HELP me. I am NEW to RV's & Need info...Buying a tiny Uhaul

[MichiganGirl]

I am NEW to this- I am driving to buy my first camper tomorrow in Houston. and I REALLY pray someone can email me: [[/B]. with some replies. I never have had a travel trailer. and I know nothing. I am not sure what powers the lights on or new A/C unit. DO I need to buy a generator and what size? and or does it plug in someplace? What do I need to make sure it has? I have read about invertors? - UHHHhhh... I am really worried I may be making a mistake. I really want this to work out. I am a planner. This is for my kids. and I have no clue... If anyone could be so kind to send me any information, I would deeply appreciate it. - Thanks. *******ANY information would be greatly appreciated. thanks*********

[john warren]

easy peasy lemon squeezy, don;t fret the small stuff.

first you need to know if your trailer has 12 volt and if so does it have a battey, if not get a battery for it. now you can see if any 12 volt stuff needs fixin.

next does it have 120 volt house current system? if it does, you will simply plug it into an outlet that fits the plug. a 30 amp or 15 amp outlet. the 15 is like the one in your house. and the 30 has a special plug that looks different is all. still just a plug.

where will you camp? most camp grounds have electricty available and will have a place to plug in at your camp site.

if your camping in the boondocks,,,,which it doesn;t sound like your gonna do for now anyway, you need a generator. but i think you should forget that for now and just go with what you have till your comfy with it.

have your tires and wheel bearings checked first thing. electricity will be pretty usless if you broke down on the side of the road.

next make sure all your road lights work.
and hitch is solid.
then when your sure everything is road worthy and safe,,, get out there and use it. thats how you learn what you really need to learn with a camper.

[Donna D.]

Laurie, everything else can be dealt with as needed. Breathe, breathe, breathe. Download and take with you this Buyers Checklist. You need to check the camper thoroughly... especially the floor. The body needs to sit square on the frame, look at it from all angles and make sure it's not listing to one side (broken frame).

Right now, don't worry about how you're going to use the camper (generator, etc.) The first things you need to make certain of, if you buy it... that it's safe to go down the road... lights work? Brakes (if it has them) work, good tires at pressure, bearings recently greased and hitch is solid and properly hooked to the tow, safety chains in place.

[Thomas G.]

Good advice from Donna. We also have UHaul documents here on file to download. A user's guide (was for renters), a parts manual and a repair manual. Print these out and take them with you.

Fiberglass RV - Document Center - U-Haul

Your UHaul is probably a 13 footer and will not have brakes. It has permanently lubricated bearing hubs. If you need a new one, go to an auto parts store and ask for a front bearing hub for a 1993 Chevy Camaro. If the tires are dry rotted or more than about 5 years old, stop and have new tires put on at a tire shop. You might want to call around the Houston area and find a place that has 175/80/13 trailer tires in stock. They are about $75 apiece.

Your trailer should have a long cord that pulls out of the little door on the left. It has a standard plug. This powers everything inside when you camp. It should also have a battery to power things like lights when you are not plugged in. If there is no battery, a new one is about $85 and available at Walmart, etc. The battery lives in the storage compartment in the center rear under the cushions.

You can do it and you're gonna have a lot of fun!

PS Is this the one?
http://houston.craigslist.org/rvs/2833606983.html If so, the owner seems to have everything in working order.

[MichiganGirl]

THANK YOU ALL for the kind replies.. I am going to print out the checklist ! ) and look for all the stuff you guys mentioned. - Thanks for the help... Laurie

[melissab]

If it's the one Thomas posted it sounds like you wont need to purchase anything, just hook up and go. It's got good tires and new battery. Looks nice! congrats!

[Mouse]

Uhauls are great! Like everyone says the CT13 pictured in the Craigslist posting is complete and ready to camp. Just add your kids and food and maybe a dog and you are good to go.

[Mouse]

BTW: They are bigger on the inside than they look from the outside!

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Mouse

BTW: They are bigger on the inside than they look from the outside!

Yea, from the outside, you expect to see 25 clowns come tumbling out.

[Roger Kimble]

The hubs are off a GM, the number is 295-13018, National
Will fit the axle, but the rims from U-Haul will not fit the GM hubs, but regular Rv rims will like are on mine in our pictures, and they are the idler hubs off the back of GM front wheel drive cars.

[Thomas G.]

If this is the trailer in the Craigslist ad I posted, it has a "2000 pound" axle. So, it may have a standard spindle axle now. That would be a good question for the OP to clarify with the seller.

[RRJR]

Hi Laurie, like everyone says, be calm.
If your buying from a dealer they should run over all the particulars with you. If private sale the seller can do the same for you. ASK a lot of ??,
You will also learn a lot as you camp from others.
Goog Luck.
Ron

[Mike Magee]

What are you towing it home with? If your tow vehicle has a hitch with ball and a connector plug for the trailer wiring, it's good to go. Hey, Thomas G or someone, what size ball does the UHaul take? I don't recall if it's a 1&7/8" or a 2" ball. The wiring plug is probably the common flat-4-prong, right?

My wife and 2 little kids and I towed one of these from St. Johns MI to Colorado Springs and back, in about '85 or so, with a little Dodge Omni. We made some good memories, even though the furnace wouldn't fire up in the thin mountain air and the front window leaked while driving in rain. Something to look back at and laugh about.

You may as well sleep in the trailer on your way home. Take a sleeping bag to put on the cushions, no need to mess with sheets for the short time. Take a flashlight, duct tape, hammer, screwdrivers, and pliers of some sort just in case there's something that needs tightening or fastening. Maybe even take some paper plates, plasticware, and easy food items (remember the can opener!) if you like. Take plenty of your favorite beverage (I don't mean alcohol, now!) to drink during the trip. You might as well have a nice adventure!

Take it slow and easy until you feel comfortable with the trailer behind you. If you have to back up, do so very slowly and occasionally pop out of the car to look around behind and around the rig (look UP too, that trailer sticks up a bit).

About a generator: if you want to run an AC or microwave, or if you want to camp off-grid for several days and need a way to recharge the battery, a generator is great for those things. Otherwise you should be fine without one. I think you'll have some interior lights that run off the battery (oh, you may want to unhook the wiring harness from the car at night so you don't draw the car's battery down.. but be SURE to hook it up again in the a.m.). The furnace uses the battery, too, and it's a bit of an energy hog. You'll have LP to cook with. I've camped without hookups and without generator plenty of times, it's fun being independent of utilities.

[mary and bob]

Uhaul uses a 2" ball, it's stamped on the side of the coupler 2 or 2 1/8" ball. I've never seen a 2 1/8 ball.

[CindyL]

Let us know when you get home with your Uhaul, Laurie.

I wonder if there might be someone in TX who can help her in person??


CindyL

[Mouse]

Send picture!

[Mike Magee]

By the way Laurie, I would recommend that you edit your first post to remove your email address. Spammers like to harvest emails from wherever they can find them. We can always Private Message you.

[Shelley Brinacombe]

Laurie...let us know when you're home safely. I'm new to the trailer scene too, everyone on the site has been very helpful. I live near you, just across the Detroit River in Windsor, Ontario. I plan on trying out some Michigan campgrounds, maybe we'll run into each other. I'll have the retro '75 Trillium.

[Bob Miller]

RE: 2 1/8" Ball on Uhaul
This is the size ball U-Haul used to equip their trucks with to prevent renters from towing anything except a U-Haul trailer or towbar. They did away with them years ago.

[MJ Hopper]

Laurie, don't get overwhelmed. You can do it ! I just bought a CT 13 that needs quite a bit of work. The one you are looking at seems to be in good shape. All of these very nice folks give very good advice. I am still reading threads and compiling a binder. Good luck.