Travel Trailers

[thirtydaZe]

Anyone own one? The wife and I just purchased a 2005 Jayco Jay Feather, and as this is the first camper I've ever even thought about owning I actually no nothing about them..

Good news in the purchase is it allows us to stay the weekend at the marina now, and should be very homey...

Can anyone fill me in on some of the maintenance and the little things i'm about to encounter?

 

[Sundancer]

Stinky slinky, geo method, how big your generator needs to be to run your a/c, adequate tow vehicle, mods, battery sizing and charging, Goodyear Marathons, etc., Kind of like owning a boat without an engine!

We've had one for years and use it when it's too cold to boat or in the off boating season. We've traveled to Canada, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Oregon coast, Calforinia coast and Washington Coast. We've used ours in the winter time and driven it in the snow too. It's kind of fun and can be a nice place to stuff guests you really don't want IN your house or your boat!

There isn't much maintenance. Just load the tanks up before you dump them even if you are continually connected to a dump facility. I use the geo method on our tanks and it works great. Flush the tanks periodically or you can use the ice method if you are towing it. Make sure the awning is dry before you roll it up, the batteries have water, you winterize it, pack the bearings periodically and you'll be fine.

 

[thirtydaZe]

Stinky slinky, geo method, how big your generator needs to be to run your a/c, adequate tow vehicle, mods, battery sizing and charging, Goodyear Marathons, etc., Kind of like owning a boat without an engine!

We've had one for years and use it when it's too cold to boat or in the off boating season. We've traveled to Canada, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Oregon coast, Calforinia coast and Washington Coast. We've used ours in the winter time and driven it in the snow too. It's kind of fun and can be a nice place to stuff guests you really don't want IN your house or your boat!

There isn't much maintenance. Just load the tanks up before you dump them even if you are continually connected to a dump facility. I use the geo method on our tanks and it works great. Flush the tanks periodically or you can use the ice method if you are towing it. Make sure the awning is dry before you roll it up, the batteries have water, you winterize it, pack the bearings periodically and you'll be fine.

Stinky slinky?:grin:

ours isn't really that big, just a 17 footer. sleeps 3.
mostly its a restroom, a kitchen, a bed, and a bar....

 

[Sundancer]

The stinky slinky is the hose used to dump your waste tanks!!

 

[thirtydaZe]

The stinky slinky is the hose used to dump your waste tanks!!

gotcha.

actually that was some of my questioning. all the hoses are included, but don't have a clue how to dump one?

for the water she said there was an attachment to regulate pressure that i had to use?

manual lighting hot water heater?

in kind of deep with this one all of a sudden...

still i say :smt038 about the purchase!

 

[parkerboatman]

What you need to do is watch that Tim Allen Movie RV. He will show you what not to do when dumping the waste tank. LOL.

I owned an RV for a couple of year use to haul my bikes to Sturgis and take the kids up in the mountains.
Make sure the roof is in great shape as leaks can happen and its not a nice thing. I would say maintenance isnt that difficult. kind of like anything else use common sense and you will love it. and sink just as much money into it as in the boat. :smt038:smt038
I miss my RV and camping out. I will have to do with camoing on the lake.

you will love it and so will your family

 

[thirtydaZe]

What you need to do is watch that Tim Allen Movie RV. He will show you what not to do when dumping the waste tank. LOL.

I owned an RV for a couple of year use to haul my bikes to Sturgis and take the kids up in the mountains.
Make sure the roof is in great shape as leaks can happen and its not a nice thing. I would say maintenance isnt that difficult. kind of like anything else use common sense and you will love it. and sink just as much money into it as in the boat. :smt038:smt038
I miss my RV and camping out. I will have to do with camoing on the lake.

you will love it and so will your family

crap. i didn't even consider a leak from the roof when purchasing. looked the interior over very well, including the ceiling, and didn't notice any spots. hopefully that will be a tell tale sign....

 

[Sundancer]

You'll have a great time mixing the trailer with boating! Check out RV.net!! I've answered some of your questions below:

gotcha.

actually that was some of my questioning. all the hoses are included, but don't have a clue how to dump one?

Pull up next to the dump station, find the stinky slinky and attach it to the only place on the RV that it will attach! Point the other end down the hole provided at the dump station. Ahead of that attachment point you will see two slide valves. Empty the BLACK (from the toilet) tank first. When that is done, empty the gray water tank. The gray water is a bit cleaner and will help flush the "other" stuff out. You'll need to put some water back in the black water tank and you can flush the black water tank with a bucket of water or by using some fancy devices the RV folks like to sell you. Personally, we've never had a plug using the bucket down the toilet method to flush it out.

for the water she said there was an attachment to regulate pressure that i had to use?

The regulator is a small brass devices that limits water pressure to your trailer when attached to shore water. It keeps surges and such from damaging the pipes in the trailer. I'd suggest turning the water off when you leave.

manual lighting hot water heater?

HECK NO!!! I don't think they even sells these anymore?? If it's a 2005, you should have one or two switches inside. One controls the electric element in your trailer if you have one. The other controls the propane portion of your water heater. I leave our electric on when plugged to shore power and turn the propane on when we take showers. Ours will provide all the hotwater you can use for the 4 of us without running out.

in kind of deep with this one all of a sudden...

still i say :smt038 about the purchase!

 

[thirtydaZe]

You'll have a great time mixing the trailer with boating! Check out RV.net!! I've answered some of your questions below:

Thanks man! Appreciate the advice!

 

[At Ease]

What you need to do is watch that Tim Allen Movie RV. He will show you what not to do when dumping the waste tank. LOL.

I owned an RV for a couple of year use to haul my bikes to Sturgis and take the kids up in the mountains.
Make sure the roof is in great shape as leaks can happen and its not a nice thing. I would say maintenance isnt that difficult. kind of like anything else use common sense and you will love it. and sink just as much money into it as in the boat. :smt038:smt038
I miss my RV and camping out. I will have to do with camoing on the lake.

you will love it and so will your family

Yeah and don't forget the "Y" coupler!!!:smt043:smt043:smt043

Seriously, when you are dumping, open up the black water tank first and then do the grey water. That is about all there is to it! Oh and try to talk the wife into doing that job!

 

[Sundancer]

It is a must see! I think it's Robin Williams, not Tim Allen, but either would have been GREAT! It's just a funny movie, especially the dump sequence!! I'd highly recommend some latex gloves and a full tyvek suit!

What you need to do is watch that Tim Allen Movie RV. He will show you what not to do when dumping the waste tank. LOL.

I owned an RV for a couple of year use to haul my bikes to Sturgis and take the kids up in the mountains.
Make sure the roof is in great shape as leaks can happen and its not a nice thing. I would say maintenance isnt that difficult. kind of like anything else use common sense and you will love it. and sink just as much money into it as in the boat. :smt038:smt038
I miss my RV and camping out. I will have to do with camoing on the lake.

you will love it and so will your family

 

[thirtydaZe]

It is a must see! I think it's Robin Williams, not Tim Allen, but either would have been GREAT! It's just a funny movie, especially the dump sequence!! I'd highly recommend some latex gloves and a full tyvek suit!

obviously we're dealing with human waste here, so i imagined it to not be fun, but you guys are painting a pretty scary picture!

 

[Sundancer]

I'd rather dump the trailer, than the boat! I was holding the suction hose on the boat when some guy tripped over it and it pulled the thing off the deck fitting. Crap went everywhere and I immediately dove into the water!! With the trailer, it's all gravity and the chances are less that you will get anything on the rest of you. It can happen, but there is no pressure or pressure differential to assist! There is more to clean up on the trailer, but it doesn't bother me nearly as bad as watching the site glass as stuff gets sucked out. And why doesn't corn EVER breakdown??? :grin:

 

[larryp]

Why don't you just buy a bigger boat?

 

[wish2fish]

What you need to do is watch that Tim Allen Movie RV. He will show you what not to do when dumping the waste tank. LOL.

tim allen movie rv???? Robin Williams!


you don't say what year, size and features but hopefully you got a manual with it. If you're in the northeast you will need to winterize. Knowing how will make that a lot easier. The roof leaks do usually show, but check in the inside the cabinets for the leaks as well.