Week old Newbie

[SunSport]

Just purshased a 1997 Sun Sport with a Galley Slide. We upgraded from a vintage pop up. lol So we dont know anything about motorhomes and the person we bought it from didnt either. We would like to take her camping soon and want to know what should we do first for safety and etc. Thanks

[Beaufort NC]

With a "new" old home, I'd want to look at a couple of things first:

Check the tires. Tires which have been standing in the sun or are more than a few years old are subject to UV aging, and typically get cracks in the sidewalls. Blowouts are a PIA.

Is the fire extinguisher up to date?

Is the propane system up to snuff without leaks.

Do all the smoke and other alarms have new batteries, and do they work properly?

Are the coach batteries good enough to take you over the night, does the emergeny start switch work?

How are the hoses and belts? At ten years, they may need replacement.

Are the wiper blades in good shape?

When was the last time the transmission was serviced?

How's the caulking, both around the roof, and at other joints around the coach. Taking on water while driving is not fun.

If you have air brakes, is that system in good shape, or do you have air loss?

Do you have a driver's license that qualifies you to drive the coach in your state?

[SunSport]

Thanks for your great checklist. Many items on your checklist, I haven't even thought about. I found out that the windshield wipers needed replacing while driving it home in the rain. lol

[Beaufort NC]

A couple of other things:

Make sure that you look at all your lights, including your markers.

Do you have spare fuses all around? Spare 12v light bulbs for the interior?

Check lugs nuts and torque to mfg's specification.

If you carry a spare, how's the tire pressure? (I don't. I'm not going to change in anyway, and it's a common size, so probably not much chance I won't be able to get one. Now if I'm going to Alaska, that's another story).

[03heritagerider]

Great suggestions and all are "need to do" things.

If you keep the unit at your home, and after you've done all of the safety checks mentioned in the previous posts, consider this...A great way to test everytning is to move into it for a few days. Go camping in the driveway. Hook up the water and electric, load the fridge and cabinets with what you think will be enough supplies for a few days. Connect the cable, satelite or antena if you are TV watchers, books and/or DVDs if you're not. Then, try as hard as you can to not go into the house for the duration of your excursion.

You'll learn quickly what works, what doesn't, and be able to make a list of what you need to have when you leave for real.

And pay no attention to what the neighbors are saying about you (':lol:')

[RayChez1]

Beaufort has just about covered everything. To me the most important thing are the tires. Check the date the tires were manufactured. They should be changed at least every five to six years on a motorhome. If you see any cracks, better change them out. Nothing worse then a blowout.
Then I would take it on a short trip and camp out and see what works and what doesn't. Go to a camp ground where you have full hookups. Make sure you have all the hookup hoses for water and sewer. And just go out and enjoy your coach. Welcome to the RV world. It is a lot of fun.

[SunSport]

Tahnks for the suggestion. However I cant park it in my yard. No room. We did get the alignment fixed. Were going to take it out for a close weekend trip soon.

[03heritagerider]

That will work too.

Find a place near a Metro area for your shakedown cruise. Preferably somewhere close to a Wal/K-Mart, Home Depot/Loews and groceries. First day you'll realize all the things you didn't know you needed or forgot.

Have fun, and DON'T FORGET THE FISHIN' GEAR! :lol:

[SunSport]

Our overheads air conditioners clicks on but doesnt blow when we turn on the switch. Are we doing something wrong? What do u think it is? I hate to have to take it in and get charged for something as simple as not turning it on right or something.

[03heritagerider]

Make sure the thermostat is set below the actual temperature in the coach. If the coach is cooler than the setting on the a/c it will not turn on. You may also need to wait a minute or two for it to kick on.

If you have already checked this, then you need more help than I can give. You may want to re-post as a new topic with "air conditioner" as the subject, to get a discussion going.

[holmesaw]

You must be plugged in to shore power or generator running to use air conditioner.