I saw a post on-line recently where a person asked “if I am really not handy can I still fix things on my Travel Trailer?”. The short answer is probably no. If you haven’t guessed already, today we are going to talk about Anti-Handyman and his RV.

After reading this post I immediately thought of my Dad who we referred to as the “Anti-Handyman”. If something needed fixing around the house or with one of the cars, it wasn’t going to be my dad fixing it. My Dad was smart; he knew his limitations. He realized that he could actually make things worse by doing it himself. As my brother Bill and I got older we both became quite handy which worked in my Dads favor.

After reading the post, I checked a series of comments and felt surprised when some people actually encouraged this RV owner to “go for it… if it’s already broke, you can’t make it any worse.” Actually, this is really bad advice. If you don’t have the knowledge and basic skills to do a job you actually can make things much worse. Just ask amateur mechanics that have broken off engine bolts. Later they had to go through the extra work of having the broken stud removed.

I’ve restored eight vintage motorcycles.I can disassemble the bikes, paint the frames, replace faulty parts, repair brakes and bearings, and put them back together easily. I avoid working on the engines because mistakes outside my expertise would likely cost a lot to fix.

A Travel Trailer is just another vehicle, it just doesn’t have a motor. However, there is still a lot that can go wrong, and if you don’t have the basic skills to handle it, you can make things worse.

Many RV novices end up with broken water lines each year because they winterized their trailers incorrectly. Even resealing your roof the wrong way can set you up for trouble.

So what can the anti handyman do? Here’s a few suggestions:

  1. There are classes on RV maintenance that are being offered at RV dealerships. Sign up for classes that you think will benefit you the most.
  2. Pair up with a trusted friend that has an RV. Have him/her help you with whatever needs to be done. Don’t just watch him/her do the work; be actively involved doing the repair while they coach you.
  3. YouTube – There are many great videos on how to do things. Repacking wheel bearings comes to mind because there are quite a few videos on that. Keep in mind, even though the videos go into great detail, they are not interactive; so that if you have a problem (Such as removing a bearing race), you will be on your own. So have a back-up plan.
  4. Facebook – I found Facebook to be good for finding some information but many times the routines are just photos. Remember photos only tell one second of a story. Now one thing that might help is if you can leverage a person from your Facebook group (that lives nearby) to teach you in person.

These are just a few suggestions. I am sure that a simple google search on RV repair classes etc. may give you even more ideas.

My main caution is just “don’t make things worse”. Additionally, if you’re under warranty, it’s probably best to have your trailer fixed by the dealership. Screwing something up under the warranty period may just void your entire travel trailer warranty. This will make you really sad and frustrated when something big happens and you need to rely on that warranty.

Learning how to maintain your RV is a great thing; it makes you independent and can save you thousands of dollars. You just need to make sure to take your time and learn the proper way to make the repairs. Even an Anti Handyman can become quite skilled given patience and good instruction.