DIY Maintenance

[Oldav8r]

I don’t doubt this subject has been beat to death on this forum and I apologize if It has.
The question for real full timers who do their own maintenance, how and where? Can you change oil and filters in an RV Park? Basically how do you manage it when you don’t have your private property to work on?

[Agesilaus]

Boondock?

[Itchytoe]

I do it in whatever RV park I'm in at the time. I prefer a concrete pad to do it on, but I can work with a gravel pad also. Just lay down some cardboard and the gravel isn't bad.


Oil changes and other various filter changes aren't difficult in any RV park. When you start talking about brake jobs and more significant maintenance/repairs, it gets a little messy. I kinda play it by ear for those things. If I'm paying $1500 a month for a spot that backs up to the Pacific ocean in an RV resort, I'll just have a nearby shop do the work for me. If I'm down at Buddy's Motel and RV park for $250 a month, I'll just do it myself over the weekend. Heck, Buddy will probably help me out. That Buddy is good people, he is!

[TeJay]

Maybe this question has been asked before but I don't recall it.

I carry an 8' X 8' or 10' X 10' rolled up piece of rubber salvaged from a rubber roofed building that was being re-roofed. They had it rolled up and ready for disposal. I took all I could carry. Placed under the RV even with smallish rocks/gravel and it's very easy and comfortable to crawl around on while under the RV.

Ask first but find an empty spot behind a truck stop and ask if you can park and change your oil. Tell them you have a piece of rubber to nothing will get on the ground. I have a Futomo valve so all the oil goes through a 1/2" plastic tube into a kitty littler jug ready for disposal. If you've got more than 8-10 quarts the valve can be shut off and fill another litter jug. A large plastic bag and piece of cardboard can catch most all the filter oil.

Do the same for greasing the chassis. Heck dozens of those trucks are setting behind the truck stops all the time. What's one more vehicle to them.

[grindstone01]

As a full timer, I do all my own maintenance and if I may brag, no repairman has touched my fifth wheel during our 7+ year adventure. This includes slide out roof plywood/rubber replacement, replaced refrig, new wood laminate flooring, new carpet, fabricated/welded/installed rear hitch, added elec fireplace, 42" TV, removed grey waste tank to repair broken vent pipe, replaced pin box hitch to air bag type, yearly wheel bearing grease/inspection, replaced all 4 truck brakes/rotors, rear axle oil seal, diff gasket/fluid change, twice a year oil change/grease. Just today, I added a 5lb fire extinguisher mounted inside the truck bed.
Just check with the park office first for major jobs and for simple jobs just play it by ear. Some parks are very strict even to wash a vehicle and others are very lax and even encourage vehicle washing. We do spend 1 month in our son's back yard with FHU's every summer and if possible I will put off heavy repairs until that visit. But sometimes repairs just can't wait.

[Oldav8r]

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like the parks are easier to deal with than I expected.

[Fiesta48]

I do all the servicing on my DP.
Minor stuff in RV Parks. Car too. Major stuff at home spring and fall. Gone 8 months a year.