Get Your RV Ready For Summer Camping!

When Jack Frost comes calling and it’s time to put the RV up for the winter, you want to make sure it is properly winterized. Ideally, the RV is stored inside a building where it isn’t exposed to the frigid winter winds and snow. This can help your paint job last longer. You’ll need to put antifreeze into your water system to keep it from freezing during storage and empty out your propane tanks as well. The last thing you want is to have the cold weather break those tanks and your investment go up in flames. Also, you’ll want to put the RV on blocks to save wear and tear on your tires.

Fastway hitches have become popular recently because fans of RV motorhomes understand the many advantages they have over other hitches. They are, by far, the easiest hitches to use thanks to Fastway e2 Integrated Sway Control. It uses sway control brackets instead of the “add-on” sway bars or cam attachments that were added to chain style hitches. It’s important to understand that without correct weight control distribution, drivers can experience the dreaded highway hop, steering control loss, and tow vehicle sagging. The Fastway e2 acts like a bridge between the tow vehicle and the trailer. It helps them work together by distributing the weight evenly to the axles of the tow vehicle and the trailer.

The answer is simple: preventative maintenance. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road when they could be enjoying nature’s beauty. By repacking the wheel bearings of your small RV each year, you’re reducing your chances of being stranded on the highways and byways.

We have exclusive Silver and Gold maintenance packages that provide for all the basic maintenance needs for your Heartland travel trailers. Our affordable packages include:

• Every 12 month or 12,000 mile wheel bearing service
• Refrigerator service annually
• Furnace service annually
• Water heater service annually
• Six month roof and sealant inspection
• Water system check including filling tanks and testing lines, winterize or de-winterize, and general inspection.

That’s easy; check your tire pressure. It’s always a good idea to examine the tire pressure before heading out on a trip and each morning when the tires are at their lowest. Colorado is known for its high altitudes and that, along with summer heat, will increase your tire pressure. It’s important to take that into account when putting air in the tire. If it isn’t hot or high altitude, fill your RV camper tires to their recommended pressure. During hot weather and high altitudes, inflate them a little under the recommended pressure.

The most likely cause of an ammonia smell is that your fridge’s cooling coils are leaking. Immediately turn the fridge off to avoid a fire. If you recently had your compressor replaced and/or the freon recharged, this is sometimes the cause. Reclaimed freon is sometimes used to recharge systems and this can contaminate the system. Always insist on new freon, it costs more but you will never have this problem. The age of your unit is the tipping point in whether to repair or replace. The older the unit, the higher the likelihood that replacment is the right choice. Remember, a new unit always comes with a warranty. First, check your existing warranty to see if you have any coverage. Next, if your RV is fairly new, check the manufacturer’s web site for recalls. You might get lucky and get it repaired for free. If not, you have 3 basic choices: Rebuild the cooling core. Since rebuilding the core is only a short-term solution, this is usually not recommended. Install a new cooling core. This is only recommended if your fridge is fairly new, say just out of warranty, but usually the cost (including parts, labor and sales tax) is so close to a new unit (especially if it is a 2-door unit) that it is best to pay the extra money for the new one. This will cost between $700 and $1,400 plus 3-5 hours of labor, that’s why it is usually a better idea to… Install a new fridge. This is usually recommended if you plan on keeping the RV. New fridges start at around $1,000.

• Tires: We can never state this enough! Besides keeping them at the proper air pressure, rotate and balance your tires regularly. Also, drive your RV-even in the off-season-to avoid “flat spots” on your tires that go thud-thud as you drive down the road.
• Wheel bearings: Same as tires, the wheel bearings must be used regularly or they go bad from sitting in the same spot for too long.
• Water lines: If you store water in your RV, besides winterizing, you will need to put antifreeze in the tank and lines so it won’t freeze and crack your lines.
• Roof: The roof is oftentimes overlooked. You will need to go up there and clean it and while you’re there, inspect it carefully for leaks, bubbles, cracks, anything unusual.
• Fluids: Check your fluids regularly.

Generators need love too! Change the oil regularly, check or change the spark plugs and the air filter and fuel filter. Also, if you are going to leave the RV with gasoline in the tank, add an additive so the gas doesn’t go bad and turn into turpentine on you.

Close all interior ceiling vents before driving anywhere. These vents will be damaged or can even fly off when going 60-70 mph down the road. Make sure all your sway bars and safety chains are hooked up properly. If your trailer falls off while you are driving because your safety chains are not attached properly, you’re going to feel pretty stupid. The next first-timer mistake is forgetting to disconnect power and sewer before driving away. Don’t roll your eyes, we have seen this happen. Sometimes first-timers pull into spots nose-first. This is usually a mistake. Remember – whatever you pull into, you have to back out of. Another common mistake is pulling out too quickly when you leave, and hitting something. Think about it-when you arrive, you carefully, slowly back into your spot. When you pull away the tendency is to go faster. Just remember that and slow down when you leave or you may hit something in front of you.

Yes. Transmissions need to be serviced. There is a lot of extra wear and tear because they are towing something very heavy. The filters need to be changed and the pan that has a magnet to collect metal fragments should be checked. If there are metal fragments in it, that is not good news.

Yes. Windows need to be checked for leaks and cracks. The seals should have no cracks, gaps or irregularities. If there is, you will have leaks; and water/moisture is the enemy of all RVs. Get these fixed as soon as you can.