Trailer Advice Needed

[KristaBelle]

Hi All,

There are so many RV knowledgable people on this board I thought I would see if anyone here could offer any advice.

We have inherited a 1981 Sunline Trailer (15ft) that hasn't been used in quite some time. It has been stored covered with a tarp. I am going to take it to an RV place and have them look at it, but to save money I would like to do what I can myself.

I'm know at a minimum it needs new tires, a new battery and propane tank. I'm sure the roof needs sealed. Do you scrape off the old sealant? What is the best thing to use?

Any other advice on what to look out for with an old trailer?

I have some experience with RVing, over the years we had a motorhome and more recently a fifth wheel. The summer of 2010 we spent 4 wonderful weeks at the Fort! I would love to get this thing up and running so we can go back! I think I am going through Disney withdrawal.

Obviously we'll try a local campground first before we make the trek from PA to the Fort.

Is anyone from Southeastern PA? The only place I know of to take it is Stoltzfus in West Chester, but I have heard mixed reviews about it.

I appreciate any advice you have!

Thanks!
Krista

 

[vtjohn]

Definitely check the roof first, probably that's why it had a tarp on it. If the wood & rubber is still good, you must peel out the old caulk and use something good like Proflex to re-caulk. Major job to redo an entire roof, materials aren't bad but the labor is intensive and most RV dealers are going to be $85+/hour. If the roof work is reasonable, then you can move on to other projects in it, but start with the roof to see how your budget will turn out.

 

[Sally]

If your handy enough, you can do some of the work yourself. Youtube is great for help on most things, but if there is something you don't feel comfortable fixing on your own, let the dealer/repair service handle. I helped my father years ago before youtube redo the inside of a Shasta and it was slow going at times.

 

[articfox676]

Check on RV.Net. There is someone on there who has restored a Sunline from the 80"s.

Good Luck

 

[luckycharm19335]

I am in Downingtown.
There is Stoltzfus in West Chester. Media Camping also had 2 locations.
And just outside of Downingtown off of Rt. 322 is Hopewell Rv.
Also, there is a Camping World just over the bridge in NJ that does RV repair.
I use Hopewell for everything that I can. Very nice to do business with.

 

[tiggerdad]

Did this with my father's RV a few years ago. Heat the caulk to make it come loose easier, a blowdryer might do it, but I ended up buying a heat gun at a local Autozone. Use self leveling caulk to replace, your local RV dealer will have this. You should be able to see any places that look stained on the inside if water has been getting in. Also, look around the door bases, around the inside of storage areas, and under any cabinets, beds, etc. to look for any places where the wood looks darker or damp which may indicate a leak above this spot.

 

[Mcert01]

www.campingworld.com Beccome a Good Sam's Club member for a discount on parts. As one of our local RV dealers told me, "They sell parts for less than I can buy them."

For tires I would check out your local tire store, not an RV dealer. They will be cheaper and have a better selection. We replaced our tires last spring through a chain and it was much cheaper than the RV dealer / Camping World.

Shop the repairs as well, and not just the part prices and labor rates, but the number of hours they are quoting. I just had a repair done for 1 hour of labor at Camping World that another place wanted to charge me 4 hours to do. It made more sense for me to drive 1 hour to Camping World than 10 minutes to the RV dealer...

Also, when looking at repacks and brakes, ask how the shop approaches them. Camping World will just replace everything and charge you a set price. Others, like a local truck accessory store which also does some repair work, checks the condition of the bearings and seals and only replaces what needs to be replaced. This can save you a couple hundred dollars by itself, depending on what they charge per axle.

The roof is the most important piece at the moment (unless you plan on taking it out before servicing the tires and wheels). This not only could be expensive, but if it is leaking will cause damage to other areas of the trailer. This has to be the priority.

Good luck!

 

[campconn]

Make sure you deal with a reputable company. The industry "big dog" has gotten into the sell, sell, sell mode and you have to be careful. You can't get out of the store unless you buy a membership, tire warranty, extended warranty, etc., etc.! Labor rates and parts prices are certainly important, but if they sell you parts you don't need, "fix" things that don't need repaired or have a poor quality of service that you don't realize until you are trying to enjoy your RV, it's not worth the so-called "savings".

 

[WDWCP96]

My IL's live near Harrisburg and have been happy with Lerch. Also not sure how far you are from MD but Beckley's has a huge repair/maintainance Dept. My husband just re-caulked the roof of our pop-up but then went to a camping world and the people there were really helpful so maybe figure out what you need to do such as seeing if there are leaks in the roof then go to camping world and get suggestions on the best way to do things.

 

[MommaluvsDis]

I second checking out www.rv.net. I just joined up, it's free, and there is some great advice on there too.

 

[KristaBelle]

Thank you everyone for all the advice. I am going to do some more research!

Thanks again!!!

 

[double r]

I would use the other Stoltzfus in Adamstown Pa. I have had work done at bot places and will NOT go back to the one in West Chester.You could also try Fretz in Souderton Pa they use to sell Sunline ( I think) also Adamastown Stoltzfus sold Sunline back in the day.