Front wheel jack

When storing teardrop for a month or so is it recommended that you put the hitch on a block of wood or some other structure as opposed to leaving the wheel jack down as support? Thanks.

 

I would defer to to Cary, but I would think the wheel jack is sufficient for storage and supporting the tongue. I am sure that 99% of the trailers out there are stored on the wheel jack.

That is not to say there is not some torque that the frame experiences due to the wheel jack being bolted on the road side of the trailer, but I would think that this load is negligible. Also, i'd be afraid that the wood block or support would get knocked out or somehow fail and then your trailer tongue would slam to the ground and create some damage to the CI, or worse crushing a hand or foot.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Good point, thanks.

 

This Tongue Jack Chock works great… It goes under the tongue jack wheel every time the camper unhooks from the TV.
It makes for very smooth and easy moving around on a concrete floor. I got it obviously for camp set up use, but it’s great at home in the garage. When on the road it stores easily in the outside, upfront compartment.
Camping, we chock the tongue wheel as I as we unhook. When the tongue wheel is safely chocked, you can start leveling up and not worry much about the camper rolling away. On steeper grades I usually get some weight on each jack in the back before actually unhooking.

 

Because I have no other place for storage, my 550 is in my back yard when not in use.

I have/use 1'*1'*3" bricks. I keep the back end elevated using the OEM jacks, and with the jacks sitting on the bricks that are earlier described. I also have/use another brick for the tongue jack wheel. That tongue jack wheel is hard plastic, and I have no concerns with it getting a flat spot.

Because the back (2) corners are elevated by the jacks, I'm not concerned with the front tongue jack wheel moving around.

If I were not using the jacks, I would definitely use something like suggested by "Jim and Selma", that tongue jack chock thing. "Jim and Selma", awesome suggestion, thanks for posting it.

As an add-on to that comment, I would add that if you do need/go that route using the tongue jack chock thing, look for quality. Probably 6-9 months ago (I don't remember exactly), $WIFE brought home something similar, I believe it came from Harbor Freight or Northern Tools. It was a cheap, flimsy piece of junk, and it didn't stick around long before it found a new home in the trash.

 

Jerry, Watch carefully if you store outside. I'm 99% CI recommends indoor storage. I can tell you that I've seen seepage and moisture get into the galley area of mine just while camping. The hurricane hinge stops a lot but not all moisture. I saw seepage in the upper left and right corners of my hatch. After a strong rain or couple hours on the road, I might even see a small pool of water.

I see in your profile you're from Texas - perhaps this is different if you are in the dryer parts...but if you get a lot of rain I'd be very cautious. At least open it up and inspect it every couple of weeks. You might want to see about a pad to set it on too -- RV's in general stored on soil don't do well compared to concrete or asphalt. Water KILLS RVs fast....even if they are built as well as CIs...

My neighbor has a rig which is 3 years old, maybe 4 -- and its delaminated and has likely reached the point where its not even salvageable because of water damage.

While at the nest a few years ago, some one told me about a guy who owned one but never used the gally...ever. When they opened it for service the entire area was just filled with mold...I don't know if the trailer was salvageable or not....I doubt it. I'd hate to see that happen to any one....

 

Sweeney...EVERYTHING is fixable...just depends on the time and money you want to put into one. But yes, inside storage is the best.

 

@Sweeney,

Thank you for the note. Location is the very NW corner of Lewisville.

Wish I had garage space, but I do not. My 550 has always had to live outside, but so far no problems. Wish I had garage space for it, but that isn't going to happen for me.

Mine does not have AC nor a sink or any other form of water storage as built, not sure if that has helped avoid any leakage, but so far my 2014 vintage 550 has not experienced any.

 

I do own several of these Tongue Jack Chocks. Handy for boats, trailers. They came from Menards, < $5.

Our 550 also leaked on both ends of our galley “gutter” and I stored a dry towel at each end to catch drips.
Easy to check and avert a bad water problem. Definitely inside storage is recommended. Aluminum takes a beating too.
CampInn eventually got the leaking gutter fixed. They know the ins and outs of every problem. It was pretty involved repair, injecting caulking where it wasn’t done right by worker no longer employed.

 

Believe me, I would if I could.

Could you possibly elaborate on that one further please?

Regardless of post here by many, aluminum does not patina like an old neglected truck, it just turns to white powder.

I've yet to achieve a mirror like finish on my Camp Inn like I see on many Air Stream trailers, I do actively polish it, and IMHO, all my exposed aluminum is in great shape. I'm firmly convinced much of my polishing issue is due to the particular aluminum allow used in construction. I have a pickup with an aluminum flat bed, and it is so bright and shiny, I'm amazed I haven't been pulled over for blinding other drivers.

Is there something you've seen, or something that you recommend watching out for?

Full disclaimer on my Camp Inn aluminum construction materials. I'm exceedingly happy both with the quality of my Camp Inn 550 and the support received from Cary. There is nothing to read here between the lines. Only frustrated in myself in my ability to get a high quality mirror polish.

EDIT: still waiting on a reply on this from "Jim & Selma", but while I stewed on this for a while, the only other thing I could think of for "aluminum beating" might be for or from those of you up in the salt belt. I'm in the deep south, and this is not a concern I have, although if I were somehow exposed to road salt, I would certainly address that issue promptly.

 

JERRY,

Call James he does mirror polishing in Indiana. You can call him at (269) 873-6283.

Bill

 

Hello Bill,

thank you for that note. I'm on the south coast, and not likely to drive to Indiana for polishing on my 550.

Probably the unwritten part of this is you know/are buddies with James, but are you suggesting that a call to James might prompt him to spill his processional Camp Inn mirror polishing secrets?

I do know how to polish metal, I've done it a lot and have items I'm very proud of. I don't know any other way to express this, other than to state it seems the aluminum alloy used has outsmarted me in the mirror polishing department.

hopefully, everyone here has seen this part many times, and is sick of me posting this disclaimer. Love my 550, love the quality of my 550. And I've gotten great support from Cary && team when I needed it. Trying very hard to keep from sticking my foot into my mouth.

 

Ah...okay I thought you were on the NW side of Lewisville IN...but if you are in Lewisville TX ...call these guys and they will mirror polish it for you... (817) 609-6357. Or get a high speed polisher and buy the correct rouge aluminum polishing supplies for truckers, with rouge lube, polishing rouge, buffing wheels, cleaners and waxes

Like this View attachment upload_2021-9-20_16-13-7.png

 

Airstreams are clear-coated from the factory. A challenging but not impossible backyard project!

Ideally it would be done in a paint booth immediately after full polish, wipedown, and masking.

 

Take a look a doing it yourself! Don't over think it....

You can buy a polishing pads they aren't that expensive and a polisher at home depot. I'd avoid the cheap ones at the car parts store and walamrt that are "for cars" --- they are really not powerful enough to do anything except make you feel like a detailer. They really don't do anything. You need a powerful buffer...

I've gotten brave with buffer on my car and it really isn't hard at all. Id look at a Dewalt buffer if you're a tool guy, or a (Found in the Bottom Of the) harbor frought sells one for $50 if you want cheap. The best part is, once you have the tool cleaning and waxing car is highly rewarding!

But, I digress. There are tons of you-tube videos on using these tools. As long as you keep the pad away from screw heads you'll probably only need 1 of each 'grit' -- so 3 or 4 pads total....

If you're really interested....I have an abandoned airplane rudder in my storage shed - made of 6061-t6 aluminum, I am not suer what aluminum CI uses...but frankly, I don't think it will make a huge difference. If you're even considering a DIY, I can pull the toys out and see what it looks like and sacrifice a little of the polish and time that I have...I might be doing the same thing to mine in the spring anyway

 

The challenge is to not heat up the aluminum thus causing warpage. I am not certain if the aluminum sheet is 6061, 3003, or 5052, but all alloys will buff up nicely. The thickness is approximately 0.040" so there is not alot there to sand, etch, and buff. It certainly is do able as a DIY. The tough part is the black oxide just never stops. I would caution against a clear coat as Seth mentioned, all stone chips or deep scratches/failures in the paint create problems down the road. It is best to not put any solid coating on the raw aluminum and just keep up on cleaning and re-polishing.