[VAC] Re: General Maintenance frequency

[Dan Weeks <theprofileco@xxxxxxx>]

Jill:

Much depends on how complicated the rig is, and how well it has been
maintained. I have a simple, 16' Serro Scotty travel trailer that has served
my family well with almost no more than an annual wax job since
1966‹providing 35 month-long vacations to 3 generations‹so far! My Argosy is
more complicated, but it's also well made--much better made than many
late-model, name-brand rigs, in my experience‹and this list is a tremendous
help in solving problems. In fact, this list is one of the main reasons I
bought a vintage airstream instead of some other brand. Keep reading the
posts, and you'll get an almost encyclopedic sense of what maintenance these
things require. 

But don't be too intimidated by what you read, either. For lots of us these
rigs are hobbies, almost works of art and pieces of personal expresion, so
we spend lots more time than we really need to finessing issues of
nearly-invisible surface swirl marks and calculating theoretically ideal tow
car axle ratios. Somewhere in between my just-hitch-it-up-and-go experience
with my 16' trailer and the cheerfully obsessive overkill that many of us
lavish on our coaches is the solid, well-maintained trailer that, while not
maintenance free and perhaps occasionally requiring a significant infusion
of cash, serves its owner and family well without monopolizing it's time and
money. A vintage car, a boat, or a house are far worse, in my experience. My
advice (just a repitition of what I heard here followed when I was in your
shoes exactly a year ago): avoid fixer-uppers, and buy the best-maintained
rig you can afford. Sacrifice size and complexity to get same. Later, if you
decide you want something older or bigger or more complicated, you can
always trade up. 

Good luck!

Dan Weeks
75 Argosy 26