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Old 06-12-2021, 07:43 PM   #1
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Rough Start to Smith Center Trip

After 6.5 years in our 2015 31IKE and 31k tow miles on my Hubometer we’ve got a long list of repairs and upgrades so we headed out to Smith Center yesterday. We planned on some friends and family visits in WV ,KY and TN on the way to Kansas.

The biggest issue is some outward bowing of the side wall above the curbside dinette slide causing that deep slide to tilt out at the top and making it difficult to retract. Though we’ve done semi-annual inspections and caulking of all seals some water infiltration has happened above the slide near the door. Curtis suspects behind the gutter is our problem spot. I was very worried about it, hoping it would hold out till we got it out there and last night I was actually counting the side retractions I have to do till SC. Should have gone with my premonition and not extended it fully. The outward lean was so bad that the stress on the hydraulic ram bracket snapped it this morning about 9:30 in a campsite near Cumberland, MD. Lots of fruitless calls to find mobile service till I made a last attempt to Ft Ashby Camper Sales in Ft Ashby, WV about 13 miles away. They really came through on a Saturday, got there in a couple hours, ran back to the shop for a welder, welded the bracket for a workable fix and with them pushing to assist we got it in. Made on the road by 3 and 175 miles down to our next stop in Frametown, WV by 6. I’m extending it only about 18” till I get it to SC.

There are lots of other repairs and we’re doing plenty of upgrades like replacement solar panels/controller, a venting bathroom skylight and a new AC so we can get rid of the loud jet engine that’s up there now. The list is so long that we are leaving the trailer out there for two weeks, flying home and resuming our trip after the two-week break.

We should be set for rolling with this FW for a few more years. It’s a great layout, well built, in very good condition with many original custom features and lots of additions to fit our needs. With the cost of a replacement and our satisfaction with this unit sinking some bucks into it is our best bet. We’ll get to try out all our updates with a 10-week tour that will take us to NM, CO, WY, SD, ND, MN, WI, MI, IN & OH. Looking forward to seeing many spots we’ve never been to like Wind Cave NP, Badlands NP, T. Roosevelt NP, Lake Sakakawea SP, Voyagers NP, Isle Royal NP, Pictured Rocks NS and Sleeping Bear Dunes NRA. For tonight I’m just feeling lucky we got back on the road and our pre-Smith Center plans aren’t up in smoke. I’ll be toasting my good fortune with some Bourbon Trail tasting in a few days!
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Old 06-12-2021, 08:44 PM   #2
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Brad, we are feeling your pain. I think you have a great attitude and I commend you for it. So many of life's little adventures are simply a matter of attitude!!!

Please keep us informed on your progress. I think going to SC is the best deal. It's a long way for ya, but it's your best chance of getting things done right! Take care and be safe out there.
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Old 06-13-2021, 08:47 AM   #3
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Rockin,
Your advice is sound as usual. Travel problems are no fun but the way you handle things can make it better or worse. It is a long ride from SE PA to Kansas but for a structural repair like our slide along with many other repairs and upgrades Curtis and his crew are the best bet to do it right at a reasonable cost. RV service labor rates in a big metro area like our are sky high, +40% above Excel Service Center!

Brad
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Old 10-01-2021, 04:20 PM   #4
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Brad,

Bored, looking through some old post.

I was curious to how your repairs went?? Sounded like a large project. I like the idea of adding the vented skylight!

Mike
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Old 10-05-2021, 05:13 PM   #5
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Mike,
Very long list of items done, a longer time at SC and bigger bill than planned but on our six week trip we found our improvements were worth it. We scheduled two weeks for repairs and our return to SC but that increased to six weeks with health issues for my wife and our extensive list taking longer. I also slowed things up a little worried my bill going too high. Curtis said our trailer was at SC longer than any other and our list might have set a record too!

The fresh air venting and additional light in the bathroom and bedroom are great. Single lever faucets are much better functionally than the old style and match the modern look of the kitchen faucet. New AC is quieter inside and a lot quieter outside with better cooling. I've got working solar again with two new 200w Renogy panels, an Outback Power controller and a new breaker box that allowed us to add outlets near the dining table (which doubles as my desk) and my wife's bedroom desk to our inverter power. Many other fixes and small repairs too numerous to detail.

The big repair was the dinette slide and it was extensive and expensive. In addition to rebuilding the water damaged header they pulled the floor to bevel it and reduce the retraction resistance, changed out a broken roller and replaced the hydraulic ram and the bracket which had been welded together after breaking loose on the way out. We are still seeing a little outward bowing in the header that allows the slide to still lean out a little more than I'd like at the top but the slide is working ok though there is some hesitation before it starts in. I've been talking to Curtis about some possible remedies for that remaining issue. Only had one small problem with any of the work done, a wire nut on the Easy Start installed on the AC that came loose. It wasn't a major problem, a mobile service guy solved it quickly. Curtis and I were both relieved that it wasn't a defective AC unit and he was willing to cover the repair cost.

One costly addition was replacing the decals which was as much as the other big ticket item the slide repair. At Rockin Tom's suggestion I had taken another look at going for a new rig vs extensive refresh of ours. I had to fix the slide first even if I wanted to go new and I saw I was in for at least another $65-80k trading in for some of the luxury FW contenders and setting it up like ours. We love our rear entertainment floor plan and the just under 35' length of our 31IKE. The under 35' spec alone leaves few choices and that floor plan narrows it down to very few. The Excel has been extensively tricked out for our needs with custom work from Peterson and much more over the years. Spending over 80% less on refreshing ours still seemed like a better way to go with a trailer that was in excellent shape otherwise. With the gel coat in very good condition but faded and cracked decals making the rig look bad I added that on at the end. Even though it ended up exceeding the estimate (Curtis said taking those old decals off is difficult and just took more time than expected) the coach looks so much better I'm glad I did it. The cheapest full body paint without a trip to Mexico was $12500 so decals at 30% of that was my choice.

Though the total was costly Curtis worked with me on reducing the hit, they got a little out of an extended warranty I have and it’s improved our rig a lot. Long ago in my cameraman days we interviewed Bernie Parent (Philadelphia Flyers goalie) on his boat. He had just spent a lot on a new interior for the boat and the reporter was shocked asking “Bernie 10,000 bucks for boat cushions, what’s up with that?” Bernie’s response in that French Canadian accent was “You dead a long time eh Joe!”
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Old 10-05-2021, 05:30 PM   #6
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Brad, thanks for taking the time to share. I hope you bride is doing better and glad the rig is doing well. Travel safely and have fun while you can!
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Old 10-06-2021, 01:39 PM   #7
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Second Tom's message.

It really looks good, I like your color scheme. It looks very clean... I have the almond/black. The black paint should be illegal on a trailer!. it gets so hot... due to the heat the paint cracked, I guess it is referred to a "checking".. I hear you on the repaint cost. I have full body paint, but the black in the back of the rig was terrible. Cracked and the clear coat was peeling off. I had the back painted to the almond at a significant cost, but I am hoping it will last...
I looked at those inverters and solar, but right now cannot justify the cost. Sure would be nice when boondocking but for now I will just run the generator to recharge the batteries as needed. I can buy a lot of propane for the generator at the cost of the inverter and solar! I am going to look into the bathroom vent, that has to be so much better than the factory vent, it looks good and is functional.
Thanks for sharing....
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Old 10-07-2021, 07:22 AM   #8
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My 2013 Excel Winslow 34IKE is 9 years old. We've towed it 80K miles. It still serves us well. I do not regret opting for full body paint. The Winslow decal on front cap is showing its age. I'll likely remove it and leave it bare.Click image for larger version

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Old 10-07-2021, 03:41 PM   #9
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I don’Click image for larger version

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ID:	345385t regret the full body paint, I regret the color scheme! The black paint just didn’t hold up well. My front decal also looks terrible. It has yellowed but was concerned if it was removed there would be a huge shade difference in the paint, out lining the decal.
See the oxidation along the back, body shop said it was cause the clear coat was to thin got too hot. No amount of wax fixed it. It is now almond and matches the rest. I would post new pics but it is currently in the shop have valves, and the awning replaced. They say delay due to “Covid” can’t get parts. I was also told I could not have an awning like yours and had to stick with the cassette style awning because the arms would not fit between the door and dinette slide, appears I may have been misled!

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Old 10-08-2021, 11:15 AM   #10
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With hindsight I wish I had gone for the full body paint originally. A light color scheme like Russell's is the way to go. The black look isn't for me either, it's tough on cooling and hard to keep clean. I'll do a little better job maintaining the new decals, 303 Protectant seems to do a good job. 80k towed miles is impressive, my Hubometer is only reading 36500, might have to go to Alaska and close the gap on Dr Fife!
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Old 10-08-2021, 12:20 PM   #11
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Just my 2¢ worth......after 12 years of FTing and having the regular gelcoat, I found just trying to stay on top of the gelcoat is a bear. Don't care what brand of wax you use. I am a bit fussy and usually took 4 med sized days to complete and doing it every 3 months.......in hindsight....was a headache. Rig always looked decent though. Having the $12K paint with clear coat is more like a once a year project. That clear coat sure cuts the UVs for sure. We've come a long way on paints, but we pay for them too. I, too, like the color scheme on Doc's mid-line 9 year old Winslow !!! I love gigging him!!!! I miss our sparring with one another.
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Old 10-08-2021, 03:56 PM   #12
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Rockin,
I agree the gel coat cost in time and expense to maintain makes the full body paint worth it, especially looking back to 2014 when the upcharge was more like $7500. I did really think about it at $12500 but with the big bill on more practical items the decal refresh @ -70% won out.
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Old 10-09-2021, 06:46 AM   #13
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When I ordered my 2013 Excel in July 2012 they did not offer a Limited in the light color scheme I wanted, only dark. So I ordered a Winslow and tricked it out like a Limited. The following year they offered Limiteds in the light color scheme.
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Old 10-09-2021, 06:54 AM   #14
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That sound weird Doc, they didn't offer your color scheme on the Limited at first. Must be some reason though. Maybe Bryan will chime in. All I can say is that you have the "right" one, especially for TX use.

And all this time I thought Doc chose the Winslow cause it was a bit lighter and you wanted to drag the thing behind a SRW truck. What were you thinking??? Now your doing a DRW you realize how nice and safe it is!

Actually I'm envious of the lifestyle.....and gotta take it out on someone and Doc is so easy.....hope he never has to work on my teeth!!!!! Yikes.l
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