We're Back / How good are T@Gs?

Hwy395_bum

As I sit here on my 72nd birthday, drinking champagne from our favorite Russian River winery (Korbel),
I look back to all the wonderful camping days at the Armstong Redwoods in Guernvile, so quiet, so peaceful,
no trailers or RV's and thinking WTF - sleeping on the ground sucked.

So 7 years ago today, our Toyota Tacoma came, what a wonderful day as the beautiful white and blue
teardrop had sat so lonely for 2 months in the driveway. The T@G had come to us on another wonderful day,
as we were burying my mother-in-law and never ever having to deal with the evil sister-in-law again
it magically appeared in our driveway - well they called and said it was in and I told them we'll
be home in two hours and it better be there if you want the check.

So as we just got home from another trip we proceeded to update the log book. Just ticked over 40,000
miles on the truck, added up the T@G log - 29,000 towing. The want list was once 6 pages, it is now
a couple lines, the fix it list is really empty, and to-do list is just a couple projects I am not
looking forward to doing.

The list of things we have changed, modified, added, improved would take forever to list but I'll try
listing those later.

So the subject here is how well do they hold up. I bought a Dexter bearing kit before we ever hit
the road - I'm a bit paranoid - carried them for 6 years... I always packed the bearings each year,
remove and inspect every 3 years - finally had some wear last year on one race, had them all replaced. I
guess that says more about Dexter than PV/NuCamp. This year saw some rusty leak on the water pump. Can't
get a rebuild kit as it is obsolete and the aftermarket was worse than a new pump. So while I was at it,
changed all the plumbing as it was getting hard/inflexible and those crimp on clamps are crap. So my
rigged up 'fill the tank' using the pump and/or use aux 5 gallon jug while leaving the on board full
is solid now. Hate to say it but I can't believe they attached the faucet to the sink before mounting
it in the galley.

So bottom tine - maybe $100 in repairs/maintenance over 7 years - maybe $3500 in upgrades. Our 2015 was
one of the first out of the new factory, it is a pretty solid machine - YMMV.

I didn't join this forum after the other one closed. Many reasons that do not need to be aired again. However,
I will strive to be positive as visitors may come here and see all the problems some have had or think
that they do not have skills or training to make all the modifications that so many think are required.
It is a wonderful, cute and fun machine, enjoy it

As I sit on my front porch watching what will probably be the last storm of the season roll over the barren
Sierra and wonder how water shortages, wild fires and the price of gas will cramp this season, I am glad that there
are so many areas to camp in so close to home. So many places to visit locally that I promised to see and
experience. Guess we are homebodies for the first time in a long while.