13' uhaul

[Brian in Oklahoma]

I recently purchased a uhaul trailer and I know nothing about them.
How do I find out what year model it is?
The window seals leak , were is a good source of replacement parts?
What is the best cleaner to use for the exterior fiberglass?
What is the best treatment (wax,armorall,etc) for the exterior?

[Kevin A]

Welcome! You will find a lot of helpful UHaul owners on this site who will gladly offer opinions and tested solutions to your UHaul issues. Be sure to look up some of the previous threads, especially about windows. There are many people who have looked for the best ways to refurbish windows, so use the SEARCH function here liberally! Original new windows are very hard to find, but the old ones can be brought back to life with new weather-stripping and seals. Perfect Fit is one source and butyl tape is a real friend!

As to the age of your trailer, at least you have a very limited number of years to pick from! They were only manufactured for about 3 years in the mid-80s, so they tend to be 1984, 1985, or 1986 models. This should be located on your title, but it might be wrong there. Many trailers have stickers or plates that note the date, but finding these on the trailer can require some searching.

For cleaning, Bar Keeper's Friend is a good cleanser to use with some elbow grease. I use a general RV liquid soap with about a half cup of bleach mixed in the water to take care of any mildew or mold spots. If the gelcoat is really oxided (powdery), you may need to do a light sanding, but this is usually a last resort. On my last re-do, I used ZEP floor stripper on whole trailer to get all old coatings off, washed it thoroughly, then applied 5 coats of Red Maxx Pro (now marketed as ZEP floor finish - Step 3). It shines like a diamond!

You will not need to worry about greasing your hubs since they are sealed from the factory. However, you should check your tires and replace those if the trailer has been sitting around for a bit. The tires usually last only about 5 years because of dry rot and lack of use. They may look fine, but they can be bad inside. You should also check to see if a previous owner installed brakes, since these didn't come on the CT and often aren't needed because of its light weight. If the trailer rides really low, you may need a new axle, but that isn't an emergency thing and can be done later. If you do replace the axle, you may want to get one with brakes already installed on the hubs. This allows you to use regular wheel rims rather than the strange UHaul size, too. (UHaul used unique sizes on the wheels to discourage theft during the rental years. Many folks have switched over to regular hubs/axles so that they can use easily available rims.)

Good luck and welcome to the club!

[fried egg]

hi brian
see you are new here ,as am i,welcome.
i can tell you NOT to use amour-all as it is full of silicon and creates havoc with fresh paint. Body shops hate this stuff. cheers bill

[mary and bob]

Good info from Kevin. I used the Bar Keepers Friend to clean our Uhaul. Used Meguires Marine wax after the cleaning. I've replaced our rear window with one from Scamp by slightly modifying the opening. I was fortunate to have acquired a pair of new original side windows when they came available for a short time, but at that time I had already installed a Scamp window in one side, so only installed one of the new ones so far. New side windows are available but they are the clamp ring type like the front & rear windows. They have to be custom made, but another member here found a reasonably priced source, about $150 per window. The Uhaul side windows are notorious for leaking. There is a good thread here by Bridget T on how to rebuild the side windows, but I disagree about the weatherstrip she used, not the correct one in my opinion. Go to the document center on the home page, then down to the bottom where all the trailer companies are listed, click on Uhaul, and you can access the parts and repair manuals plus some other info. We've had ours a couple years now, and have done many repairs and modifications, so have some knowledge of whats involved in repairing or maintaining these trailers.

[Brian in Oklahoma]

Thanks to all for the info. I have downloaded the manuals, are those part numbers relevant to any supplier that may have the windows seals in stock?

[keekers]

Welcome Brian. Always nice to find some more UHaul owners. You will find this forum to be a very valuable source of information and inspiration.
Patti

[mary and bob]

Old Uhaul part numbers may be of no value now. For the window weatherstrip, the rubber that holds the side windows in, I bought AS1456 and AS789 from perfect fit.com. It is sold only in 50 foot rolls so if you can find another Uhaul owner that needs some you can share the cost. It takes almost exactly 7 feet to do one side window. Keep enough to do the door window too. Somewhere the part number is listed for the window channel stuff, probably in the cross reference post in the document center.

[Kevin A]

If you go to the Documents Center, then go to Trailer Brands by Manufacturer, then UHaul: download the UHaul Parts Cross-Reference list by mmeyers. This lists the current part numbers with manufacturers. Perfect Fit is listed as the window channel supplier. It's not likely part numbers from old UHaul manuals help any more today. Use the new list.

[Steven Tonnesen]

I need some too. Perhaps we can collaborate....

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Old Uhaul part numbers may be of no value now. For the window weatherstrip, the rubber that holds the side windows in, I bought AS1456 and AS789 from perfect fit.com. It is sold only in 50 foot rolls so if you can find another Uhaul owner that needs some you can share the cost. It takes almost exactly 7 feet to do one side window. Keep enough to do the door window too. Somewhere the part number is listed for the window channel stuff, probably in the cross reference post in the document center.

[mary and bob]

For those replacing the rubber weatherstrip in their side windows; note that at the top of the window frame there most likely will be two small drilled holes, about 1/8" diameter. The AS1456 weatherstrip does not cover these holes as it is slightly narrower than the original weatherstrip. I used the AS1456 because of the groove width where the window sets. If you measure the thickness of the window frame lip that sets in the rubber, and the thickness of the fiberglass wall, both should measure 3/16". The wall thickness may vary. The grooves in the AS1456 are 3/16" one side, 1/4" the other, same as the original Uhaul weatherstrip. Ideal situation would be weatherstrip with both grooves 3/16" but that is not available. As I recall, I installed my new weatherstrip with the 1/4" groove on the fiberglass, but found one of my windows that way, the other had the 1/4 groove against the window. Probably it was grab a piece and stick it in! Someone else recommended AS1488, but that has both grooves 1/4" and won't seal as tight, your choice. Another source of side window leaks is around the channel the class slides in. There are small drain holes at the bottom that plug, and the window channel also gets worn. If you rebuild your windows be sure to cut drain holes in the new channel. Other sources of leaks that we have had have been through the roof at the seam, at the door hinges, at the marker lights, and wind driven rain will enter the stove vent louvers on the outside and drip onto the stove. Because of the double hull construction the source of leaks can be hard to locate. Also note that Uhaul original weatherstrip may be different from one side window to the other. One window, usually the left, is designated as an emergency exit with a pull tab to remove the lock strip and then push the window out. The other window has a fold in lock strip that is part of the weatherstrip. You can use the same weatherstrip for both windows. You'll want the lockstrip tool, I bought a Lisle 47000 tool at my local parts store, also available from Amazon, or perfect fit sells a tool. Lube it all at installation, I used liquid dish soap, Ivory to be exact, only because that's what we wash the dishes with, and washed my hands with when I was a truck mechanic.

[Brian in Oklahoma]

Thanks "Mary and Bob"!

Steven if we can figure out exactly what we need and where to get it , I would be happy to share an order with you

[mary and bob]

Where to get; go to perfectfit.com, look under weatherstrip

[Camper Dave]

Hi Brian,

I also picked up my 1984 U-Haul earlier this month and hope to start working on it soon. I have not done a "waterproof test" on the windows yet but I think this is one thread that I will keep notes on.
I never had any idea that there are so many U-Hauls still around!

Dave

[Mike Magee]

On my former Burro, cleaning the weep holes with a piece of wire was enough to solve the problem. Water would still gather a bit in the channel, but it would drain and did not drip into the interior any more. YMMV on the U-Haul windows.

[Pam Garlow]

Love those UHs, have one of my own. Welcome to the group, Brian. Do you have any photos you can post in this thread?

I love to see other UHauls.

[Higginra]

Let me know if I can help anyone on replacement window information also. I have replaced both side windows and the front window on my uhaul. It' hard to find the date if you are unable to find any stamped ones. I am in the process of replacing the counter top and other changes.

317 six five zero 1169

Robert

[Pam Garlow]

This thread should give you a lot of good instructions. Note that the NOS windows in this thread are no longer available, but the rest of the information should be very helpful to anyone working on their UH windows.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ows-54255.html

[daman4799]

Originally Posted by Higginra

Let me know if I can help anyone on replacement window information also. I have replaced both side windows and the front window on my uhaul. It' hard to find the date if you are unable to find any stamped ones. I am in the process of replacing the counter top and other changes.

317 six five zero 1169

Robert

Hey Robert, I could use some help on replacing the front window. My 13 did not come with a gravel guard. Also the window is plexiglas. I took it out and cut a new window out of plexiglas. The rubber is to short that surrounds the window,still leaks. Did you replace that rubber seal?

Thanks, Jim

[mary and bob]

The Uhaul front window should be held in with a clamp ring on the inside. Use the black butyl tape to seal the window frame to the fiberglass. Or are you talking about sealing the plexiglass to the window frame. Your best option may be to buy a rear window from Scamp, about $150 plus shipping, and install that in the front, then you will have a window that you can open. Another member here has done it. I replaced our rear window with a Scamp window, had to widen the opening by about 1" total, 1/2" each side. If you do go with a Scamp window, front or rear, DO NOT use the foam tape that Scamp sends with the window, it will leak, use the butyl tape. Also I had to put the clamp ring on backwards because of the wall thickness. Our Uhaul does not have the gravel guard either. I had a lot of leakage problems, front window included, finally got it all resolved!! Robert has the info as to where to get custom sized windows at a reasonable price, better than anywhere I could find.

[daman4799]

Thanks, I think I will check with ordering a scamp window. Looks like a spring project.

Later, Jim