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Old 04-09-2009, 01:40 PM   #3
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In my opinion, the two most important things to check carefully are:

1. Water damage. If any water has gotten inside the walls, this could be costly to repair.

2. Make sure that you can open and close the shells, bed, bathroom walls, etc. and that they fit properly. These can be adjusted, but it is not for a rookie to attempt, unless they really want to learn how.

Before towing it 500 miles to get home, check the tires carefully. Look for cracks. Properly inflate them before departure. There is a date code on the tire, probably on the inside, so you will have to crawl under a little to check the date on each tire. I had one Marathon fail after three years of weekend camping, although the tires were already a year old when we took delivery of a brand new factory ordered trailer. The general consensus seems to be that tires that are 5 years old ought to be replaced, no matter how good the tread and sidewall appears to be. For 500 miles, I would want a decent spare. At least adequate to get you off the freeway to somewhere safe o deal with the flat.

Before departure, make sure the TM battery is working. The breakaway cable will engage the TM brakes if a catastrophic separation from the tow vehicle occurs. The brakes require the TM battery to operate in this situation. This is a legal requirement in at least some states.

If you do not already have a brake controller in your tow vehicle, then you need one. Many states will require operational trailer brakes. You need a controller for that.

Determine if the appliances work: stove, oven, air conditioner (if equipped), fridge (propane, 120volts, 12 volts), water pump. Fill water tank and purge air from all faucets. Check for leaks and proper operation of the water system. These are not show stoppers, because they are relatively easy to fix or replace, but it does affect the value.

If you have a laptop, take it with you. If you have Internet access you can post questions here and there is a good chance you will get a reply. Some of us hang out here way too often.

If you do purchase it, then a dealer or RV center checkout would provide peace of mind and reduce the risk of surprises on the first few times you use it. But, I would not spend too much money of that either.

Somewhere around here are several checklists and users manuals that various members have contributed. Reading these ahead of time will be very helpful, especially regarding your own examination of the condition. I'm too lazy to search for them for you, but they are not hard to find.

You will likely need to have wheel chocks in order to disconnect safely when you disconnect at home or a campground on the way. I strongly encourage 4 chocks, 2 for each side. This will prevent rolling or rotation on an uneven surface when disconnecting. You will not need leveling blocks until you actually USE it.

Make sure the buyer gives you the hand crank for the corner jacks, though many of us use a cordless drill with an Allen wench. When I had a blow out, I was unable to lift the full weight of the TM with my little power drill. I had to use the hand crank on two of the corner jacks to lift the TM enough to change the tire. Some people like to use a bottle jack. Take one with you if you already have one, but they are not necessary, just helpful.

Also ask for the square ended screw driver for all of the screws.

If you are testing the lights, and discover that the two in the front interior (depending on model) do not work, then look for the small round black knob in the ceiling vent that is a secondary switch. This will save you asking about that when you get it home.
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