When It Rains, It Pours

[jimmyv13]

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]

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 !!!!!

[Festus2]

JRTJH -
Now that your Springdale is back and looking in better shape than ever, you might want to reconsider getting rid of her......
Glad to hear that the repairs went well at the CW dealership.

[JRTJH]

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]

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]

Glad to hear your rigs fixed. Its always good to hear a good report from a dealer that did the work

[hankpage]

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. .... 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]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by jsmith948

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