Went on an Egg hunt & found this!

[luvrOlife]

I'm SO happy! It's been over 5 years of searching for The fiberglass trailer. I was looking for a Burro or Casita...and then via this board I learned about uHauls and my heart went a flutter. See a hundred years ago I was going to rent one on a trip to Gatlinburg. Our plans changed so we never did...but I never forgot about the lil Egg trailer. I thought it was a Burro, but learned here of its own special history.

Picked her up in Tehachapi, CA on Saturday. Spent the night in her before heading home to the SF bay area Sunday. My TV is a 2011 Ford Escape V6 that gets 26 mpg. With the 1985 CT I get 23.5 mpg. At one point I noticed that I was going over 80 miles per hour, passing a a convoy of big rigs. I decided to slow down a bit. I hardly noticed she was back there. She's in good enough shape to camp in this summer. I'm going to pack the wheel bearings tomorrow and fix the window seals. Other than that she's good enough to go. But definitely a project for next winter!

Did I mention that I'm pretty happy!

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by luvrOlife

I'm SO happy! It's been over 5 years of searching for The fiberglass trailer. I was looking for a Burro or Casita...and then via this board I learned about uHauls and my heart went a flutter.

Welcome to the UHaul club. They are a great little trailer and I'm sure you'll love it.

I'm going to pack the wheel bearings tomorrow

No you aren't. UHaul uses an automotive type sealed bearing hub that is lubed for life - don't even try to get it apart.

and fix the window seals.

Lots of good information here on windows. Use the Google search function at the bottom of the search pull down

[Thomas G.]

P.S. The curtains look original. We have a forum member looking for original curtains if you decide to "upgrade".

[luvrOlife]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Welcome to the UHaul club. They are a great little trailer and I'm sure you'll love it.

No you aren't. UHaul uses an automotive type sealed bearing hub that is lubed for life - don't even try to get it apart.

Lots of good information here on windows. Use the Google search function at the bottom of the search pull down

Whoopsie! Wish I'd have seen your post a wee bit sooner. Ha...dropped the trailer off at the shop... I didn't bother to remove the hubcaps to check. Guess I'll find out what kind of mechanic I really have. ;-p

There IS great info here! I've learned so much lurking about in such a short time...and even found my Pearl here!

I did see where Julie, if I recall her name correctly, posted about the window seals...what a mensch that gurl is!

Thanks for your support, Tom! You're a Font of Knowledge (-:

[Pam Garlow]

Hi, Vanessa, I love my UH too I've had it for about 6 years and really enjoy camping in it. I've put a lot of girly fru-fru stuff into it. And you do not have to pack your bearings, just like Tom said.

[mary and bob]

...dropped the trailer off at the shop... I didn't bother to remove the hubcaps to check.


If it has the original Uhaul hubcaps, they are rare. Rumor is that Uhaul removed them in order to make it easier to check lug nuts. Bridget T had a good report on rebuilding the windows, however I disagree on her recommendation as to what weatherstrip to use. I'll leave that decision to you.

[mary and bob]

Just noticed, looks like the furnace vent is gone and a flat cover there? Has the furnace been removed?

[carlkeigley]

Welcome to the Forum.
Looks like you've made a great find.
Congratulations.

[Mike Magee]

I'm curious about those sealed hubs. I know that over time just about any grease will dry out and get stiff. At some point, if the hub can't be re-greased, doesn't it have to be replaced? Just wondering how long it will last.

[freddo411]

Make sure you check the lug nut tightness. Folks have had wheels pop off on the road.

[Otters]

Your little trailer is so cute Vanessa. You'll have a lot of fun with her. I'm in Pleasanton. Where are you located? Let me know if you like the place you took the trailer. I need to take the Scamp in and I'm looking for a competent person. And if they tell you they repacked the bearings--well I won't be going there.

Happy Trails!
Linda

[Pam Garlow]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

I'm curious about those sealed hubs. I know that over time just about any grease will dry out and get stiff. At some point, if the hub can't be re-greased, doesn't it have to be replaced? Just wondering how long it will last.

The UHaul production happened in the 80's, with most UHauls titled as 1984-85. My tire guy has checked my hubs when changing the tires, and says that they're still fine. I suppose at the time they start to go, I'll also consider changing the whole axle so that I'm not locked into this type of hub (including the proprietary nature of the UHaul rim/tire relationship).

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

I'm curious about those sealed hubs. I know that over time just about any grease will dry out and get stiff. At some point, if the hub can't be re-greased, doesn't it have to be replaced? Just wondering how long it will last.

Mike: Since they are a moving mechanical part they are certainly subject to failure by a variety of causes such as deterioration of the grease, load conditions, or road hazards. I've only seen a couple sealed hub failures when I worked on big trucks, but they were not commonly used either. I've heard of one Uhaul hub failure that I believe was on Cindy & Kevins trailer. Since the bearings can not be disassembled and visually inspected, it's hard to determine their condition. Without expensive test equipment the only means is to check for play and roughness when spinning the wheel, and the start of a failure is difficult to detect. I'll jack up our trailer a few times a year and check the bearings. I also have a spare set of hubs that I have carried with me on trips, I'll probably just install them this year due to the age of the trailer. Much easier to do it at home than on the road. Since the Uhauls were built for rental use and long life, no doubt the hubs are plenty heavy for the weight of the trailer.

[frankie]

Isn't it great I love my lil hunter but if I find me one I want a u haul too . I wasa wanderin if u found u a camper then there it is.u haul city baby I'm green with envy and proud for u at tha same time . The hunt is over now make it your own. Enjoy

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

I'm curious about those sealed hubs. I know that over time just about any grease will dry out and get stiff. At some point, if the hub can't be re-greased, doesn't it have to be replaced? Just wondering how long it will last.

I don't have any data, just anecdotal information.

• I bought my UHaul in December 2011. It came with a new hub in a box dated 1992. The hubs on it appeared to be all original.
• Of all the posts I've read here and at uhaulcamper.com there has only been one reported failure - Cindy and Kevin's VT
• This exact same part was used on 1993 to 2003 Camaro and Firebird front wheels.

[luvrOlife]

Originally Posted by Pam Garlow

Hi, Vanessa, I love my UH too I've had it for about 6 years and really enjoy camping in it. I've put a lot of girly fru-fru stuff into it. And you do not have to pack your bearings, just like Tom said.

Pam, looks like we've got the same one...I think she's such a good Egg...SO well built!

[luvrOlife]

Just noticed, looks like the furnace vent is gone and a flat cover there? Has the furnace been removed?

Hi Mary and Bob, Well you're right. It was removed and there is a massive heat pump/AC in the back window. I don't like it and will be replacing the window. I live in California, so having an AC isn't necessary and my friend turned me onto this portable lil furnace, made by Mr Heater. As Paris Hilton says..."it's SO HOT!"

About those window seals, Bridgette mentioned, do you have another recommendation? I'm open to doing my research, but even more open to getting input on alternative products. -V

[luvrOlife]

Originally Posted by carlkeigley

Welcome to the Forum.
Looks like you've made a great find.
Congratulations.

Thank you, Carl! The great find is that my friend who found a Hunter Compact mentioned this forum to me. I feel guilty with how much time I've spent on here already...dang that laundry sure does pile up fast!

[David Tilston]

Vanessa, Since you are already spending alot of time with us. You might want to change your profile, specifically your trailer probably should no longer read "I wanna biod". Maybe add your new trailer in a registry. Forget the laundry.

[luvrOlife]

Originally Posted by Otters

Your little trailer is so cute Vanessa. You'll have a lot of fun with her. I'm in Pleasanton. Where are you located? Let me know if you like the place you took the trailer. I need to take the Scamp in and I'm looking for a competent person. And if they tell you they repacked the bearings--well I won't be going there.

Happy Trails!
Linda

Thanks Linda,
I'm in Mountain View. If I could pitch like Sergio Romo, I could hit the Google Campus from my loft! I have a great shop, Kevin's Auto, whose mechanics work on all my vehicles. He's pretty much down the street. It's truly a one stop shop! They do it all...have many fleet accounts.

When I move, no matter where I'm at, I'll bring them back here.

He literally picked up my trailer like a rickshaw, and shoved it in my driveway while I was at work. No charge, as once he saw they were sealed "he got the thing out of his way!"...but my hubcaps weren't back on, so I'm still waiting for Oz to come back in tomorrow to find out what happened to them. sigh It's always sumptin'