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Old 08-30-2017, 08:55 AM   #1
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New owner

Hello All, I just purchased a 2005 Sunline travel trailer from my Sister.Haven't used it yet,but plan to this spring.My hope is that I will use it while travelling with the Care-a-vanners from Habitat for Humanity.I am retired,but work as a substitute school bus driver during the school year.
My only experience with camping was years ago with a very old Coleman pop-up.I loved it then,and still love camping.I did have a lot of problems backing that pop-up into a site tho.Have been told backing is much easier with a double axle.I'll find out soon!
Any hints or insights into the care and maintenance of this trailer would be much appreciated.I am going to have a cover made for it before winter hits.I live in NE Ohio,so if anyone has any suggestions as to where to purchase a cover,it would be appreciated.I'm really looking forward to enjoying my new to me Sunline trailer!

Ladyssolo2
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Old 08-31-2017, 08:52 AM   #2
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We have used covers from ADCO. They are sold almost everywhere. One year ours ripped a few days before the warranty expired and they sent us a brand new one.
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Old 08-31-2017, 09:01 PM   #3
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Welcome Ladyssolo2!

Congrats on your new Sunny and welcome to the group! I see you are a fellow Ohioan! Great. We are more central Ohio near Delaware, Ohio.

Do you know what model number your camper is? It would be a T-XXXX 4 digit number.

For your question on hints on maintenance and care of the camper. We have a lot of info on our site which we can point you too.

Did you get a copy of the Owners Manual that came with the camper? For your 2005, this would be a large white 3 ring binder with the big Sunline logo on the front. There is some general info in there which is a good place to start.

Here on the site we can and have gone into more depth in most cases beyond the generic owners manual.

There are sort of two mechanical areas that you might not know about that I will mention. And we do not know if you would be doing them or having someone help you with them, but the biggest thing is to know about them so they can be taken care of before issues come.

1. Tires, wheel bearings and brakes. This is an area to understand before a breakdown on the road happens. The trailer tires are a subset of this area and need to be in good condition for a trailer tire and they need to be checked for correct tire pressure at the start of each towing day. Unlike auto tires, trailer tires most often will as we call it, "age out" before they wear out and they need special caring that is different from an auto tire that rolls each day. On an auto tire, it is common to look at the amount of tread left to know it's time to change tires. On trailer tires, age of the tire is a big deal as most folks do not put on enough miles in a year to ever wear them out. 5 years on a ST trailer tire can be about all that can be expected to give good service. As the tires age, the rubber starts breaking down, cracks form in the side walls and between the treads. And the whole tire also ages with slow degradation. Most trailer tires have a speed rating of a max of 65 mph. Going over that for a period of time causes excess heat and accelerates the break down process. This topic is something more to research as a tire failure can make for a bad day camping.

There are DOT date codes stamped on the side of each tire. Here is an article on how to read them. Some times the codes end up on the inside of the tire and you have to crawl under the camper to see it.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiret....jsp?techid=11

The axle bearings need grease and brakes also need routine adjusting and servicing. Do you know the last time they were done?

2. The next area is what is proper roof care and maintenance for your camper rubber roof. Unlike home roofs that do not need much maintenance once installed, camper roofs need constant routine maintenance. Just because you do not see any leaks inside the camper (a good thing) this does not mean the roof is properly cared for.

The roof needs to be cleaned and washing of the roof should occur 4 times a year to remove the dirt and other things that get attracted to the roof.

And a big one, the sealants around every roof seam and opening on the roof needs to be checked for tiny cracks and splits. This should follow the same 4 times a year check with the most important check being late fall before winter and early spring just after winter. Most roof leaks start with a flaw in the roof sealants/caulking. And there are special brands of caulking to use to treat these splits/cracks. This thread is a good start on how to service your roof sealants. Also your roof is not a direct walk on roof without taking special precautions to spread the load of standing on it. There where very few Sunline direct walk on roofs unless that option was special ordered at the time of manufacturing. The process is mentioned in this link. http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...1-a-11508.html

The item mentioned above should get you started. There are more topics that will come in time, battery maintenance, spring start up, winterizing for freeze protection, water system sanitizing, cleaning the camper etc. Surf our site and ask away on things you need more help with understanding.

The biggest thing you need to do, is have fun camping!!! This helps you get past the needed routine things (aka work...) to keep your camper in top shape and leak free.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 09-07-2017, 03:29 AM   #4
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Welcome aboard! Enjoy your trailer
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Old 09-09-2017, 04:47 PM   #5
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The trailer is stored at my Sisters for the time being,but it is covered.Would it be safe to wait until spring to check up on the roof since it is covered for the winter?It is about a 400 mile drive for me to get to it.As soon as I open it up in the spring,I plan on taking it it a RV dealer near her and get the axles reased and check out the brakes and tires.I'm hoping they will be willing to show me as they do the work,but I might be optimistic.Do you ever wash and wax your unit?This was suggested to me by a friend,but not what type of cleaner and wax to use.The sides did have a few streaks on them before being covered.Thank you for your information about the roof.I really want the trailer to last for me,as it has a nice sized bathroom(trailer wide)and an extra wardrobe,something that is hard to find. Ladyssolo2
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Old 09-09-2017, 04:48 PM   #6
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Thank you SummdO2
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Old 09-11-2017, 08:37 PM   #7
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Hi,

Some answers to your questions

Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyssolo2 View Post
The trailer is stored at my Sisters for the time being,but it is covered.Would it be safe to wait until spring to check up on the roof since it is covered for the winter?
Yes, if the camper is covered for the winter, then it is OK to wait until spring to check the roof. The cover is a good idea.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyssolo2 View Post
As soon as I open it up in the spring,I plan on taking it it a RV dealer near her and get the axles greased and check out the brakes and tires.I'm hoping they will be willing to show me as they do the work,but I might be optimistic.
This link will take to my prior Sunline T2499 when I was doing a annual brake inspection, bearing repack and brake adjustment. You can see here how this all works. This is on another camping forum, I never made it to posting here. Annual Brake Inspection and Axle Re - Lube (Pic's)

If you where planning on doing this work yourself, you will need the tools and the place to do this as a start. If you have done car or truck brakes before, then doing trailer brakes is not that big of a leap, we just need to fill you in on a few things. If this would be your first ever brake job, we need to talk more as there is a safety level with jacking up the camper.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyssolo2 View Post
Do you ever wash and wax your unit? This was suggested to me by a friend, but not what type of cleaner and wax to use.The sides did have a few streaks on them before being covered.
Yes, by all means washing the camper is a good thing to do. How often depends on how dirty it gets as far as the sides of the camper. If you are washing the roof, then soon after the roof wash, doing the sides work better. All the black streaks start from dirt on the roof that runs down over the side. If the camper it stored outside, following the roof cleaning of 4 times a year and then to do the sides would be a good idea. If the camper is stored inside, then can be reduced to at least 2 times but more on demand.

For the sides of the camper, I use LA's Totally Awesome cleaner diluted in a bucket of water and then use a car brush. Hose the camper off, then start washing a smaller area with the Awesome mixture. You need to keep a wet edge so to speak. About 4 to 6 feet wide top to bottom. When cleaned then rinse that area good and move the the next 4 to 6 feet and so on. If you let the cleaning solution dry on the camper, the dirt will re-harden back on.

If you have stubborn black streaks, then when the wall is wet, use the spray full strength in the spot that has the problem. Rinse well as soon as you are done with that area. Do not let full strength dry on the camper or leave it on a long time without rinsing.

Here is a link to the cleaner Awesome All Purpose Concentrated Cleaner (32oz) | LA's Totally Awesome

You can find it in Dollar General and other dollars stores. They sell in in a few sizes. Generally at $1 a qt.

Your year camper if it has the corrugated aluminium siding has what is called a Krystal Kote finish on the siding. It is a protective coating to help with scratches and small dents. You really do not have to wax the camper, but some do. I never have so I can't recommend a wax. It comes out real clean as is after washing.

Do you have the smooth sided fiberglass siding? That is a little different.

I also use a product called 303 Aerospace UV protectant on all things plastic and vinyl on the camper. Decals, plastic trim etc. This really helps stop it from becoming brittle can cracking over time. I also use it on the roof and everything up there.

Here is the 303 https://www.goldeagle.com/product/30...ace-protectant They sell it in auto stores and even Walmart. I buy it by the gallon.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ladyssolo2 View Post
Thank you for your information about the roof.I really want the trailer to last for me,as it has a nice sized bathroom(trailer wide)and an extra wardrobe,something that is hard to find. Ladyssolo2
Your very welcome. Glad it helps.

John
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
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