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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / April 2005Wheel rust
Dumb question time: Wheel rims on a camper are not expected to start accumulation pits of surface rust over the winter, right? Could this a reaction to road salt? I moved the camper a couple times to avoid flat spots and getting sunk in into the ground. No wheel covers and it parked about 4 feet away from a moderately used country street on partly graveled area. Do I contact the dealer or manufacturer first? Thanks. LLK > Wheel rims on a camper are not expected to start accumulation pits of > surface rust over the winter, right? Wrong. (Probably) Steel wheels, even relatively new ones, may show signs of rust after being stored during winter. > Could this a reaction to road salt? Yes. Also, it could be a reaction to "salt air" if you live in a coastal area. Any moisture (rain, snow, humidity) can cause the wheels to rust. > I moved the camper a couple times to avoid flat spots That is probably unnecessary. > and getting sunk in into the ground. Parking the wheels atop 2x8 treated boards would likely prevent sinking. > Do I contact the dealer or manufacturer first? Probably neither. Surface rust is "incidental" and probably not covered by warranty. If the rust is excessive and the trailer is still under warranty, contact your dealer and go from there. Good luck! :) JR  Signature2000 Skamper Ultra 249 TT 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD Vortec 8100 - Allison 1000 >> Wheel rims on a camper are not expected to start accumulation pits of >> surface rust over the winter, right? [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >Steel wheels, even relatively new ones, may show signs of rust after being >stored during winter. How come my car rims don't do this? And is there something to do to protect them? >> Could this a reaction to road salt? > >Yes. Also, it could be a reaction to "salt air" if you live in a coastal >area. Any moisture (rain, snow, humidity) can cause the wheels to rust. The wheel on the roadside is far more pitted than the one parked away from the road. <snip> >Parking the wheels atop 2x8 treated boards would likely prevent sinking. After a brush pile is mulched I'm having the mulch put over this parking area to reduce flooding and it's cheaper than paying to have the brush and the small tree limbs hauled away. (The ones that may house termites and carpenter ants are being hauled away.) >> Do I contact the dealer or manufacturer first? > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >If the rust is excessive and the trailer is still under warranty, contact your >dealer and go from there. What is considered excessive? >Good luck! > :) >JR > And is there something to do to protect them? Clean them up real good and then lightly sand them and paint them then with a good rust proofing spray paint. Let this dry real good for a couple of weeks and then apply a good coat of car wax to both sides of the wheel. This should do a reasonable job of slowing down the rust problem. My 2005 Fleetwood folding trailer came with aluminum wheels so I won't have to deal with rust. I will still protect them with wax and the trailer will be stored in my garage when I am not using it. Here is what one of the large folding trailers looks like. http://home.mindspring.com/~mejones/FoldingTrailerGallery/index.htm > Here is what one of the large folding trailers looks like. > > http://home.mindspring.com/~mejones/FoldingTrailerGallery/index.htm Those are EXCELLENT photos! I particularly like the recliner in the dinette slide out! Cool! What do you do with the chair during transport? :) JR > > Here is what one of the large folding trailers looks like. > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > What do you do with the chair during transport? The back pops out real easy and the arms are low enough to just leave it where it is. I may get one of the portable recliners that Cabela's sells in order to reduce the weight. They are very comfortable and should be a little narrower. I can't put much more in the trailer as I only have about 450 pounds of load carrying capacity. Anything else that I need to carry will have to go in the truck. The roof A/C probably wasn't factored into the weight, so I need to find a scale and get this thing weighed. I don't want to load it down too heavy and break something. I will store the HDTV in the original box and lay it flat on the floor. It is starting to shape up real good. Shoud be a fun year. > I will store the HDTV in the original box and lay it flat on > the floor. You might consider transporting that expensive piece of electronic equipment in the tow vehicle. Especially without shock absorbers, the ride can get *VERY* rough in a trailer, particularly aft of the axle. > Shoud be a fun year. No doubt. A popup, a reclining chair and HDTV. Now THAT's roughing it smoothly! :) JR >Dumb question time: > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > >LLK Hi, Steel wheels will rust pretty quickly if not taken care of. Paint and wax are your friends. You should probably do some touch up painting and waxing before putting it away for the winter. You should put boards or something under the wheels to keep them from sinking into the ground. You also should air up the tires to the max pressure before storing to help prevent flat spots. Unless you are going to let it sit for 5 or 6 months you probably don't need to move it. But it doesn't hurt either. I used to set my camper up on blocks to take some of the weight off the suspension and tires over the winter. You can contact the dealer or manufacturer but it's a fact that steel rusts and unless it's really bad it will probably be considered cosmetic and not coverable under any warranty. A little rust isn't going to hurt the wheels, but you should try and prevent it from getting any worse, for appearance sake anyway :) Take care and Happy Campin... RichA "We Get Too Soon Olde and Too Late Smart" This might not apply here, but obviously wheels are also a favorite target for salty canine urine. I have had at least a couple ruined this way with a utility trailer that was parked for periods of a year or more. Telltale sign is heavy rust developing in the bottom most crevices of the parked rim. If there are dogs with access to the area, it is probably wise to rinse the rims periodically during storage periods. |
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