Hi, I'm Cheryl and I know nothing

[cherylb]

Thanks for accepting me. We are owners of a second-hand 2012 Rockwood A-frame pop up trailer that is already costing us money, lol....

[rsdata]

welcome... we all knew nothing at one point

so how can we help... any questions or a comment about what is costing you money?

[bob213]

Welcome Cheryl! There's ALWAYS something to spend money on when you have an RV.
Part of the fun I guess.

[Oaklevel]

Welcome from southern Virginia !!!!

[debit]

YES - sort of like a boat in that respect. But welcome to the forum. You can learn much here, and even save money.

___________________
Ram 2500 / Surveyor 251rks

[bikendan]

Hi and Welcome to FRF and be sure to check out the A-frame sub-forum.

[DouglasReid]

Hi Cheryl,

I think you know more than you realize

1. You know your name is Cheryl
2. You now you have a 2012 Rockwood A-Frame Popup
3. You know you are new to this and may need some help
4. You know it is costing you money
5. You know enough to come here to get information

Now, for a couple questions:

1. What do you pull it with
2. Where are you located
3. Where do you intend to camp
4. What on the camper is costing you money
5. How may we, at this forum, be of assistance to you

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Hi Cheryl,

I think you know more than you realize

1. You know your name is Cheryl
2. You now you have a 2012 Rockwood A-Frame Popup
3. You know you are new to this and may need some help
4. You know it is costing you money
5. You know enough to come here to get information

Now, for a couple questions:

1. What do you pull it with
2. Where are you located
3. Where do you intend to camp
4. What on the camper is costing you money
5. How may we, at this forum, be of assistance to you

As you can see, Douglas is on our welcoming committee, and he’s only ONE of many in that capacity, along with countless other experts here on the forum.

Give us your specific concerns, and we’ll help you beyond belief.

Take a breath, calm yourself, we’re here for you.

[lcv800]

You're smarter than you think and are already ahead of the game. Some people think they know everything, which is worse than knowing nothing! LOL.
Rusty

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum from Georgia. Later RJD

[Chuck_S]

Welcome!

I see the weight police are lurking:

Now, for a couple questions:

1. What do you pull it with

-- Chuck

[Wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin!

[Scrapper]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Welcome!

I see the weight police are lurking: -- Chuck

As all of us old timers know not every tow vehicle is set up from factory to supply 12vdc to the trailer to help with keeping the battery(ies) charged.


The answers to the questions Douglas asks can help establish the towing experience Cheryl will have. Another question which should be asked is what is the model number of the A-frame which can determine whether a brake controller and weight distribution hitch is needed as well as the appliances included in the a-frame.

[GravelRider]

Originally Posted by cherylb

Thanks for accepting me. We are owners of a second-hand 2012 Rockwood A-frame pop up trailer that is already costing us money, lol....

Hi Cheryl. I'm Max. About a year ago, I also knew nothing. Buying a trailer, a lot of camping, traveling, asking questions here, and tons of mistakes later... I know just enough to get myself into trouble!

[D W]

Originally Posted by cherylb

Thanks for accepting me. We are owners of a second-hand 2012 Rockwood A-frame pop up trailer that is already costing us money, lol....

Welcome to the forum. Here is where you learn. Just remember, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

[cherylb]

Thanks for the generous offer but we're good right now.

[cherylb]

Originally Posted by DouglasReid

Hi Cheryl,

I think you know more than you realize

1. You know your name is Cheryl
2. You now you have a 2012 Rockwood A-Frame Popup
3. You know you are new to this and may need some help
4. You know it is costing you money
5. You know enough to come here to get information

Now, for a couple questions:

1. What do you pull it with
2. Where are you located
3. Where do you intend to camp
4. What on the camper is costing you money
5. How may we, at this forum, be of assistance to you

Thanks for the welcome Douglas. I guess I do


We're pulling it with a Dodge Ram 1500 and can't even feel it. It's actually a test for us as we've never had campers before only a tent trailer and tents, we're three years from retirement and want to practice on this before moving up to a travel trailer. We are just outside Vancouver, Canada and only intend to camp locally for now. The first trip is the second week of July, dry camping in a remote provincial camp site so we really only intend on using it as a place to sleep up off the ground and out of the weather. So far we've had to replace trailer brakes and tires when we only went to get bearings packed, lol...Next up is a used trailer check at the local dealership for things like window seal checks, gas connections, plumbing, tanks, furnace, a/c, etc, etc, etc. The trailer is 10 years old so we fully expect to have to spend some more money but the plan is to get it in good shape and pass it on to the kids to use with the grandkids when we move up. This forum has already been useful to us for answers to simple questions as we really are complete rookies. I can see that you all will soon become my new best friends. Thanks again for the warm welcome.

[cherylb]

Originally Posted by Scrapper

As all of us old timers know not every tow vehicle is set up from factory to supply 12vdc to the trailer to help with keeping the battery(ies) charged.


The answers to the questions Douglas asks can help establish the towing experience Cheryl will have. Another question which should be asked is what is the model number of the A-frame which can determine whether a brake controller and weight distribution hitch is needed as well as the appliances included in the a-frame.

I know the answers to some of these questions!! Yay! The trailer is an A127TH. It weighs just over 2,000 pounds with a GVRW of 3407 and is about 21 feet long. We bought our truck with a complete tow package already on it we just had to buy a ball. BC is filled with steep hills so we asked the CapIt guy if we needed a brake controller and he said with our truck that we don't. And it's funny you mention charging the battery. We have been pondering that all weekend. We think we're going to go with two 6 volt batteries next year as the RV dealer said you get approx. twice as much time from those as opposed to one 12 volt. We're not sure what kind of shape the existing 12 volt battery is in and don't want to buy another if we can help it and as our first trip is to a remote camp site with no power we need to make sure there is enough juice to run our lift or oh, oh....We were wondering if we could charge the battery short term by plugging it into the 115 volt 150 watt power inverter in in the truck cab with an extension cord, or is that only for laptops and phones?

[U.S.ArmyVeteran]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Welcome!

I see the weight police are lurking: -- Chuck

He, he , he........................

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by cherylb

Thanks for the welcome Douglas. I guess I do


So far we've had to replace trailer brakes and tires when we only went to get bearings packed, lol...Next up is a used trailer check at the local dealership for things like window seal checks, gas connections, plumbing, tanks, furnace, a/c, etc, etc, etc. The trailer is 10 years old so we fully expect to have to spend some more money

At 10 years you are right in expecting to spend some money. Tires and Brakes are often the most expensive so at least for now that's out of the way.

A dealer inspection is a good idea although I'd consider an independent RV repair shop or Mobile Service to perform the inspection. Even get a couple of competitive estimates if possible.

Dealer's tend to be profit driven and often aren't exactly candid on what you really need. A good example is my visit to the Dealer to get my truck serviced. They performed a "complete inspection" of suspension and drivetrain. Got a well prepared picture presentation of all the problems they found. Front Brakes was legit. Also found a leaking transfer case output shaft seal. So far so good. However, they told me "the front driveshaft U-Joint Seal was leaking". Proof was it was covered by oil (which was from the leaking output shaft seal about 6" ahead of it). They told me that the U-Joint was non-servicable. Price of driveshaft------$1085. Chances are the oil leaking from the output shafe seal was just an excuse to sell a new Driveline.

{for the mechanics here, the shaft uses regular Spice U-Joints that have the "cir-clips" secured by an epoxy. Non-Serviceable to the un-trained perhaps but the Driveline Service said they handle them on a daily basis}

Called the local driveline service and price for an "Overhaul" (front and rear U-joint replacement) including balance, $~$280.

Be sure to get competitive estimates.