We (being my Mom and I) just purchased our first Fifth Wheel. Were both single mom's who love to go RVing, so we have made a pact to do it together since neither of us want to do it alone. I grew up with a tent trailer we had for 18 years. We recently upgraded to a 22' travel trailer with bunks so my son can have his own bed. Then he just kept growing! We decided we wanted more room and a couch to relax on. The Bighorn fit the bill!
My Dad has had quite a few RV's. To keep the list short- the last 15 years he has had the following: 2004 Montana 3255RL, 2008 Montana 3400RL, 2012 Redwood 36RL, and recently a beautiful 2013 Winnebago Tour 42E. I tend to follow him around everywhere and help him with everything, so I have a healthy knowledge of what I am doing with our new RV.
Our first trip out was a bit scary. I didn't realize how much work it was to transfer everything over! We were rushed through the PDI (as expected) and found a few problems that weren't terrible. The water hose to the ice maker had froze and one of the dining chairs was falling apart. Because we only were on 30A service, they said we couldn't check the front AC. I gave him a look because I couldn't see anything wrong with running it alone to test it, but he was adamant we couldn't do it. We drove it out to the local lake so we could organize and test everything. It was 100 F out and the first thing I wanted to do was start up all the AC's. Imagine that- the front bedroom AC didn't work. I narrowed it down to the capacitor, so I will be repairing that since I can't get it into the dealership for repair anytime soon. I also couldn't get the galley tank valve to open when we wanted to dump, so I have torn into that and found it is a new valve replacement and they tightened the screws too tight. I did appreciate the details on the HUG site for re-patching a hatch on the underbelly for access to the valves. The last disappointment was a massive water leak for the black tank flush. My gifted father told me there is a back flow-prevention/vent valve that is located about two feet above the tank that tends to break. I found it behind the hatch in the shower. I took it apart and found a tiny little rock was blocking the valve from shutting all the way causing water to spray everywhere.
So, after a few tweaks and fixes, I think we are good to go. I just had to remind myself this is what you go through every time you buy a new trailer. There are a lot of moving parts and systems that can break. I actually refuse to buy new because I want someone else to go through and fix everything before I use it. I think of it as them taking an extended test drive, testing and trying everything, then fixing it on their dime.
I will re-post what the fix was on the AC and what symptoms it had.
My Dad has had quite a few RV's. To keep the list short- the last 15 years he has had the following: 2004 Montana 3255RL, 2008 Montana 3400RL, 2012 Redwood 36RL, and recently a beautiful 2013 Winnebago Tour 42E. I tend to follow him around everywhere and help him with everything, so I have a healthy knowledge of what I am doing with our new RV.
Our first trip out was a bit scary. I didn't realize how much work it was to transfer everything over! We were rushed through the PDI (as expected) and found a few problems that weren't terrible. The water hose to the ice maker had froze and one of the dining chairs was falling apart. Because we only were on 30A service, they said we couldn't check the front AC. I gave him a look because I couldn't see anything wrong with running it alone to test it, but he was adamant we couldn't do it. We drove it out to the local lake so we could organize and test everything. It was 100 F out and the first thing I wanted to do was start up all the AC's. Imagine that- the front bedroom AC didn't work. I narrowed it down to the capacitor, so I will be repairing that since I can't get it into the dealership for repair anytime soon. I also couldn't get the galley tank valve to open when we wanted to dump, so I have torn into that and found it is a new valve replacement and they tightened the screws too tight. I did appreciate the details on the HUG site for re-patching a hatch on the underbelly for access to the valves. The last disappointment was a massive water leak for the black tank flush. My gifted father told me there is a back flow-prevention/vent valve that is located about two feet above the tank that tends to break. I found it behind the hatch in the shower. I took it apart and found a tiny little rock was blocking the valve from shutting all the way causing water to spray everywhere.
So, after a few tweaks and fixes, I think we are good to go. I just had to remind myself this is what you go through every time you buy a new trailer. There are a lot of moving parts and systems that can break. I actually refuse to buy new because I want someone else to go through and fix everything before I use it. I think of it as them taking an extended test drive, testing and trying everything, then fixing it on their dime.
I will re-post what the fix was on the AC and what symptoms it had.
