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Old 12-22-2012, 04:54 PM   #1
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Those in MH's - Question

Currently we have a 5th wheel but are not full time just yet...gotta sell bricks and sticks.

Anyway - what do you guys do when your rig needs to go into the shop. Take valuables and stay in a hotel? Stay with family or friends? What happens if you gotta wait weeks for parts? What happens if you get stuck in the north in Nov and Dec.

I can afford a used DP (2006 or 2007) or a new gasser. Which one would spend less time needing things done in the shop. Would a used DP have most bugs worked out or would new bugs be ready to surface.

I am guessing most fixes beyond screw driver, big hammer, pliers would be done in the shop, even oil changes.

Thanks
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Old 12-22-2012, 05:32 PM   #2
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I guess if your not mechanically inclined,a 5th wheel or travel trailer is your best bet since they will usually require alot less time in the shop.we started out with a 5th wheel then went to a class A for the convenience,plus I do most of the maintenance so that saves a lot of time and money and so far after a year of owning a MH I have not had to take it to a repair shop yet. But I guess if I had to take it to a shop for a while I would take any valueables out of it and stay in a hotel or motel. hope this helps.
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Old 12-22-2012, 06:08 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuffr2 View Post
Currently we have a 5th wheel but are not full time just yet...gotta sell bricks and sticks.

Anyway - what do you guys do when your rig needs to go into the shop. Take valuables and stay in a hotel? Stay with family or friends? What happens if you gotta wait weeks for parts? What happens if you get stuck in the north in Nov and Dec.

I can afford a used DP (2006 or 2007) or a new gasser. Which one would spend less time needing things done in the shop. Would a used DP have most bugs worked out or would new bugs be ready to surface.

I am guessing most fixes beyond screw driver, big hammer, pliers would be done in the shop, even oil changes.

Thanks
Many shops are sensitive to the needs of full-timers and will have hookups where you can stay on the premises. They will try to stop work at a point where they can take your rig outside for the night and at least throw an extension cord out the window. In almost 7 years of full-timing we have only had to spend one night in a motel.

Being able to fix things yourself helps a lot. I am careful about what I do and where I do it. Many campgrounds understandably object to too much noise and mess. Fixing things inside the rig such as repairing an appliance or fixing a plumbing leak draws less attention than doing things like changing oil.
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Old 12-22-2012, 06:56 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuffr2
Currently we have a 5th wheel but are not full time just yet...gotta sell bricks and sticks.

Anyway - what do you guys do when your rig needs to go into the shop. Take valuables and stay in a hotel? Stay with family or friends? What happens if you gotta wait weeks for parts? What happens if you get stuck in the north in Nov and Dec.

I can afford a used DP (2006 or 2007) or a new gasser. Which one would spend less time needing things done in the shop. Would a used DP have most bugs worked out or would new bugs be ready to surface.

I am guessing most fixes beyond screw driver, big hammer, pliers would be done in the shop, even oil changes.

Thanks
You've posed some interesting questions as they apply to full timers - some are just general questions - and most apply to either 5er of MH.

For instance - when the tow vehicle breaks down you can have the 5er towed to a CG. But how do you get around for groceries etc. If you have slides on the 5er - where do you stay when they're being adjusted. Rent a car / stay in hotel? You get the idea - a mechanical breakdown is not pleasant and preventative maintenance is the best policy regardless.

As for gasser or DP - the discussion can go on and on but for my money - full time it's DP. As for bugs - depends on so many factors but a well maintained DP still gets my money.

As for maintenance - what vehicle / coach maintenance do you do now? That should be an indicator of what you will be able to do with either a gasser or DP MH. They all have filters, fluids, belts and bolt on parts that a reasonably talented DIYer can do some or most of. That said - I take my cars and MH to the shop - and hopefully only on my schedule - not when there is a breakdown.

You just need to define your needs and look around to see what you like best. Then take care of it and hopefully you will never know the answer to the breakdown questions.
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Old 12-22-2012, 07:26 PM   #5
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We are not full time, only 6 months continuous, but we did have an instance where some yo-yo ran into our motorhome and we needed body work. It took about 6 days to complete, and we stayed in the motorhome at night while waiting. We had to leave during the day but we had power and water at night. It was not the most pleasant week, but no big deal.

Basically, it is no different than if a stick and brick needs extensive repair/remodel. You can sometimes live in the mess, or you have to find alternatives. We spent three months in an extended stay hotel once after a tornado damaged our stick and brick. One consideration is to make sure you understand what type of repairs would allow you to collect on additional living expense coverage in insurance policies.
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Old 12-22-2012, 07:56 PM   #6
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We've always stayed at the shop for repairs. Most shops have some level of hook ups for the evening and waiting rooms where you can take the pets during the day. So far our longest repair was 3 days. We did have to wait a few weeks for parts in another spot, but simply stayed next door at the county park. If we ever need to drop off the MH completely we'll simply take the pets and drive the toad to a motel...but so far haven't needed to.
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Old 12-29-2012, 10:51 PM   #7
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We've only been fulltiming since July - and have had PLENTY of warranty work needing to be done on our new MH. We've experienced 3 different RV service companies, and all of them have somewhere we can spend the night, if they need a coach the new day. One gave us an extention cord, one had a 30 amp hookup, and the next a 50amp site with water.

The way we are learning to look at the situation is that we really have it pretty good! When we make an appointment to have work done, we are never asked to leave our rig there for a month or longer while they try to get around to it. Instead, we arrive the day of the appointment, ask them to ensure our freezer stays running, we go visit family/friend with our travel companion cat, and then return to the MH for dinner/sleep that night. We close it up the next morning and are first in line for the service guys again the next day. When it's done, it's done. We believe they work harder to get us our of their hair!
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Old 12-31-2012, 10:24 AM   #8
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We had to spend one night in the mh while it was serviced. But we were provided with 50 amp, no water or sewer. It was ok, the worst part was the ground was so uneven, we could not level our coach and therefore did not let out the slides. Not the greatest but we were happy enough to be able to stay in our own home.
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