SOLD: AZ: Tucson: UHaul 16' VT

[Thomas G.]

I don't know why it is listed as a Scamp

Scamp trailer!

[Roger Kimble]

Very nice, It does not look like mine on the inside, and mine is a 1985

[Linda R002]

They say its sold.

[CindyL]

Not quite like ours either. Black water tanks were not put in them originally.

CindyL

[Pam Garlow]

for a 16ft Uhaul at $3000, what a bargain

[Jonathan Wright]

I just bought it for $2500.

Any inputs on the care and feeding of these would be appreciated -- I'm used to Avions.

Jonathan

[CindyL]

Boy, you got a great deal! Congratulations!


The biggest thing to realize is that the rims and axel are likely proprietary to Uhaul unless a previous owner changed them.

Ask the kinds of questions you want answered.

Appreciate your very rare camper.

CindyL

[Jonathan Wright]

Thanks, Cindy -- I thought so too. The owner was a very cool artist woman metalworker bicyclist.

Are there any problems with the wheels and axels, other than say, availability?

There is a small amount of body damage as well, no impacts that sheared any of the fiberglass, just an area high on the front left quarter that appears to have been smushed up against something blunt so it got flexed hard and crazed the epoxy in an ellipsoidal pattern. I dont think there is any structural concern, but should this be addressed, and if so, how? Thanks!

[CindyL]

Nope. We still use Uhaul rims and axel. You can get the rims if you find a friendly Uhaul dealer like we did. As for the other questions, I will leave it up to the others here. I suggest you start a new thread with images of the damage. It is double-hulled, although I am not sure that that makes a difference.

Incidentally, VTs were made in AZ.

CindyL

[Jonathan Wright]

Yes, it shows on the VIN plate that it was made in Tempe. Thanks!

[Thomas G.]

Congratulations. You got a real deal. These 16 footers and much more rare than the 13 footers - by about 10 to 1.

Yours should have surge brakes. You may want to make sure that they are complete and working.

[Jonathan Wright]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Congratulations. You got a real deal. These 16 footers and much more rare than the 13 footers - by about 10 to 1.

Yours should have surge brakes. You may want to make sure that they are complete and working.

Thomas -- I drove it about 125 daytime highway miles yesterday with no problems after my initial inspection, though I was concerned about the brakes as well. I have a class III hitch on my Toyota 4Runner with a variable brake controller, but was unsure as to the functioning on that. Are surge brakes compatible with this? It has been used to tow a 17' Casita before. There seemed to be a certain amount of slamming around in the hitch on deceleration. Odd configuration on this hitch, there is a shock absorption mechanism of some kind in line after the ball socket.

I'm loath to take it to an RV service facility, but having the brakes and axels inspected is probably a good idea. The running lights appear to be out as well when headlamps are on, there is a second set of brake lights that have been wired up to the bumper. The brake and backing lights are working.

Thanks, Jonathan

[CindyL]

You might have trouble taking it to an RV place, since it has proprietary parts.

My desire is to get a new axel, new rims, and new brakes that are not proprietary to Uhaul for our VT. One of our hubs went out when I was driving it (It had been repaired before.). The RV place was not able to help us, except they sent us to a machining place that would repair it the next day. That place suggested a Uhaul dealer who had been in business for 30 years who just happened to have not one, but two hubs that fit. I would like to have parts that any RV place can fix.

CindyL

[Jonathan Wright]

Point taken! As I'm in Phoenix at the moment and it was manufactured here, maybe I can get with any remaining U-Haul company infrastructure. I don't have the owners manual for this, are they available online as a .PDF? Thanks!

Jonathan

[CindyL]

Good luck! I have only known of some people in the Midwest who worked on the campers. Briefly, we had a guy who worked on the VTs on uhaulcamper.com, but I think our constant questions scared him away. The Uhaul dealer we talked to had never seen a camper. It is just that some parts are interchangeable with Uhaul's moving trailers. We have a surge brake (that does not work) from their dual axel moving trailer. The hubs we bought were for some kind of moving trailer. That guy's dealership had been one that repaired Uhauls. Uhaul used to let the dealer keep parts on hand. That was why he had extra hubs that he sold us.

As for paperwork, what I know of is here on this forum: Fiberglass RV - Document Center - U-Haul. A lot of the CT stuff is applicable to the VT too.

There are several VT owners here who will help, as well as CT and any of the other fiberglass owners. As you have specific questions, like how to repair the damage, start a new thread that others will see and maybe title it generic to fiberglass repair, so others check the thread.

I hope I am not being too much of a Debby Downer. Being a VT owner has changed our lives. We have seen places we never would have seen before buying our VT. It just takes some creativity and willingness to work on your camper.

CindyL

[Jonathan Wright]

You guys are a great resource, much appreciated! I'll be looking at those .PDF manuals today.

Jonathan

[Roger Kimble]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Wright

You guys are a great resource, much appreciated! I'll be looking at those .PDF manuals today.

Jonathan

Todate we have not found a VT Manual, does yours have a privacy room?

[Jonathan Wright]

It does have a shower room with a door, but no port a potty currently. There's a sink in there with a hand pump for water.

The link Cindy sent me above had three .PDF documents, a Users Guide, Parts Manual and a Repair Manual. There is an illustration of what looks to be a 16' model in all of these, I assumed it was specific.

[Roger Kimble]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Wright

It does have a shower room with a door, but no port a potty currently. There's a sink in there with a hand pump for water.

The link Cindy sent me above had three .PDF documents, a Users Guide, Parts Manual and a Repair Manual. There is an illustration of what looks to be a 16' model in all of these, I assumed it was specific.

I think you will find they are for the 13', CT, the user is for both, the rest is for the 13', but alot of the parts were used on the 13' & 16'

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Wright

Thomas -- I drove it about 125 daytime highway miles yesterday with no problems after my initial inspection, though I was concerned about the brakes as well. I have a class III hitch on my Toyota 4Runner with a variable brake controller, but was unsure as to the functioning on that. Are surge brakes compatible with this? It has been used to tow a 17' Casita before. There seemed to be a certain amount of slamming around in the hitch on deceleration. Odd configuration on this hitch, there is a shock absorption mechanism of some kind in line after the ball socket.

I'm loath to take it to an RV service facility, but having the brakes and axels inspected is probably a good idea. The running lights appear to be out as well when headlamps are on, there is a second set of brake lights that have been wired up to the bumper. The brake and backing lights are working.

Thanks, Jonathan

What you call a shock absorption mechanism is the surge brake. When the tow vehicle slows, the tongue telescopes and applies pressure to a hydraulic cylinder. Depending on what hardware is still there and the condition, you may need only to flush and bleed the system to make it work. If the drums are there and OK, you can swap out the brakes for new hydraulic brakes, as I believe they are standard 10" brakes. (Kevin and Cindy did this) You can also buy new surge mechanisms. Converting to electric brakes is problematic due to the drums, which lack the friction surface on the vertical wall needed for the electric brake electromagnet to drag against.

I would avoid RV places. If you need help, go to a utility trailer building and repair shop. They generally have lower labor rates and can fabricate anything.