<![CDATA[Lana Gates - Gulliver\'s Travels]]>

<![CDATA[Lana Gates - Gulliver\'s Travels]]>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:51:33 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Repairing a rotten RV floor]]>Thu, 09 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/repairing-a-rotten-rv-floor

It’s a good thing we didn’t secure the loveseat to the floor at the back of our fifth wheel when we replaced our RV furniture. After we removed the original tables that flanked the couch that used to sit there so that we could install new end tables we bought from Amazon (paid link), we discovered a soft spot in the floor. We knew it had been caused by water damage and needed to be addressed.

Water is necessary for survival, but inside an RV, it can wreak havoc — and cause RVers to do crazy things. Not wanting our new tables, which came in at least 17 pieces each and took hours to assemble, to lean toward the exterior — or worse, fall through a hole in the floor — we watched some YouTube videos about repairing a rotten RV floor and got to work.

Since the soft spot in our floor was near a back corner, we decided the best way to access it would be to pull up the linoleum from the corner. With a utility knife, I cut the edge of the linoleum the length of the side wall. Then I removed staples along the back wall holding the linoleum down and peeled the piece up to reveal discoloration.

Removing rot

Before we could repair the floor, we had to remove the rotten wood. Bob and I traded places, and he started pulling up large splinters of plywood with his fingers. They came up easily in lots of pieces. Before we knew it, we could see a hole in the floor.

He kept breaking off pieces to reveal a 2-by-3 support board. It too showed signs of water damage but still provided enough support that it was salvageable. Bob peeled the plywood to the wall and toward the interior until it stopped coming apart effortlessly.

Then, using his oscillating tool, he cut the floorboard to create straight edges for us to fill in with a replacement board. But to adequately attach a new board, we had to remove rotten plywood from atop the base board under the wall. For that, Bob used a chisel.

That gave us two places to attach a fresh piece of wood, but we weren’t convinced that would provide enough stability. We wanted a third support.

Looking at the floor, we saw a series of screws leading toward the back wall, potentially indicating another 2-by-3. Bob reached under the floor and confirmed our theory. We decided to cut the floor to that board.

Fixing the damage

We made a trip to The Home Depot and picked up Bondo Wood Filler, Bondo Rotted Wood Restorer, sandpaper, trim for the edges of the floor, stain and paint sponges to apply the stain to the trim, linoleum adhesive, screws to attach a new piece of wood to the subfloor, and L brackets to attach our tables to the floor. We only needed a 5-inch-by-8 inch piece of plywood but had to buy a 4-foot-by-8-foot sheet. But we found a 2-by-3 piece of wood in a trash can that a worker let us take for free, and he even cut it to the length we wanted.

After getting our supplies home, Bob went to work painting the rotted wood restorer on the flooring around our freshly created hole and the damaged support beam. It made for some strong chemical smells while being applied that lingered while it dried and hardened the damaged floor to create a more solid base.

The next day, Bob cut the plywood to the size we needed and attached the 2-by-3 we bought and the plywood to the floor. Then he covered the seams and any remaining low spots with the wood filler. When that dried, he sanded it down to make a smooth surface.

Putting the floor back together

Meanwhile, I stained the trim we had bought for the base boards and left it to dry. It took a few coats.

When Bob was happy with his repair job, we were ready to put the linoleum back down. He slathered linoleum adhesive on the floor to ensure the linoleum would stay in place. Then we carefully smoothed it over the plywood and back into position, covering all evidence of an issue.

Before we completely put our living room back together, we wanted to address a gap we had noticed between the floor and the back wall. After another trip to The Home Depot, Bob came home with some spray foam and forced that into the gap to seal it. Once that dried, he cleaned up the excess and attached the new trim pieces.

Next, it was time to attach our furniture to keep it from moving during travel. We took measurements to ensure the back loveseat would be out of the way of the slide-outs when closed, marked the floor with tape to ensure we aligned it properly, and Bob secured it to the floor.

After that, we identified the best locations for our side tables to allow easy access to the cup holders they provided, even from our other loveseat, and marked those positions with tape. Then we pulled out one table at a time, attached L brackets to two legs, moved it back into position, and screwed the L brackets to the floor.

We repeated the process on the second table and stood back to observe our handiwork. Our lips curled upward as we took in our completed living room, happily satisfied with our choices and what we accomplished.

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]]><![CDATA[Repacking bearings on an RV]]>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/repacking-bearings-on-an-rv

After our freeway fire incident in 2024, we replaced our fifth wheel’s E-Z Lube axles with non-E-Z Lube axles, not wanting to repeat that scene, which had been caused by a failure of the rear axle seal. The newer axles are like those on many vehicles that require annual repacking, or greasing, of the bearings inside the wheels for safe operation and continued success.

Barely caffeinated early one Saturday with a forecast high of 101 degrees, we emerged from the RV to tackle the job. I said a prayer asking God to help us be kind to each other, have good attitudes, and communicate well.

We didn’t have to identify a leader for this project. Repacking bearings on an RV clearly fell in Bob’s wheelhouse as an aircraft mechanic, and I was happy to play gofer.

Establishing a stable foundation

We started by putting the fifth wheel hitch in the bed of the truck. Having been stationary for five months, we had removed it to improve fuel efficiency and give us room to transport large items, such as the furniture we purchased.

Reinstalling the hitch in two pieces provided ample opportunity for us to inspect it. We discovered a stray piece of shorn metal and some wear. We recognized the metal as a remnant of our tonneau cover mishap and dismissed it. We’d have to deal with the wear later.

For the best stability during the bearings repacking job, we wanted to connect the trailer to the truck, especially since we were parked on a slight incline. It turned out to be good practice, as we had forgotten the order of some steps in the connection process.

With the weight of Tagalong resting on Gulliver, we headed to the sunny south side of the trailer with tools and parts. After loosening the eight lug nuts on the front driver-side tire, Bob crept under the rig with a bottle jack and hoisted it up so that we could spin the tire. Then he installed a jack stand for added support and crawled out.

Getting our bearings

Donning bright orange gloves, Bob fully removed the lug nuts and separated the tire from the trailer. Then he took off the dust cap and the wheel nut, allowing him to pull the hub forward and the outer bearing and washer to fall into his hand.

With the hub out of place, Bob took time to survey the wheel and brake. The electromagnet for the brake just kind of hung, not acting like it should.

On the back side of the hub, Bob used a special tool to knock the grease seal out of place so that he could get to the inner bearing. He put both the inner and outer bearings in a pail of acetone to clear away the grease. While they soaked, he cleaned old grease from the hub and spindle and slathered on fresh grease.

He ran the larger of the two bearings through the acetone to wash away adhering grease and lifted the bearing from the pail. After spraying the unit with brake cleaner and wiping it with a paper towel, he forced air into it with a compressor for added measure. That blew out any remaining grease.

Greasing the bearings

Bob carefully examined the outer bearing for any damage. Seeing none, he scooped up a generous amount of fresh grease and rubbed it on, massaging the bearing to push the grease into all the nooks and crannies. He repeated the process with the inner bearing.

Satisfied with his work, Bob carefully put the hub pieces back together, adding grease where needed. I handed him a new grease seal and a new dust cap. He reattached the hub to the trailer, followed by the tire, securing it with the lug nuts. Then he lowered the trailer, tightened and torqued the lug nuts, and moved to the next tire to repeat the process.

By this point, about two hours after we began, sweat pooled in my eyelids as the sun climbed higher in the sky. After removing the second tire on the sunny side, we relocated to the shady side of the trailer for some respite and did the cleaning and grease packing for that tire there.

We finished reassembling the second tire on the south side of the rig around 11 a.m. and moved to the shady side for the duration of the project, grateful we had taken drinking water out of the rig.

Leveling up … or down

Disassembling and reassembling the other two wheels and repacking the bearings went pretty smoothly, but the hot day dragged on. We finally finished the two passenger-side tires around 2 p.m., having depleted all of our drinking water well before that.

Thirsty and famished from eating nothing but granola bars that morning, we cleaned up, detached the truck from the trailer, and tried to level it.

The automatic leveling system kept erroring out. We figured the unseasonal heat must have been too much for the motors, so we decided to wait for the weather to cool off before trying again. In desperate need of food, drink, and air conditioning, we secured everything and climbed into the truck to head to a restaurant, groaning about aches and pains from our day’s work.

In the coolness of the eatery, Bob did some research. We realized we needed to retrain the RV’s leveling system after reattaching the dangling sensor when we resealed the trailer’s underbelly.

We returned satiated but exhausted. We decided to put jack stands under the trailer’s middle stabilizers and reteach the leveling system when we had more time to deal with it.

A braking development

A week passed before we had a free morning to attempt to level the rig again. Because we hadn’t leveled it the way we wanted to, we hadn’t installed the X-chocks or the king pin tripod stabilizer (paid links), not wanting to redo those aspects later. Tired of feeling like we were on a rocking ship every time one of us moved about inside the fifth wheel, we spilled out of the trailer another morning to do something about it.

The delay in leveling turned out to be a blessing, as it allowed time for us to secure a new brake electromagnet and new rubber for the king pin hitch.

With our slide-outs closed and the trailer connected to the truck once again, Bob crawled under the rig, jacked it up, and removed the front driver-side tire, bearings, and hub to get to the brake. He unclipped the wires holding the electromagnet from the brake disc, cut them, and attached the new electromagnet wires to them using butt splice connectors and a heating gun.

In the process, it became apparent that the previous electromagnet was missing a clip to hold its spring in place and allow it to function properly. As a result, the X hole that allowed the magnet to move toward and away from the disc had been worn into more of an oval shape.

Bob put the new magnet into place and secured it with a fresh clip. Then he put the hub and tire back together and lowered the trailer.

Hitching up

We once again disconnected the truck from the trailer and attempted to level the rig. This time, it worked on the first try. We had successfully retaught the system what level was and were able to set up the trailer like normal — X-chocks, tripod stabilizer, and all.

We cleaned up, and Bob moved to the bed of the truck to install the new hitch rubber in place of the worn material. He had done the same thing a few years earlier, as recommended by the manufacturer every three years.

We’re grateful for the things we found that needed our attention en route to repacking the bearings on the RV. All were important, and we have greater confidence in our trailering ability for the travel season ahead.

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]]><![CDATA[What happened to the water?]]>Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/what-happened-to-the-water

When we turn on a water faucet, we expect water to come out of it. Imagine my surprise when I turned on the hot water tap on the kitchen sink in our fifth wheel and that didn’t happen. Flabbergasted, I vocalized my discontent and tried the cold tap. It worked.

A day before that experience, I had noticed less water pressure from that faucet and mentioned my finding to Bob. I checked our hose connection to city water and verified it was fully open. I racked my brain but couldn’t figure out the issue.

When no water came out of the kitchen faucet with the temperature set to hot, Bob checked the bathroom hot water tap and barely got anything out there. But the cold water worked in both sinks. Clearly, something was wrong. With no time to address the issue, we set it aside and hoped for the best.

Worsening problem

A couple of days later, I turned on the bathroom faucet and found significantly reduced water pressure. Liquid dribbled out, even with both taps fully open. What happened to the water? Had it gone off for the entire RV park we were staying at? I went to the kitchen sink to check. The cold water worked properly there.

I told Bob about the situation, and he didn’t seem too concerned. He did some research anyway and told me to use the clubhouse shower in the meantime.

According to Bob’s research, our symptoms reflected a common problem in RVs: a check valve malfunction. The check valve prevents heated water from going back into the water heater. It’s designed to block winterizing fluid from mixing with water and contaminating the RV’s water supply.

Since we live in our rig full time, we’ve never winterized it, so this seemed like an odd problem. Regardless, the valve wasn’t letting water out of the water heater.

Replacing the check valve

We went to Camping World and picked up a replacement check valve for about $11.

Bob turned off all water to the rig and shut off the water heater. He opened the faucets to let any trapped water escape from the lines.

Then he removed the contents of our basement and unscrewed some wall panels to get to the back of the water heater. He detached the water line, used channel locks to remove the old plastic check valve, added Teflon tape around the threads of the new brass valve, and installed it. Replacing the valve was easier than getting to its location.

While Bob was at it, he upgraded the pressure relief valve as well.

Finding the source

Bob turned the water and water heater back on and verified both were working properly. With that confirmation, he put the basement back together and showed me the culprit: delamination of the inside of the valve, perhaps caused by Arizona’s hard water. Essentially, the valve had started eating itself, causing blockage.

Depending on the source of information, check valves can last anywhere from five to 20 years. Ours had survived eight years before giving up the ghost. One of the biggest factors contributing to a shorter lifespan is high temperatures, according to John Valves.

We bought our rig in Arizona in June 2019, and it’s lived five to six months every year (usually October to March time frame) in the Phoenix area ever since, most often with the water heater facing south, the sunny side. Maybe we should have another check valve on hand for the next time it fails. Then again, we should be good for at least five years.

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]]><![CDATA[Black tank troubles]]>Thu, 19 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/black-tank-troubles

No RVer ever wants to experience trouble with their black wastewater tank, the one where all the sewer goes. Just the thought of that brings up images of the memorable scene in the movie “RV” when Robin Williams connects two sewer hoses to try to empty his rented RV’s black tank and a geyser erupts.

We started to notice a trend every time we went to dump our black tank: The lever handle was difficult to pull. It seemed to be gummed up on the inside, causing stickiness and friction. We could get it partially open, but it took extra effort to get it to the fully open position.

Not wanting to take any chances on trying to fix it ourselves, we called a mobile RV tech to repair our black tank troubles.

Black tank repair, take 1

The morning the tech was scheduled to arrive, Bob drained the contents from the black tank. Then he attached a hose to the trailer and forced water into the tank to flush it. After it reached capacity, he emptied it again. He repeated that process multiple times to give the tech a clean area to work with.

Bob also emptied our basement storage compartment and removed walls to allow access to the plumbing and wiring.

Bob was sure the cable was the problem. As soon as Manny from Cruz Mobile RV Repair showed up and took a look, he told us it wasn’t the cable. It was the valve, which relies on the lever to slide a blade back and forth between two gaskets to seal contents in and let them flow out.

Back to square one

Unfortunately for us, Manny had just used the only valve on his truck at the previous customer stop. He couldn’t get another one that day and told us he’d be back in a week.

Not wanting to leave our belongings outside in the intense Arizona sun and heat for a week, Bob reattached the basement walls and moved our stuff back in.

A week later, he reversed course yet again, emptying the basement contents, removing the wall boards, and emptying and flushing the black tank.

Black tank repair, take 2

Manny returned and got right to work. He crawled under the fifth wheel and cut a hole in our new underbelly to access the faulty black tank valve. He had to disconnect it from the black tank and then crawl inside the basement to fully remove it.

He began installing the new valve and gaskets. To alleviate further problems, he decided to reroute the cable for the valve to allow it to move more freely. This took a little extra work.

Once he got everything securely in place, he had me open and close the lever multiple times. What a difference! Instead of pulling with all my might against friction, the lever moved smoothly and easily — and opened all the way without extra exertion.

Then Manny had me add water to the tank so that he could check for leaks. I complied and left the water running into the tank while he continued to finalize the installation of the valve and cable, including securing it to the rig.

After some time, Manny had me shut off the water and empty the tank. To our relief, nothing leaked. With that confirmation, he crawled under the trailer again to reseal the underbelly to complete the job.

He left, and I reattached the wall boards in the basement and moved our belongings back in, out of the sun, grateful we had called a mobile RV tech instead of trying to complete that job on our own.

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]]><![CDATA[Replacing RV furniture]]>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/replacing-rv-furniture

We’ve read and watched many stories about people buying RVs and renovating them. When we bought our 2018 Jayco Pinnacle fifth wheel in 2019, it was in great shape and didn’t need any upgrades other than a few personal touches. Seven years later, however, we found ourselves at a crossroads: We needed to either cover or replace our RV furniture.

After one year of successful patchwork over our peeling pleather theater seat, the adhesiveness of the fix started to detach from the edges. We kind of ignored it until the loveseat started peeling in other areas — and the patches began to move under us when we sat. Then our couch, made of the same faux leather material, started peeling too. We had to find a more permanent fix.

Weighing the options

Undoubtedly, the most economical solution would be to replace our living room furniture with a used set, so we visited a couple of thrift stores. We found a set we liked, but when Bob sat on one of the loveseat cushions, his body leaned to one side. That piece had been very well used, making it less than ideal for us.

Since we had been happy with our furniture, we considered getting it professionally reupholstered. That way, we’d still have the built-in cupholders, massagers, and heated cushions. We figured new upholstery would be a cheaper option than buying new. Wow, were we wrong!

We got a quote for $2,200 to reupholster the couch, loveseat, and matching ottoman — and we’d have to use makeshift furniture or sit on the floor for two weeks.

Confident we could find a new set for less than that price that very same day, we made a trip to the sprawling American Furniture Warehouse. We told a salesperson what we were looking for: a cuddle-compliant reclining loveseat with cupholders, a lightweight sofa bed, and a matching ottoman that opened to provide storage. He led us through various displays: sofas and loveseats, recliners, small spaces, and leather.

Finding a suitable solution

With so many furniture sets to choose from, we took our time measuring, sitting, and putting our feet up.

Most couches we found were at least 85 inches long. The space in our fifth wheel allowed for only 81.25 inches. That significantly decreased our options. We also had to consider how we’d get a new couch into our rig. Not all RVs have a wall immediately in front of the door when you enter like ours does.

We found a nice, gray, fabric living room set from Ashley Furniture with a sofa that fit our dimensions. And, because both ends of the couch reclined, the backs of each seat were removable for easy maneuverability. But the loveseat had a console with cupholders in the middle of it, negating any cuddling.

We contemplated getting the Ashley couch and a different loveseat in a complementary color and tried out some nice, comfortable, leather reclining loveseats.

After much hemming and hawing, we decided to purchase two leather reclining loveseats — for about half the cost of reupholstering our original set. They lacked cupholders, heated cushions, and massagers, but they were comfortable, looked nice, and wouldn’t peel.

A warehouse worker loaded two big boxes into the bed of our truck, and we went home.

Removing the original furniture

Before we could attempt to get the new furniture into our fifth wheel, we had to get the original out. That meant detaching it from the rig. Because RVs can experience a lot of bouncing when being towed down roads, attaching furniture is paramount.

Separating the original couch from the floor turned out to be easy once we figured out where the screws were located that held it in place. Determining how to get it out of the rig proved much more challenging. That’s because oftentimes, RV walls are built after the furniture is installed.

We took the cushions off the back of the couch, but it was still a bit long and awkward to get to the door (never mind out of the trailer), especially without hitting our kitchen island faucet and low-hanging lights.

We talked through possibilities and decided to remove the back of the couch, which was attached by two hinges and a few screws. That gave us a flatter surface to maneuver. We tightened a strap around the middle of the sofa to keep the lightweight, mattress-less bed from opening and managed to squeeze the piece out the door through careful adjusting and breathless communicating — without damaging anything in the process.

Our original reclining theater seat came apart in two pieces. And each of those detached into two pieces as well, making it much simpler to remove.

Introducing the new furniture

After taking time to vacuum the dust bunnies covering the vacant areas that had housed our couch and loveseat, we were ready to introduce the new furniture to Tagalong.

At first, we considered bringing one box at a time into the rig and assembling the pieces inside. But we quickly realized that was an ambitious feat given the weight of each: 93 pounds (nearly identical to the weight of the Thomas Payne made-for-RV furniture we had removed).

We resorted to plan B and carefully pivoted one box from the truck to the ground and onto the concrete pad at our winter season lot. Bob cut open the box, and we extracted its contents, setting aside the two chair backs so that we could concentrate on getting the loveseat base into place.

With Bob tugging the base up the stairs and me pushing from the bottom, we somehow finagled the thing inside. Good thing I’d been playing virtual-reality Beat Saber for a couple of years to get my arms in shape. After setting the base at the back of the rig, where the couch used to be, we proceeded to bring in the two backs and attach them to the unit.

We repeated the process with the second box, grunting and communicating through huffed breaths to get the base through the door and into place where the original loveseat had been. Then we affixed the backs, and Bob secured that piece to the RV.

We haven’t attached the back loveseat to the rig yet as we’re still determining where and how we want to do that. We also plan to purchase new end tables to help fill the space that used to be taken up by the couch. Ideally, they’ll include cabinets or shelves to house what used to be stored in the ottoman. With four recliners, we no longer need it.

Upon returning home from discarding our original furniture, we finally got to break in the new. We’re happy with it and overjoyed that we got two loveseats and not a couch.

You might also like What we discovered after removing our RV underbelly.

]]><![CDATA[How a planner survives full-time RV life]]>Thu, 05 Mar 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/how-a-planner-survives-full-time-rv-life

It’s no secret that people come in all shapes and sizes. That goes for personalities too. Some people like to be organized and calculated. Others like to be spontaneous and fly by the seats of their pants.

Of the four ABCD personality types, I’m a C: analytical and detail-oriented. Growing up, I had a system for everything I did. Bob is a B: relaxed and easygoing — the polar opposite of me. He wishes I was more spontaneous, and I wish he was more organized. Yet we balance each other out and, over the years, he’s rounded my rigid corners. Similarly, I’ve rubbed off on him.

It may seem that a B personality type would adapt best to full-time RV living. However, planning and organization are also needed. Let me tell you from personal experience how this planner survives full-time RV life.

Thriving in the organization

The RV lifestyle involves a lot of logistics when you live in a big rig. Stretching 42 feet long and standing 13 feet 3 inches tall, our fifth wheel fits in that category. It’s not easy to just pull off the road into some city and hope we can find somewhere to park. We have to plan ahead and check satellite views to see if we can even get into a place. This is an ideal task for a detail-oriented person.

Bob and I carefully plot our fuel stops and destinations. Because we’re part of Open Roads, we can fuel up at truck stops where semis do, so we don’t have to be super strategic when it comes to that. We can also easily pull into rest areas for pit-stop breaks en route between locations, especially since upgrading our truck fuel tank to allow us to travel farther without gassing up.

Identifying routes and overnight and weekly stays easily falls into the wheelhouse of a planner. I enjoy examining potential paths on a map to determine stopping points near sights we want to see, as well as between target destinations. Finding campsites (not always at campgrounds) requires a lot of research as well. These activities are rewarding for my personality type.

Another thing I find satisfaction in is keeping and following checklists. We have a list for packing the inside of the trailer and closing our four slide-outs, another for connecting the truck to the RV, one for disconnecting the trailer from the truck, and still another for dumping our wastewater tanks. I’ve always been a list person, and I relish being able to check items off each list.

Working full-time while on the road gives me a semblance of a routine to help me feel fulfilled. I can count on a mostly set schedule Monday through Friday to help me balance the not-so-certain aspects of RV life.

Adapting to the spontaneity

Throughout six years of full-time RVing, I’ve learned to be more flexible. It’s a prerequisite of RV life, where road conditions, weather, and vehicle operation are all wild cards. Any can change in a moment. When one does, we have to be ready to adjust.

Being a planner, that’s been a tough transition for me. My plans were set, and I expected to follow them. But I’ve learned to adapt more quickly, even if it means moving during a workday (a rarity, thankfully) to avoid traffic or canceling a lazy morning and packing up earlier than planned to evade a coming storm.

After cooking for our family for more than 25 years, I also had to adjust to being the bread winner (something Bob and I agreed to) and letting Bob take over meal preparation. I’m happy to report that it's been a good adjustment. He’s an excellent cook.

I’m grateful I get to enjoy both the orderliness and the spontaneity RV life has to offer. Who knew that spontaneity could be fun for a planner? Bob and I often say we live an amazing life.

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]]><![CDATA[Replacing RV slide-out seals]]>Thu, 26 Feb 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/replacing-rv-slide-out-seals

Most modern RVs come with slide-outs that open to provide extra living space inside the rig. These slide-outs have rubber inner and outer seals, somewhat like windshield wipers, to keep out moisture, dirt, and debris.

Our fifth wheel came with four slide-outs. Since we park our rig in Arizona for five to six months at a time, the outer slide-out seals — sometimes called wiper seals or weatherstripping — take a beating from the intense sun.

Bob had added a layer of duct tape to the seals around the slide-out that gets the brunt of the sun’s rays and heat, and that lasted for a couple of years. But the time came to replace the “MacGyver” job with new RV slide-out seals. Here’s what that involved.

Gathering supplies

Bob searched and searched for a replacement seal but couldn’t find the size or shape we needed. Amazon didn’t have it. Etrailer didn’t have it. Other places didn’t have it. After much research, he finally found the right thing and bought 15 feet from Steele Rubber Products: 2⅜-inch peel-n-stick wiper seal.

On a cloudy day, we gathered other supplies we’d need for the RV seal replacement project, including:

A putty knife to remove the old seal
Goof Off to remove gummy residue
Acetone to clean the area
Disposable gloves
A ladder
Something to kneel on
Scissors to cut the new material
A utility knife to make notches around the slide mechanisms

Removing the old seal

Bob peeled one side of the existing slide-out seal on the trailer from bottom to top. It came off with a little force and exposed a gummy mess. We knew we couldn’t attach the new seal to that if we wanted it to stick long term.

Kneeling on a discarded mudflap from a semi-truck with putty knife in hand, Bob attempted to remove the residue, but it just gummed up more. So he donned a pair of disposable gloves, poured some Goof Off on a rag, and applied some elbow grease to remove the stickiness. That worked.

After reaching the halfway point, Bob transitioned from the mudflap to the ladder to reach the top. He went over the attachment strip again with acetone on a clean rag to ensure a clean surface.

Prepping the new seal

Before we could attach the new material, we had to cut the length we needed from the 15-foot roll. We stretched out the seal we had removed and laid the new rubber on top of it. Trying to keep the new material flat proved challenging as it wanted to roll back up. We flattened it as best as we could, and Bob marked the length we wanted. Then he used scissors to cut it from the roll.

We put the freshly cut piece on our concrete pad and placed the old seal on top of it to use as a template. This showed us the notches we needed to cut in the new material to allow room for the slide-out mechanisms, but it looked like we had cut our piece too short. Since we didn’t have enough material left to cut a new piece, we moved forward. After marking the notches, Bob used a utility knife to cut them out.

Affixing the new seal

We took the fresh piece of rubber to the other side of our trailer. Bob put the ladder in place, as we wanted to start at the top this time and work to the bottom. That way, if the new piece was indeed too short, it wouldn’t matter as much. The top would be protected.

We held up the new seal to align it with the strip for attachment. Slowly and methodically, Bob unpeeled the backing of the new rubber and affixed it to our rig while I held the ladder. When Bob got halfway, we removed the ladder and continued the process to the end.

With the new rubber stretched out and attached, it turned out to be a little long. Hooray! Bob trimmed the excess, and we admired our work.

Before we could count the project complete, however, we had to repeat the process on the other side of the slide-out. My office slide-out prevented us from getting the ladder into place on the other side.

I went inside the rig and moved things out of the way to be able to close the office slide while Bob detached the bottom of the sunscreen over that slide. I closed the slide-out, giving us ample room to complete the project.

We only replaced the seals on the one slide-out, as the others were in much better shape. If the need arises to replace them too, we have confidence we’ll be able to do the job.

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]]><![CDATA[Rewiring a Victron inverter charger in an RV]]>Thu, 19 Feb 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/rewiring-a-victron-inverter-charger-in-an-rv

The inability to easily verify proper torque on the electrical connections to a power inverter charger and associated wiring in an RV can be dangerous. The vibrations from driving down the road and hitting bumps can loosen connections, resulting in heat and, potentially, fire.

After seeing full-time RVing YouTubers HappilyEverHanks experience a fire and power outage due to a loose AC connection to their Victron inverter charger, Bob wanted to be proactive and ensure we had easy access to the wire connections to our Victron MultiPlus-II unit. This is vital as the unit provides uninterrupted power to our entire rig, whether we’re plugged in or camping off grid.

Identifying the problem

An inverter charger has two functions:

Turning AC, or shore, power into DC, or battery, power to run things like lights and the water pump
Taking DC power from the batteries when not connected to shore power and turning it into AC power to run outlets, the microwave, and the TV

Because an RV is mobile, it’s imperative that an inverter charger is secured to the rig to minimize shaking as much as possible as the RV moves.

When installing our Victron unit two years ago, Bob attached it to a shelf that ran the depth and width of half of the front compartment of our coach. He connected the unit to three lithium iron phosphate batteries underneath the shelf using bus bars to combine the positive wires and the negative wires. But there was no way Bob could get to the DC connections to check their torque without disassembling the setup.

While I was out of town on a business trip, he got to work rewiring the Victron inverter charger to alleviate that problem.

Changing the setup

Fixing the issue required a complete change to our Victron setup. First, Bob disconnected all the wiring to the Victron unit and bus bars. Then he removed the Victron MuiltiPlus-II and the shelf that had held it in place.

To be able to get to the connections, Bob cut the shelf down to 6 inches deep and shortened the width of it to allow space to connect the heavy-gauge wires to the three lithium iron phosphate batteries underneath. The batteries could stay on the bottom of the compartment as they were. But for optimal wiring, Bob had to reposition two of them.

He reinstalled the adjusted shelf lower in the compartment, attaching it to the back of the cabinet. Then he beefed it up with angle iron running the length of it and added L brackets on each side for extra support.

Bob mounted the 48-pound Victron unit on its side and attached it to the shortened shelf.

Connecting the batteries

After many painstaking hours, it was time to connect the batteries to the Victron unit.
Together, the three batteries can carry up to 300 amps–100 each battery. Realizing that power required joining the batteries together–negative terminals to negative and positive terminals to positives.

Bob connected the positives to one bus bar rated for 500 amps that he mounted on the ceiling of the compartment, and he connected the negatives to another 500-amp bus bar on the ceiling.

The compartment may not look as pretty and clean as it used to, but Bob is breathing easier knowing he can periodically check the torque on the DC connections.

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]]><![CDATA[The best investments we made in an RV]]>Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/the-best-investments-we-made-in-an-rv

RVs come in lots of shapes, sizes, and models. When our kids were young, we had a pop-up trailer we used to whisk them away from the city and enjoy some simple luxuries while camping.

After about five years with that, we upgraded to a hybrid, bumper-pull, travel trailer. It had hard sides and fold-out beds, providing a small footprint with enough living and sleeping space for our family of seven. We made a lot of memories in that RV before selling it when the kids reached their teen years and didn’t want to go camping with us anymore.

Once our kids became adults and moved out of the house, we sold it and moved into the 2018 Jayco Pinnacle 37MDQS we’ve been living in for the past six years. Here are four key investments we made in this rig.

1. RV driving school

Bob and I both got good at driving and backing up the 24-foot-long, 9-foot-high travel trailer. Would we do as well with a 42-foot-long, 13-foot-high fifth wheel? Just thinking about it gave us anxiety.

To give us the best chance at success, we registered for RV Driving School. The organization has instructors across the country in areas popular for RVing.

Instructor Jordy met us at the dealer lot the day we picked up our fifth wheel. We wanted him to drive the RV off the lot, but that wasn’t how the training worked. He talked us through exiting with the monstrosity behind our truck. Then he loaded into the truck and went with us to a vacant parking lot. There, he had us take turns doing maneuvers with the trailer in both forward and reverse.

After doing that for a while, we went to lunch. Then we took the rig out on the road for some real-life training under Jordy’s guidance. I quickly learned that driving the fifth wheel can be fun. You just have to take wide corners and be mindful of low-hanging branches. We spent six to eight hours with Jordy that day.

The next morning, we met Jordy again and took him with us to a mall parking lot. There, he set up cones and took us through a variety of drills to back up the rig. After our time was up, I didn’t feel super confident in my ability to back up the trailer, although I did feel positive about my ability to drive it forward. Thankfully, Bob felt pretty good about backing up. We’re super glad we invested in the training.

2. Buying used

New RVs look shiny and nice — and come with a huge price tag as a result. Buying new usually includes a warranty, which can be a big plus. But is the total cost really worth it?
For us, buying used made much more sense for a number of reasons. Since we had planned to do a lot of traveling with our rig, we didn’t want to have to make multiple trips to a dealership to work out the kinks. Instead, we left that to the previous owner.

Sure, we’ve had to make a few repairs to our rig, but that comes with the territory, just as it does for homeowners.

3. Separate office space

When we bought our RV, we planned for me to work full time and Bob to quit his government job. For the best results with this arrangement, I wanted to have an office space with a door I could close at the end of the workday for work-life balance.

The Jayco midbunk model we bought works perfectly for that. It has a room in the middle of the unit that came with a desk and a door. That’s made it convenient for me to concentrate on work while freeing Bob to research, make phone calls, cook, watch TV, and play video games without us being in each other’s way.

4. Upgraded tires

Manufactured in 2018, our fifth wheel came with four Load Range E tires. With a capacity of 3,750 pounds each (15,000 altogether), the tires weren’t really equipped to handle a rig that can weigh up to 18,000 pounds. We quickly learned this in our second year of travel, when we experienced four flat tires.

The next time we purchased tires for the rig, we upgraded to Load Range G tires, which are equipped to handle 4,400 pounds each (17,600 altogether). They’re a much better fit for our coach, and we haven’t had any problems since upgrading.

Modern rigs on the market today typically come with Load Range H tires, which can take 4,800 pounds each (19,200 altogether).

As full-time RVers, everything we own is literally riding on our tires, so having them equipped for the load they carry is paramount.

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]]><![CDATA[Resealing an RV underbelly]]>Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:00:00 GMThttps://www.lanagates.com/gullivers-travels/resealing-an-rv-underbelly

We’ve seen more of the underside of our RV in the past couple of months than in the six years we’ve owned the fifth wheel. Since removing the covering over our RV underbelly, we learned where our slideout motors are positioned, where our wastewater and freshwater tanks are located, and where rust accumulated on the I-beam spanning the length of the coach.

That exposure also gave Bob the opportunity to attach a dangling leveling sensor to the frame, add an aftermarket sensor to our kitchen gray wastewater tank, clean away rust, apply rust protectant, and add a fresh coat of paint on the frame for increased protection.

After he completed all that, it was time to reseal the RV underbelly. Here’s what the experience was like.

Purchasing a replacement

Our rig originally had corrugated plastic underneath. On top of that sat a loose layer of foil bubble-wrap-type material as a radiant barrier to help with insulation.

Bob’s research for an underlayment replacement revealed a newer material from RecPro with the foil layer attached to it for simpler installment. We purchased a 25-foot roll that measured 77 inches across and were surprised to find that the material felt more fabriclike than the original plastic. Despite that, it’s still water- and temperature-resistant and considered “extreme duty.”

Preparing for installation

Bob conducted more research to determine the best way to install the new underbelly. Because the original sat in very narrow grooves that spanned wider than the beams stretching from the front to the rear of the RV, we knew that getting the new material in without cutting it (our goal) would be a challenge.

Someone had installed the same type of underlayment solo by using a 2-by-4 on top of jack stands to help hold it up as he forced the material into the grooves. Although we’d be working together on the project, we decided to follow that example.

We secured a 2-by-8 (which doubles as a board for under our tires to help us get level at uneven sites), heavy-duty jack stands, a chalk line, a winding tape measure, scissors, self-tapping screws, and washers.

Measuring twice, cutting once

Once we designated Bob as the leader of this project, the first thing we had to do was unroll the new material. Bob’s brother Tom, a fellow full-time RVer, took on this task, leaving the expanded roll in the sun to help flatten it out.

Next, we laid out the old pieces of the underbelly that Bob had cut and removed to help us determine the width and length we’d need. We had to cut off about 5 inches of width the entire length of the new material. That’s where the chalk line came in.

We marked our desired width measurement at the two ends and in the middle of the new material, using blue tape that we could write on to see our nicks. Then we measured again and pulled out the chalk line, stretching it the length of the new material and carefully aligning it over our markings. We each snapped it, leaving a nice orange line.

I took the heavy-duty scissors and cut the material. They were the right tool for the job.

Marking points of interest

Tom ran to the store to secure a yellow marker that would help us see important points on the black material.

While he was away, Bob and I positioned the pieces of old corrugated plastic on top of the new material to prepare to mark the areas we’d need to be mindful of for installation, such as the spare tire holder, water pipes, slide motors, and things like that.

Tom returned and helped us make our marks, including yellow dots to indicate existing screw holes.

Installing the new material

We talked through our plan for installation: pulling the material in from the back to the front. Once we were all on the same page, Bob and I crawled under our rig and lay on our backs on crushed gravel to try to drive the material into place.

Remember how I said the grooves were wider than the beams spanning the length of the coach? Yeah, that caused a bit of a problem. We weren’t able to get the material into the slots at the start, so we decided to maneuver it under the hitch at the back of the rig and up over the axles and the board across jack stands. We had to force the corners and sides of the stiff material up toward the trailer for this to work.

I grabbed the axles and support beams above me and scooted on my back toward the front of the rig, pulling the material as best as I could as I went. I felt like an airman from WWII dashing through the tunnel of a B-25 to the navigator/bombardier seat while on a mission.

Pulling the material the length of the coach proved cumbersome, but little by little, keeping our communication open, we were able to complete the task.

Attaching the underlayment to the rig

Getting the material in position the length of the rig was only part of the process. Next came forcing the material into the grooves on either side of the frame and securing it.

Tom joined Bob under the trailer toward the front while I moved around to work the material into place. Once we thought we had enough in the grooves and had it pretty straight, we all held the piece up and in place while Bob attempted to attach a screw with a thick washer. The metal frame didn’t want to let the screw in. Finally, the screw made a hole.

We repeated this process. But as Tom tried to help attach another screw, he accidentally kicked the 2-by-8 above his legs, knocking it onto his shin. I crawled out from under the trailer to move the board off and out of the way, finding a rock in my back pocket from my scooting adventure.
Tom got a surface wound on his leg but wrote it off as part of the experience. “Every scar is a sign of adventure,” he told me.

Back under the trailer, I continued to push the material into the slots, holding it up while the guys secured what they could and cut holes as needed.

Once we got to the axles, Tom left Bob and me to complete the project. It took a bit longer than we’d hoped. The hardest part was cutting off excess material so that we had just enough to fit into the end cap at the back of the rig.

Bob secured the underbelly, and we celebrated a job well done with a dip in a hot tub to rest our sore muscles and bruised backs, behinds, heads, knees, and elbows. We finished the project just in time to insulate the bottom of our rig from cold weather.

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