Help us choose a good bunkhouse trailer

[Charlie 5320]

You better check with your insurance. My truck insurance only covers the trailer for liability, nothing on the trailer. If you have an accident on the way home and the trailer gets damaged you will be out  a lot of money. I don't understand why the bank just can't hand over the title when it's paid off. 

 

[Guguluff]

I think I found the answer: "Lien Release Problems
Large banks usually have people charged with lien recording and release responsibilities. However, while there are strong incentives to record liens, there is no profit motive to encourage fast lien releases. Smaller banks depend on already overworked personnel to release liens as loans are repaid. Lien release delays are common and can cause problems with borrowers hoping to refinance or replace the loans they've paid off, should prior liens not be released."
Source: http://www.geeksonfinance.com/info_8333819_getting-lien-release-bank.html

We don't know much about this formality because we never had loans prior to our arrival in the US, so no mortgages or other financial deeds. But my husband has a degree in finance, here in the States so he should be able to talk things out, with the bank. I just hope that they'll release the title in 2 weeks or sooner. Will be cautious with the bank and the seller, tomorrow.

And I think the reasonable thing to do is to take the trailer home, tomorrow. We'll skip the highway and choose the country roads. The seller is very nice and he will show us how everything works, help us install the sway bars (he's giving us the ones that they used, but we can bring the new ones that we order [we still can send those back]). We'll do more reading today about the legal stuff, though.

 

[Charlie 5320]

Good luck today !! You might as well use the hitch setup he had and send the other one back, that save little bit.

 

[Guguluff]

We brought it home safely and now it's in our driveway. I have to clean it tomorrow and on Mo we have to find a shop to change the tires. We took a long-long way home, avoiding the highway because it was windy and the tires are 10 years old.
The seller was so nice to us and showed us a lot of things, he installed the hitch & sway bars on our truck and even reposition the chains because they were too short.
The hitch looks a little rusty but the towing system is Equalizer so it should be good. We're gonna send the other one back.
Everything went smooth at the bank. He's getting the lien release from the bank and he should get the title from another institution; it takes 2 weeks and a half.
We are planing for a weekend trip in a nearby campground and for the spring break a trip 2-3 h away. We have to play it safe in the beginning. We have so much to learn...

We thank all of you!!! You helped us so much with your advice and saved us a lot.

 

[Charlie 5320]

Glad everything went well for you. Have fun !! Good Luck !!

 

[scottydl]

Now the REAL adventures begin!!    Don't worry, we'll be here to discuss and answer those questions too. 

 

[steveblonde]

looks great congratulations - those hitches all look rusty after you have used them twice lol dont worry about it or buy a can of Rustoleum  ;D

 

[Jennifercks]

Congratulations! Looks like you found a very nice camper at a good price! Hope you have lots of great times as a family!

 

[Guguluff]

THANK YOU ALL!!!
I'll keep asking around. Don't worry, you're not gonna get rid of me that easily. 
It's getting nicer by the minute, but I'm gonna miss the big shiny thing, after we take it to storage.
92GA, we're gonna buy the wax you recommended. I took some stains out but we should use something to protect the exterior. Can we use that wax for the roof (rubber)?

 

[Charlie 5320]

THANK YOU ALL!!!
I'll keep asking around. Don't worry, you're not gonna get rid of me that easily. 
It's getting nicer by the minute, but I'm gonna miss the big shiny thing, after we take it to storage.
92GA, we're gonna buy the wax you recommended. I took some stains out but we should use something to protect the exterior. Can we use that wax for the roof (rubber)?

No don't use it on the rubber roof. I just use Dawn and Clorox mixture on the roof. I have a stiff bristle brush on a broom handle that I scrub it with, once a year then wax the sides. I park under some trees so I do get some mold spots on the roof. The coach I have now wasn't cleaned very good by the PO and I have a  lot of work to do on mine. I bought a Porter Cable 7424xp that I use to put the polish on with, and use an old towel to take it off. I'm an old man and my arms get really tired, so I bought the polisher, makes it bearable now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/PORTER-CABLE-7424XP-6-Inch-Variable-Speed-Polisher-/262304080163?hash=item3d128aa123:g:fsQAAOSwuAVWzIkz. I keep a few extra pads on hand, you can get those on ebay or Amazon.  I did buy some bonnets to go on the pad to remove the wax but haven't tried them yet. Getting warmer now so it won't be long though. I did start to remove some of the mold spots that are on my rear cap, don't think the PO ever did it, have been scrubbing it to get them off. If you wax it a couple times a year it will stay nice.

 

[Guguluff]

We washed the fiberglass with water& Lysol, but we ordered the wax so will apply that, too. And use soapy water for the roof, when the weather will be nicer.
If we have to wax it 2-3 times per year, buying a polisher makes sense. We're gonna use elbow grease this time.
Maybe try to use some baking soda & vinegar if the surface allows, for the mold stains. Or BS and Clorox. BS does wonders for old stains with a light scrubbing.

Where do you buy things like the: grab handle, water inlet, water hose, etc. We need to fix some things but we don't know if Amazon is ok or should we buy from a specialized dealer?
We ordered some Maxxis tires from a shop in our area, I read on the forum that they are ok if the speed is less than 65 miles.
And we have to get a new battery. I have to read more about that.

 

[Charlie 5320]

Might want to check your local Walmart, the one here has a pretty good selection. Does your coach only have one battery? If so buy the largest one that will fit in the case. You might check Sams if you're a member, they have 12v golf car batteries. They cost a little more but they are a better battery for campers.

 

[Keen Family]

Sweet purchase.  Now get out and make some memories.

 

[kwbush]

Nice trailer Guguluff looks great  8) ... don'cha just love it when good researching pays off?  ;D Enjoy the trailer the fun is only starting!

Keith

 

[Guguluff]

The real Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight is 7350#. It's on the sticker. I can not even find that towing capacity in the Ford's list.
I have a question: what would be the approximate DW of the trailer we should look for?
Correct me if i'm wrong:
7350 -
5,586 truck curb wt. -
410 passengers -
500 carried cargo -
100 hitch weight -
50 bed cover
_____________
704# for the TW

704 X 8 = 5632# maximum GW of the trailer + load

I feel like I'm in an episode of Twilight zone...
Last time we took the trailer out for a ride I looked at the outside sticker, probably for the 10th time and it's like I've seen the GVWR for the first time. It's 6336 lbs!
When we bought the trailer we did not noticed or we simply did not pay attention because the owner told us something around 4400# and we've checked on Nada and it is 4132#. http://www.nadaguides.com/RVs/2007/Rockwood/M-2501S/4091655/Specs
If I ad the weight of the load (we traveled 4 adults+ 2 children+ luggage for 3 weeks, food, some water in the tanks...) we went over the Maximum Loaded Trailer Weight of 7350#. And there where some mountains involved in that trip...
The truck gets 8 mpg on average when towing and 14 mpg when not towing the TT. And we have some problems with the wheels when we stir on either direction, but at the service they found nothing wrong.

 

[scottydl]

Are you talking about the GCVWR ... i.e. the total truck + trailer weight?  I see you referring to the truck weight above, AND the trailer weight when referring to the GVWR.  I'm not sure which figure you are concerned about.

And, the NADA number (4132# in your case) is the empty/curb weight of the trailer model, not the max.

 

[Guguluff]

I think I got mixed up again in naming the weights...
I took some photos of the stickers on the truck (first 3) and on the trailer (the last one).
GVWR is the gross vehicle weight rating meaning the trailer + cargo? So 6336# - 4132# (dry weight?) = 2204# (for cargo, groceries, clean water/ grey& black, etc.). Isn't it too much, I thought around 1000# is the standard approximation.
In this case, is the TT to heavy for the truck?