Covering the TT for the season, my experience

[Tomgky]

We came back from our trip to Michigan and cleaned our TT real good both inside and out. Because of our busy schedule the rest of the year we will not be using the TT until we head to Florida in early January. I park it outside on a gravel pad at a friends farm. I don't put it in the barn because of critters. I decided to go ahead and cover it and try to keep it clean and out of the sun. This is the first time I used the cover. The cover went on very easy and fit good. I worried about mice getting under the cover to find a home. This will be my third year parking here and have never had mice in it. I went to check on it the other day and found that the mice have crawled up the inside of the cover to get on the roof. I found the start of a mouse nest on the top side of the screen in the vent over our bed. They chewed off a couple of the straps from the cover to help build their nest. The vent was closed so I don't know how they got to where they were. I took the trim down to get to the screen to remove it along with the nest. I found the lid to the vent to be loose and somehow they were able to lift it to get under it. I put it all back together and put d-con around the trailer. Went back the next day to find a new nest in the same place. Fixed the loose vent lid problem, cleaned up the mess again and removed the cover. All seems well now. They can't climb the walls of the trailer but can climb the cover.

Because of this problem the cover is useless. They could have gotten into the AC or the refrigerator vent. Has any one else had this problem?

If you cover your unit and it is parked outside beware.

[imcruzn]

I need to show this to my husband. He insists on covering up our TT for the winter. I certainly don't want any mice moving in at any time. Our winters aren't nearly as bad as your's. We live in southern Indiana. Thanks for the info.

[Daisies]

Thank you for the info, that's not something I would have thought of.


2016 NITRO XLR 24FQSL
2013 Ford F-150 4x4, eco boost, heavy duty tow package and Blue Ox WDH

[Flybob]

Please do not use Rat/Mouse poison. It works by causing the mouse to bleed internally and die but this does not happen instantly. The bleeding causes the mouse to be thirsty and go look for water. Now you have a poisoned mouse in the open looking for water. The are now prime targets for hawks, vultures and owls who will be poisoned if they eat the mouse. Good old fashioned snap traps are humane and prevent injury to beneficial wildlife.

[aceinspp]

I do cover mine but the tt is not parked on a farm which is not the best place to be parking. The conditions you describe will breed. Mine is covered and parked along side of my house. If you could find a better place to store you would avoid the mice and other animals. Later RJD

[Mrt2607]

I had a similar experience, but with squirrels instead of mice. They chewed holes in the cover and made nest on the top of the rig. I live in a 55+ community in Florida and there is an area in which we can park our units. I would really like to cover my trailer to protect it from the sun, but I keep it waxed good and the top treated instead. Covers are to expensive to become home building material and housing for rodents, so they can destroy my trailer.

[V-Lite Fun]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Please do not use Rat/Mouse poison. It works by causing the mouse to bleed internally and die but this does not happen instantly. The bleeding causes the mouse to be thirsty and go look for water. Now you have a poisoned mouse in the open looking for water. The are now prime targets for hawks, vultures and owls who will be poisoned if they eat the mouse. Good old fashioned snap traps are humane and prevent injury to beneficial wildlife.

I second this. My brother in law had a Lab bleed to death last summer when he got hold of a poisoned rat. They had poison boxes set in the area to control the rats around the farm. The poor dog hemorrhaged to death.

[Maggiewaggie]

My son covered his and a raccoon got on the roof, knocked the awning off its lock and then died up there after leaving a mess. They didn't notice the awning was not fastened and about 20 miles down the interstate in a terrible wind storm it unfurled. He got stopped in time and it was not torn off. Hasn't covered it since.

[K.C.]

I live in town and park in the driveway. We have enough mouse issues in the house to keep both my cats busy . I Prefer to park without a cover. I find, that in addition to creating a super home for critters, when the wind blows the cover rubs and marks the outside of my Airstream. My mechanic advises against car covers for this reason; and because they hold the moisture and encourage rust. I try to avoid poison, too, and find spreading sheets of unused bounce dryer sheets all around in the trailer helps discourage the mice. Good luck. Sorry about this expensive lesson for you.

[RVPP]

Has anyone tried a liberal dose of mouth moth balls/flakes. Seems to keep the critters at bay. Get some old pantyhose, cut the legs off, pour some moth balls in and hang under cover or RV.

[brandon 2]

You are all right covers are expensive and with all the issues it makes one wonder if they are worth the trouble. The RV dealer here in Kelowna said they only sold 3 over the years and all 3 were returned. They rubbed on the units and worn the corners of the roof and trim.
I looked at one for our Sunseeker but after all that best to wax and keep the outside clean.


Brandon2
2014 Sunseeker 2500 TS
E450 Ford drive train.

[deartruc]

Never saw mothballs work. Mice used the box to help make their nest in my last HTT. Dryer sheets don't work either. Peppermint oil works. But you have to keep refreshing it throughout the winter. Cat worked the best, but got eaten by a Fisher Cat. This winter will try the bucket trap.

[Wolverine 1945]

We covered our TT for years,,, had no trouble with Mice,,, but the last year we used it some Critter ??? climbed it and eat very large holes in it !!! I sprayed it with Critter Repellent,,, and they seamed to go away !!! We live in the country,,, so do not know what it was ???

[pjnlorrie]

After checking the cost of covers (wow) this was our solution. I do not think it would work out in snow country, but for sun protection it is working out very well. Since these photos were taken we have added shade cloth (mesh tarps) to the east and west ends. For longer TTs there should be no problems with placing two covers end to end. This also allows us to access the TT and storage compartments.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ter-90253.html

[RVPP]

Originally Posted by pjnlorrie

After checking the cost of covers (wow) this was our solution. I do not think it would work out in snow country, but for sun protection it is working out very well. Since these photos were taken we have added shade cloth (mesh tarps) to the east and west ends. For longer TTs there should be no problems with placing two covers end to end. This also allows us to access the TT and storage compartments.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ter-90253.html

No pictures.

[pjnlorrie]

I get pics when clicking the link. Anyone else having issues?

[Bluepill]

I had a mouse family come through from the back of the reefer. I now cover the side vent grille with saran wrap and vinyl electrical tape for storage. No more mousie poop!

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by Bluepill

I had a mouse family come through from the back of the reefer. I now cover the side vent grille with saran wrap and vinyl electrical tape for storage. No more mousie poop!

I am surprised that Saran Wrap would keep Mice out !!!

Hey Bluepill,,, I hear you cost about $25 - $35 each now a days !!!
LOL !!!

[Cookies & Chips]

My trusted local RV service shop strongly discouraged me from buying a cover when we got our previous trailer, as they claim they had seen covers wear thru the roof membrane on the top corners when subjected to strong winds ... so we didn't get one.

However, one thing I do when we first get any trailer is to go thru the trailer top to bottom with a few cans of expanding insulating foam, and fill in and seal up any gaps or holes around wiring and plumbing left open from the factory.
So far we haven't seen signs of critters in any of our trailers when stored in a barn or out in a field over the winters.

[No more shoveling]

I have covered mine from day one and park it next to my garage on 2x10's for the winter. The first year I had the camper I took Great stuff insulating foam and plugged every possible hole under the camper that the mice can get in and to date never had a mouse in the camper over the winter and the camper is spotless in the spring when I take the cover off.