Yearly Maintenance?

jesus_man

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2020
Messages
383
For those of you who are list makers, you may appreciate what I am trying to accomplish, but I figured others may like the information as well. Perhaps I make an ongoing list of maintenance items you all like to do yearly and people can pick and choose from that list the ones that apply to them. While my camper is only 2yrs old, I think it's time to start thinking about what I need to be doing to care for it. Again, my preference for this list is just the end-of-season (or beginning) items you like to perform. Thanks!
 
Be sure all food is off the trailer at the end of the season, including dog food
Wash and wax every year
Grease the bearings every 2 years
 
I'll add:

do a thorough check under camper for possible rodent points of entry and seal them
do the same inside under all cabinets wherever pipes/wires go through floor
wash roof and tops of slides
sanitize water system
flush out water heater and check anode rod if you have one
clean AC coils, check AC drain hole for obstructions
inspect roof and sidewall seams and reseal if needed
apply slide seal conditioner
check tire air pressure
 
You're due for your first wheel bearing service. And at least once a year get up on roof and scrub it down/check seals.
 
These are great ideas. I thought I could edit my original post, but I do not see how. Again, these are ideas from this thread. Pick and choose what applies to you.

So far:
1. Be sure all food is off the trailer at the end of the season, including dog food. Anything that can freeze or explode in extreme temps.
2. Wash and wax every year
3. Grease the bearings every 2 year
4. Do a thorough check under camper for possible rodent points of entry and seal them. Check for loose fasteners underneath.
do the same inside under all cabinets wherever pipes/wires go through floor
5. wash roof and tops of slides
6. sanitize water system
7. flush out water heater and check anode rod if you have one
8. Clean AC coils, check AC drain hole for obstructions
9. Clean and inspect roof and sidewall seams and reseal if needed
10. Apply slide seal conditioner
11. Check tire air pressure
 
These are great ideas. I thought I could edit my original post, but I do not see how. Again, these are ideas from this thread. Pick and choose what applies to you.

So far:
1. Be sure all food is off the trailer at the end of the season, including dog food. Anything that can freeze or explode in extreme temps.
2. Wash and wax every year
3. Grease the bearings every 2 year
4. Do a thorough check under camper for possible rodent points of entry and seal them. Check for loose fasteners underneath.
do the same inside under all cabinets wherever pipes/wires go through floor
5. wash roof and tops of slides
6. sanitize water system
7. flush out water heater and check anode rod if you have one
8. Clean AC coils, check AC drain hole for obstructions
9. Clean and inspect roof and sidewall seams and reseal if needed
10. Apply slide seal conditioner
11. Check tire air pressure



#3 - Depends on mileage.....if you are doing 10-12K a year in travel, I'd inspect/repack yearly.

#9 - I would inspect the roof and re-seal if needed 2x per year.

#11 - Get a TPMS!

Couple more:

  • I like to inspect/re-torque weight distribution hitch bolts and touch it up with some Rustoleum.
  • Tighten interior/exterior screws
  • Disconnect from SP and tighten all connections in power distribution panel.
 
I'll add:
do a thorough check under camper for possible rodent points of entry and seal them
do the same inside under all cabinets wherever pipes/wires go through floor
wash roof and tops of slides

What product do you use for this and the slide seal conditioner?
 
these may or may not apply:

clean foam air conditioner return filters
clean vent screens
replace water filter
spray contact cleaner on shore power and 7-way cables
check battery water levels
change generator oil / filters
clean leveling jack rams with silicon
check leveling jack pump hydraulic fluid level
replace tpms sensor batteries

and finally:
unload everything and remove all the tuff that has accumulated that you no longer need. then arrange to get the trailer weighed on one of your trips.
 
All great advice above.

I do our wheel bearings every 2 years (we average about 5k miles a year). We also rotate the tires every 2 years. So basically 1 year we do bearings and the next year I rotate tires.
 
I'll add:

do a thorough check under camper for possible rodent points of entry and seal them
do the same inside under all cabinets wherever pipes/wires go through floor
wash roof and tops of slides
sanitize water system
flush out water heater and check anode rod if you have one
clean AC coils, check AC drain hole for obstructions
inspect roof and sidewall seams and reseal if needed
apply slide seal conditioner
check tire air pressure

Where are AC drain holes? I have studied quite a bit and I’ve even pulled the cover off the roof unit and don’t seen any drain holes. Just a channel that routes water onto the roof as best as I can see. I cannot see where they go under the fan though.

Several people I including Furrion have told me there are no drain holes.

I’m asking because we have had condensation dripping inside on our bed.
 
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Where are AC drain holes? I have studied quite a bit and I’ve even pulled the cover off the roof unit and don’t seen any drain holes. Just a channel that routes water onto the roof as best as I can see. I cannot see where they go under the fan though.

Several people I including Furrion have told me there are no drain holes.

I’m asking because we have had condensation dripping inside on our bed.

As long as that channel is clear of debris like dirt, pine needles, leaves, you should be good to go. For the condensation issue have you checked the compression bolts that provide a tight seal (gasket) between the roof and ceiling?
 
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Still trying to figure out the differences in this forum vs all the others I am a part of. There must be a time limit on being able to edit a previous post. So, you'll have to make your own lists!

Great info. Thanks all!
 
Still trying to figure out the differences in this forum vs all the others I am a part of. There must be a time limit on being able to edit a previous post. So, you'll have to make your own lists!

Great info. Thanks all!

Yes there is a time limit and I don't know what it is. I can no longer edit my post from 8:01 AM today. But the post I made at 11:15 AM I can still edit.
 
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Still trying to figure out the differences in this forum vs all the others I am a part of. There must be a time limit on being able to edit a previous post. So, you'll have to make your own lists!

Great info. Thanks all!
You can edit your own post in the 120 minute interval after you post it.


Other than that, you can send a PM to a site team member OR report your post and ask that the edit interval be temporarily lengthened.
 
You might also tighten all the plumbing fittings you can reach… on my trailer, many are only hand tight and loosen with the miles.
 
I'm a list maker too. Here is what I have so far for my maintenance list. It is by no means complete and is a work in progress. Hope it helps you and others.
 

Attachments

  • 2016 Cedar Creek Maintnance Log.pdf
    120.1 KB · Views: 78
I am curious about why it is necessary to repack wheel bearings after so few miles in a TT. I come from a time where you packed bearings in my 1959 ford 4x every 20 or 30 k. Nowadays you don’t have to even think about it yet people are saying to pack trailer bearings every one to two years?
 
I am curious about why it is necessary to repack wheel bearings after so few miles in a TT. I come from a time where you packed bearings in my 1959 ford 4x every 20 or 30 k. Nowadays you don’t have to even think about it yet people are saying to pack trailer bearings every one to two years?



I have found many people, myself included have certain areas/ things that we won’t give up on. Whether it was heard experienced it is ingrained in what we do.
Great example letting a truck warm up ten minutes before driving., I imagine the real reason was cold days with carburetor especially days of manual chokes. My favorite story for this as follows

Newlywed couple wife is making roast and cuts off both ends of the roast. Husband ask her why “ well that’s how mom taught me” . Wife now curious so she asked her mom and she says well “ that’s how mom taught me” . Now mom is curious and asks her mother same response. Now all three ladies are curious and as luck would have it. Great grandma is coming to the diner. So when she arrives all three ladies gather around and ask do you know why you cut the ends off the roast. Great grandma replies I sure do.
I didn’t have a pan big enough for them to fit in.
3 generations followed blindly out of trust and love never questioned why. Why probably not true story it’s very true in life we do things from muscle memory to because that how we were shown with out asking question.
 
I am curious about why it is necessary to repack wheel bearings after so few miles in a TT. I come from a time where you packed bearings in my 1959 ford 4x every 20 or 30 k. Nowadays you don’t have to even think about it yet people are saying to pack trailer bearings every one to two years?

You don’t have to think about it on a modern vehicle because they’re typically sealed bearings. You just run to failure.

The manufacturers recommendation is to repack every 12 months. It may be overkill, but it’s such a simple task, and I check the condition of the brakes while doing so. It’s part of my annual “let’s go over the camper so we have a trouble free season” routine. Perhaps if I couldn’t do it myself I might have a different opinion.
 

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