Travel Trailer Longevity

Hello,
I'm in need of an expert witness to provide material information on the life expectancy of a travel trailer providing it's well maintained.

Please contact me if you or no of someone who might be able to assist. As an expert witness you would be paid for your services and please be aware you may need to testify.

Contact me Donn at 855-667-4830

With proper maintenance an RV should live almost forever. However the huge majority of RVs don't get proper maintenance though out their life time. RV owners tend to be older, like myself, and eventually it is no longer cared for properly.

OnSiteTH said:

Hello,
I'm in need of an expert witness to provide material information on the life expectancy of a travel trailer providing it's well maintained.

Please contact me if you or no of someone who might be able to assist. As an expert witness you would be paid for your services and please be aware you may need to testify.

Contact me Donn at 855-667-4830

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Where would I have to testify (not allowed back into some states)?  Will you pay travel and per diem? Will it be a jury trial?

Despite many years of RVing experience, it seems doubtful that anybody here would be accepted as an "expert witness" by a court.  An experienced dealer executive or an engineer who designs and builds travel might.

It seems to me that a simpler "expert" approach would be a survey of public info citing the ages of trailers available for sale.  RVT.com and RVtrader.com can be checked and may even have published info that would substantiate viable ages of RVs.  Another would be the values listed in sources such as NADA RV Guide and The RV Black Book. Lenders and dealers use this info, giving it good credibility.

Near as I can make out, you are a business.  You are the owner, founder and a Forest River RV Dealer.  Exactly what are you looking for? Can you specific?

http://onsitetemphousing.com/

Yes that is correct I am in the business.

A law firm in Arizona asked if we could assist locating someone that specializes with travel trailer industry and do not have any issue testifying in court. They are looking for that individual to compile information and research on the longevity of a travel trailer's life span if well maintained. The argument is the plaintiff assumes the life to be 3-5 years and we believe it's more like 10-15 years. It's pretty obvious the manufacture has a 10-12 year roof warranty when purchase new.

I spoke to Dicor and the membrane they sell to RV manufactures has a 20 year guarantee

If you know someone please forward to me....thanks! 

I would think a trailer should be in somewhat good condition after 3-5 years, even if nothing is done to it, let alone a being well maintained. One more catch to the whole situation is what is the definition of "well maintained"?

It took me 3 to 5 years to bring my trailer up to a level where it could be used.  Since many folks use and abuse their vehicles, comparing life expectancy that of to the general public isn't a fair estimation of how long an RV should last.

A law firm in Arizona asked if we could assist locating someone that specializes with travel trailer industry and do not have any issue testifying in court. They are looking for that individual to compile information and research on the longevity of a travel trailer's life span if well maintained.

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That's along the lines of the suggestion in my previous post.  Making a compilation is somewhat different than being accepted as an "expert witness", but whoever did the compilation of data would still have to be able to testify if the data was used in court.

The argument is the plaintiff assumes the life to be 3-5 years and we believe it's more like 10-15 years. It's pretty obvious the manufacture has a 10-12 year roof warranty when purchase new.

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It is easily 10-15 years and doesn't even take much care to achieve that. While I do not recommend it, a typical owner should get 3-5 years even with no maintenance other than winter storage preparation. However, I know of no travel trailer manufacturer who has a 10-12 year warranty. The industry standard RV warranty is one year, bumper-to-bumper,  with a few companies offering two years. Many have an additional warranty on "structure" which is typically 5 years.

I spoke to Dicor and the membrane they sell to RV manufactures has a 20 year guarantee

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I think there may have been a misunderstanding. Dicor offers a 12 year warranty on its membranes, 5 year parts & labor and 7 additional years on the material only, and pro-rated as well. From the Dicor website:

Dicor offers a 12 year warranty for the sheeting only. The warranty covers only premature deterioration to the point of failure due to weathering only. It does not cover the original installation or the (glue, lap Sealant, Butyl tape) to install the roof. It is a pro-rated warranty. The first 5 years would include parts and labor. Years 6-12 are pro-rated for material replacement only, no labor. This warranty is offered only to the original purchaser.

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I don't think there is a true answer to the longevity of a trailer, especially one that is well maintained.

My toy hauler should last for a very long time. We don't have corrosion issues where I live and we only use it about 12 times a year.

On the other hand, a buddy of mine has to replace his toy hauler every 2-3 years. He is in the rodeo business and pulls his trailer about 40,000 miles a year. He can only get about 6 months out of the spring shackles before they break, and he's constantly having issues caused by vibrations such as cabinets falling apart, plumbing components breaking, light fixtures falling out of the ceiling, etc.

He's tried a few different manufacturers and has had these issues with all of them. I suppose this is because nearly every component in an RV is made by Lippert and all of the construction techniques are virtually identical across the entire spectrum.

If you want my opinion, there are very few well built RV's or towables that are affordable to the common man.

We put 10,000 miles a year on our TT in any and all weather. How long do you think it will last compared to the guy that adds two 250 mile trips to the Yogi Bear campground each summer.

It is like asking how long should your tow vehicle last. As a buyer I expect 5 to 8 years depending on how well it is kept. Other expect it to last a lifetime.

Good Luck   

Mileage has little to do with a vehicle that is not powered (no engine) and parked 99% of the time anyway. Wear & tear depends on the people using it and the care they give (or not).

Gary RV_Wizard said:

Mileage has little to do with a vehicle that is not powered (no engine) and parked 99% of the time anyway. Wear & tear depends on the people using it and the care they give (or not).

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The suspension components sure care about how many miles the trailer is traveling. Since springs and shackles tend to take a beating while the trailer is in motion, how is one supposed to maintain them besides replacing components as they break or wear out?

Hello OnSiteth,

I hope you can open up that can of worms. My experience has been many TT leak from day one. They are slow leaks that are never visible until 3 to 5 years down the road. By then the internal damage is done.  So if well maintained means water proofing all possible locations that might leak as soon as you pull it off the dealers lot, well who knows how long they might last. But should I have to do that?

Just my 2 drops worth, Tom

OnSiteTH said:

information on the life expectancy of a travel trailer providing it's well maintained.

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What is the life expectancy of Humans?

Each one is different. Even eating properly and exercising regularly is not a guarantee that someone will reach old age.
Yet some people seem to do everything wrong like drinking in excess and smoking and live to a much older age than many that don't
do those things.

Well maintained?  Some people that own a Travel Trailer have a garage big enough for it and it's garaged anytime it's not being used.
Others have no garage big enough and they sit outside 24/7 365 - are they not well maintained? 
Some people have children and some people have pets (and some have both) are those trailers not going to 
last as long as a solo owner with neither of those?

Does the speed at which it's towed make a difference on wear and tear?  55 vs. 75?  Do the roads traveled make a difference?
How they are loaded and packed one being over loaded all the time and another very lightly loaded - is there a difference?

The point is - no 2 are alike - so IMO it's going to be hard to prove how long something like a TT should or would or could last if
well maintained.

Good luck in you quest for the info you desire.

It seems to me the information you seek is parenthetical in nature - clearly a buyer would not buy, nor would a seller represent, that an item selling for tens of thousands of dollars would be worthless in 3-5 years. Further, as there are many extended ?warranty? companies who would be willing to write a policy extending well beyond the 3-5 year timeframe, clearly they would not write such policies if they didn?t feel a majority of the secured units wouldn?t outlast the policy.

 

Mileage has little to do with a vehicle that is not powered (no engine) and parked 99% of the time anyway. Wear & tear depends on the people using it and the care they give (or not).

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The suspension components sure care about how many miles the trailer is traveling. Since springs and shackles tend to take a beating while the trailer is in motion, how is one supposed to maintain them besides replacing components as they break or wear out?

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You missed the point. Even with very little towing mileage, the trailer could very well be worn out from human wear & tear.

lone_star_dsl said:

The suspension components sure care about how many miles the trailer is traveling. Since springs and shackles tend to take a beating while the trailer is in motion, how is one supposed to maintain them besides replacing components as they break or wear out?

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I agree Tires do need regular replacement, IN all my years of owning trailers, Pulling them and RVing I have replaced, on a trailelr, exactly ONE spring and shackel, (not mine) helped a fellow RVer pull his broken spring (I have some SERIOUS tools in this RV) and took it to a spring shop and replaced it.. Just he and I and my jacks and wrenches and such. Not that hard or expensive to do.

I'v also replaced springs on cars and vans..

Not a job I enjoy that much (Takes a bit of muscle) but I've done it many times.

Other tings are the finish (outside) does get a bit "rough" in the sun, a new paint job may be needed, and inside just check how things are .. Converters geneerzally need an upgrade, but save for the paint job. none of hte repairs shoudl set you back more than a couple hundred at a pop.  And you can spread 'em out.  Do one every month or two. Kind of how I'm fixing my RV.

Actually the threshold for being an expert witness is not that hard to meet.  I have testified many times in court as an expert witness on a wide range of LE topics. This blurb describes it nicely.

"An expert witness, in England, Wales and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as an expert. The judge may consider the witness's specialized (scientific, technical or other) opinion about evidence or about facts before the court within the expert's area of expertise, referred to as an "expert opinion".[1] Expert witnesses may also deliver "expert evidence" within the area of their expertise.[2] Their testimony may be rebutted by testimony from other experts or by other evidence or facts."

The competence of the witness is determined by the particular court and the Judge hearing the case. It can vary widely from court to court.  Many of us here on the forum could testify as an "Expert Witness" just based on our years of experience and first hand knowledge of the subject of RV's.  Gary is a prime example. 

Being an "Expert Witness" does not mean that you are the ultimate authority on the subject. A lot of it is based on your ability to convince the court of your credibility. 

If anybody ever needs an expert on nothing, I am available.