Mar 142011
Two days of driving got me back home in Michigan. For the most part the drive was uneventful except feeling the damp cold 30 degree midwest weather when in Terre Haute. And to think I was in 70 degree weather just the day before in Memphis!
I arrived home and after unpacking a few things I winterized the trailer. It is suppose to get into the mid 20s tonight so I figured I better get it done or I'd be sorry later. I'll spend the next day or two unpacking everything else then it's time to check out the damage on the trailer. A quick inspection today and it appears that the rear aluminum floor frame has broken and the rear has shifted over about 2 inches pushing out the siding in the back.
Of more concern is the front bedroom window will not close completely. It appears that something has sprung, the the window will not sit flat in the frame. Add to that one of the basement door now rubs when it closes and I have to wonder if I have some type of frame flex in the front. None of this happened until I traveled the roads in Arkansas which were terrible. I'll never travel through Arkansas again and when going out west I'll go straight south then head west. It'll add a day of travel but I'll avoid the beating I took this trip.
I am now starting to wonder if my trailer will be able to take another year or two of these long trips. I'll know more once I have a chance to see how extensive this damage is. All winter I tossed around the idea of getting a new 5th wheel but just the last couple weeks decided to put a couple thousand into this one to make a few changes and upgrades and keep it. Now I may have to dump it and get new anyways.
You’ve done so much work to that one, will you be able to transfer most of those things to a new 5th wheel, if you go for a new one?