New to this Post 1967 Burro 13 foot

[John Colangelo]

Hello. My name is John and I'm from New Mexico. I've been shopping for a Casita, Burro, or Scamp for over a year and finally found one in my price range. The owner insists she's a 1967 model even though I thought Burro didn't start manufacturing until 1976. The title (from Arizona) clearly says the year manufactured is 1967. Could it be a typo? Any rate, she's 13 foot, has the bunk beds on one end and the dinette/bed on the other. I just bought her yesterday. I've already washed her and painted her body with Rustoleum bright white enamel. I contacted the Rustoleum technical resources and they said it's fine to use on Fiberglass. It looks great! I patched a few holes with some state of the art wood patch that is supposed to be 10 times stronger than wood and paintable. It worked like a charm and sanded right down to a smooth finish. Way easier than using those resin fiberglass patch systems with several steps. Next I plan to put in a new floor (vinyl planks). I'll post pictures later. I paid $1000 for her. She's in pretty good shape even if she's turns out to be a 1976 model. The door isn't aligning properly and it looks like someone did a bad repair job moving the hinges to the door. I'll probably have to work on the door but she closes and appears to be water-tight so that's good. Next weekend I'll work on the stove and gas and lights and test them all out. I can't wait to take her on a voyage! I have a flat 4 in my Subaru and she came with a 7 pin round. I bought a converter but when I hooked it up, nothing worked. I drove home (50 miles) in the daylight without brake lights or turn lights. Not safe but I had no plan B to get her home.
I've replaced all of the bulbs now I have to hook her back up to my car and see if anything comes on. The interior AC works just fine when I plug into my home AC. What's the deal with the center line at the top of the coach? It appears to be almost transparent and very thin but it's water tight too. Doesn't feel very strong up on the top part of the coach. Wouldn't want to stand on it. Anyone have a unit this old? Mine looks pretty spiffy with the new paint! I even painted the frame a nice shiny black. Good old Rustoleum! You can find it at Lowe's. Make sure you get the enamel gloss white. My neighbor used it on his fiberglass boat and that was 8 years ago and the paint still looks new! Rustoleum is a great product. Ok, looking forward to talking and learning from you all. John in New Mexico.

[papa-t]

Welcome John. Congrats on the purchase. Can't wait to see the pictures.

[Mikmay]

It's defenetly a typo but congrats on the new trailer

[Mike Magee]

Sounds like you got a pretty good deal. Have fun with her!

[felix2]

Have fun with the Burro! The roof seam is bonded fiberglass patch over (actually under, as it's on the inside) the joint, so leaks should never occur there...it's windows and the door (which never aligns correctly!), or obvious cracks (I found one in a wheel well).

If you have the old sheet acrylic window sliders, you can clean out the tracks really well, making sure the drainage holes are clear, otherwise water will back up and run into the cabin.

As I mentioned, the Burro curved door will never blend into the cabin curvature perfectly...just make sure you have a good seal - there are a lot of searchable discussions on these things in this forum.

I rewired my burro completely - actually fairly easy to do - and eliminated all the patched wires and add-ons that previous owners had done. You won't need more than the flat 4 connector unless you are charging the burro battery with the tow vehicle alternator, then you need the 7-pin.

[gage]

Hello John, welcome aboard from another Burro owner. California DMV has my Burro registered as a 1971 but we all know that's wrong. Best guess is that it's a 1981. I too needed to restore mine and finished it last year. You can find it at Restoring a 1981 Burro Fiberglass Travel Trailer . Have a look.

[rick.a]

Hi John,

Like Gage has said, there are several of us who have restored Burros, so please ask us if you have questions about any aspect of rebuilding systems on your Burro-13.

Rick

[John Colangelo]

I do have an additional question if I may. I removed the 3-way refrigerator because it was all rusted. I capped off the LP gas line using a 3/8 inch flared copper cap and plumber's tape. That seemed to work OK but when I test the cookstove I turn on the propane tank valve and I cannot "hear" and gas coming from the cookstove. I tried lighting it but nothing. There are no valves in between the outside tank on my frame and the cookstove. Does it take some time for the air in the lines to be forced out by the gas? I only waited about 2-3 minutes before trying to light it. Should I wait longer?

[rabbit]

I'd say keep your butane match or whatever sparking and wait a few beats. I have a 3 burner range top in our Burro and I generally find, when the tank has been closed between trips, that opening all three burners first time lighting expedites things a bit. Sure you don't have an empty tank? Get a flashlight and doublecheck for shutoff valves in the line.

jack

[rick.a]

Hi John,

It would be best to follow the propane lines to be sure that you capped the line to the fridge and not to the stove. My original propane line ran under the floor to a "T" from which one line went up to the fridge and another continued under the floor, then turned and went up to the stove. On the last leg going up to the stove, under the cabinet to the left of the fridge the line had a valve which would shut off the gas to the stove. Check for that. Also, it is not kosher to use plumbers tape on flare fittings. If the tape is only on the threads and not on the flare, it will be OK.

Rabbit is correct in that it takes a few minutes to flush out the air from the lines if the lines have been disconnected. Just keep a flame on the burner while you wait it out so that gas does not accumulate when it does come out. If you still cannot get the stove to light, you may need to blow out the lines with compressed air. Propane gas after the regulator moves at about 3 psi and does not have enough pressure to blow out obstructions. If you do blow out the lines, disconnect the line from the stove first so that you don't blow crud into the burners.

Rick

Rick.

[rick.a]

One more thing John. My fridge looked very rusty at the rear side (and still does) but it works fine. So you may want to test to be sure that it really is dead before you discard it. Connecting to 110VAC is the best way to test it. If it does not start to get cold after 1/2 hour you can assume that it does not work. But it still may be repairable. Replacement units of this type (2 or 3 way) are over $700.

Rick

[John Colangelo]

Thanks guys, I'll check for that valve again! That would be great. I didn't know I shouldn't have used plumbers tape on the threads. Should I unscrew it and remove it? It's too late about the fridge, I've already discarded it. It was so heavy and the interior was so small, it wasn't worth all the weight and trouble. I think I'll be better off with a low tech solution like a cooler and I'd rather trade the weight for cargo.
I'll check for that valve. I have the same LP configuration as you mentioned. I am certain I capped the correct line, I can see it now that the fridge is gone. Thanks guys!
You guys are awesome!

[felix2]

John, my fridge was removed by the previous owner, and a dorm refrigerator fit nicely into the space...it is worthless for dry camping though, as it doesn't insulate at all when unplugged. There are small iceboxes available to fit that size, but with ice in it, it has little room for anything else in it. You may find the space is more valuable for storage, and that an ice chest works much better.

We only use the fridge to keep milk for morning coffee, and maybe a yogurt and a small melon etc...we freeze quart juice bottles to use as contained ice blocks in the fridge, as regular block ice melts and there's no drain (or containment for ice melt) in the fridge. Iceboxes have the containment and a drain line.

[rick.a]

Hi John,

If you put only a few turns of plumbers tape on the threads and none on the flare itself, you are OK as long as it is tight. If you put many turns of tape, you should take it apart and remove the tape. You want the squeeze of the fitting to be on the flare and not on the threads. A small amount of tape is OK because it simply acts as lubricant allowing the nut to travel easily and compress the flare on the nut.

I agree that a vertical ice box is not very useful. Better to simply make this space a big storage cabinet and use an ice chest which can be moved around.

Rick