
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Old 10-04-2017, 08:28 AM   #5
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I did the first winter and then $325 or so bucks worth went to the dump after the weather and rodents damaged it beyond repair. Then there was the mold on the roof which took hours to remove. A good cleaning, including the roof and wax, IMHO, will work as well. Another suggestion if that's a new RV, make sure all the 'mouse holes' are plugged too - they can make a rel mess.

Oh and I too live in Upstate NY where we usually get a bunch of snow.
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Old 10-04-2017, 09:18 AM   #6
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Many thanks

I greatly appreciate everyone's insight for this newbie. And as an aside since we are on the subject of Winter and the dilemmas associated with it does anyone use any mouse deterrents inside their RV?
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Old 10-04-2017, 09:58 AM   #7
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I use a rodent deterrent that plugs into my outlet in the kitchen area. Keep my TT plugged in all winter. Don't know if it works, but I did not have any signs of any rodent of any kind last winter.

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Old 10-04-2017, 09:59 AM   #8
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Fresh Cab has been the most effective "rodent deterrent" that I've ever found. We live in an area where field mice and chipmunks are a "way of life". You can't get rid of them, but by using Fresh Cab under the boat cover, under the hood on my 4 wheelers and on paper plates on the interior and also in the storage compartments of my fifth wheel, I've never had any evidence of "rodent droppings" on or in any of my equipment. I also use it under the hood on my Mustang and have never found any evidence of "mouse housekeeping" there either.

You can find Cab Fresh at most farm/fleet stores and many hardware stores. It comes 4 pouches to a box. I use a box in the fifth wheel and a couple pouches under the boat cover and on each vehicle.
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Old 10-04-2017, 10:50 AM   #9
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Fresh Cab has been the most effective "rodent deterrent" that I've ever found. .
A second vote for Fresh Cab - plus dryer sheets and oil of peppermint and virtually anything else that someone suggests. The electronic gadgets didn't work for me - probably just a lullaby to the local rodents. We learned our lesson the first winter of ownership of this 5er after having two that didn't have 'mouse holes'. You can't imagine how many places there are for those critters to get in your RV until you do a good search. I plugged water and electric access holes, closed in the bottoms of cabinets, sealed the HW heater lines better and covered holes in both propane compartments and sealed around the landing gear to front compartment, belly cover, plus closed off the outside reefer vents - many, many hours and probably overkill, but mouse poop in my skivvies is not welcome
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Old 10-04-2017, 11:06 AM   #10
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tried several things on my old creek. Fresh Cab helped but the Texas mice ate the Fresh Cab. Between Fresh Cab and sticky boards we kept them under control
also put out bait boxes underneath the unit. had to re-bait about every 2 months
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