Dang Improvements

One thing I didn’t know before buying into an RV park in the Southwest is the incredible amount of wind that blows through here. I found out the hard way this past Spring when the winds kicked up and nearly blew my 30 foot 10,000 pound 5th wheel RV off it’s foot pads. I was having to put my full length slideout in constantly and couldn’t sleep due to the creaking of the bedroom wall and the constant rocking motion of the bedroom. I spent a few nights sleeping in my truck instead. I am now in the process of converting my large garage building into a comfortable she shed with a foldable cot, sleeping bag, outdoor carpeting, porta potti, dorm refrigerator, and TV. I am looking at possibly insulating it and installing permanent AC along with a portable heater.

I am also working on stabilizing the trailer further. I already had X-chocks on it which I highly recommend to anyone. Recently I added a stabilizer tripod to the hitch up front. I hadn’t thought that would help much before and didn’t want to add more to my setup routine but decided to give it a shot now that I am spending much more time in one place. I bought it from Amazon and found it easy to put together. Installation was also easy. Oh my gosh! It works! We had more wind here right after I installed it but my trailer is much more stable and I was able to sleep through it just fine. I don’t know yet if it will be able to also handle the Spring winds but it has given me hope. In any case, I will also have my she shed ready.

Another improvement I am adding this week is a very large propane tank with regular onsite service from a local company. The genius who designed the location for the on board tanks on my trailer made it very difficult to get the tanks out to refill them and well, I’m not forty anymore. I’m really looking forward to using it though I heat mostly with electric in the winter. The water heater uses a lot when it is cold outside and I occasionally use the on board furnace to quickly bring the trailer temperature up in the morning.

Last winter I bought a Camco heated water hose and can now say the expensive item is well worth it. I haven’t frozen up once since then. I unplugged it when the temps started staying in normal ranges and only plugged it back in recently when they plunged again.