# Maintenace, What Maintenace?



## randelsclan (Jul 15, 2005)

Iâ€™m new to camping. My wife and I have 3 young boys and in July of 2003 we brought a new 28RSS. We love it. We donâ€™t get out as often as we would like but we have used it roughly 15 times (mostly short trips less then 300 miles round trip) but did take it down to Florida last year (2300 miles round trip). We live in Fredericksburg VA so dont get hardly any snow and mostly mild summers. The trailer is store outside on a friendâ€™s farm and gets some shad where it is.

But here is the question. What maintenance should I be doing? Each year I winterized it but that's about it. Last year we did have a slight leak in the front of the trailer. The sealant where the front meets the roof had separated. The dealer resealed it.

Other then that I have not done any maintenance. We just hook up the trailer and off we go. Based on what I've read here on the forum there is a lot more I should be doing like greasing the wheels. Iâ€™ve read though the owner manual but it wasnâ€™t a great deal of help. Is there a annual list or process I should follow?

I want to be saft going down the road and I dont want to have something break and ruin a trip or the trailer.

thanks


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

You should be regularly repacking the bearings. Check the manual for whatever axle setup you have and it will give you a recommended schedule. Believe mine says to repack once a year or every 10k miles. At the same time, you should be looking at the brake linings and adjusting the brakes. The roof should be regularly cleaned with water and mild soap, then apply some sort of UV protector. I use Dicor which is a product made by the people who make the roof, but there are other products out there that will work just as well.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

There is as much maintenance as you want or there is more replacement when it breaks if you don't.

Each system has its own requirements and since this seems to be battery week I will hit a few of the items that should be done to help ensure long life of the batteries.

Maintain a full charge, as soon as you get back from a weekend of dry camping get the battery charged. I feel the on board converter does a good job but it many think an external charger is best. Your call.

When charged and in storage disconnect the battery. If it will be below freezing bring it inside. Maintain a low charge rate 1 to 1.5 amp hour at 13.2 vdc over the winter.

Check the electrolyte level regularly during the season, typically every 3 to 4 weeks. Add only distilled or RO water and do not over fill.

Inspect for corrosion on all terminals and clean them when corrosion is noted.

Name a system in a new topic and you will get a bunch of comments on what needs and what does not need to be done but most of all get out often and have fun.

BTW - Welcome to Outbackers forum


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

Keep your eyes on cracks in the roof.

Check your brakes and keep them adjusted -- you should have started doing that after the 1st 200 miles....

Keep your batteries charged either with the onboard inverter or with an additional 20 dollar one from Walmart -- some lean one way on this, some another... but as long as you charge thatâ€™s the important part.

Continue to check the front left and right side seals that run vertical from the road to the roof -- there is a technical bulletin on this and if you see cracks or gaps then you need to take it to the dealer and have them completely strip and reseal -- as per bulletin

Keep your air maxed in the tires .. the tires are Load range C to begin with which are too crappy for the load that we place on them â€" keep them at 50 psi or get good at changing tires

keep you eyes on the packing of the bearings -- grease them often -- pack them yearly -- loosing a bearing at 60 mph is never a pretty site...


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## randelsclan (Jul 15, 2005)

randelsclan said:


> Iâ€™m new to camping. My wife and I have 3 young boys and in July of 2003 we brought a new 28RSS. We love it. We donâ€™t get out as often as we would like but we have used it roughly 15 times (mostly short trips less then 300 miles round trip) but did take it down to Florida last year (2300 miles round trip). We live in Fredericksburg VA so dont get hardly any snow and mostly mild summers. The trailer is store outside on a friendâ€™s farm and gets some shad where it is.
> 
> But here is the question. What maintenance should I be doing? Each year I winterized it but that's about it. Last year we did have a slight leak in the front of the trailer. The sealant where the front meets the roof had separated. The dealer resealed it.
> 
> ...


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## randelsclan (Jul 15, 2005)

Thanks for the quick response. You suggested repacking the bearings. I assume you mean wheel bearings. How difficult is that as I am not too mechanical. How exactly do you do it? I am able to change oil and other minor repairs but I mostly stay away from that type of work. In my younger days I would change out brake pads on my car, so Iâ€™m willing to try if itâ€™s not too difficult. My concern is with jacking up the trailer. As for greasing the wheel thatâ€™s not a problem as I have a grease gun. I did read on some other posts the problems can arise even with that simple chore.

We did have a tire blow out on our trip home from Florida. We have road service and someone came out and put on the spare. When we got back we went to the dealer and purchased a new spare.

As for adjusting the brakes, I assume they are drum brakes and are adjusted by using a flat screw driver and turning the spring loaded mechanism that is between the shoes.

As for the roof. Is it safe to walk on and what exactly am I looking for? I know these seem like fairly obvious questions that I should already know, but being new to this I want to get it right.

Thanks


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The roof is walkable just don't try to hold a dance up there. You can see the roof rafters when you are up there and you want to try and stay on them.

No matter the question you will get an answer here but I suggest breaking out multiple questions into multiple posts. Keeping track of what is being said about each different question is easier that way.


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## Reverie (Aug 9, 2004)

Here is my list:

Annually:

Repack the wheel bearings.
Wash the trailer from the roof down.
Wax the trailer.
Thoroughly lube the hitch and check for operation.
Remove the Mattresses and allow to air out.
Inspect and clean under the bunks (We have a 28BHS)
Remove everything from the exterior storage areas and clean (You will be surprised how much stuff you have you don't really need)

Monthly:
Inspect the roof for cracks in the sealent and repair as necessary.

Before Each Trip:
Check tire pressure (50 psi each/cold)
Inspect tire condition
Check brake operation
Check all exterior lights for operation
Inspect Anti-Sway
Insure all trailer contents are secured
Insure all doors and drawers and fully shut
Inspect trailer battery to insure water level is proper (prior to hooking up to vehicle power)
Insure gas is "Off" (Some people run their refrigerators on gas as they travel but it is not recommended by Keystone)
Check tires on tow vehicle for pressure
Inspect condition of tires on tow vehicle
Check all lights on tow vehicle.
Secure all load on tow vehicle.

Before Leaving Campsite:
Remove all debrie from top of slide before bringing in the slide.
Check under trailer for anything left behind.
Retract all stabilizers
Pull the trailer forward about four feet and get out and stow all boards/levellers
Perform "Before Each Trip" checklist.

Before Storing DURING Season:
Thorougly dry interior of fridge. It is best to accomplish this by:
a. Remove everything from the fridge and freezer.
b. Turn off power and gas to the fridge.
c. Prop both freezer and fridge doors open
d. If you have one, aim a small fan towards the fridge.
e. Use a cloth to progressively (over several hours) remove all moisture as it accumulates. 
f. Periodically lightly tap the metal fins at the upper back of the inside of the fridge (that is a mouthfull of a description) to force the condensation to drip into the drip catch.
g. Once you are satisfied you have removed as much condensation as you can, drain the drip catch and wipe it dry.
Clean the interior to your standards
Empty the black and grey water tanks.
Clean the black water tank to your standards
Put between one and five gallons of fresh water into the black tank through the toilet.
Put 8 ounces of black water freshener into black tank through the toilet.

After you have backed the trailer into it's storage area:
Chock the wheels.
Be sure to leave the trailer slightly off level to encourage water runoff in the direction you prefer.
Block the fridge and freezer doors OPEN.
Lock the doors and storage areas.

Feel free to add anything you want. This is an abbreviated list for me but may be too long for you.

Reverie


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