New fiberglass rv owner in Oregon

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

I just bought my first fiberglass rv today a cute little Bigfoot 1987 13ft. I will have lots of questions and want to do comparisons as soon as I get done reading all of these interesting posts. I get to pick it up on Wednesday. It looks pretty original and in need of some tlc but still sound. I'll try to include a pic and will get better ones taken as soon as I get it home.

Kathy

[Donna D.]

Hi Kathy, welcome to FiberglassRV!

Great looking Lil Foot!

I don't know where in Oregon you're located, but consider joining (currently) 29 other trailer owner families at: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-49979.html

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Donna,

Thanks for the information.. I'll check it out. I may not make it this year but since I live in Coos Bay, I have already put Bullards on my calendar for next year. I should have all the logistics figured out by then.

[TaniaD]

Originally Posted by MsRubyLu-Kathy

I just bought my first fiberglass rv today a cute little Bigfoot 1987 13ft. I will have lots of questions and want to do comparisons as soon as I get done reading all of these interesting posts. I get to pick it up on Wednesday. It looks pretty original and in need of some tlc but still sound. I'll try to include a pic and will get better ones taken as soon as I get it home.

Kathy

Welcome Kathy!! We too just bought a 13' this year (1month ago..can't believe it is already a month!) This forum has been a life safer! Or trailer saver The people here are great about trying to answer questions or send you in the right direction. Enjoy!

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Okay, I picked her up at the dealers today, which is good and bad. I never even thought about it but there was a broken lens on one of the side lights in the rear. They changed it out to make it all legal and threw away the spare part from the other side to make them match. I'm bummed because some one else could have used it even if I didn't. The good part about buying from a dealer is all the lights work and the propane tank is full and checked for leaks. Water is full and tested everything seems to be working. I will start taking pictures in the morning to document what is there and where everything is. They did add dealer stickers which I will take off first thing tomorrow before they set to well and they changed the license frame holder which is probably okay. Things I never thought about and I didn't get a picture of the old one so I don't know if I would have prefered it. Some one has made some modifications too it at some point and I'm not sure what is original. There is no spare tire and no leveling jacks. According to the manual on line here the jacks were an option on the 13 ft. I also discovered that the front and rear window are plex which doesn't seem original. I would like to see some pictures of an original or restored to original to know what I really have. She is very cute and somewhat musty smelling. Does anyone know how big the fresh water tank is?? I'm not sure this is original it is in the correct place but looks too clean and pristine to be original. Any comments or ideas for how I should start please let me know. Also how do you balance the load if the water is full and there isn't anything up front to weigh her down she was a little tail heavy coming home.( I still need to learn to back up so she is on the street tonight) Since she is drooping in the back I couldn't back her into the driveway over the bump and angle on my driveway. The skids where hitting pretty hard so I decided I would start fresh in the morning after I practice backing up in a large parking lot and add some weight to the front some how to get her the rest of the way level. Thanks for listening and any help.

[Joseph Kristan]

Hey Ms Ruby............Welcome to our world. Think about draining the tank to lighten the load on the rear if she is truly tail-heavy. Also, if the hitch on your tug is HIGH it would push the tail down. Tug hitch height is usually easily adjustable by getting a different draw bar with more drop (to lower the front end).

I would NOT worry about the tail lights at this point. As long as they are working. Fine, for now. Later you can think about finding and replacing original.

Personally, I would attack the MUSTY odor ASAP. Musty means moisture. Get you rig as dry and ventilated as you can. Also, consider some way to absorb/eliminate moisture. Check all the NOOKS and CRANNIES for moisture. Most rigs have a lot of them.............storage bins, cupboards,etc. Basically, I strive for a real nice DRY/WELL VENTILATED interior.

Best of luck. It is a PROCESS and it's all about the journey. Enjoy the ride.


Joe Kristan

[MsRubyLu-Kathy]

Thanks Joe, I have the next to longest drop hitch on now. The guy at the dealer didn't want to put on the next one because it was too low so drain the tank it is and figure out how to get it in the driveway so I can work on the musty.