New to all this stuff...

[Camper Dave]

Hi Folks,

I am a newbie when it comes to campers; I have always used a tent.
Last year while camping on the Blue Ridge Parkway I saw a Scamp and talked to the owners who proudly showed off their rig. When I stepped inside I was first amazed that I could stand up in it (I'm 6'2"), and then surprised by how much space could fit in that little fiberglass body. I took a few photos to show my wife and she decided that maybe that would be a good way for us to travel with our dogs. I found this site and started lurking and learning.
That brings us to yesterday when I bought a 1983 U-Haul CT13. I found it on a craigslist post for a "Minnie Camper". when I clicked on it it showed the photos of this U-Haul and had the guy's phone number, so I called, got info, and we went to see it. It is not pristeen but serviceable and the price came down to a reasonable range so we decided to buy it.
The fellow was working on it, and the wheels were off for painting and new tires (Good time to look over the bearings and such), so I left a deposit and will pick it up this weekend.
I have learned quite a bit about Fiberglss RV from this site, and I am VERY glad that you all are here so that I can pick your brains for the answers to the many questions that I am sure to have with this new old U-Haul Camper! Thank you all in advance.
Please bear with me if you reply to a posting of mine and I don't get right back to you. I tend to live "Low Tech" and do not always check the computer every day. Thanks again, David

[Pam Garlow]

Congratulations to you and your family, Dave. You're going to make some great memories in that little camper.

Welcome to one of the nicest forums on the web

[Donna D.]

Hi David, to FiberglassRV, we're glad you're here

If you've been lurking, you know we love to share pictures. When you get your new-to-you rollin' home, please take the time to post some pictures

If you have questions, there's a whole bunch of kind folks here willing to share answers and opinions.

[mary and bob]

Uhaul uses a sealed bearing hub that can not be disassembled or greased. Only thing you can do is check for play or roughness when turning them. Unique trailer with its own unique parts and problems. We'll be in SC with ours about mid November for a few days at Huntington Beach.

[Camper Dave]

Thanks for the welcome and the feedback.
Mary & Bob; That was exactly what I was able to check since the wheels were off. They both spun smoothly and I could detect no play. Since they are sealed bearings, how often do you check yours and are they simple replacements? I hope y'all enjoy Huntington Beach. I hope to get down to the coast this winter with mine.
I am bringing my U-Haul home tomorrow (!!!!) and will try to post some photos very soon.

[mary and bob]

Uhaul bearing hubs are held on by 4 bolts. Replacements are available from Uhaul. I check ours a couple times per year. Best you can do to check them is jack up a wheel, check for any play, noise, or roughness when spinning the wheel. If any of those conditions occur, even slightly, you want to replace the hub. I carry a spare with us on any trip, attached to the spare tire.

[Jared J]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Uhaul bearing hubs are held on by 4 bolts. Replacements are available from Uhaul. I check ours a couple times per year. Best you can do to check them is jack up a wheel, check for any play, noise, or roughness when spinning the wheel. If any of those conditions occur, even slightly, you want to replace the hub. I carry a spare with us on any trip, attached to the spare tire.

Great idea. I carry a spare hub and set of greased bearings, dust seal, and cotter pin with all my trailers.

[mary and bob]

I would much rather have standard bearings that can be removed and greased, but the Uhaul set up is what it is. Some Freightliner big trucks had a sealed bearing hub on the steer axle, and we had a special device to check them. It's difficult to detect a failure in the early stages with these hubs so regular inspection is a good idea. I know one member here did have a failure while on a trip. Dave, if you don't buy a spare from Uhaul, at least look in the document center and learn what hub from a common car will fit. I believe that the hubs I purchased from Uhaul are actually meant for a car as they have a plug in on the back which may be a speed sensor for ABS. Lots of info in the document center, to find it you have to scroll all the way to the bottom and click on Uhaul in the list of trailers. There you will find the parts and service manuals and some part interchangeability information. For Jared, here's an example for doing regular bearing maintenance; several years ago we stopped in a rest area on I84 and saw someone with a popup camper, wheel and hub off, trying to hammer off a broken inner bearing that was seized to the axle. Not a happy camper that day!

[keekers]

Welcome Dave and family to the UHaul family egg basket.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Jared J

Great idea. I carry a spare hub and set of greased bearings, dust seal, and cotter pin with all my trailers.

I dont carry the extra hub but I do carry the bearings, seals, dust cover and cotter pin. You never know where/when you might need them. Due to not carrying spares in the trailer a friend had to cool their heels in the middle of nowhere waiting for bearings to be shipped to where the trailer was this summer. Lost a couple of days of a 10 day vacation due to it.

[Camper Dave]

Thanks for all the information. Yesterday I went to my local U-Haul center and checked on the possiblity of ordering the wheels from them. No problem, but the counter manager made me promise to bring the camper by so she could see one! Now I'll have to put these other hub related items on the order too.
Today I picked up our U-Haul CT-13!!!
The egg handled well on the 120 mile trip home while being pulled by my Toyota Highlander (4 Cyl.). The trip was mostly interstate, but it gave me a pretty good feel for how it would tow.
She needs some work, could be used as is for "rough" camping (I want to go over all the wiring, gas and water systems, check the furnace before using any of those systems and repair a soft spot (ie. rot!) in the floor.
Then I get to start on the small problems and Patti (my wife) decides how she want to decorate.
Here are a few photos:

[Camper Dave]

And a few more photos:

[mary and bob]

Dave, when you get working on the floor, replace all the body mount bolts that you can get at as they tend to rust away where they pass through the floor. Too bad someone hacked up the countertop where the stove was to install that fridge. If you don't want the air conditioner a Scamp rear window can be made to fit by slightly enlarging the opening, or another member here found a source for reasonably priced custom sized windows. Since it looks like the stove is gone be sure to check that the gas line to it has been properly capped off or removed. Rot in the floor most likely was caused by a leak or multiple leaks, so try to locate them. I had several leaks, including in the roof seam, through the windows, at the tail lights and marker lights, at the door hinges, and in the stove hood outside louverd vent. They can be hard to locate. I replaced all the light wiring except what was in the walls because it was cracked in many places through the insulation exposing bare wire. I also replaced the original power converter, all the 110 volt wiring, and added extra 110 lights and outlets and 12 volt lights.

[Jane SC]

Congrats on your new UHaul! We look forward to meeting all three of you!