New Member - Planning long trip would love tips/tricks

[Sean1010]

Hello! My family is planning a 40-week road trip starting in Aug 25. We have a 2020 32BHS Fifth Wheel and we use it a lot but have never towed it. It sits in a park at the river and we treat it like a 2nd home. So, prepping to tow and called the local dealer who gave me like $2500+ worth of annual service recommendations and I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on whether any/some of those are necessary - appliance/ac service, wheel bearing packing, slide service, self-leveling jack service, roof sealant, etc... Seemed like overkill to me but I also don't wanna be 1000 miles from home with an issue.

So, I thought I'd join a group of people who likely are way more experienced than we are to get some ideas.

Thank you!

[dutchmensport]

First! WELCOME to the forums and glad you are here. You've come to the right place as there are many, many seasoned / experienced RV'ers on this forum who will gladly share from their personal experiences. So, again... Welcome!

Considering your camper only 4 years old and has not moved, BUT you have been using it during this time, does not mean you have to spend a ton of money getting it prepped for actual travel. But, (in my opinion), here are a few items that should be checked and attended to after sitting for 4 years.

First, the tires. Although the tires may look good, they probably are not. If the rubber in the tires is not exercised they dry rot. The first time you move the camper, you may see lines and cracks on the side walls of the tires. This is dry rot (if it hasn't formed already). You will most definately want to replace all the tires (and check your spare too if you have one).

Second, the wheel bearings really need to be repacked. Wheel bearings should be repacked every year at at best, at lest once every 2 years or so, depending on how you use your camper. This is something you can do yourself, but.... personally .... I let my dealership do this as I don't have the patients myself.

Third, the suspension (springs, shackles, and welds holding the axles in place) need a good inspection. If you have any grease zerts anywhere, you'll want to give them a shot! Check for any rubber that might have dry rotted.

Fourth, the brakes. No doubt the brakes will work perfectly fine. But, you really need to hitch up and go for a short spin to make sure they actually do work properly. The drums will be rusted on the inside. It will take some use for them to smooth out. When you repack the wheel bearings, the brakes and inside of the drums can be inspected then, as all of that will be opened up anyway.

Make sure your break-away cable system operates the brakes. And of course, make sure all the light work, turn signals, stop lights, clearance lights when hitched to the tow vehicle. Light bulbs could be out.

IF the slides have not been moved in the last 4 years, you really need to make sure they operate ok. The rubber seals pressing against the body of the body of the camper can also dry-rot if they haven't been exercised during this time also. They may stick like glue to the side of the camper and when you close them up, "could" tear and rip. Of course, clean off the tops of the slides before retracting. It does not hurt to wash the top of the slides. The dirt outside on the roof, will be inside when you retract the slides.

A roof inspection is good any time. Your roof should already be in good repair if you have been diligent over the last 4 years with your own roof maintenance. Sitting or transient, the roof should always be the single most important item you maintain, check often, and address immediately if you see cracks in the calking or any problems with the roof covering (membrane or "rubber").

If you have been using your camper over the last 4 years, then you already know the status of the appliances and such. Either everything is working, or you have had problems that were addressed and fixed. So anything inside the camper is probably OK.

It's just .... when you travel ... make sure everything is stowed away so it won't fall, move around, or be tucked somewhere in a position where it could get broken. Trailers bounce down the room. The interior items take a beating if not stowed away safely.

In my opinion, these are the absolute musts: Tires and bearings. Everything else, just make sure everything is sound and functioning as expected.

Good luck, and happy camping. I'm glad you found this forum!

[NH_Bulldog]

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on planning an epic adventure!

The short answer is "yes" to everything, it HAS to be done, especially if none of it has been done before. A sitting trailer ages quickly, maybe even more so than one that is used regularly. What the dealer quoted for cost actually seems like a fair price for everything that needs to be done. However, I would also add new tires to the plan as well (the spare too). On a 2020 model, the tires have aged out of their life expectancy, even if they don't have the miles on them. Sitting there, they have years of UV exposure, dry rot, flat spots, etc.

We went back and forth between the 32BHS and the 29BHL we ultimately bought, it is a great family camper and you will enjoy your trip!

[JRTJH]

First welcome to the forum.

Now to start answering your concerns about putting a trailer that has "sat in one spot for 4+ years back on the road"...

The tires are a first concern. They have likely not been cared for properly, they have not been towed, so the oils have not been dispersed properly in the rubber carcass and they likely have flat spots/degraded sidewall cording.

You'll need to replace all 5 tires before the trip.

Next, the way your dealer presents the list of "things to do" it sounds like you have not done any maintenance on the trailer since you bought it.

The hubs/bearings/brakes do need to be inspected, regreased, brakes functionally checked, adjusted and electrically checked.

The roof membrane should have been inspected at least every 6 months and resealed as necessary. If that hasn't been done, then you may not have an intact roof membrane.

Appliances should be OK if they've been used frequently over the last 4 years.

I'd suspect that the trailer has the OEM battery, likelly a small flooded lead acid battery, likely a GP24 or a GP27 battery. It may or may not still be serviceable. It needs to be checked.

Have you done any slide seal maintenance since the trailer has been sitting? If not, then the slide seals as well as the slide mechanisms will need to be functionally checked, slides aligned if needed and slide seals closely inspected.

Have you used the water pump/fresh water tank? Or have you been "exclusively on city water system" ?? If the pump/fresh water tank has not been used frequently, then it will need to be sanitized and functionally checked.

The leveling system is electric and the motors in the jacks are subject to corrosion. So if they leveling system has not been frequently used, you may find the motors either won't work or will draw high amps and likely will fail with frequent use. That's the same as any electric motor that's exposed to weather for long periods of non-use. Corrosion will set in and damage the motor internal parts.

It's not an impossible venture and much of the maintenance you can easily do yourself, but the axle service, bearing lube and brake checks are something you want to be done correctly the first time. Also, the tires that have been sitting under the trailer for 4 years WILL NOT survive any prolonged towing of a heavy trailer.....

Now, the final concern that I have is the "trailer name and your tow vehicle"... That is a "Cougar Half Ton fifth wheel"... You say you have children and will be towing for an extended 40 week trip. That means "heavy packing" lots of cargo, multiple passengers in the truck as well as probable cargo in the truck bed/cab. That trailer, despite its name, is NOT half ton towable, especially with a large group of people in the cab. You're looking at the probability of needing a 1 ton tow vehicle to safely move that trailer on such a trip.

Good Luck and any questions or specific concerns, just post them in the proper section of the forum and members will give you advice, recommendations and of course, help with the preparations for your "adventure"....

[chuckster57]

Credit card with a HIGH limit and LOW balance, to take care of the surprises.

[Peto]

Focus on servicing the trailer aspect before you go. New tires, wheel bearings, hitch. TOW VEHICLE SERVICE!!!!

[Mikelff]

Originally Posted by Sean1010

Hello! My family is planning a 40-week road trip starting in Aug 25. We have a 2020 32BHS Fifth Wheel and we use it a lot but have never towed it. It sits in a park at the river and we treat it like a 2nd home. So, prepping to tow and called the local dealer who gave me like $2500+ worth of annual service recommendations and I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on whether any/some of those are necessary - appliance/ac service, wheel bearing packing, slide service, self-leveling jack service, roof sealant, etc... Seemed like overkill to me but I also don't wanna be 1000 miles from home with an issue.

So, I thought I'd join a group of people who likely are way more experienced than we are to get some ideas.

Thank you!

Welcome to the forum! As far as service is concerned, your dealer is correct and there are several good recommendations from the members here. Tires are first. You do need to replace all 5 (spare). I would upgrade your tire rating as well. Check to see what rating your tires are, E,F,G etc. Most older rigs came with under rated tires, so if you have say E rated tires you want to upgrade to F, or maybe even G depending on your trailer weight. Check your wheels for their psi rating before you upgrade tires to make sure they can handle the higher psi rating. They should be stamped on the back side of the wheel, usually on one of the spokes but may be on the inside of the rim. Just look it over carefully. A lot of the maintenance you can do yourself. Like many others here, I let the dealer or other qualified shop do the bearing re pack and brake pad check. You likely have self adjusting drum brakes. Make sure they work well. You can go forward a few feet and apply the breaks, then reverse a few feet and apply the brakes. This will let the brakes self adjust properly. Also pull the emergency brake and make sure that works as well. I would make a check list from the dealer recommendations and the forum members recommendations and start working through it. Check seals and caulking and replace and re calk as needed. I would replace tires and do the suspension service a couple months before you leave so that is all fresh and new. The rest of it I would start in the spring but it would be a good idea to inspect your roof now. Re caulk (dicor) if anything is cracking. Water leakes can cause serious damage. Your tow vehicle may be over weight for your rig and cargo. You need to address that as well. It’s not how much your truck can tow, it’s how much it can carry. Happy trails!

[daywood]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

Credit card with a HIGH limit and LOW balance, to take care of the surprises.

😂 I can vouch for this strategy! After doing all of the things the dealer and your friends here have suggested, expect that something will go wrong, hopefully minor but maybe major. RV travel has cured me of the belief (and related stress) that I can foresee and prevent all travel-related problems. Well, that and the present state of the airlines, where the carrier will change your trip five times before your travel date and then cancel your trip altogether while you are on your way to the airport. But I digress.

Another strategy I have is to prepare myself to fix a lot of the things that can go wrong. I’ve found it to be expensive to get emergency or mobile repair on the road, and I’ve had to wait longer than I wanted for it. So I have a well-equipped tool box and a tub full of parts that I have replaced before or are likely suspects to fail at any time. I also carry a tub of maintenance and cleaning materials, like the types of caulk used on the roof, RTV, slide grease, tire dressing, etc.

[spicercars]

Welcome from northern MN.