rpsinc

So, where is the 2016 DRV 44 Houston listed?  Seems to me your current trailer was not built by DRV.

I commend you for your approach.  Doing the planning you are doing is a great way to delve into this adventure with eyes open.  Dont discount the plywood idea, there are marine grade plywoods out there that can be either treated with copper green or some sort of sealer, esp since you are looking at 2 years life expectancy, which really isnt long at all and there are also pressure treated plywoods available which may need NO pre-install work at all.  Remember to similarly treat or use the same type of framing materials.  Sitting any wood product just above the wet will help too. 

Another option could be tarps, attached to the trailer and secure to the ground with tent stakes.  Harbor Freight has them pretty cheap and so may be a less expensive option even if changed once a year.

Welcome and you ask very good questions in preparation for your new lifestyle.

Northwood is a brand built in the PNW, bu as to finding used might be a task.  Roof integrity is a good idea since it runs downhill from the roof.  If you want to consider some DIY roof repair coatings, lean toward Liquid Roof and NOT toward silicone based products like what is sold at Home Centers.  Those are not designed for RVs and their unique conditions plus they make the roof slick and unsafe to walk on with ANY amount of moisture on it.

Skirting is a good idea as it will help the conditioned envelope for heating and cooling.  Note that using the RV furnace, they are about 30%+ efficient and as such use 3X the fuel to accomplish the necessary warming.  Looking at catalytic heaters or electric, but that will require a larger cord and service and may be more costly, although propane costs too.  You could lease a large (100# or bigger) tank from a local supplier that will fill it as needed.  Make sure to ask about service fees for this, as they do vary by company.

It is likely that you will have a 10 amp service, minimum is 15 amp but most common is 30 amp.

There may be some folks to do inspections of trailer candidates, I have found them on Craigslist or try local RV companies.  Often they work indepedently and as such can be hired for this.  Recommendations are good as there are also people who claim they know what they are doing and dont(which is part of the reason why you are going to school.  Have they?).

2 hours ago, rcdorosh said:

though my 5th wheel is supposed to be 13'5"

I encourage you to physically check your height.  Things that we add to our trailer do encroach into the height, like MaxxAir, satelites etc.  Best to know what you are!

OK, so where to find the straps?  I imagine that the ones I have for my show car with 20" wheels are not the best choice for the Smart.  Does Discount Ramps offer a good option?

Well, it seems with our maiden trip to the WCR completed and our confidence increasing, we are in the hunt for a Smart(driving the Volvo to Walmart isnt the fun I prefer, although very doable).  Found a nice low mileage 453(not easily done right now) and so ready to order some ramps in anticipation.  I have found the more popular are Discount Ramps 12'L X 12"W folding ramps.  Now to determine the better approach to tying it down.  We will have alloy wheels so not sure if baskets or through straps are better.  Any opinions out there?  I will be making my own chocks to add the ratchets to.

Yep, National is acceptable from my previous experiences, but many things may have changed in the years since I sourced bearings/races/seals on the regular.

Thanks but I'm in So Cal.  Not a cost effective option right now.

You can also consider getting quality spares at an industrial supply house rather than say NAPA or other AUTO parts house.  Go to where manufacturing plants buy their parts, Grainger or McMaster Carr are some but not my preference as they dont have inside sales counters with experienced staff in all places, but places like Kaman Industrial or similar are better choices for me.

Speaking of Smarts, I have been on the look out and my 1st choice is a 2016/17 gas model.  I found 1 with just under 12K miles and asking $14K.  Given that the condition should be as expected, how does that fit in to the current market?

I was sorta expecting these to increase in value given the current fuel prices, but this one has been getting lowered over time.  It was much higher than what I thought it should be at but at the current asking price, it seems to be a be a bit high but factor in the low mileage, seems about right.

Any input?

Have you considered having it inspected?  Perhaps an in-person evaluation by someone with the skill set to provide you with an educated opinion.  Hard to tell you my opinion from my computer and while I would like to help, not sure I will venture that on a picture esp only 1 angle as the consequences could be significant for you.

If getting the DOT inspection works for you, do it, but no need to put the sticker ON the truck, put it into your book/binder.

I have a mechanic that does those inspections too, I do it for peace of mind since I am not an experienced diesel truck owner, but I do what Dave suggested, nothing indicating that I have any connection to commercial enterprise.

18 hours ago, Vegas Teacher said:

Tucumcari

Just a side note on a repair facility a little bit west of that Flying J.  We had the occasion to need some repairs on our MDT back in '18 and found ourselves at Big Rig Truck Service in Santa Rosa, NM.  Great experience!!  They treated us well(we had to stay in their yard a couple nights), were fair with pricing and their work was dependable.  If you find yourself needing service on I40 near there, look for them, cant recommend them enough.

We talked to a few truckers that echoed the same recommendation for these folks and they are family owned and operated, just next to the TA off the I40 at the 84.

7 minutes ago, Vegas Teacher said:

Every time I stopped the officials commented on the fact that I had the DOT plate on my truck and inspection papers in proper order.

Not sure if I understand what you are saying BUT it seems that you pulled into inspection stations and that is the reason you presented DOT inspection info??  Why were you there?  Those inspections are for commercial trucks and not for us HDTers.  Yes, having those inspections done are a benefit but using the resources of the inspections while required for commercial trucks MAY tie up those individuals from doing those inspections on the commercial trucks that we count on to move goods around this country safely.

I guess I am just confused.

On 1/17/2021 at 9:39 AM, Overthinker said:

the kids could sleep in the bunk or eat at the table, no more bathroom stops (every stop ended up being 30 minutes minimum)

Please, for safety's sake, reconsider having paseengers, esp your kids, not wearing seatbelts while the truck is in motion.  Things happen and even if it isnt an accident involving a crash, an evasive maneuver which they may not know about can cause them to slide around the sleeper and become injured or even interfere with your ability to control the truck.

They can sometimes be polished as part of the rebuild.  One of mine had damage on the shaft that caused damage to the seal.  They welded the shaft, turned it and polished it.  Works great.

Did you consider having your existing cylinders rebuilt locally to you?  I did that with my Teton's Lippert front landing gear.  Worked out well and at a better price.  One cylinder needed some work on the housing and shaft, so had that done, but shop told me trying to find replacements would likely prove to be a tough task, considering the supply chain issues.

I did also add 2 pints of Lucas fork oil to help with stiction, which I was having after re-installing the cylinders.  Once I exercised the system to get the fluid mixed, I think that with the activity and the fork oil, things seem to be working better than it has in the past.

Now to tackle my kitchen slide that has sagged on the front side and get it back to a higher position and off the flooring that it is now damaging.  The typical adjustments hasnt reaped the results I need and when closed, I can see the slide lower on the front side versus the back side.  I suspect perhaps some water damage to the subfloor as the water heater is there as is the sink etc.  But we are traveling and not willing to tear into those cabinets and do that amount of work.

Sorry for your plight.  I guess we all have a different tipping point that we must know and recognize.  Its becoming a more delicate balance each day, it seems.

Great info, Vern!  It will help someone sometime.

14 hours ago, Chad Heiser said:

It was a couple hour ordeal.  It took an hour just to get through the line wrapping around the building to get in the front doors.  The trailer is registered and I have a plate for it now though.

Glad you got that done.  Looking forward to seeing you here(yes, we have arrived in Caldwell from So Cal).  Boy oh boy, sure am glad I have been saving for the last 50 years because I will need to keep diesel in those tanks.  LOL.

I see you are burning WAY more of the stuff than I am, Chad.  Drive safely.

As Sculptor said it is a process and it takes some elimination but there is usually no quick fix in these electrical gremlin issues.

I had a Volvo some years ago that pretty much did exactly the same thing, except it was a car.  After towing it twice to a shop with the issue of NOT being able to repeat the issue, and, yes, it did it again.  I started using my technician skills and discovered was supposed to be a weatherproof connector dripping with water when I unplugged it.

I cleaned it, used a emory board to remove corrosion on the tabs inside and then sprayed it with contact cleaner.  This process was repeated a few more times when the car quit.  My DW even learned how to and did it in a grocery parking lot, but after a few times, it never did it again.

With what you wrote, it appears that the last thing that changed was that the wiring harness was replaced.  Could it be a loose connection or perhaps a connector inside that loses contact when the truck is under way and vibrating the wiring harness??

Had an F53 chassis motorhome do similar.  Found the connector to the fuse block had over time become loose and with some of the same process as the Volvo car, fixed the problem and it didnt come back.  In this one, the V-shaped connectors inside the plug had over time become less of a V and so not always made good contact.  Opened up those Vs and away we went.

Local news had a report of over $8/gal here in So Cal.  Not common but does exist.

Solar panel??  Totally passive and does not need shore power.

6 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

You will have internet anywhere you go as long as you can see the sky.

Isnt this considering that availability exists in the area you are in?  I thought that the honeycomb area on the map had limited access to only a certain number of subscribers and that beyond that, it is not guaranteed.