New owner

Joined
Jun 15, 2024
Posts
5
Location
Halifax
Hello, travel trailer newbie here. End of month taking over a 2008 Hornet 25FL, "brand new" was never used, only moved twice and just sat in a parking lot then an empty cottage country lot waiting to be used. Never thought we'd ever be trailer owners, but here we are. haha. No truck, friend is moving for us and parking it on his cottage property for us to visit and have our own place on the weekends.
 
First, welcome to the forum !!! We're happy to invite you into the "trailer owner's club"... You'll soon find that there's as much "work to trailer ownership" as there is "enjoyment in owning a trailer"....

If your trailer has "sat unused" in a parking lot or in a field for most of its life, it may have "suffered from lack of maintenance" ....

One of your very first "projects" should be to get on the roof and carefully inspect EVERY seam, crack, projection on the roof, clean them and reseal any area that even looks like it might be a source for water intrusion. Use soap and water (Dawn and a nylon scrub brush work great) to clean the roof and all that sealant that appears "gooped all over things".... Look for any separation of the sealant, any suspicious black or green molding areas and "feel for soft spots" under the TPO membrane. Those are "key findings" that show a need for further work in those areas.

Then, even though the tires "look new" they are likely to be "dry rotted beyond use"... Look at the manufacture date on the tires and replace if they are older than about 5 years. Don't forget that if the trailer has been sitting for some time, not only will the tires suffer from "flat spots and water damage" but so will the brakes and the interior surface of the wheel hubs. Also the wheel bearings and grease seals are likely to be "far beyond their service life" if they've not been properly maintained.....

Then, on to those rubber coated propane lines, the service date on the propane tanks and any other rubber or vinyl item on the trailer. Things like plastic hatch covers, refrigerator vents, vinyl screw cover strips on the aluminum molding all need to be checked for serviceability and replaced if needed....

Then, inside, if the trailer has been "in an open field" you may find evidence of mice infestation such as droppings in the drawers, under furniture, in the back of cabinet spaces, etc. Lift the mattress and look for mold/mildew under it. Do the same for any furniture that sits close to the exterior walls. Condensation forms in those "closed spaces" and can lead to problems in those places.

I know this probably comes across more as a "your work has not even begun" rather than a "have a happy weekend with your new trailer"... But, the sooner you get everything inspected, cleaned and working properly, the longer your trailer will last, now that it's no longer an empty shell but is doing what it was intended to do, bring smiles and happy days to its new owner....

Enjoy your new to you home away from home.....
 
Thanks for the great starter info. We did look throughout when we first looked at it, no water staining or rodent droppings we could see then. Thinking we got lucky so far, but haven't tested battery or checked propane tank dates. Guessing tires, tanks have to be replaced due to age and still have to to heater, A/C/ stove tests when we take possession.
 
If the trailer is going to be moved from one stationary site where it's sat for a long time to another stationary spot that's never going to move again, all you have to do is move it. I wouldn't invest any more than is absolutely necessary (tires, bearings... yada, yada, yada) is it's never going to move again. Just do what you have to to move it.

However, the advise above is good. You'll want to check the roof, rubber around everything, make sure the seal in the toilet is not dried out ... all of them.

One thing you'll need to be aware of, if everything is "original" on the camper, then more than likely the propane tanks are original too. Propane tanks are rated for only 10 years and then they need to be re-certified or discarded for new. If your tanks are now 16 years old, you'll need to get new tanks, because no place is going to refill them.

Good luck!
 
Hello, travel trailer newbie here. End of month taking over a 2008 Hornet 25FL, "brand new" was never used, only moved twice and just sat in a parking lot then an empty cottage country lot waiting to be used. Never thought we'd ever be trailer owners, but here we are. haha. No truck, friend is moving for us and parking it on his cottage property for us to visit and have our own place on the weekends.

Curious to see the floorplan and looked up a 2008 Hornet 25FL on both RVUSA.com and JDPower.com and couldn't find a Hornet 25FL. Only 25FL I could find was a Hideout 25FL for 2008. You might want to make certain which model you have. Would really mess up your new username if it is a Hideout 25FL... :D
 
Just a general FYI on propane tanks; they are good for 12 years from date of manufacture, not 10. After 12 years, it will require recertification every 5 years after that, but if you exchange tanks at the local hardware or farm store, no need to worry about any of that. Regardless, the tanks are past 12 years at this point, so might as well just exchange them. Another thing to consider is your inside propane gas leak detector has a life span of 5 years so you will need a new one of those for certain.
 
Curious to see the floorplan and looked up a 2008 Hornet 25FL on both RVUSA.com and JDPower.com and couldn't find a Hornet 25FL. Only 25FL I could find was a Hideout 25FL for 2008. You might want to make certain which model you have. Would really mess up your new username if it is a Hideout 25FL... :D

Hornet originally built the Hideout line, it was first called "Hornet", then Hideout by Hornet, then finally Hideout.

Sort of like Cougar Half Ton might be called Half Ton by Cougar, or Cougar Half Ton or just Cougar or Keystone Cougar or Keystone Half Ton by Cougar or .....

Here's the way one RV dealer "remembers" how their dealership started out with Hornet and ended up with Hideout: https://www.byerlyrv.com/blog/keystone-hideout-travel-trailer/
 
TY for your note. Here in Nova Scotia, Canada, they are 10 yr and no recerts after ten. They refuse to fill your tank and/or keep it for recycling. Now, recycling may just recert and repaint, but nobody offers propane tank recerts that I know of. We also have to motor vehicle inspections every year, most other provinces do not require that.
 
Welcome Halifax!

We hauled our 2007 Sprinter Savannah out there last fall. Beautiful countryside: whale watching, vineyards, golf, really nice trip.

JRTJH makes some excellent points about what to inspect and tune up particularly about the roof. Water is the primary enemy to your "new cottage". I would just like to add that the membrane on your RV roof is likely EPDM not TPO.; neither tolerate petroleum products well. EPDM is made to last and has a 10-12 year guarantee provided it is maintained properly.

My membrane had begun to deteriorate either from UV exposure or being parked under trees (the white top surface had degraded so that the black underneath was showing everywhere). I resurfaced it with Liquid Rubber and it has held up very well.

Best of luck with your "new" Keystone Travel Trailer
 

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