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As you can see, I'm still hard at work on this section. Some areas are complete and some are not.
In the meantime I have placed a bunch of diagrams here for you to
see, but I haven't yet been able to do the associated verbage. So use the diagrams as
you see fit, and check back a little later to see what's been added.
My intention is to give play-by-play descriptions on performing regular maintenance on your rig,
and what to do when you have problems. In addition to photos and diagrams I want to do some
videos so you can see first-hand what is really involved. They should also be fun to do!
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If you have more money than God and plan to have your dealer address anything that might go wrong
with your rig then you can pretty much ignore what's here. But maybe not! For example, problems have
a nasty habit of occurring when you are nowhere close to a dealer. For another, your schedule may not
permit leaving your rig at a dealer for days, weeks or months.
I am not now nor have I ever been an RV service technician. However, I do work on my own
rig, and I have spent hours and hours reading countless blogs and viewing many how-to videos
on the web. As a result I have synthesized a lot of helpful info regarding the care and feeding
of fifth-wheels. I hope these lessons and experiences can help you too. But bear this
warning in mind - always view free advice on the internet with a healthy dose of caution.
If you consider yourself a handyman you will probably eat up the info here. There's lots of goodies
like diagrams, photos, videos and other tips and techniques. The good news is that most things likely
to go wrong with an RV are perfectly fixable without a lot of angst. If you carry a few useful tools
with you then most repairs might only take an hour or two. Others might take longer but at least they
can probably be performed on-site. Even fearsome situations like broken slideout cables can be dealt
with if you are prepared and carry the right equipment.
Of course, if you have a motorized unit like a pusher then severe engine trouble is another thing
altogether!
The right tools are important to get the job done properly. If you have a fifth-wheel, the front compartment
is the perfect place for a toolbox. In addition to the basic tools like pliers, hammers, screwdrivers,
wrenches, hacksaw and so on, I also carry a set of sockets, allen wrenches, chisels, ---.
If your rig is getting old and/or you have used your slideouts a lot, be prepared for cable issues.
It is always a good idea to examine the cables periodically, especially before you set out on a trip.
Cable fraying will quickly become worse and cause them to break, which makes putting a slide out in or
out a physically manual effort. After learning the hard way from broken cables in a remote place like
Newfoundland, I now carry extra cable and installation tools [see --].
Due to the age of our trailer, we have had our share of problems. Luckily I have been able to address
almost all of them while on the road. The good news is that the more you do, and the more you learn
about your rig, the easier and less stressful repairs become. I encourage you to look over, and even
print out the various system diagrams you will find here. Your particular electric, water, tv or other
systems may not be exactly like the ones shown here but they should be close enough to give you a good
idea what yours looks like. Also check out the how-to videos so you can become familiar with the different
techniques used for typical repairs.
In addition to the info here, be sure to check out any videos and such that might be found on
Google. There is a surprisingly large number of helpful blogs and movies showing how to address and fix
various problems you might have with your rig. Remember, "Google is your friend."
As always with this site, if you have helpful repair hints, tips, techniques,
photos, videos or anything else you think others might be able to use,
please
submit it to us for inclusion on our site.
We will be sure to give you credit for your submission.