winter camping

[CC_Turtle]

Hi All,

I would like to get any feedback from people who have winter camped.. one of the main reasons we bought the TM was to be able to take it camping during the winter.. for snowboarding.. we live in southern calif.. so even in the mountains.. the weather is not as cold as other states...

I have seen some info on this board.. but would like more input on some topics... ??? ??? ???

has anyone pulled their TM during winter? how does it handle?

pulling the TM in snow? do we need chains for the TM?

do people put antifreeze for the gray and toliets? maybe opening the toliet valve - adding some antifreeze - and shutting the toliet valve at base?

I have read some valves freeze.. so bring a hair dryer.. are the other pipes ok? becaue of the furnace in the trailer?

any other tips would be appreciated very much :D

thanks in advance!
Teresa

[Bill]

If you've combed the board and found the posts from a year ago, then you've seen my only bad experience - the shower head in the outdoor shower froze and broke. Should have removed and drained it. Well, my other bad experience was in not thinking about a hair dryer as a thawing device, and freezing my pinkies as I tried to thaw the drain valves with a cup of hot water. Dumb dumb dumb ...

The TM is great in the winter, especially if you have hookups. Just keep your eye on the propane supply.

Bill

[rixalex]

How well does the Trailmanor handle the salt/sand mixture that is used on winter roads? Are there any rust or other problems with rot that are so common to the cars that we drive here in the Northeast? Does anyone have any first hand experience with this? I'm thinking seriously of leaving Maine and heading South with the TrailManor before the first snow to avoid that problem, but it sure would be nice to do some late fall and early winter camping before we head out for the rest of the winter. But I don't want things to start falling off in a few years because of the salt exposure. Thoughts?

[dennisu]

i can't say that i have experience with salt from the roadways even though i have been out in the winter with my 3023. live in k.c. and spent 10 days after christmas on north padre island national seashore and then travelled south to south padre and spent six weeks. at south padre, every other morning or so i would see these men out on their roofs washing down their motorhomes and trailers and stupid me felt like they should get a life and do something fun. little did i know that the salt spray from the ocean was what they were continually washing off. eventually i started rinsing my tm down to be like the rest of them even though i did not know why at the time. but i know now!

after leaving south padre and spending six nights in oklahoma city in 12 degree temps and 6 inches of snow i got home to balmy k.c. weather. in doing a thorough cleaning of the tm i found several areas where rust had set in, mainly along the bed supports on the front and back, since they are metal. this spring i sanded and repained the supports and have them back to nearly original condition. so yes, i would have to say in my situation salt did do some damage. i will say that i have seen no evidence of any other problems from the ocean spray with the exception of the bed supports. so i do not believe road salt will be a problem for the tm's body. it would be my suggestion that on those occassions that you drive on roads that have been treated, that a stop by the nearest car wash for a good rinse to the underside would be advised.

dennis

[Windbreaker]

Next time you are on the coast, they have these roadside drive through carwashs, they are all open not with walls like most carwashes, that just give a good rinse all around including the undercarrage. Takes less than 3 min. to drive through. Of course this would not help the bed supports but it would sure get all the rest of it.

[ColoradoCop]

Am I correct in thinking that the outer shells of the TM are aluminum? This should not rust, even with a salt mixture. Only problem I see is on the steel underframe. If you tow through salt mixture, I agree that a simple rinse in the car wash would be necessary.

By the way, watch out for slush and ice buildup in the wheel wells. You don't need extra drag on the wheels or TV.

Here is a driving tip for winter driving. Never, Never, ever drive in icy conditions with your cruise control on. The majority of our roll over accident on ice are caused by cruise control.

ColoradoCop 8)

[efelker]

ColoradoCop:

Be careful about aluminum guaranteeing no rust. You are right in that regard; however, there is a corrosion problem with exposed aluminum that is exposed to constant moisture and especially any salt. Aluminum does oxidize. Being in aircraft maintenance, I can tell you aluminum corrosion is the greatest challenge to aging aircraft. The corrosion appears as a white powery coating or dull gray surface, and weakens the strength.

So washing down well is necessary, even for aluminum.

Ed

[Happytrails]

Not only can rust set in on the frame and axles of the TM, but also the torsion bars. Don't forget about that......

Happytrails........

[azroadrunner]

As Ed pointed out, aluminum loves to form these white deposits. They sometimes look like white dots. They can form really deep pits. It's worse when aluminum holds alkaline water in trapped areas.

Jim

[arknoah]

It seems to me there was a thread some months ago in here about using chains on travel trailer wheels. When I asked why such a thing would be needed, (since the only drive wheels are on the tow vehicle) I was informed that it was to aid in braking. You may want to consider that for safety.