Cargo Conversion ...on the CHEAP

[d30gaijin]

D30, as a Jayco FS 197 owner , be SURE to have the paper thin roof inspected by your dealer EVERY 6 Months!!!!!! Right after my warranty ran out , it started to develop de-lamination ... Factory refused repairs, said it was my fault for not having the trailer regularly inspected by the dealer (every 6 months) although I inspected it myself and kept it clean and waxed, as suggested by the dealer... Dealer repairs are RIDICULOUSLY expensive ... $5000 for roof repair , who knows how much to repair the front cap de- lamination. And the factory told me that I should have had the roof re-sealed EVERY year by the dealer ... at a cost of $1200.00 each time (not mentioned at the time of purchase) Read the fine print !!! Caulking /sealing is NOT covered by the warranty ... I figure after we have the front cap repaired , we will have spent the price of the trailer again in just repairs ... Trying to sell a 3 year old trailer , I found out now it is worth less than I still owe, even though we used it once and only ran the AC and radio ... GRRRRR!!! Just a big Money pit ... Parts from the factory are silly EXPENSIVE for what they are, dealer charges as much as a rocket scientist , together it's a great plan to stay in your pocket ... Just a maintenance Nightmare !!! I know I've said this all before , but I'm still P****d off about this ...
Hope you have better Luck than I have ... That's why I'm going with a cargo trailer , which is Made to live outside ... curiously enough.. and the simple appliances will cost one fifth of what RV ones do ...

GPW,

Geeez I hope we don't have the problems with our Jayco you did. We've owned it for a year now and have been quite happy with it but guess we'll have to take a wait and see on that. We did buy the 6 year extended warranty but I will take your advice and inspect the roof regularly.

After shopping around for RV appliances for the cargo conversion I came to the same conclusion you did, stupidly expensive for RV stuff when Home Depot and other on-line places have stuff that works as well for a lot less. I bought an 800 Watt microwave with turn-table for $98 for the cargo conversion from Compact Appliances with free shipping.

Don

[GPW]

Here's an interesting video about how the Jayco's are built in 6 hours, 32 per day ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp ... 3#32468163

It appears that everyone is in a big hurry to get it done quickly... Not much QC I can see ...

Bruce , I wish you the Best of Luck with your TT... best keep/store it inside for fewer problems ... and be SURE to carefully read the fine print on your warranty to see what is and what is NOT covered...

[Shadow Catcher]

GPW I agree, not much QC and now I fully understand why most trailers seem so flimsy. Just as a contrast I went looking for similar video from other makers and did not find any in the high end i.e. Airstream, Glacier Bay, and Forest River. Glacier Bay btw has a five year warranty.

[GPW]

Wish I'd seen that before I bought one ... That would have changed my mind ... screwed now !!!

[GPW]

So many reasons why the cargo conversion is the logical choice ....

I built my first TD , cost me roughly $2800.00 ... I could have bought a CT and saved all that labor/time ...(But it was great Fun building it!)
They live outside , although we have a shed , with a minimum of fussy maintenance ... increasingly difficult for we "old people"..
Cheap and easy to convert ... Insulate , do your decor thing ...can be simple to opulent (sorta') ...
Inexpensive appliances , easy to replace ...on the road ...
Lighter , easy to tow... and work on ..

Now in keeping with the "thrifty" theme ... somewhat appropriate with our current economy, we've been looking around for a good used Cargo trailer... Everybody here seems to have one , mostly tradesmen, used ones being hard to find unless it's a rusted out S box...
I know I can buy a new one as a last resort , but Every free Ken time I do that , people start giving them to me after ... Still looking ...intently...

[GPW]

Question: Torsion springs or leaf springs .... seeing both .. Don't know ...???

[GPW]

Here's my sink !!!