I have a 24-foot Winnebago Class C motorhome with a fiberglass roof. I noticed that it’s showing its age with some of the fiberglass thread showing. I would like to take care of the problem before it gets too big, since the motorhome otherwise is still in perfect shape. During my research, I have seen a lot of suggestions on how to fix the fiberglass and would like to know the best way to approach this repair.
—Rafael Sanchez

Fiberglass does get a little rough over time, especially if the roof has not been maintained properly. It’s best to keep it clean and treated to a coat of wax or other surface conditioner at least twice a year if the rig is exposed to sun and other outside conditions. Having said that, even though it’s not looking great it’s still going to last a long time.

If you’d like to bring it back to life, professional detailers will cut the surface with a buffing compound and add a coat of wax to bring it back to life — but it’s going to be slippery and potentially unsafe to walk on to service rooftop accessories and inspect for breaches in the caulking/sealant. Depending on the extent of the damaged area, you can consider painting the roof with a high-quality marine paint; with the proper primer and preparation, the paint will last for many years. If you want to provide safer footing, consider adding some sand or an anti-slip material in the paint.

Powering Off-Road —
and Off-Grid — Adventures

t’s one of the great conundrums of the RV industry: As manufacturers continue to ship motorized and towable units to dealers at a record pace, ever-greater numbers of RV owners vie for a finite number of campsites where they can enjoy them.

Rather than being perceived as a brake on RV sales, however, the scarcity of campsites — especially on popular holiday dates and weekends — has given wings to an RV lifestyle nearly as old as the industry itself: off-grid and off-road camping.

“It’s something that a lot of us in the industry have been concerned about for a handful of years — how do we create a product that the consumer doesn’t have to use in a campground?” said Cody Schade, product manager for Forest River Inc.’s No Boundaries and IBEX “adventure trailer” lines. “Having those conversations is what led us to develop No Boundaries, and now we’re adapting some of its traits to other (Forest River) products. I think you’re going to see this topic take on greater significance.”

eeping an RV’s holding tanks clean is essential for two reasons: You need to reduce the chances of developing nasty odors — both inside and outside the RV — and it’s important to prevent build-ups that can impede the velocity of the contents when dumping. Consequently, most RV manufacturers provide some method of introducing a strong flow of clean water into the tank during the dumping session. Without such a provision, build-up is all but certain, but in many cases the flow of water is so sluggish the extra water barely budges the contents.

Case in point: The tank flush fitting installed in the side of the black holding tank in my fifth wheel. Watching the sluggish flow of water move out of the tank (via a clear fitting on the termination valve) was painful. The solution was to add a more robust flushing system that can actually do some good. After studying the available products on the market, Technical Director Bill Gehr and I settled on Camco’s RV Quickie Flush, which has a multi-directional spray head, high-quality fittings and a hose. (Amazon sells the Camco 40123 Quickie Flush w/Backflow Preventer for $28.)

sk a gearhead what part of his favorite car magazine is the most anticipated each month, and the answer might surprise you.

New products.

Sure, the story lines highlighted on the cover tend to provide all the impetus for sticking the publication in the grocery basket — but most do-it-yourselfers are nonetheless extremely interested in “the next big thing” they can integrate into their favorite ride.

Anyone spinning wrenches on RVs is likewise prone to ferreting out the latest products that can make life easier, more comfortable or simply more interesting and enjoyable while on the road. Plus, let’s face it: we all like to be on the cutting edge of new technology.

uring an all-too-brief span during between 1999 and model year 2012, the Workhorse Custom Chassis — the successor to Chevrolet’s P-30/P-32 chassis — proved to be a popular choice for manufacturers and owners of gas-powered Class A motorhomes. Not surprisingly, while the now-Workhorse Group Inc. has turned its attentions to other venues, a large number of motorhomes built on Workhorse underpinnings still travel the highways — although not without the occasional hiccup.

As Jon Brazel pointed out, one component that tends to give Workhorse owners trouble as their vehicles age is the motorhome’s instrument cluster.

“Back when Workhorse was still building motorhome chassis, they would just replace the entire panel,” he said. “The problem was, owners were just getting the same product that would fail again in a few years.”

ummertime brings hot weather — and most RVers venturing into regions where the temperature soars must rely on their rooftop air-conditioners to be comfortable. Most RVs have one or two air-conditioners, and many are now outfitted with three to keep the inside temperatures cool. While the Btu ratings of these air-conditioners suggest that they are capable of getting the job done, inefficient mating to the roof ducting can compromise the flow and cooling capacity. RV Airflow Systems (rvairflow.com) has designed an aftermarket modification kit that improves efficiency dramatically, while taking the noise level down substantially.

I fight the heat frequently with my 36-foot fifth wheel, where I elected to have only one air-conditioner to make way for a power roof vent in the bedroom to exhaust the hot air when boondocking. In an attempt to improve air flow — in an admittedly underrated system for the size of the fifth wheel — I modified the plenum with 1-inch waterproof foam to force more cold air through the ducted ceiling registers. This upped the ante quite a bit, but there was still room for improvement. As I realized afterward, I should have gone with the RV Airflow Systems solution in the first place — and probably still will.

owing travel trailers is wildly popular these days. Actually, more travel trailers are built every year than in any other segment of the RV industry. That makes sense, since just about anything on wheels these days can tow a trailer. In this arena, though, the “half-ton” pickup has become a staple. Heck, the best-selling vehicle in the country is the F-150, which has become a super capable tow vehicle, with tow ratings up to 14,000 pounds.

The Ford was, in fact, a friend’s choice of trucks when he decided that he needed a smaller RV to travel during the summer. In this instance, the truck was purchased first — he was smitten, perhaps, with all the bells and whistles Ford has to offer for this model pickup. Almost $80,000 later, the shiny red F-150 was sitting in his driveway. And, it was loaded with top-notch towing features — except for the proper mirrors, which was puzzling since my friend made it clear to the salesperson that he was going to tow a trailer, but they were a simple (albeit expensive) addition afterwards. The search for a trailer ended with a 29-footer that maxed out the limits of the truck and, as such, required precise equipment to hitch it up. That’s when we turned to the Equal-i-zer Sway Control Hitch (equalizerhitch.com).