We’re winding down our first winter as fulltimers and looking forward to several months of travel; exploring new places.ย We divided our winter between Dickinson and Rockport, Texas.ย Dickinson is close to family and friends (and doctors) and Rockport is a nice Winter Texan destination.ย Obviously, there are advantages to being in both places.
During these months we’ve taken on several projects: including the maintenance, repair, and upgrade varieties.ย Here’s a wrap up of those projects.
Maintenance:
- Washed camper, waxed front cap
- Flushed the water heater
- Sanitized the fresh water tank
- Replaced the reverse osmosis water filters
- Had the pickup transmission and rear end serviced
- Had the pickup tires rotated
- Refreshed and repaired some of the camper caulking
- Checked roof and applied fresh Dicor caulking where needed
- Repacked the wheel bearings
Repairs:
- A biggie: had to replace a bent axleย (I know exactly where the damage was done)
- A few light switches that were getting quite stiff to operate were replaced
- Camper floor reinforced where factory had under-engineered it
- Recaulked the floor around shower stall where there were some leaks
- Pulled the toilet to replace a leaky valve
- Changed pin height on camper (needed a bit more space between camper and PU rails)
- Fantastic Vent repaired (now opens and closes with thermostat – and rain sensor works)
- The two camper 12V batteries replaced
- Carbon Monoxide and Smoke Detectors replaced
Upgrades:
Yet to come: the F350 goes in the shop to find a small coolant leak
As you can see, there’s been a lot to do! Special thanks to my friend Ron who is the brains behind many of these operations – I couldn’t do the mechanical stuff without him.
We love being touring fulltimers, but we’re learning that these rigs need more upkeep than a “sticks and bricks” house does. As you can see, most of the time and effort went into routine maintenance that needs to be done on a regular basis.
Now, with Spring upon us, we’re getting excited about our 2014 Adventure!ย Stay tuned, good times are ahead!