The Open Range Light 297RLS

As many of you know, we started carrying the Open Range (Highland Ridge RV) brand of products this year.  We have always prided ourselves on having the most innovative brand of products on our yard, so it was a logical decision for us to pick up this brand when we saw the quality and innovative features that are standard on the Open Range campers.

One of the best features of the Open Range Light line, is the ability to tow the fifth wheels with a Half-ton pickup (F-150, 1500, Tundra, Titan, etc) even with a 5.5' bed.  And this is done without the use of a slider hitch!

One of the most impressive features that we learned about the Open Range line of products, during our factory tour was the fact that they do not use rubber screw insert moulding outside, nor do they use silicon caulk and they also use 3M flashing underneath all mouldings.  If you have ever owned and RV before, you know that most water damage is caused by failure of the caulking.  This is a non-issue with these products.  

This video shows many of the exterior features of this camper.

Another awesome feature is the 100" Wide Body Construction and 42" deep side rooms, making these campers, up to 15" wider than the competition, when the slide rooms are open.  But that is just one of many exclusive features.  Watch these quick videos to learn more!

How to Inspect a Pre-Owned RV before Purchase

I am going to just come out and say this....I really dislike selling used campers.  Why?  Simply stated, I (as the dealer) have ABSOLUTELY no way of knowing how that RV was maintained by it's previous owner(s).  Did they always make sure the camper was level before using the fridge (if not, the lifespan of that fridge is seriously diminished)?  Did they regularly service the water heater?  Did they inspect their seals and recaulk the camper when it needed it?  The best I can do is visually inspect for any signs of previous water damage and operate all appliances to make sure they are working.

However, just because a fridge is working right now, doesn't mean that it will be working tomorrow or next week or next year.  Just because the air is blowing cold today, doesn't mean the a/c unit will still be working tomorrow.  I have no way of knowing.  My service tech with 20 years of RV repair experience, has no way of knowing.

But, even though we clearly state on every used RV that they are USED AS IS -- NO WARRANTY, about 75% of the time, we end up having the customer return or call to complain that such and such stopped working shortly after they purchased it.  If they bought an extended warranty, then this is generally nothing more than a minor inconvenience, as the warranty will generally cover the repairs.  However, if they opted to decline any extended warranty coverage, they bear the entire burden of the repair costs.

This is not to say that New Campers don't have issues...they do.  BUT, the owner is covered by a manufacturers warranty which has a $0 deductible.  Plus, we instruct our customers on the proper maintenance procedures that they need to perform on the camper to keep it in good condition for many years to come.

Don't think it is just us that run into this issue.  It is industry wide.  And, I haven't even talked about the number of customers that we have come in after having purchased a used camper from a private party individual.  Where we, as a dealer will visually inspect and test all the systems on the camper and then SHOW the customer that everything is working...most sales that occur between individuals happen without the new owner ever "seeing" that everything on the camper works.  Nothing on the camper having been inspected by a real RV tech.  A potential buyer usually responds to an online ad, goes to see the camper in person but it's generally not plugged into a power source, takes five minutes to walk through the camper (usually too timid to really poke around and inspect for damage), asks the owner if everything works (which invariably garners the response "yes, last time we used it everything was working perfect").

I've had more customers than I can even count who have purchased a used camper from an individual and later discover that the roof has been leaking and is now rotted in places.  Then they are upset when they find out that a new RV Rubber Roof will run them $3000-$10,000 depending on the size and the extent of damage to underlying wood.

So, I am going to share with you my tips for inspecting an RV (I am directing this toward towable RV buyers) before you buy it.  You can use these tips with a dealer unit or a private party unit.  When buying a motorized unit, these same items will apply but you will also need to thoroughly check the motorized portion.

1. Visually inspect the exterior for gaps/cracks in caulking and any delamination.  Delamination almost always indicates the presence of water damage within the walls.  Sometimes it is not even visible to the naked eye, but underneath the wallboard will be loads of mold and rotted wood.
   
   
   
   This unit  (above) is showing the beginning stages of delamination near the top of the front cap.  Delamination is separation of the fiberglass exterior from it's underlayment (in most cases this is luan but sometimes it is cardboard).

The unit above has advanced delamination issues.

   2.   Get a ladder and inspect the roof.  This is a major one.  You need to inspect the caulking around          every vent and the entire perimeter.  Also feel the entire roof with your hands to see if there are          any soft spots.   

   3.  On the inside, open all cabinet doors and look/feel for any soft spots or wrinkling of the wallpaper.  Also look/feel the walls around all slide rooms and windows.  This photo shows the inside of a wall that had a little bit of wrinkling on the wallpaper.  This is the wall from the camper pictured above with the beginning stages of delamination.  As you can see, the water damage was pretty extensive, even from that little bit of delamination.

   4.  Look up!  Check the entire ceiling for signs of water intrusion.  This is generally going to look like a little bit of brown staining and the seams.

  5.  Do the sniff test.  This is my (almost) sure-fire way of detecting water leaks.  I can almost always detect the odor of water before I even see any damage.  The smell will be a musty odor.

  6.   Walk the entire floor and look for soft spots.  This is a photo of a floor that felt a little soft, after we took the linoleum up.

8.  Insist on having the camper hooked to electric and ask them to have the fridge pre-cooled before you get there.  It takes an RV Fridge about 12 hours to cool down, so if they don't have it running well ahead of time, there is no way for you to know for sure if it's not working.  A new cooling unit for an RV Fridge costs about $1500 plus labor.   Make them demo the fridge operating on both electric and propane.  Have them demonstrate the operation of the furnace, a/c unit, water heater, water pump, slide rooms, etc.

  9.  Have them open the awning.  Make sure that it works correctly and that the canvas is in good shape.  If the canvas is not in good shape, take that into consideration when making an offer.

One thing that I will say though is don't get too nitpicky over items that are purely cosmetic (decals, chipped wood, faded carpet, scuffed plastic, etc).  Remember, you are buying a USED camper, you are saving money by doing so and it will never ever be a NEW camper.

The benefits of camping without a Slide-Room

As the owner of an RV Dealership, I am definitely seeing a trend towards "BIGGER" and "MORE SLIDES". It is, I suppose, natural to want to have more room in your camper.  And often times, people equate bigger with nicer, but that is not always the case.  Take Airstream for example...this iconic brand is one of the most exclusive, most expensive and best built units on the market.  And with the exception of 1 or 2 years where they released a slide room model (which did not sell well, by the way), Airstreams are all non-slide units.

There are definite advantages to going without a slide.

Most of our customers are not using their campers full-time, they are not living in them.  The majority are doing weekend camping trips.  And while I get the idea that the more slide rooms you have, the more it feels like home...the fact is, most people spend the majority of their time outside while camping.  So, why spend the extra money, have the added headache (more maintenance, one more thing to break) if you don't have to?

I have personally owned 6 campers.  Not a single one of them had a slide room.  My husband and I both agree on this point.  I believe in keeping our camper maintenance to a minimum and the fact is, any where that the factory cuts a hole in the camper (vents, windows, skylights, sliderooms) is a place for a potential water leak.  And, although sliderooms are made much better now then in the past, there is still always the chance of water leakage.  If your camper is not perfectly level and it starts to rain, you will probably get some water coming into your camper.  If your salesman tells you that your slide room will never leak, walk away, because he is lying to you.  Granted, most leaks are minor and are usually caused by something as simple as a slide room seal coming off or the camper being un-level, but, if you keep your camper for long enough and use it in enough rain storms, you will end up with a leak or two.

Another advantage to having no slide rooms is that you have full-access to your camper at all times.  If you stop at a Walmart on your camping trip and want to hop back into your camper to grab something or to use the restroom, it's no problem.  If you have 1,2, 3 or more slide rooms however, you will either have to open the slide rooms to get to what you need or, if you're lucky, be able to suck your gut in enough to squeeze between the slide room and the kitchen cabinets to reach what you need.

This is our camper time-line.....

Our first camper was a 2005 Scamp.  A cute, adorable little thing.





But, once we had our first child, we decided to move up to something a little bigger.  So, we sold that little Scamp and moved up to a 2012 RPOD 171.

One of the main appeals of both the RPOD and the SCAMP, were that they could both be towed by our Jeep Liberty with a 3500 tow capacity.  No need to take the big truck out for our camping trips!

Both the Scamp and the RPOD were small on space but we had a blast in both.  It is, after all, camping!  We spent our days hanging out at the beach or playing at the campground playground or out sightseeing.  Our evenings were spent around the campfire.  When it was time for bed, we were more than comfortable in our "little campers".

Then, along came baby #2.  And, we decided it was once again, time to move up to a larger camper.  So, we bought a Star Stream 24QB.  Queen bed for us and a sofa and dinette for each of the kids, though truth be told, they usually slept in our room anyways!  Our oldest loved using a sleeping bag and lying on the floor next to our bed, and our baby slept in her co-sleeper right next to me.  But, again, even though we went bigger, we wanted no slide rooms.  The simpler the better for us.

We enjoyed that camper.  And would have hung on to it forever most likely if we hadn't had a chance to purchase our dream camper....an Airstream 25SS.  Again, no slide rooms, but it's an Airstream and we had always wanted one.  So, we headed up to St. Louis, MO to purchase our first ever Airstream, it was a 1999 model in near perfect condition.  We were in LOVE!  We kept the Airstream for a few months before upgrading to a 2005 Airstream 25SS...same model, just newer.

These days, we have THREE children and my husband decided he wanted to get a Polaris Razr.  So, we (sadly) sold the Airstream and purchased a new Toy Hauler.  We are currently the proud owners of a 2014 Work and Play 28FBS.  And you guessed it, it doesn't have any slide rooms.  But it is roomy, spacious, has a master bedroom for us, and 2 sofas that make into a king sized bed for the girls.

And, while we love our Work and Play...I must confess that we are slightly lusting after the Evergreen RV Amped 28...and yep...no slides ;)

How Much Can You Tow?

One thing that we run into over and over and over again, is people who think they can safely tow more than they really can.

First thing you need to do:  Find out what your towing capacity is.  This is a great link http://www.rv.net/sharedcode/ford/

Then...Subtract 10% from that for Safety margain

Then...Subtract the weight of what you think you will be putting into the camper (ex: 500 lbs)

What's left is the MAXIMUM weight of a camper that you should try pulling.

Remember, towing a camper that is too heavy for your vehicle is not only hard on your tow vehicle, it is also dangerous...an overweight trailer can quickly overpower your tow vehicle causing you to lose control and wreck.

RV Refrigerator Basics

RV Refrigerators are marvelous contraptions.  They are built in such a way as to be able to operate in the absence of electricity, allowing your food to remain cold while you are on the road or while you are parked somewhere without electric hookups.  An RV Refrigerator will run off of either electric OR propane (some will also operate using 12V electric power).  RV refrigerators come in many different shapes, colors and sizes but they all operate in the same basic way.

     

Before we talk about how to improve your RV refrigerator efficiency we need to have a basic understanding of how an RV refrigerator works.  An RV Refrigerator is different than the refrigerator in your house.  The RV Refrigerator  does not use a compressor or any moving parts for that matter.  It works off of the principle of absorption.

Instead of applying cold directly, the heat is drawn out, or absorbed..when there is no heat, there is cold.  The heat is applied  to an ammonia/water solution located in a boiler assembly.  The heat causes the solution to boil and the ammonia vapor makes it's way to the top of the cooling unit, where it is cooled back to a liquid state.  When this occurs, the ammonia is extremely cold.  The liquid ammonia then trickles down the walls of the evaporator assembly in order for them to freeze and transfer the cold into the fridge and freezer compartments.  The liquid ammonia flows down to the bottoms where it is collected and the whole process starts again.

Tips & Tricks 
The initial cool down period for an RV refrigerator takes about 4-6 hours.  Many people find that it is best to start their refrigerator the day before leaving on a camping trip.  Also, when you put your food in the refrigerator, you should make sure that the food is already cold.  Adding cold food to a refrigerator , rather than adding warm food, lets the refrigerator work less to stay cool.

For your refrigerator to work most efficiently, it needs to be level.  This is something that is often overlooked and can lead to permanent damage to your RV fridge. In order to make sure that your fridge is level, we recommend using a small level and setting it on the floor of the fridge or freezer once you have set up your camper at the campground.  Just because your camper is level, does not necessarily mean that your fridge is level.  It is ok to be off level by 3-5 degrees.  And, as a side note, traveling with your fridge running will not harm it even though it is not level during travel.  This is because the constant movement during travel keeps the ammonia moving and does not allow it to settle in one spot.

One common mistake RV'ers make is to overload their fridge with food.  Make sure that you leave enough room between your food items for air circulation.  You may also want to install a 12 volt, thermostatically controlled fridge vent fan.  One of these little fans can improve refrigerator performance by up to 40%.

Extremely hot weather will effect your refrigerators performance.  During extremely hot weather, try to park your camper so that the fridge is on the opposite side of the afternoon sun.

Try to limit the number of times you open and close the fridge door.  Each time it is opened in hot weather it will lose a degree or two...it won't take long for the temperature inside to creep up and food spoilage can start as low as 40 degrees F.

And, in closing...just to reiterate, Running a Refrigerator out of level is the most common reason for premature cooling unit failure.  A new refrigerator cooling unit will cost between $900-$1800 plus installation, so make sure you take the time needed to level your refrigerator each and every time you camp!

Buying from an Individual?? How to protect yourself....

Often times when shopping for an RV, a person will stumble upon a great deal in the For Sale By Owner listings.

Now, unless you are a certified RV technician...how in the world do you know if the RV you are buying has problems?  Don't just trust that the seller is telling you the truth....RV repairs can add up to big expenses.  And, often times a person who is selling their RV has not used it for a long time and may not even realize that it has problems.

We advise that you take your RV to a certified RV technician to have a Pre-Buy Inspection done.

We perform Pre-Buy Inspections by appointment.  The charge is $175 and includes a written condition report of the RV including a cost estimate to complete any needed repairs.  That way, you know exactly what you are buying!

Here is an example of a Pre-Buy inspection that was done by us today.

The customer found what he thought was a great deal on a used motorhome.  Thankfully, he brought it in for an inspection before he purchased it.

The motorhome needed thousand of dollars worth of repairs (roof resealing/recaulking, generator fuel pump, furnace control board, new tires, new batteries, awning was damaged, etc).  The roof only has an estimated 2-3 years worth of life left in it ($4500-$5000 to replace the roof) and the rear wall had some hidden water damage.

So, the customer's $175 pre-buy inspection, prevented him from making a mistake that would have cost him thousands of dollars.  Or, he may be able to present the seller with the written inspection and get a discount off of the selling price...perhaps a discount large enough to cover the needed repairs.  Either way, his $175 investment saved him thousands.

This is an example of the Pre-Buy Written Condition Report...

The report comes complete with photos of any damage and a multi-point checklist of items inspected and tested.

Now that, is a good investment :)

Save a Penny, Lose a Pound

Save a little, spend a lot...Penny wise and Pound Foolish...

When it comes to RV shopping, especially for pre-owned RV's, one must be very careful.  I little bit of research and smart shopping can save you THOUSANDS of dollars.

One mistake that novice RV shoppers make is to assume that the best deals are to be had by purchasing a used camper from an individual.  While there are indeed, many good deals out there on For Sale By Owner lots, you need to be uber careful.

Remember, when someone is selling their camper, it is often because something is wrong with it.  This something may not be evident to the untrained eye.  And believe me, sellers are liars.  They will look you in the eye and tell you that everything works, they are only selling because they don't have time to use it, it's been kept under cover the entire time they've had it, yada yada.  Be skeptical, be very very skeptical.

Also, know how much to spend.  Another surprising fact about purchasing a used camper from an individual vs. a dealer is that you may end up paying more for that camper when purchasing from an individual.  Individual's tend to price their campers at NADA Retail Value.  However, dealers generally sell well below NADA retail value, so you may in fact get better deals from dealers.

But, here are some pictures and a story....it's the same story that I hear on a weekly basis.  Young couple wants to start camping.  They find a used camper on a FSBO lot...it looks like it is in excellent condition.  It is owned by a little old couple.  They say "everything on it works, it's been kept under shelter, we don't use it enough so we're selling it".  Young couple thinks "wow, what a steal!"  Price seems to be right at about $8,000.  This camper would have sold for probably $10,000 on a dealers lot.

They get it home and then they notice that the floor feels a bit soft underneath the rear bunks....but how could that be???  The little old couple SWORE that everything was in great condition.  So, they take it in to an RV dealership for an estimate on repairs.  Turns out that the entire back end of the camper is rotted out as well as a good part of the side of the camper.  Cost to repair....$5,000.  So....they didn't get such a good deal, did they?  That $8,000 camper has turned into a $13,000 one, and once a camper has been torn apart for repairs like this, it will never be the same again.  The ended up spending way more on this camper than they would have if they had bought it from a reputable dealer.

Looks Nice Right....

Yeah, Not so much once you look at the hidden damage...

These picture were taken after the vinyl flooring was taken up..the vinyl flooring was concealing all of this.

The exterior metal was removed to expose the rotted wood.

And, I'm always amazed that when a person buys a camper from a dealer they will insist that they be SHOWN that everything on it works.  Yet, they will buy a camper from an individual without ever seeing it plugged in, never "seeing" that the fridge or Air Conditioner work.  Why???  So many people get burned because they "trust" the complete strangers that they are buying from.  If they only realized that a new RV fridge costs upwards of $1200, they might insist that the seller turn that fridge for them.

But, I guess my whole point is to shop smart.  Know what you are buying.  If you find a good deal from an individual, make sure it is a good deal and not a hidden disaster.