1st RV and on the road for a 6 month journey

[ChuckCousins]

Hi,
We're new to the forum and to RVing. Just purchased a new to us 2014 V-Lite 30 WFKSS that was in like new condition. But after 4 days on the road, I made a sharp left turn and only after seeing the hole in my drivers side LP storage door did I realize I'd left the tailgate down. Then stopping at a road side rest on day 5 I realize that my rear bumper welds (to the frame) are cracking, since evidently, our 2 bicycles and bike rack are to heavy for the bumper. Well the bumper is fixed and plans to beef it up are in the works, and we are working on getting the LP door replaced....... All in all we are having a blast though and looking forward to 5 plus more months on the road. Anybody out there with lessons learned when first starting out would be appreciated....... I'm sure I'll learn more the hard way, but sure would love to keep our new to us rig looking and functioning like new........

[Limey]

I'm fairly new, but nothing as serious as your incidents. Make sure your hoses will reach & slides/awnings will come out before setting up your TT. Best of luck on your journey.

[ChuckCousins]

Really not all that serious. The door is an easy replace (a couple hundred bucks, but an easy fix) And I've already borrowed a welder and fixed the bumper (but will be beefing it up in the future). So all in all I'm not fretting. Just laughing about it and chalking it up to a lesson learned. I can guarantee that my tail gate will get checked religiously in the future, and based on the flimsy rear bumper and the minimum welding and gussets holding it on (along with all of the bumper mounted bike racks sold at RV dealers), I suspect I'm not the first one to crack the bumper mounts either....... They have warning stickers all over the rig to warn you about the obvious, (like the stove may be hot), and nothing on the rear bumper stating that it's barely strong enough to carry it's own weight..... LOL

[Rockwoodjoe]

Rear bumpers on lite trailers are not heavy enough to haul bicycles. We haul the bikes on the front of the truck on a two inch receiver we bought from etrailer.com.


curt hitch for front of f150 - etrailer.com Search


Rockwood 2703ws
Ford f-150

[bikendan]

There are thousands of posts/threads here, about the weak bumpers and putting bike racks on them.
There's usually at least one thread a day, about this.

[oxcamper]

OUCH!! about your door

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your trip. Make sure when setting up your slides clear electrical and water pipes before sliding out. I traded in a trailer like you just bought and really like it. later RJD

[mud yapster]

LOL on the tail gate I've caught myself more than once about to drive off with ours down. Lots of damage quick. LOL hang in there your doing good. Make sure you have a Jack and tire tool that fits your TT tire lug nuts. Emergency roadside kit helps. Make sure your spare tire is aired up. You never know about these China tires. Happy Camping you'll have a blast.

[dmac1951]

Make sure that you know what your height clearance is and be alert for low clearance signs. Please don't ask how I learned that lesson!

[Papa GLS]

Welcome from NE FLA. You just up & jumped right into the deep end of the pool, didn't you. Sounds like you are already having a great time & not letting a couple of little mishaps discourage you.
Be safe & enjoy.

[Canonman]

We started out with a bumper mount bike rack like you. Our son-in-law also. His bumper started cracking at the welds. We both went to a welding shop and had 2" receiver mounts welded to the frame. No more problems. When I asked the welding shop owner about simply reinforcing the stress points he laughed. Said " the welds will hold fine. The metal beyond the weld will tear/shear due to the constant twisting. Might be something to check if you are thinking the bumper can be "built up" to stand the stress of the extra loads. One of those better safe than sorry things for us.

[KateE]

Wow! New to the RV life and a new to you TT and you jump in to a 6 month trip. I admire your bravery. It sure should accelerate the learning curve! Keep us up to date on your adventures.