RV Tech Tips: RV Upgrades, RV Maintenance + BUYING an RV!

This page contains links to all our articles describing our favorite RV tech tips, including the many RV upgrades and modifications we’ve done to our rigs as well as the RV maintenance tips we’ve found essential. In addition, we offer many pointers for choosing and buying an RV.

Ever since we began this website back in 2008 (after being on the road RVing full-time for a year), we have written lots of articles that are chock full of the many RV tech tips we’ve learned along the way.

Below you’ll find all the article links, grouped by subject, to make it easy for you to peruse our online library of RV tech tips, RV maintenance tips, modification ideas and RV upgrades.

To see the RVs we’ve traveled and lived in, check out the various rigs we’ve owned, both for vacation purposes (before we started full-timing) and then for living in 24/7/365 once we went full-time and then for seasonal journeys after we’d completed 13 years of full-timing.

 

RV TOOL KIT

• Basic RV Tool Kit – What tools do RVers need? Here’s a list of essentials, from tire changing to electricity & plumbing

CHOOSING and BUYING AN RV

• Learn About RVing in a Cheap Small RV – New to RVing? Don’t break the bank on your first RV!
• Finding a 5th Wheel or Toy Hauler for a Full-time Home – Factory tours & more–searching for the ideal RV after 11 years full-time
• Choosing an RV for Full-time Living – Motorhome? Trailer? Here are the pros and cons of each
• What are the Most Important Features in a Full-time 5th Wheel? – After 10 years in our fifth wheel, here are our thoughts.
• Truck Camper Pros & Cons – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly! – We owned an Arctic Fox truck camper for a year
• Triple Tow or Toy Hauler – How to RV with a RZR! – Pros and cons of toy haulers vs. towing a toy behind a 5th wheel
• Toy Hauler Life – What’s it Like Living in a Toy Hauler? – Here are the pros and cons of an OPEN BOX TOY HAULER
• The Importance of Cargo Carrying Capacity – What is CCC? Why does it matter? Is it posted in or on the RV somewhere?
• The fifth wheel trailer we lived in for twelve years — It worked well for us!
• The toy hauler we have now — We searched for a toy hauler to replace our fiver for 3 years. We love this one and here’s why.

CHOOSING and BUYING a TRUCK

• Buying a Truck – Things to consider: Which Make & Model? Single Rear Wheel or Dually? Long Bed or Short Bed?
• More on Choosing a Truck – With a link to the article Trailer Life Magazine asked us to write

RV UPGRADES & MODIFICATIONS (except SOLAR and BATTERIES…see below)

• Reese Goose Box HITCH Upgrade – We got our truck bed back + SMOOTHER TOWING & easy hitching with this upgrade!
• CargoBuckle Tie-Down Upgrade – These clever ratchet straps make it a CINCH to tie down an ATV, side-by-side or motorcycle!
• Trailer Disc Brake Conversion – Unlike standard electric drum brakes, electric over hydraulic disc brakes stop on a dime!
• 5th Wheel Trailer Suspension Overhaul – Replacing the shocks and springs and moving the hangers too!
• MORryde SRE4000 Equalizer Upgrade – Upgrading the trailer suspension with a rubberized equalizer
• Inspecting and Repacking Trailer Wheel Bearings – An important annual task
• RV Storage Tips – Increase your storage with a unique idea at the dining table
• Truck Camper & Small RV Storage Tips – Easy ways to expand the storage space in a tiny RV!
• RV Screen Door Modifications – Strengthen, winterize and puppy-proof your RV screen door!
• How to HEAT an RV in a Blizzard – Staying warm in a temperate climate is one thing, being toasty in a blizzard is another!
• How to Install a Vent-free Propane Heater – These heaters are awesome for boondockers who want to conserve electricity
• Stay WARM in your RV – Survival Tips for Winter RVing
• CHILL IT DOWN in the hot summer months – Lots of ideas besides turning on the A/C
• Hitch Tighteners Stop the Rattle – Great for an RV or tow vehicle that has a bumper hitch receiver
• Bike Rack from Kuat – Carrying bikes on the back? A solid and well designed bike rack keeps them from getting damaged!
• RV Electrical System Upgrade – Overview of batteries, converter and inverter we upgraded to after 8 years off-the-grid…and WHY!

TRUCK – UPGRADES and MAINTENANCE

• B&W Companion OEM 5th Wheel Hitch Installation – Hitch review and step-by-step guide for this easy DIY job
• Demco Recon 21k 5th Wheel Hitch – Hitch review, reasons for purchasing, and step-by-step DIY installation guide
• Edge Evolution CS Engine Tuner Review – Provides peak truck performance
• More about Edge Tuners – Different models and driving modes plus an article written for Escapees Magazine
• Amp’d Throttle Booster Upgrade – An easy “fix” to the “dead pedal” syndrome
• How to Change the Inner Rear Wheel of a Dually Truck – Hopefully this will never happen to you!
• How to fix a car or truck KEY FOB in minutes! – This little trick could save you $$$
• How to Put DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) in a Truck – Without spilling a drop…

RV MAINTENANCE, CLEANING and DRIVING

• RV Tips & Tricks – An assortment of tips we’ve assembled through the years
• How to Defrost the RV Fridge in 20 Minutes – There’s an art to defrosting!
• RV Keyless Doorlock FIX – RV keyless entry door locks are awesome, but what to do when they act up?
• RV Dump Station Tips – Doing the Dirty Deed doesn’t have to be dirty!
• RV Dump Tips for Women – What’s a Girl to do at the RV Dump Station?
• Repacking and Inspecting Trailer Wheel Bearings – Tips for this important annual maintenance task.
• How to Weigh Your RV – What is your rig’s current Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)? Is it LESS than the GVWR??!!
• Cleaning RV Faucets, Shower Wands and Drains – Avoid putting toxic chemicals in the RV holding tank and dump station!
• Cleaning the Rig – Tips for keeping the exterior sparkling
• Cleaning the Rig in the Rain – Mother Nature helps out while boondocking
• How to Drive an RV in the Mountains – Tips for towing a big trailer through the Rockies. Most tips apply to motorhomes too.

SOLAR POWER – INTRO and OVERVIEW of SOLAR POWER SYSTEMS

• RV (and Marine) Solar Power Made Simple - Overview of how solar power works on an RV or boat + small & big system designs
• RV Solar UPGRADE that TRIPLED our Power - An EASY upgrade to a standard factory-installed baseline RV solar power system
• Is RV Solar Power Affordable? - 3 solar power designs for RVs and boats, including parts lists and actual costs
• Which Solar Panels To Buy? - What's Best: Flexible or Rigid Panels? 12 or 24 volt? Mono- or Polycrystalline? And WHY?
• Installing Solar Power on a Sailboat - How to overcome the unique challenges of solar power on a sailboat

SOLAR POWER – TUTORIAL SERIES

• Solar Power Tutorial 1 - Basics - What makes up a solar power system and how does it work?
• Solar Power Tutorial 2 - Weekend/Vacation Systems - Everything needed for small "Weekending" and "Vacation" systems
• Solar Power Tutorial 3 - Full-Time Systems - Describes the design of a "Full-time" system
• Solar Power Tutorial 4 - Solar Panel Selection & Wiring - Design considerations for solar panel selection and wiring

BATTERY UPGRADE – ALL ABOUT BATTERIES and BATTERY CHARGING

• RV and Marine Battery Charging Basics - How do batteries get charged and what is the best charging method?
• Converters, Inverter/Chargers and Engine Alternators - No two battery charging systems do the job the same way.
• Solar Charge Controllers - A detailed examination of how three popular solar charge controllers work
• Solar Power and Shore Power Combined! - What happens when you're on solar and you plug into shore power?
• Wet Cell vs. AGM Batteries in an RV or Boat - Why we upgraded our RV house battery bank from flooded to AGM!

INVERTER UPGRADE – ALL ABOUT INVERTERS

• Power Inverters – Selection & Installation – What to look for in a power inverter for “house-like” off-grid RV living on 12 volts.
• How Much Inverter is Enough? – What happened when we accidentally killed our big inverter

GENERATORS

• Honda EU2200i Generator – This easy to carry generator provides a lot of power

REPAIRS and CRISES ON THE ROAD

• Fifth Wheel Trailer Axle Replacement – We bent the spindle in Nova Scotia and replaced the axle in Maine
• RV Refrigerator Replacement – Our RV refrigerator died “on schedule” in Kentucky after 8 years of service
• Faucet, Toilet, Fresh Water Tank and Window Leak Repairs – OMG – So many plumbing and leak repairs at once in Kansas!
• 5th Wheel Suspension Replacement – A massive failure driving cross-country left the tires almost rubbing against each other
• RV Toilet Replacement – The hand we’re dealt in Colorado is a Royal Flush!
• RV Roof Repair – Rubber Roof Patch & Holding Tank Vent Cap Replacement – Quick & easy!
• How to install RV Roof Vents (after hail damage!) – A step-by-step tutorial for this easy DIY job
• RV Awning Repair and Installation – A step-by-step guide for doing this tricky job
• One Nut From Disaster – Miles from Nowhere in New Mexico, a critical nut falls off and must be replaced…with what?
• Fifth Wheel Trailer Rollover Accident – It wasn’t us, but it happened to good folks in a very similar rig in Texas

Companion indexes of other RV Tips articles:

• RV Lifestyle Tips – Costs, Repairs, Boondocking, Workamping & More
• Product Reviews

You can find this page again by clicking on the “Tech Tips” item in the menu.

Happy Reading!

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Our most recent posts:

• Beehive Trail in Arizona – A “Mini Wave” hike by Lake Powell 07/19/24
• Reese Goose Box Review: 20K Gen 3 TESTED + How to Hitch 06/27/24
• Lake Powell – Heart of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 05/10/24
• Quick Release Pull Pins for Fifth Wheel Landing Jacks – YES! 05/03/24
• Sheep May Safely Graze (in the Mountains with Dogs!) 04/26/24

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