Exterior Wall Repairs

Took the TM out of storage ring in the new year camping. (store about 5 miles from our house) My elation at seeing that the tarp I had managed to secure around it in a high wind was still inplace evaporated as I saw some of the "damage" done to the side of the TM. Nothing major but a few spots about the size of quarters where the paint had been rubbed off of the aluminumn (one spot actually had a pin size hole through the aluminumn) and one spot on one of the riser arms that also started to rust. Waiting for it to quit raining long enough to attempt repairs. Plan on masking off the area around the damage, sanding the spot, spraying with a primer, and finally spraying with white paint.

While waiting for a dry day, decided to check the forum and see if there were any better ideas or lessons to be learned. I was surprised not to find much so either I am creative in the damage I create or it is such and easy process that it hasn't been worth mentioning. Anyway if anyone has any comments or tips please feel free to chime in. All in all not a good weekend as pulling the shore power cord into the bumper the plug dinged the side of the trailer and when going to hang the hanging cabinet I caught one of the hooks on the edge of the counter above the television connections and cracked the formica. I should probably stop while I am behind but must attempt to fix. Am definately looking into a proper cover vice a tarp with metal grommets!

thanks,
Bill.

Bill,
A tough storage story, indeed. Maybe I can help with some of the repairs.

---tarp I had managed to secure around it in a high wind was still inplace evaporated as I saw some of the "damage" done to the side of the TM. Nothing major but a few spots about the size of quarters where the paint had been rubbed off of the aluminumn (one spot actually had a pin size hole through the aluminumn) and one

Your tarp must be moving in the wind causing the abrasion wear. It needs to be secured more tightly or more out of the wind. I would get hold of Larry Loo on this site as he has been very innovative in repairing his TM. Look him up and send him an email.

Regarding the cover, most of us are using ADCO covers made for HiLo campers. You have to measure yours and select one that fits.

You can put the edge stripping back on. I did it. You can get more material at TM (call Ed Lytle) for $10/foot if needed. I just bonded the broken parts back on using JB Weld (available at Checker, HD, etc). The reason this happened is that the edge stripping is applied last in the build-up process and unfortunately, often protrudes above the counter top just a bit. That makes it susceptible to being caught as ANYTHING is slid off the counter. I went over all these with a file and cut them down to flush and that helped a lot.

Best wishes and look forward to a great season of camping!

Thanks,
Just finished ording my ADCO cover (recommend here on the forum that fits at 3023. I had the tarp secured with about 18 bungee cords but not all of them had rubber over the hooks (guess which ones rubbed areas?). I store my TM on a Navy base and the wind off the water can get blustery at times. I am hoping the ADCO with the ability to tighten down the cover will solve the problem.

Thanks for the hint on the edge stipping and I will look up Larry's info.

Happy New Year! Already been camping once this year! YEAH!
Bill

Bill
You will find the ADCO cover goes down below the bottom of the TM so your bungees will be below the paint and unable to scratch the finish.

Sounds like what I definately need then. So much with trying to make due with something on hand to save a few bucks....