I bought a burro sight unseen and am having it towed to me: questions

[jenbooks]

Also, is there anything I can clean weatherstripping with? The probably once white or cream colored weatherstripping around the door, has grunge of age on it. What is best to clean it with? Soft scrub? Fantastic? Or something else? THANKS.

[melissab]

Wow! Beautiful Burro, Jen!! If you decide to part with it you'll have no trouble re-homing her for sure! Looks like it's hardly been used. Those Burro decals are pristine! Any more outside pix? Was this the original owner?

[jenbooks]

A few more. For Melissa, my PM advisor on stuff like tongue length and weight.

[jenbooks]

Anyway, if anyone has advice on what to clean weatherstripping with, and any polish on the stove which has some scratches.

We have spent time just cleaning it. Like Randy says, he just cleans his trilliums well. It really has made it shine. I also took the brown curtains down, although we still have them.

[Mike Magee]

You could always keep watch for a used Eggcamper (none will be very old, so they are unlikely to need heavy maintenance). That way the smell will have abated.

Your sniffer must be like my wife's. She smells stuff I don't notice at all. I was in new Eggcampers when I toured the factory and nothing smelled amiss to me.

[jenbooks]

Hi, Mike. I think I'm going to call EggCamper today as I never see used EggCampers for sale. Even the lady with the 2011 said the odor still bothered her.

I actually get sick from those chemicals, so I guess my sense of smell being so acute is good as it helps notify me of "danger". :-)

[Per Walthinsen]

Jen:
Our trailer was basically new when we got it, and the smell was strong. We are not sensitive to this but the smell was unpleasant. When I mounted a carbon monoxide detector in it it went off quite often and at the most inopportune times, and I knew we had no gas being used. It had to be discarded.

It took about 5 to 7 years before I didn't notice it any more, even if it had been sitting in the heat and closed up. I'm guessing that the particular ingredients used in the manufacture of the shell could vary from make to make and perhaps also the proportions of chemicals used could be a little outside the ideal. I think your approach is good: trust your nose.

[jenbooks]

Hi Per, thanks. I've read that a sensitive person should look for a house at least six years old so I guess it's the same with new trailers too.

[lhanna]

Wow! Gotta say I'm kind of jealous!!! Beautiful little trailer! I can't speak for others on this website but when I was looking last year I looked at sooooo many trailers that were supposedly "awesome condition". In the pics they did look really good, which is why I went to see them, 99% of them were baaad, project trailers in reality. I had pretty much given up before I got my Lil' Darlin. Good on you getting such a beauty sight unseen! Too bad you are sooooo far away. I would buy that in a heart beat!!!

[jenbooks]

Thanks lhanna. The history of the trailer that was told to me was it was stored under a carport in the desert it's whole life, and not used much the last ten years as the original owner had a fifth wheel. He used it for hunting expeditions but would also set up a lodge tent apparently, for cooking and eating and so on. Since it was in a dry climate, under cover, and not used much, that is why it is intact, and even the cushions are like new. It did have obvious dog hair though on the carpet, not the cushions. I guess the dogs hung out on the floor.

I have to go get barkeeper's friend for the weatherstripping, and a toothbrush, according to someone else on here, will supposedly get some of the grayish grunge I see on the weatherstripping around the door entrance, off.

We are going to make a decision very soon as to whether to keep it for a year or sell it now and go back to looking. I didn't even know tongue lengths were included in trailer dimensions until this arrived. I think for weekend, or even weeks long campers this size is better. This is hard to fulltime in.

Yesterday I spent the whole day salivating over Olivers and Eggcampers pictures online. Of course Olivers are for the wealthy. Sheesh. Apparently they go for 40k now. That really seems overpriced, but anyway...that's like getting a Bambi airstream. Not in *my* budget. But they sure are pretty. I like almost any egg camper, but definitely prefer the ones that are double walled with the fiberglass interior walls rather than carpet. There is just such a clean feeling, plus for a chemically sensitive person its less likely to have absorbed odors, perfumes, or pesticides if a person did use them. That's why I like the burro, too, it's just a burrito lol, a leetle puppy. OTOH I have seen some nice spirit deluxe casitas at campgrounds.

[Rusty01]

Jen, very nice looking Burro. Enjoy it. rb

[FelixVW]

Wonderful burrito

[Green Frog]

Jenbooks, Congratulations on getting started with your Burro Adventure. You would probably hate my '83 Burro since it is owned by a bachelor for the purpose of camping at a black powder shooting range!

My floor isn't carpeted, but has a spray-on bedliner material (pick-up truck style) with a couple of throw rugs tossed in to make it homey (and easy to clean out the mud.) I haven't gotten around to replacing the headliner trim yet (but i have gotten as far as thinking about the bamboo mat treatment some have suggested here.

I have noticed, however, that perceived size is a very relative thing, depending on what you do with it and how you use it. My Burro came with a full one-piece mattress pad for the rear dinette area so I don't have to jigsaw the cushions together to make a bed. This is a good thing as I can leave the bed made up all the time, and get into it when I'm ready. The front bench has that center section that comes out to make it into a mini-dinette just for two. Spacious it ain't, but I don't eat inside that often anyway if the weather is cooperating. That little table is just about the right size for a laptop and a couple of reference books or note pads, though!

I'm still looking for a proper sized cooler to fill the gaping hole where the Original Owner had a Dometic Refrigerator (since disappeared) but I have one of the original type stove tops in place... hooking it up comes later. Mine is chrome on steel and I will use "Mother's Mag Wheel Polish" on it when I get to that stage. Mine lacks the cute little logo yours has because it is from a different supplier, I guess. Is that the piece you were wondering about replacing or building up? I guess it's the bachelor in me, but that is at least one thing I wouldn't worry about!

One caution I would extend in all seriousness. For routine maintenance, make sure the window drains (outside) stay clear so water does not get routed down between the walls. Not only will that encourage mold growth which you obviously would not like, but it will also cause the floor to delaminate from itself and its fiberglass covering... probably the most common ailment seen in Burros.

Again, congratulations on your new-to-you Burro, and I hope you'll give it (and yourself) a chance. You might find the little guy will grow on you! Even if you don't, as others have said, yours will be a very easy one to sell and you'll have a better idea of your real wants and needs while shopping for the next one. Win-win!

Regards,
Green Frog

[jenbooks]

Green Frog and others, thanks for the advice. Where are the drains? I don't think my burro has any mold as I'm a mold dog anyway and can smell it a mile away but I sure wouldn't want any. There seem to be no window leaks. But I want to be sure they're properly sealed etc. if I do keep it. I have to admit it's darn cute.

I will say that if you keep the table up you have to be a yogini to sit down. I literally lift one leg over the table and sit and then lift the other . Therefore I really would like to make it a bed, get a mattress (I'm not sure I'd like all those cushions as a permanent mattress? Unless maybe I put some kind of topper over them but toppers tend to be toxic foam.) I was trying to examine the bunkbed area and I do see how one might make a dinette? Can you post a picture of yours? That would be perfect for a solo snack and to work on the netbook.

My burro seems to have a tv dish and also has a kind of stand for the tv installed on the wall. I don't especially like that and may take it off. I can keep the dish in case of selling it but I never watch tv.

Now--on to the barkeeper's friend! This was a great idea somebody posted on another thread of mine. I got the toothbrush and liquid barkeeper's friend. My weatherstripping looks much better. I also used it on the metal window "sills" or whatever you call those, and also on my stove. I really like that stuff. It works really well.

We also borrowed a good vaccum and got all those dog/cat hairs up. We didn't really have to shampoo the carpet after all, just some quick touchups.

I'm going to upload some more pix from my iphone into my computer, especially about this thing on the front that is plastic and chipped. Maybe it's an outlet for the propane heater. I don't intend to use that as I'd rather use my little broan space heater as I don't think I'll be boondocking anyway.

If I do keep it for the summer even I'll have to install a window a/c without harming anything. A teeny one I guess. Or else use a portable. But there's so little room in the burro.

And if I do keep it I'll probably put tile floor or pretty wood floor down. REAL wood. Or PORCELAIN tile. Something really nice. It's such a small floor space. But that's a thought for another day.

I really don't know what I want to do. It's so cute but as my DH says, It's too bad it doesn't have five more feet. But as I said, it's so cute. Also, it's in really good shape.

I also have another question--what is the wood on my cabinets made out of? Thanks.

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by jenbooks

I also have another question--what is the wood on my cabinets made out of? Thanks.

Trees. (Sorry - couldn't resist!!)

[Green Frog]

I assume you are referring to the cabinet doors, since the cabinets themselves are made of the same fiberglass as the rest of the body components. The doors on mine were a pretty cheap grade of plywood panelling. I've seen some really nice ones made to replace them on some of the custom jobs folks have showed on the various threads. How do you feel about Lucite™? I've seen some smoked and some color tinted Lucite™ or maybe Plexi-glas™ used so you could see what was inside the cabinets without having to open the doors.

As for a wooden or tile floor, just remember that anything like that tends to add weight, and when you add weight to a little Burro, a small change sometimes makes a big difference. I'll be using indoor/outdoor carpet similar to the original if I ever completely re-carpet mine, but I'm sorta liking the water and mud proof floor with throw rugs right now.

Froggie

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Green Frog

As for a wooden or tile floor, just remember that anything like that tends to add weight, and when you add weight to a little Burro, a small change sometimes makes a big difference.

My main concern with porcelain tile would be cracking since the trailer will flex and the tile and/or grout won't. People have done wood floors...

[jenbooks]

Lucite sounds beautiful.

I know a guy in AZ who renovates regular size travel trailers to be nontoxic. He puts down two layers of tu tuff and then cuts high quality tile to fit and doesn't seal it with grout. Apparently this works great for giving leeway on the road, and looks good, too. No cracks no breaking. If you spill liquid you lift the tile and wipe the tu tuff clean. But I like wood too. The already sealed prefab wood is nice.

Thanks again Will shortly post a pix of that chipped thingy.

[jenbooks]

PS does tile or wood on a burrito really add much weight? It's such a small surface area.

[Donna D.]

Jen, since you're writing and working inside the trailer... have you considered a screen house so you can be outside for most of that? Let's face it, 10 feet of living space isn't much. But is far more doable if your livingroom is just outside the door.