Howdy—Still Looking in the New England Desert!

[mary and bob]

That Casita will surely have the EZ lube axle, a grease fitting under a rubber cap. Do some research on how that works. I would tow it home, testing the brakes on the way, and pull the hubs when you get home and inspect it all. I recently replaced the brake assemblies on our '96 Casita because of rust, wear, and adjusters seized. You can buy the whole assembly, backing plate with shoes and all the parts. Price depends on if you get original Dexter parts or aftermarket

[CindyL]

Don't trust 3 year old tires. Perhaps it was the brand on our VT, but one of our 3 year old tires blew last year on our way to FL. Cover yourself. Make sure the spare is good.

CindyL

[emij]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[CarrieR]

So glad you found what you really wanted! (And let me know if you find reasonable service in the Boston area. We decided to just forget about putting brakes on our Scamp 13 unless we can do it in Minnesota because the quotes we were getting here were ridiculous.)

[Uplander]

A few thoughts...Tires...if the original owner covered the tires they should be fine. Age is always a concern as UV damage compounds over time. If they were covered they should be fine...inspect for cracks in rubber side walls and between the threads. I'm not a fan of what some call EZ Lube fittings as it is too easy to pump lube greese into the brakes (not good).

The brakes: use your controller to test the brakes the first time you roll. You might hear some squeaking as any surface rust is scuffed off the drums.

After purchasing any used trailer have it inspected (tires, bearings, and brakes) at an RV dealership. I suggest an RV dealership because all too often the local auto repair shop uses the wrong parts. Best example of this is using the wrong wheel bearing seals and that caused you to leak bearing greese (not a good thing). Because your unit has had little use and is almost new the other items like appliances, water heater, air conditioner and water pump should be fine (I assume you tested them prior to purchase).

Good Luck and Happy Camping.

[jaye580]

Happy Camping!

[Mr Lynn]

Got it home with no problems, except interminable rush-hour traffic on I-495.

Brake controller recognizes brakes; I set gain to -0- so as not to even actuate them until I've had a chance to look and experiment next week.

Tows well, and looks great. Spare tire has been covered and never used. But two side tires seem good (no cracks or rot, good tread). I may rotate them, though then I'll have one much newer on one side. Not really a problem for a trailer, I guess. . .

/Mr Lynn

[Glenn Baglo]

Escape advises to rotate tires on the tandem axle trailers front to back, not side to side. So, I don't think you want to rotate, or it's best to investigate further.

[wwig]

Mr Lynn,
It was a bit of an ordeal but well worth it, CONGRATULATIONS let the adventure begin. Happy Camping!

[Jon in AZ]

In regular use and properly stored when not in use, three year old tires should be fine. It gets iffy when a trailer sits unmoved for a year or more. Worse if uncovered and/or parked with weight on tires.

If in doubt, I'd just replace them. A blowout can really ruin your day, and collateral damage to the fiberglass is always possible.