Pulled the trigger 2017 Seneca 37TS

[Oma/opa]

Purchased the unit yesterday and will be heading back home to Ohio tomorrow. Once we get home and the routine maintenance starts I am wondering the following
How do you reach to clean the cabover of bugs etc as well as wax it?
Do you carry a ladder when travelling(non full timer). If so, where do you store it?
Do you use "real wax" or some of the new synthetic polymers that are on the market?
I am sure there will be many more questions

Thanks in advanc
Opa(Roy)

[SloPoke]

Congrats on your new Seneca!!!

Cleaning the cabover is a pain... we use a long soft brush attached to the water hose

[Rick-in-Houston]

Is it new or used? Did you buy it from a Dealer and did you get a good deal?
Send some pictures.

[chfraser01]

Congratulations on your Seneca purchase. I am still working on how is the best way to clean the cabover. I use a long extendable painting pole with a soft brush attached. When I have had to get up close, I use a 10' step ladder beside the cab with the hood open to have one foot on the engine. I have been thinking about an aluminum walk board between 2 ladders to be able to work all the way across the front. As for a ladder, I ordered from Home Depot online a 15.5' telescoping aluminum ladder. It will collapse down to about 37" and fits in one of the bays on the drivers side. Not cheap at $235 plus tax but nothing else for this rig has been. It does work good though as I had to check something on the roof on my last outing.

[Robbbyr]

Congratulations fellow Buckeye!

I maintain my front cap and the rest of the unit higher than I can reach by using two Little Giant ladders and a scaffold plank. I tip the hood, place the ladders on each side, and my plank bridges the engine. More comfortable than trying to lean off a single ladder. Move the setup around the unit to get to the top sections. My neighbors just stare!

I also have a telescoping ladder I carry to reach high areas should I need to when camping. I recently opened up pass-thru storage and the ladder fits perfectly over the frame rails in my front-most compartment.

I wax with Collinite Insulator Wax #845 on all my vehicles, have for years.

May your adventures begin!

[cabinetmaker]

Congratulations! I really like the Seneca's and if I was in the mood for another diesel it would be on my short list for sure.

Even my Greyhawk front cabover is a pain to clean. I just call a guy local that has a mobile rv wash service. He uses hot water spray rig to clean the bugs and front. He scrubs the roof and washes it first so while up there he leans over and gets the top of the cab from above. Also washes the slide toppers and awning from the roof. Seems to work great.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by chfraser01

I have been thinking about an aluminum walk board between 2 ladders to be able to work all the way across the front.

I had thought the same thing... I have the Louisville aluminum extending plank that many contractors use. I tried it and came real close to killing myself and our Seneca.

If you have two people who are actively doing the setup and take-down, it still takes teamwork to get it into place without destroying the Seneca. You will require 7-feet of flat ground on each side of the cab as the ladders must be supporting the plank (not able to do it when the Seneca is parked on the street) and Inching each side from the front of the cab to the over-cab is really a 3-person job.

Now imagine yourself up on this, with your hose, bucket and wash stuff trying to scrub the last 3k miles of bugs and stuff - the plank is wet and slippery as ice at the hockey rink.

If someone wants to come by here and make me an offer on my Louisville Plank - I will make you a deal! (No Shipping)

Edit: I will throw in a 12pk of your favorite beverage along with it - no charge!

[chfraser01]

Thanks SloPoke. You just talked me out of it. I had not thought the "walk board" idea out throughly.

[Robbbyr]

Originally Posted by chfraser01

Thanks SloPoke. You just talked me out of it. I had not thought the "walk board" idea out throughly.

My Werner plank is non-skid, but I generally have washed prior to getting up on it to wax and buff the high places. I feel comfortable on mine, but I did spend 33+ years as a professional firefighter. Ladders and high places don't tend to bother me!

[RVermont]

I set my plank up on two sets of staging first and then drive under it. Plenty of room to clear the sides and hood. Also use this set up on the side of the unit to work on anything up high, while not afraid of heights or ladders, as I get older I like to have a solid deck under my feet. In the winter I use this set up to remove snow from the top of the unit.
I don't feel safe or trust someone to help me lift the plank over the hood of the rig too much room for error in setting it up for me.

[Crossingover]

Originally Posted by Oma/opa

Purchased the unit yesterday and will be heading back home to Ohio tomorrow.

Congratulations and best wishes for a safe journey home! We have a collapsible lean-to ladder that works well and stores in very little space. I clean the cabover nose with a pole brush that works well enough. The key is to hose the area down a couple times and let it sit so the gunk softens up. Rainy weather drives helps a lot with keeping the cabover nose relatively clean. The front is protected by DiamondShield that is nice and easy to clean but I need to apply UV protectant to it periodically to keep it warranted. Stopped hand waxing and polishing any vehicle years ago and haven't noticed a difference other than more free time to do more meaningful stuff. Same with the Seneca, although I will pay particular attention to keeping the Alcoa's looking nice and the headlamps/windshield/mirrors squeaky clean. Maybe an occasional clay bar over areas that feel gritty after washing, but only if I'm in the mood for that effort.

[chfraser01]

RVermont - I like your idea of driving up to the walk board after it is set up - had not thought of that. My problem would be not having enough space to set up the ladders in my driveway. At least not in the direction they would need to set to use the walk board.