The Smart RVer: DIY RV Maintenance and Repair

Fender Covers are a simple way to cover your RV tires and protect them from the sun. Fender Covers are easier to put on than traditional vinyl tire covers and they look great. Either type of Tire Cover will protect the tires and reduce the potential for failure. Just make sure you cover them. Vinyl Tire Covers serve a purpose and that is to keep the sun off the tires to reduce damage and to extend their life. We sell Vinyl Tire Covers in White and Black. some RV’ers tend to think the black will make the tires hotter and ruin them. That is not the case, black tires get a little hotter but, not enough to cause damage.The difference between black and white is very minimal in terms of heat build up. Black will look nicer for a longer period of time. The best solution are Fender Covers that attach to the side of the RV. They are easier to put on and remove. They stay much cleaner than traditional tire covers and definitely look nicer. We make ours with our Suntex 90% sunshade material that blocks out 90% of the suns UV rays and light. Listen to The Rest of The Story NowCheck Out Our Fender Covers @ SunPro MfgThe post ↓Episode 7 – Tire Covers / Fender Covers appeared first on Radio Arizona RV.

Almost all RVs have a Patio/Main Awning installed to provide cover from the elements. If you are one of the many who enjoy using your RV Awning, you will need to maintain some part of it sooner or later. An awning can function properly for decades or until the parts become obsolete. The fabrics are the most common part of an awning to fail, and they are well worth the money to replace. RV Awnings are a great piece of equipment to have on an RV. A&E and Carefree of Colorado are the two most popular brands sold today. Zip Dee and Girard are two other quality manufacturers of awnings usually found on certain brands of RVs or high-End motorhomes. Our conversation is going to revolve around A&E and Carefree. They both are good awnings, whether it is electric or manual, and both have stood the test of time and have been used on RVs for decades. Either brand will need some maintenance and that is what this podcast is about. Check Out SunPro MFG for Dometic Awning Fabrics! Listen Now to Hear All of the Details

In this Episode I discuss the value of Slide Out Awnings and Replacing the Slide Out Fabrics. Sunpro Mfg offers 13 oz and 18 oz Slide Out Awning Fabrics for all brands of Slide Out Awnings. Sunpro has 7 different colors in the 13 oz and 2 colors in the 18 oz. With a 3 or 5 Year Warranty you can’t go wrong with a Sunpro Slide Out Awning Replacement Fabric. Slide Out Awnings are a great way to keep debris and who knows what out of your RV when you bring your slide out in.  Slide out awnings were never made to keep water out from leaking seals although, they do help in this regard. You should always repair a water leak and not let it to continue because a leak will usually get worse. The fabrics don’t last forever as some might think and they will need to be replaced at some point in time. The hardware will last for decades with Carefree Free of Colorado and A&E by Dometic. You might need to replace a part here and there but considering they are a pretty simple piece of equipment they hold up pretty good. Rather than reading my ramblings, Listen to the Entire Episode Now.Learn More About Sunpro Slide Out FabricsThe post ↓Episode 5 – RV Slide Out Awning Fabrics appeared first on Radio Arizona RV.

In this episode I get into the importance and simplicity of Travel Trailer Leaf Springs and the importance of inspecting them and being prepared to replace a damaged Leaf Spring before it leaves you stranded. Most Travel Trailers and 5th Wheels have leaf springs and this would also include Utility Trailers as well. Over the years I have listened to a lot of customers complain about their broken leaf springs or related parts and how now they are stranded until they get it repaired. In a lot of scenarios the breakdown could possibly have been avoided.One of the problems leaf springs or suspension problems create is they usually break while you are traveling and not parked. And it is not always easy to find the suspension parts you need on the road, it can be hard even when you are not on the road. Not all RV Parts stores carry suspension parts and they might not have what you need when you need it. It can create a real problem when you are not prepared for it. The worst situation is when your trailer is broken down on the side of the road somewhere, it is dangerous and an uncomfortable situation to find yourself in. It is a good idea to carry a spare leaf spring or two and some basic suspension parts and most importantly, do some Pre-Travel inspections. Listen to The Full Episode to See The Big Picture!The post ↓Episode 4 – Leaf Spring Maintenance & Repair appeared first on Radio Arizona RV.

In this episode, I discuss Trailer Tire Safety and how Trailer Tires are unique and require more attention than most other tires on the road. This is what most Rv’ers Don’t Know and Need to Know. Trailer Tires basically face the same issues or have the same problems regardless of what kind of trailer you have. They require specific maintenance steps and they are made for trailers and nothing else. Trailer tires also have an expiration date, in other words, those tires have that great-looking tread because you don’t use the trailer that often does not mean those tires are safe. Beware!  Let me explain. Trailer tires have a life span of about 5 years and for the average RV’er that is about 10,000 miles or 2,000 a year and that is not a lot of miles. The tires can break down on the outside from excessive wear and that is what we expect and understand. The other side of the coin is trailer tires also break down on the inside whether being used or not although, they do last longer if you use your trailer more often. Trailer tires are made to move and not sit, they get internally lubricated by rolling down the highway. Movement keeps them alive, just like a human.

In this episode, I discuss the importance of maintaining the Wheel Bearings and Brakes on Travel & 5th Wheel Trailers. It is extremely important to give attention to these 2 systems, failure can mean a breakdown on the highway leaving yourself and your family exposed to dangers. In this episode, it is gear towards trailer brakes on utility and recreational trailers and not so much for boat trailers. Boat trailer brakes and bearings get submerged and there are some differences in maintaining it. Trailer brakes will last 50 to 70 thousand miles and that is lot of miles for the average trailer.The brake magnet will probably fail first because they ware out or short out internally and stop functioning and in turn, the brakes on that wheel will not function. Brake magnets are expensive in comparison to a complete backing plate with hardware, brake shoes, and a new magnet. If your shoes or magnets need replacing I would highly recommend to just replacing the entire backing plate with all new hardware, 4 bolts connect 2 wires, and adjust the shoes and you are done.Wheel bearings are a common system to be ignored when it comes to maintenance. From my experience RV’ers have a tendency to ignore getting their wheel bearings repacked on regular intervals. When a wheel bearing burns up it can obviously ruin the bearing, bearing race and possible the spindle, hub or drum costing a lot more money than having the bearings repacked and grease seals replaced. It is also very unpleasant to be broken down on the side of the road. It can be a dangerous spot to be in. It is very wise to carry spare wheel bearings and even a hub or drum might not break the bank and it is cheap insurance.Listen to the Full Episode to Learn More

This episode introduces The Smart Rver Podcast, who we are, and how we are involved in the RV Industry. My name is Eric Stark, and I am the owner of Highway 93 RV located in Hamilton, MT. The Smart RVer is my creation, and the goal is to help RVers maintain their RVs and better understand the systems already on their RVs or those they might want to add. Each episode will be as short as possible, with minimal unnecessary conversation. I don’t get extremely technical, at least yet. I want to give you a direction to get started.There are a lot of subjects that can be covered, but they do not need a lot of technical details to get an understanding of whether you need to do it or if you want to do it. I am a parts guy and I explain a lot of stuff to a lot of people I know what it takes to give the information they need and what they don’t need. I have an episode about wheel bearing maintenance, and I cover the importance of checking and maintaining the wheel bearings and the consequences if you don’t. If you listen to the episode, it will motivate you to get your bearings checked by a professional or do it yourself if you have the expertise. At this point in time I don’t have step by step instructions, some things you do come with instructions and other things require a professional. Just Take a Few Minutes and Hear it For Yourself