Doing a 3 Month Loop around US - What Should I Be Doing Now to Prepare?

[Lake Huron]

I got a 2001 Yukon XL with 150K on it . The factory Firestone tires were 10yrs old and had 70k on them when they got replaced with the same exact tire. The day they were replaced the Firestone dealer said the brakes were getting thin. Next day I was replacing pads and rotors with a broken left shoulder blade and torn rotator. Day after that it was packed and the fam loaded up and headed 1250mi south to Florida for a week. Shortly after that it got the fluids in the front and rear diff changed and the filter and fluid changed in the trans and t-case. It had the fluids changed again at 140k, new Michelins put on at 135k, new plugs and belt at 100k and it still has the factory air filter in it when the guy installed it rolling down the line.
I'd throw in my travelling tool kit, a gallon of Amsoil engine oil, all our junk and blast off to California and back and wouldnt think twice about it.

Your Yukon, if the tires are wearing good and you'll get 50k out of them, run it. Give a quick look see at the brakes, and if they look decent yet, run it. I'd put a fresh oil and filter change to the engine and the rest of the fluids and filters I wouldnt even think of changing until you get back.
You take it to Mike the mechanic, dealer or otherwise, and he changes fluids and didnt tighten one bolt properly or didnt do something right, and 1000mi from home you got a leak. Then what?? Screw that. If it ain't leaking now, it aint gonna leak on your trip. Murphys law. Lol!

Your trailer,... I'd make sure you got good rubber and if you are concerned about the brakes just buy the complete backer setup and bolt them on. Put some fresh grease to the bearings and run it. Make sure you got a good spare too.

Get that done, dont worry about anything and have fun!!

[cekkk]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

Our toughest pull was not in the West at all. It was through KY and West Virginia . The latter is either down or up. No flat. Beware long grades in the West. The slope is deceiving and before you know it you have overheated your brakes.

Good opportunity to remind OP if he doesn't already know, use the gears, not the brakes. We lived, and towed in the Rockies for many years and never over heated our brakes. Hot brakes can be no brakes at all.

[SkipperD]

Thanks all for your great suggestions. Here's a list I've compiled from the comments.


TT MAINTENANCE
Balance and Rotate tires.
Change engine oil and filter.
Inspect evaporative control system.
Change automatic transmission fluid and filter.
Change transfer case fluid 4WD.
Visually inspect accessory drive belts and hoses
Check brakes and brake fluid.
Replace windshield wiper blades.
Clean K&N engine air cleaner filter.
Replace passenger compartment air filter.
TT CHECK LIST
Gas Card
Roadside Service
JAYCO MAINTENANCE
Repack Bearings
A/C maintenance
TT TO BUY
Metal jerry cans (harbor freight)
Trailer jack
Check extra spare tire
Extra lug nuts
a small tool set.
cb radio
Eternabond tape for woopsies on the roof
Inspect 4 Goodyear Endurance D tires 65 Ibs
Install Tire pressure remote monitoring
Car reflectors for window shades

[24travel]

Did a similar trip last year myself. Just different direction, from California to Michigan by way of Tennessee. Looks like you got some great advice from this forum for TT and TV. I felt getting the TV and TT ready was the easy part, it was getting the home ready for 55 days of non use. Figuring out all the things that need to be thought out in advance was fun. Bills, mail, landscape and making sure the house was ready was more exciting.
Hope you have fun and safe trip.
Got a trip this summer to SD for about 55 days.

[spoon059]

OP, looks like a solid list. You forgot the most important thing though... HAVE FUN!

[Happy wife / happy life]

Originally Posted by spoon059

OP, looks like a solid list. You forgot the most important thing though... HAVE FUN!

X2

[jasum]

Originally Posted by SkipperD

Hi Jayco Owners.
We're taking off mid-June from SC and doing a southern run to CA, up to OR and back the northern loop. 3 months and 7666 miles and DW has all the reservations and route planned.

What should I be doing now to prepare our Jayco 264BH? Should I get a Good Sam Tire & Wheel Protection? Get the hubs repacked with fresh grease? (new in September 2020 and gone 1,000 miles so far). We'll be upgrading our generator to handle our 15k A/C. 200 AH LiFePo batteries installed with solar on it's way.

Any and all suggestions from you road warriors will be most appreciated.

Save lots of CASH!!

[Kim Gass]

Curiously we left home with $200 in cash. 44 days later when we got home there was $6 left.
Our only cash expenditures were at some small Mom and Pop campgrounds that only accept cash.

[imjustdave]

Medicine
Tools
Cash
Credit Cards

Might be good to check with some of your locations if your late what happens and or who do you call if your going to be late. would suck to find a locked gate and or your spot sold off to another because you missed some # on a clock.

Consider having info on boon docking locations that you might visit if you location sucks and or your tired of that location.

Relax and enjoy.

[Johnynorthland]

Service everything you normally would but do it now not waiting for the intervals.
But do it a week or 2 ahead of time, do a shakedown trip to make sure all systems snd service you did are good.

BUY SPARE PARTS AND HAVE A SPARE TIRE AND RIM!
Electrical wire and parts, pex plumbing fittings and anything else you can think of!

[Mikec557]

Originally Posted by SkipperD

Hi Jayco Owners.
We're taking off mid-June from SC and doing a southern run to CA, up to OR and back the northern loop. 3 months and 7666 miles and DW has all the reservations and route planned.

What should I be doing now to prepare our Jayco 264BH? Should I get a Good Sam Tire & Wheel Protection? Get the hubs repacked with fresh grease? (new in September 2020 and gone 1,000 miles so far). We'll be upgrading our generator to handle our 15k A/C. 200 AH LiFePo batteries installed with solar on it's way.

Any and all suggestions from you road warriors will be most appreciated.

All good suggestions above, but I'm looking at this from a different angle. On a long trip from home, you're the fastest, cheapest, repair person.

At different times while out on the road we had the fridge and the water heater stop working. Each time it was a cheap thermal cutoff. If your fridge and/or water heater have these, I would take a spare or two on the road, and a way to crimp the wires.

Here's a picture of what they look like. When our fridge went off and this was the cause, I could get 50 for $15 2-day from Amazon. I only needed one, but lesser quantity would have taken much longer to deliver. Now I have a lifetime supply I don't really need. LOL

We also had the refrigerator circuit board go out. We bought a Dinosaur Electronics replacement board through Amazon, about $120. I don't think you need a spare on hand, but know what you'll need and where you can buy it.

Also make sure you have the tools needed to manually close a slide, lift a landing gear leg, or lift or lower a tongue jack. Etc.

Have fun!

PS, if you're going anywhere near Arco, ID check out EBR-1.

[djglover7]

You will be crossing some serious deserts starting in Texas/New Mexico all the way to the coastal ranges in California. The more southern, the more hostile.


Drive easy, drive at night.


PM if you want particular advice. Done it many times.


Dennis in Texas

[USNMA1]

Pray...

Just kidding, definitely make reservations if staying at National parks.

Praying never hurts though. Muhaha

[Mad5581]

DW and I did a similar trip in 2019 it was amazing. We left from OR and went the central route though the US to SC. We came back the southern route and cut north though AZ and UT. We did it in 45 days and we had a 2017 gmc 3500 and 2018 NP 377. We had zero issues with the truck and a few minor issues with the trailer. Jayco was all over getting issues fixed on the road. They even sent a guy out to one of our rv spots we stayed in. We used the gas buddy app a lot. You will find especially in the southeast the truck stops are rarely the best prices in that area. But with gas buddy you will see that normally the best price is a local gas station that is not far from the truck stops. I carried a 6 gallon can for diesel and I always used it first then refilled it when we stopped for fuel. (Keep it fresh). Most days I would drop my rv at the camp spot then go fuel up. I did this so I didn't have to worry about if I would fit in the gas station. When I couldn't do that I would use Google maps and look at the satellite image to see about low trees or small lots. 8with an suv I would put a rack on the back of your rv for it so it dosen't stink up your rig. Keep in mind you will likely only go about 200 miles on a tank. I have 35 gallon tank and got close to 10mpg (7 out west in the mountains) I would bet your not gonna get much better then that. Get the gas buddy card and the good sam card. Good sam is good at pilots and flying J but gas buddy works with the good sam card for another 2 cents off and gas buddy will likely get you discounts at other locations as well. If you have any questions I'd love to help...

[FrankBig]

SkipperD, Two additional items: We did a cross country and back grip (NJ to CA and back) in October. Got an oil change once we got out there and then when we returned. Covid was really just starting to gain steam. It probably will still be when you make your trip. We had lots of Lysol and Clorox on board and used it liberally. We didn't use cash. In stead, everything was paid via credit card and we wiped the card with disinfectant each time it was used. Every time we got out of the RV, we cleaned the door handles, steering wheel, etc. The biggest problem we had was purchasing gas. People don't seem to understand that wearing a mask protects others, not themselves. Many instances where people were pumping gas and coughing or sneezing. Gloves can help, but you still need to wash your hands often. I recommend that you and your passengers get the covid vaccine before you go. Even after getting the vaccine, wear a mask and gloves every time you stop for gas. In many parts of the country, people will refuse to wear masks which is understandable, but for the sake of everyone who comes in contact with you do your part and wear the mask. Have a great trip.

[atmago]

Best tool ever to save on gas prices: Gas Buddy application. We've been using it for years on top of others rebate cards. Never bothered signing up to their rewards program, we just check prices and jot down best priced stations along our route a few days in advance, then in the morning before "lift off" for the day. Garanteed to save hundreds and you'll feel good to see you've paid a few bucks less than at the next station you might have stopped. Have a great trip!!

[Pauls72]

Check if the camp grounds are open ahead of time and what if any Covid-19 restrictions exist locally. Some locations of the country are still in Covid lock downs.



Bring with some tools.
Be sure you have a jack and tire iron that works with the trailer.

[robert9999]

Get one of those tire pressure, battery operated pumps. They are worth their weight in gold when you can't find a gas station that has one. WM sells them for about $20-25.

[wagonersr]

We did a similar trip June 2020 to the Oregon Coast. Left from Lexington SC.
Get a 5 gallon gas can. Fuel your TV at a quarter tank when in the plains states. Gas stations are very far apart.
Get ready for the winds and have a great WDH and sway control.
Take two spares for your trailer. Response times are very long out there. Take a portable tire inflator and check ALL tires every couple days.
Fill your propane tanks here. MUCH cheaper.
Get ready for gas prices that will hurt your heart. When gas was $2.09 in SC we paid $3.59 per gallon once we were past Nebraska. The gas also has more corn so get ready for reduced performance and mileage.
Make sure you have a jack that can lift your trailer. Lug wrench. Know how to do it.
It is very hot but the low country humidity isn’t there.
Distribution of weight in your trailer and TV is important. Know how to shift weight as needed to be safe.

[Therobbins41406]

One thing I've learned the hard way about packing bearings with grease, it's always best to do it yourself. Our camper was 3 years old, and prior to our next trip I wanted to pull the hubs just to check the grease and repack if needed. Yea, only had one hub brake actually working. The other 3 hubs were full of grease all over the brake shoes. So needless to say a lot of brake cleaner and new grease and got all 4 beck to braking. Those greaseable caps, are nice but if someone doesn't know what they are doing, will ruin a brake setup with too much grease.