Handy or Handsome...

[schrederman]

So... I've been RVing for about 11 years now. I'm into my 3rd and largest TT. It's been the best of the 3. I know because only this one has been back to a dealer for anything, and they only kept it 3 days to replace the DVD player. During these 11 years, I've fixed just about everything imaginable on my trailer and on a friend's trailer. Some folks just are not good at fixing stuff... and he ain't. He's really good at being a friend, so, I do all I can for him.


As I read through these threads, I learn from the mistakes and triumphs over problems of others. So, I can afford this craziness, usually. After all, the Goobermint says I can work on airplanes. But it strikes me that so many have their RVs at the dealer more than at their storage facility or at home. If it's out of warranty, some of those repair bills must be pretty big. So far the only thing I couldn't fix were the axles. They were bent and out of warranty. So it took me a morning and $450- to get those fixed. I also went through all the bearings and replaced 1 set before taking it for alignment. By the way, I just replaced a switch for my friend after the dealer's tech told him his entire awning would have to be replaced... $21- instead of $1600-



So, tell us your story. Are you handy... or just well heeled? Do you do your own repairs or do you wait for the dealer to get it fixed? If you do trust the dealer with your unit... do you really trust them? Don't get me wrong, there are some good RV dealers, but they're all out to make a buck.

[MichaelO]

I’ve just moved into a fancy new 2017 Jayco 29RKS. Before I had a 1978 prowler. With an older trailer like that you have to be handy. Of course the bears will help keep you busy.

After a couple hours of time it looked like

[stateboy]

My wife says I'm both. I think she tries to humor me. I lean more on the handy myself due to me being a cheapskate. I'm inclined to try it myself by drawing from past repair/remodel experiences. I figure it's free to cheap if I do it myself... Until I need to haul it to the "experts!" Ok, maybe just those who claim to be the experts, at least while under warranty.

[RogerR]

I am not a skilled carpenter or mechanic. I like to think of myself as frugal.


So I use you-tubes and this site to figure out what to do and if I can do it or try to. But there are times to pull out the credit card and look the other way while it gets drained.

[JFlightRisk]

I like to think I'm on the handy side. six campers, two houses, and more vehicles than I care to count (some of which, if I still had, I'd be very wealthy!). Done brakes, clutches, drivelines, suspension and steering, diesel conversion, rebuilt engines, built high performance stuff, and other things I've forgotten about. Nowadays at my age, I find it more enjoyable to drink coffee in the dealers lounge, and let the next generation have at it. I find I hurt in places I didn't even know I had. I still do my own oil changes, and love to putter around the house, and do mods to the TT.

[travelingjw]

I'm handy. Was a carpenter 40 years ago but been DIY all my life. Working on the TT is relaxing. I do the bearings, any grease, wax, oil, touch up paint etc. Like to do mods. Only time I take to the dealer is major things like a roof; but mine was under warranty. I probably would take it in for an axle change because of the lack of space issue. My dealer has 28 service bays and they do good work at fairly reasonable prices.

[norty1]

My body can’t do what it used to as fast but it still tries. It’s a challenge ignoring my wife’s constant comments that I should pay someone to do it now. I relish ignoring her lack of faith in me. Last month, she had me call a plumber to fix a shower valve that she didn’t think I could handle. After he left, it still did not suit her. After the second home visit to make adjustments, she was still unhappy.
2 days ago while she was out, I took the water valve apart, properly lubed and adjusted it, then removed the diverter valve, saw it was the wrong one. Cleaned and reinstalled the old one. When she used it last night she was amazed that is started working like new!
Sweet! Old Guys Rule.

[THE MEEKER]

I really don’t have that much mechanical ability or aptitude. But for the most part, when I take my time and study the situation, I have been successful doing every repair on my rig.

When I purchased my TT in 2015, I wanted the dealer to use the weight distribution system that came off my old TT. They charged me $225.00.
Since the drive back home was more than a few miles, I decided to bite the bullet.

I had to reinstall the system when I got home because watching the technicians at the dealership, I knew they did not know what they were doing.

I would still do my own repairs even if it was covered under warranty excluding expensive major components.

As far as handsome, a few folks have said I look like George Hamilton, only shorter, fatter, bald and without a golden tan.

[Camper_bob]

I guess I'm in good company here! Most of these responses describe me. Heck, I thought I might have been reading something I wrote myself!!

I'm on the handy side. No formal training on anything with my hands, but I'm REALLY good at learning. My dad was a mechanic most of his life. When my brother and I came along, he would not initiate any kind of mechanical education on us. We had to ASK him to help us learn. And we ended up learning much of it on our own (my bro is WAY smarter than me, and he's just as good at learning). When he would talk to us about school, he would always show us his hands. They were often covered in grease, dirt under the nails, cuts, bruises, sweat... He'd say "your hands will not look like mine, you're going to make a living with your minds, not your hands". As such, school was VERY important in our house.

So I've read books, read service manuals, watched videos, talked to professionals informally and watched them work... and over the years I've learned that I can pretty much hold my own on most "normal" stuff. Around the house, around vehicles, around RVs... And I've earned most of my knowledge the hard way. There's nothing like fouling up a job to teach you how to do it right!! In that process I've amassed quite a few tools as well. The right tool for the job is vitally important. I've spent hours trying to make something work just so I didn't have to go buy or borrow the right tool, and in the end I usually end up at my neighbors house to borrow or at the store to buy a tool.

I also prefer the word "frugal" to "cheap". I'm frugal. If I can fix it, I will usually try. I have learned my limits over the years, and I have a good network of people I trust and am willing to pay for something I can't handle. AND I've had DW in the peanut gallery for 20 years saying "what makes you think you can do that? Just take it to the shop and have them do it!" She's usually wrong. Perfect example is the rear end on my tractor. I had a bearing go out. So I dismounted the entire rear end from the tractor and tore it down on my bench. Replaced all the seals/bearings, put it all back together, and bam, Back in business for $50 in parts instead of $600 for a new rear end plus labor to install.

I'm also not afraid to take something apart and learn how it works.

Of course there are a few things that I "tread lightly" around. Electricity is one of those. I've been electrocuted before, and it was not fun. That's the closest I've come to death so far in my life. So I will be either EXTREMELY cautious, or I'll hire it out. Good news is I know a couple really good electricians.

[skids]

Originally Posted by THE MEEKER

As far as handsome, a few folks have said I look like George Hamilton, only shorter, fatter, bald and without a golden tan.

Ha! Good one.

[Midnightmoon]

So far this year, I've done the rear seal, flywheel and clutch assembly on my Cummins Ram. Replaced the rusted oil pan and front axle u-joints on the same truck. Replaced the steering rack and rebuilt the brake system and AC system on my old Corvette. And right now I'm doing ball joints on my father's truck. I have a lift at the house and I can honestly say that it makes all the difference in these types of repairs.

Things I will not do anymore (or at least not allowed to do by order of the wife) include doing roof repair on our houses or any of our outbuildings. Our neighbor fell from a ladder a couple of years ago and was badly hurt. Therefore I'm no longer allowed to climb. Thankfully, I'm still allowed on the roof of the trailer. I also have started paying for minor repairs on our rental house instead of doing them myself. Things like plaster, paint, carpet, etc. are just not worth my time, especially when those repairs have to be done quickly.

[ORT]

Id like to think I'm handy, my wife would say I'm both. I think I'm in the same boat as the others. I'd rather fix it myself for the cost of just part(s) then pay for the extreme labor costs. Lucky for me our camper is new! But I guess that means more handy work to do around the house haha.

[Siamese]

That's a Red Green quote..."If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy".

I got handy a few decades ago on my first sailboat. They're built far better than RV's, but the maintenance is more intensive and expensive. Takes a very rich person to have the marina do the servicing.

That handiness certainly carried over to our trailer maintenance. You gain confidence with each repair you do, and are less apprehensive about tackling chores you haven't encountered before. Oh, and thank you Youtube.

I have an earned distrust of all dealers and mechanics. If I couldn't do the overwhelming majority of the maintenance procedures on my toys, I wouldn't own them. Partly because they'd be too expensive, and also because I want to understand the workings of the thing. Oh, and partly because I believe it's what you do...if you can't or won't fix the simplest things, it's kind of like, 'who wipes your butt'?

[namusmc65]

I used to be really handy. Bad hips now from years of medication and injections so definitely not crawling around or climbing any more, other than my deer stand! Friend of mine got up in a swivel chair yesterday to change a light bulb on a ceiling fan. Mind you he is 77. I am only 73. You guessed it. Chair swiveled and down he went. Broke both bones in his arm and is in a cast. Significant damage to his shoulder and they are looking at having to do surgery. Don't do stupid things folks!

[Murff]

Being a descendant of the "Murphy's Law" Murphy, I am the reason there are plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc.

I have fixed a few items, but as Dirty Harry once stated, "a man needs to know his limitations", I approach any situation with caution. Case in point, if I take it apart, how come there are parts left over after I put it back together? I have come to realize, that ain't a good thing.

So, a few items go back to the dealer for work, even with the rig out of warranty. Peace of mind has it's price. If they fail at something, at least one can sue. Hard to sue yourself.

murff

[Ohiofinlander]

I like Murff's statement regarding limitations. I built houses for 20 years, so I'll tackle any of the carpentry, plumbing, and heating stuff. I leave the brakes and other related stuff to those better qualified not only for safety reasons, but also due to the fact that I don't enjoy working on that stuff.

[Vasquez Kid]

My wife says that I look ok. She also says that I can fix anything with my hammer!

[JudyB]

We are in our 70’s and although hubby “thinks”he is handy, he is forgetful. He won’t research for answers, whereas I am the researcher and point him to the videos on how to. Our rig is on the new side of out of warranty. After we got dinged for $600 in step repairs, I think we can do it ourselves now...if it ever malfunctions again. Replacing computer boards for heaters, well, thats a dealer visit as was the collision stuff. Hubby tried to “wipe off” the black scratching with an abrasive and messed up the gel coat, but before insurance stepped in, so that was resolved. I envy the handymen in this group and have great respect for your solutions, including steering us to manage droning noises, steering issues etc that really added alot of joy to our first motorhome experience! Thanks guys, and any gals who have helped us along the way! We are not well heeled, but I put $500/ month in our Motorhome account for anything that goes wrong or needs replacing (like tires in the future) instead of additional warranties.

[Flyingaggie]

Well, since that same group that says you can work on airplanes says I can fly 'em, I'd like to think I'm somewhat mechanically inclined. I've winter-proofed 2 of my trailers for less than $700 that would have cost me more than $3000 each (and not been nearly as effective) had I taken it to a dealer. I've never had a freeze up.

Other than repainting the front cap on my 5er and replacing and A/C unit (I'm still a pilot and too lazy to do that work if I don't have to. LOL), I've managed to talk Jayco into just sending me parts and letting me fix it myself while I was under warranty. Mostly, it was due to it sitting the first time for a month at the dealer and they hadn't even gotten to it yet. I yanked it from them and just called Jayco at that point. Long story short, I told them their warranty wasn't worth anything if it never got fixed. Hence, I started getting parts from them, though it was still somewhat reluctantly.

There are only a few things I wouldn't do myself. But most of this stuff is simple enough. Either YouTube or google can get you help on how to do it. It takes a little time, but I've found my work to be better than when I take it somewhere. And I don't have to hassle with how long it's going to take them or it sitting somewhere that I can't still use it.

Tim

[jpurvis]

Me too! After 34 years, 4 TT’s and in uncalculated miles, have learned to fix most of issues that popped up. Will admit mostly luck, but some problems repeat on most trailers and mostly the memory is working...Having said that...YouTube is my friend. Sometimes a little goofy, but most often can find some one knowledgeable and understandable . So given enough time can usually find a solution.