Hello everyone! I am Bernie and I am the excited and proud new owner of an '84 19' 5er and new SOI Member. My boyfriend Bob is a willing victim along for the ride. This is my first RV and I know I have my work cut out for me and I would really love some guidance from those who have nursed an old Scamp back to health!
I have been reading so many Forum Topics with interest and have determined that I have more questions than I know what to do with! LOL My biggest questions to start are: I need a new axle w/electric brakes and a few inches of lift to level it while towing...how do I determine what axle I need? I would love to use 8-lug stock Dodge chrome wheels/Ram hub cap to match my truck, but I do have 5-lug Dodge steel wheels.
I need to get rid of the stock 2" hitch and install something to fit my underbed mounted 2 5/16" hide-a-goose ball...any suggestions? I have a short bed and it is just under 60" from ball to back exterior corner of bed.
PO states water heater doesn't work...any trouble-shooting tips? Should I just toss it and get something new to skip the aggravation? Has anyone installed a tankless instant in-line hot water system?
Any and all suggestions for getting this old, neglected Scamp up to snuff are welcomed! Any body in North Florida/South Georgia/Lower Alabama willing to meet and share/mentor would be beyond awesome! Thanks and We look forward to meeting y'all on the road!
Bernie
The stock axle you need is a Dexter #10 I put one under my trailer last year with all the options it ran about $550 from Redneck. The standard bolt pattern is 5 lugs 4.5" apart. There are options for different lug patterns but an 8 lug pattern is more than likely on a much heavier axle. There is a trailer repair shop near Pensacola that gets good reviews and their prices look pretty good on axles.
Scamp specifies a min. of 60 " from center of your ball to the corner of your bumper. The good news is you have an older 5er with outside of the frame LP tanks. Those trailers have a shorter bent tongue. The newer trailers with inside frame mount tanks have a straight angle extended tongue. If you have to change the coupler it should be fairly easy to get the extra tongue length needed by taking out the bend and extending the tongue. E-trailer may sell the coupler you need.
I would give your old water heater a shot. If you fire it up to temp you can almost hold your temp. with just the pilot light. That saves a lot of gas. If installing a new one in rehab I would consider a gas/ elec. model. Uses no LP with CG hook ups.
Also with a rehab consider a converter and distro. panel in an 84.
The first thing you start with is your P/U bed rail heigth. Your upper deck lower lip needs to be at least 6" above the bed rail heigth. Just for a reference, new high lift raised axle with 13" tires my trailer is 55" to the upper deck lower lip. With 3" blocks and 15" tires I should be able to get it to 61 or 62"
Eddie
Check out the response in this posting...
http://www.scampcamper.com/forums/got-one-now-what
This should give you a good checklist of what to fix first.
By-the-way, Welcome to the Clubhouse.
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
Hi Bernie,
With regard to your desire to use steel wheels and hub caps that will match your truck's wheels.
While it is possible to use hub caps on your trailer, I would recommend against it. Here is why, the two biggest failures on a trailer which will leave you broken down on the side of the road are tire failure and an over heated bearing. You can carry a spare to fix the tire. If you burn up a bearing, you are waiting to get towed somewhere and then you will be waiting for repairs.
Many of us carry an infrared thermometer in the cab of our truck to check tire and hub temperatures whenever we make a rest stop or fuel stop. By checking the hub temperature you should be pre-warned that you have a bearing problem before you are completely stranded. If you have hub caps concealing your hubs the temperatures will be much higher before you can detect any excess heat (by then it may be too late).
A much better option is to go with a nice "custom" aluminum wheel which will allow you to use the infrared thermometer to read temperatures close to the hub, this will maximize your warning time by letting you know if you are getting heat buildup near the hub. I also recommend aluminum wheels because they dissipate heat from both the tires and hub much better than steel wheels.
By-the-way, be certain that you buy wheels and tires specifically made for trailers and not truck or automobile wheels. Trailer wheels and tires are made specifically for trailers and are engineered differently.
Here is an example of the infrared thermometer I mentioned above:
Etekcity Lasergrip 774 (ETC 8380) Temperature Gun Non-contact Digital Laser Infrared IR Thermometer, 2-Year Warranty, -58~+716°F, 12:1 D:S, Instant-read, FDA/FCC/CE/ROHS Approved
As Always,
Happy Scamping !!!
Thanks Eddie - Your response about the axle and lift is very helpful-I'll be busy taking more measurements and playing with the hot water heater when we get the 19 home in my own driveway. What is a "converter and distro. panel"?
Man with a Van- Thanks for the great check list link and the wheel and tire education...I like the aluminum recommendation and will definitely be getting the infrared thermometer.
This has been a busy and expensive week for the Thunder Buggy: Hide-a-goose install Monday; front end rebuild Tuesday (it was on the verge of developing the dreaded Dodge Ram idiosyncrasy "Death Wobble"); and today was 12 qts. of Amsoil + filter, A/C recharge, and a new radiator fan clutch.
Hope to hear other's 2-cents worth, too! I love all the info available on the forums and the camaradarie among the SOI membership...I am so happy to be here!
Bernie & Bob,
Newbies needing Mentor(s)
1984 19' 5er PROJECT "Boreggo"
1999 Dodge Ram 4x4 2500 "Thunder Buggy"
Tallahassee, Florida & Poway/Rancho Bernardo, California