Hard Lesson Learned...

[Zambolie]

So the DW and I hitched up on Friday and headed out on our second trip out with our new camper to camp in Pella for Tulip time.

On the way I knew we would pass by a CAT scale and so I wanted to stop and just check to make sure we were doing good on weight. (odd caveat: we set on the scales at EXACTLY 10k with full water and all the toys...)

SO I parked with the big boys in between two semis, went in to get our weight and pay the weigh master. Hoped in the truck and proceeded to pull out. Rookie mistake! I cut too soon and ended up rubbing against the hinges on his trailer *insert heart sink here*

Now we have a large gash in the entire side of the slide out. Cut right through the storage compartment door and bent some of the sides out/in. Luckily it did not seem to affect our ability to camp and even put the slide out AND it is on the driver's side so as we're sitting outside the camper I could try to forget the damage I did...

Now I have to call the insurance company tomorrow and find out what we have to do to get the damage repaired. I have never had to have a camper repaired through insurance...at least not body work. I wonder where we can take it and how much work it will entail.

I suspect that from now on I will be triple checking my sides and turn wider than necessary.

[Terier]

Ouch! The first boo-boo always hurts the most. After my TT second boo-boo (both minor) I decided that a TT without scrapes and bruises is a TT not used enough. OK, not true but it did help to get over it easier. It must had worked because it took me a few minutes to remember what the first boo-boo was.

At the end of the day there's little that cannot be fixed or that you can't recover from. Still painful but in time it will a distant memory.

[BigJohnD]

The good news is, it's only the slide out. A new outer skin, some t-molding and a hatch / door assembly, and you're good to go. Won't really know the extent until that wall is off. Just glad it wasn't the main sidewall of the camper, as that could get expensive. Fixing that is not really all that in depth, at least on just a slide out. I've never done it, but saw whole sidewalls done while at the FR Service Center in Elkhart. My aunt, several years ago, pulled out from between 2 big rigs with her 40' class A, and managed to rip the side and cargo doors the entire side of the rig. $$$

You'll laugh about this later.

[Frank-VA]

Zambolie I did worse than that on a first trip with a new travel trailer. On the way home back home after a long weekend in the Fall of 2003 I totaled the TT

[heavynlori]

We had that problem years ago - DH got too close to one of those U shaped barriers at end of gas pump and tore open our old fiver right where slide comes out on driver side - did most damage trying to get out...anyway this was on our way to the Mouse Park in FLA - booked at Tropical Palms RV park first year they opened and don't ya know they parked us on the end of the main road so EVERYONE who went by could see our handiwork with torn aluminum siding and gray wonder tape 😡 we were quite a spectacle!!

Still had a wonderful time and that was where we learned to add some bleach when we cleaned the roof when we got to watch a mobile rv wash service clean our rig since we are from Ohio and decided why not go to see Mickey in February in the middle of an ice storm??

End of story....insurance paid for repairs and we have an interesting tale - one of many with that old Dutchmen - too bad some current brands do not compare to the construction of that old rig.....

[Slympicins]

I know how that must have felt. I have a tendency to drive too far past everyone and then get jammed up cause there is no more room. That I learned from a buddy who pulled into a service station with his $250k motorhome. He felt a slight bump as thought it was a little speed bump so he applied a little more right foot on the gas. Well it was a low concrete wall and it tore into the side of the motorhome. When his wife told me about it I told her I would be over in a few months after he calmed down. Is been a few years now and we have just started talking about it. Not something he wanted to mention so I never did. Good luck with your TT. May we all learn from the mistakes of others. I don't trust those rear cameras in the truck anymore. Backed my truck into my neighbors mailbox last weekend. Mailbox is fine but the hubcap on my truck was $119.00 to replace. Lesson learned!

[TURBS]

Sorry to hear of your incident.
I hate that feeling during and after.
It looks as if it wont buff out so I would call Cheyenne camping center. Com and ask for Ron.

Hope all goes well and keep us posted.

TURBS

Sabre owners united!

[Zambolie]

Thanks all for the empathy and sharing your stories.

We're headed back to Cheyenne camping center this morning. It is a windy day in Iowa and I am sure we're just gonna LOVE driving in this.

Looks like it may be a month; but we didn't have camping plans set in stone for May anyways...

The longest part of the wait is supposedly going to be the ordering and receiving of the parts.

[SKnight]

Luckily it doesn't look structural, new skin, new door, couple of decals and she'll be good as new.

That or you could leave it and tell folks that they should see how the other guy fared!!!

[rycej]

Second trip out with our brand new trailer (and I was alone) and I managed to run a 1" gouge down the side just below the roof line (over half the length). Last thing my wife said before I left for my overnight alone ... "don't wreck the trailer". I tell you, that was the longest 1 1/2 hour trip home I ever had. A couple wind gusts got me thinking ... "hmmm, maybe the trailer will blow over and the story about the gouge won't be so bad!"

We stored it for the winter and it is actually in the shop this week getting patched and painted. The old heart does sink when you realize what happened, that's for sure.

[bitNine]

Ah man. That sucks!! I worry about that a lot, but I've been towing other types of trailers my whole life so I hope to never have an incident like that. I'm sure I'll worry even more the first time my wife drives.