Perris Pacer first tow

[Darren W]

Hello I am new to the world of fiberglass trailers I was lucky enough to acquire a Perris Pacer I drive for FedEx freight and seen it setting in a back yard for the last 2 years. I asked the owner what his plans were with the trailer he asked if I wanted it I said yes he said you can have it. I will pick it up in about a week. The outside looks OK, allot of moss, the roof vent looks to be broken, no broken windows. The tires are up and there is a propane tank. I haven't seen the inside but was told its complete but needs work. I have never pulled a travel trailer and was wondering what I should bring with me when I do pick the trailer up? its about 25 miles from my home all of witch are freeway miles. He is not sure of the ball size He thinks its a 1 7/8ths. Any suggestions would be appreciated





Thx
Darren W.

[Gina D.]

"Free is a very good price!"

Wow

[DonDeutsch]

Have the 1 7/8 ball installed but take a 2" along. You main issue is trailer lights, which won't work. Either rent a hang on pair, or you might try sneaking home without lignts during the work week in the morning, being it is so close.

Congradulations.

[Vickie B.]

Yea!! Another Perris Pacer owner!!! We drove from Nebraska to Arizona to get ours one month ago! Don's suggestion is a good one, as mine needed a 2" ball. Also, maybe a tire pump in case the tires don't hold air well. Luckily, you are very close.

And just goes to show--it never hurts to ask!

Also be thinking about what kind of paper work you may need to resgister/tag it in your state. From what I've read on this site, sometimes it's a big deal, sometimes not. In Nebraska I needed a bill of sale (it was hand written) and the title.

Congratulations--this is so exciting! I can't wait to see the inside and what you do to it. Keep the pics coming!

[Chrs P]

While I haven't got an egg yet (wish I was as lucky as you!) There are a couple things I would be very careful of before the pull.

1. Get the trailer out in the open and look at the tires. Cracked, checked, tread-worn? You may want to head to the nearest tire shop before hitting the freeway if you're going to need new ones soon anyway.

2. Light/brake connector - 7 pin? (electric brakes) 4 pin? (no brakes). Be sure you have the same hookups on your tow vehicle. If not, you will be going home without either brakes or lights, regardless of whether they work or not.

3. Brakes. Check them before hitting the road. If your tow vehicle is rated for the trailer weight, you may be able to stop the trailer without them working, but you will need to brake differently with a load behind you, and will need more space if the brakes aren't working. In my case I would treat this the same as the tires. You'll need to get it fixed eventually, might as well schedule it in before hitting the highway.

4. Lights. Bring spare bulbs. Bring a current tester. Bring some wire. Every trailer I have bought had wiring issues and lights that either didn't work, or worked wrong. Grounds in trailers are notorious for failing.

5. Coupler lock-down. I'll bet you fifty-bucks that the guy selling it doesn't have a pin to hold the coupler down and latched in place. $2.00 at a hardware store. Get a spare for when you drop yours and can't find it. Alternative solutions include a padlock, nut and bolt, or in an absolute emergency a length of wire.

6. Safety Chains. The ones on it may be the perfect length. Then again they may be old, rusted, and 2" too short. Bring a length of chain just in case. Put one of those "missing links" on it - the ones that screw shut since the seller will have lost his long ago.

7. Basic mechanics tools. bring a socket set and a toolbox with a handful of wrenches in it. Throw in a crowbar, vise grips, tire iron, and adjustable wrench. You shouldn't need these, but if you do...

Before you leave be prepared for one of 2 eventualities... seized brakes or seized wheel bearings. Most of the time as soon as you start moving the bearings and brakes will turn freely, but sometimes they can be beligerent. Be ready to take the wheels off and use a johnson bar to break the bond. If you have a helper along, ask them to watch th etires for a couple rotations and tell you if they aren't turning, or if they are making noises that sound unhealthy.

After about 10 minutes of driving, check how the bearings are doing. Just pull over and see if they feel hot. While having a seized bearing before leaving would be bad, having one seize up on the highway is worse. If you stop to have the tires/brakes fixed, you should really think about having them grease the bearings at the same time. Its an easy job you can do yourself later on, but for this first time, in unfamiliar territory, I would pay someone to do it.

Before pulling away, look inside the trailer for anything that hasn't been secured. Its easier to remove a teapot in one piece than 20.

More than likely most of this won't be a problem, but its better to go prepared than to find yourself on the side of the road getting a ticket for you non-functional lights while your wheels glow cherry red and the tires go flat.

Now this last item, I hope someone else chimes in on. I was reading a log of someone who rebuilt an egg. In removing the egg from the frame they found that the 2 main bolts that held the egg in place had rusted loose. All that was holding the camper was a handful of small screws. You may want to look under the trailer to see what is holding the FG portion onto the steel portion. As I said in the beginning, I have little experience with the FG trailers, so I can't give real insight, but I would be checking this before getting on the road.

I need to get a job driving for UPS so I can spot these deals...

[Ron Stewart]

You are getting the title document, right?

[james kent]

Well, I do like that big window.
Keep us up to date as you turn it into a piece of classical art.

[Chris Z]

Any possible way to avoid the freeway. Boy I would if I could.
Looks like a Scamp I saw. Went and looked inside and they had used it for a dog house. NASTY! I might've tried it but they wanted $1000. It looks like yours is better anyway.

[Donna D.]

Hi FedEx guy! I'm not a driver, but I work for Con-way.

If you get time, come on out to L.L. Stub Stewart next weekend and check out all the fiberglass trailers! There will be lots to see and folks to ask all kinds of questions:
Northern Oregon Gathering - Fall Event

Now back to your regularly scheduled topic

[Darren W]

all for the input Chrs P Thank you that was allot of things that I would not have thought of.

I will post more picts of before and after the scrubb down

Donna D. I just might take you up on the invite to L.L. Stub Stewart Park.

From what I hear Con-way is the one to watch,
I see your drivers everywhere you guys are even mentioned in our preshift meetings
(but I didn't tell you that)

[peterh]

Darren, I'm in Vancouver, too. If it's not too far for me to drive I'd be willing to give you a hand with getting the trailer going if need be. PM me (click my user name next to the post and use the Send Message function) if you're interested and I'll get back to you with an email address and number.

[Chrs P]

all for the input Chrs P Thank you that was allot of things that I would not have thought of.

I will post more picts of before and after the scrubb down

Donna D. I just might take you up on the invite to L.L. Stub Stewart Park.

From what I hear Con-way is the one to watch,
I see your drivers everywhere you guys are even mentioned in our preshift meetings
(but I didn't tell you that)

No problem Darren - one other thing I forgot (because its not an issue for me) - if you don't have an air compressor built into your tow vehicle, bring one along. Also an emergency breakdown kit if you don't have one in your car. A couple flashers and those pylons will at least win you respect and offer some safety if anything does go wrong. Of course being a professional driver, you probably have all this stuff anyway. To me this is a moot point since we have a kit in every vehicle.

[Angelo F.]

Congratulations! Most folks shudder when they see/hear of the "mess" you've gotten your hands on, but I think a lot of the joy of owning a FGRV is the elbow grease and head scratching that go into making it perfect again. I can't wait to see the pics.

[floyd]

When you get it home use purple scotchbrite and a heavy solution of liquid carwash & water to scrub the outside, you will be amazed!