Fix Those Squeaky RV Extending Stairs

    SCREEECH! Don't you hate it when your automatic extending stairs squeal at you every time they move? Me too! Especially after a long cold winter, they can get rather cranky. Just like me! After a lot of experimentation, I found the perfect stuff to lubricate the step assembly with. Drum roll please... White Lithium grease! This is some tenaciously sticky lubricant. It's good through all kinds of temperature ranges and, so far, seems to stick through all kinds of wet weather. I first lubricated the stairs 4 years ago when I first bought my RV and haven't had a squeak since today. I'd say that's a pretty good track record.

Motor/Gearbox Looking Upwards

I bought the White Lithium grease in a handy aerosol (spray can) package that came with a tiny plastic straw that inserts into the nozzle to get into very tight places. Most automatically extending stairs require periodic lubrication. There are a LOT of hing points that could bind up. It's a pretty complicated system. When I first picked up my RV, it was seized up and the motor was fried. Probably wasn't lubricated properly and the motor worked overtime to get them to move and then overheated and quit working. The best solution is simply to maintain the system and that's mostly cleaning and lubrication. There is also a light bulb down there that can burn out. I replaced mine with an LED bulb that should last a LONG time.

How do you lubricate this contraption? Start with the steps extended. And look for each and every point that moves. It should be fairly obvious where most of these hinge points are, but some of them are well hidden. Up and under the stairs. Be CAREFUL you do not cycle the stairs when your hand and arm are inside where they fold. This will HURT a great deal. Believe me the combination of electric motor and reduction gears create a huge amount of force. I wouldn't be surprised if you could lose a finger this way! Be Careful!!

So, back to lubricating every point on the stairs that moves, swivels or rubs against another piece. Don't use a massive amount, just enough to get into the joint. Once you've done that... you didn't forget the ones up under the steps near the motor did you? I did... kept squeaking... figured it out! Now run the stairs in and out a few times. Then re-lube. After a couple of times, you should have smoothly operating steps. If not, listen closely, figure out where the noise is actually coming from and re-lube that part. Also, a good time to check for anything bent or smashed. I've seen people lock their stairs in the out position and bash them against curbs. This really won't help them function at all!

Treat your steps well and they will work for a LONG time. Replacement motors and parts are available, so if something is really broken it can be fixed. I had to replace the motor/gearbox assembly when I first bought my RV. I like the stairs ... besides, everyone who sees them work (who isn't exposed to RVs all the time) thinks they're ... "COOL." I do, too.

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

Surprise! - It's Spring!

    I had it all scheduled out. Removing the cover, checking the systems, prepping the interior and exterior. I was ready. Then Murphy stepped in. Seems that over the winter, the massive tree next to the RV had been hit by lightning and was in pretty bad shape besides. I was told to move my RV...NOW! So they could cut down the already falling branches and begin to remove the tree piece by piece.

So....mad scramble to get the cover off and get the RV to the relative safety of the other end of the driveway. I checked the battery fluids, the oil and coolant. Held my breath and turned the key. Started right up. Now, of course, I didn't remove all the interior thermal window covers...why should I? I was only driving 50 feet or so, with a little bit of a tight turn, but I could see out of the windshield and a couple of front-side windows. Worked for the moment. We were safe. Tree got sawed, chopped and re-configured. Not completely, but enough that it looked safe enough to come back. Then I realized it wasn't going to be as easy to back down the driveway without being able to see out the windows!

 Have I mentioned I'd been sick with the flu for the past week and a half? A pretty good recipe for disaster. I had a couple of people outside and the backup camera works quite well. It was cold. I didn't want to be outside any more. Off we went. SLOWLY, backing down the driveway and making the tight turn back to where I was. So, do I get to count this as my "first trip of the season?" I hope not! Well now I guess I have to begin the actual "de-winterization" process. That let's me get my hands (and eyes) on every little piece of the RV and check the systems thoroughly. If the weather is cooperative, a full cleaning is in order.

Should be "fun!" Depending on what your definition of "fun" is.

I am so ready to be on my way, down the road, this season. Lot's of great trips planned to some very cool places. I'll get to fully test out some of the more recent gizmos and gadgets purchased and make sure my Solar charging system is performing as it should. if you see my on the road, say "hello!"

Be Seeing You...Down the Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com

Even The Simple Things - Cooking Timer

    When I'm out and about in my RV, I tend to lose track of time. I mean, it's so relaxing. Just a quick step to a cool drink, comfortable seating, maybe even a nap. Time seems to flow like molasses. But in a good way! Of course, when the trip is done, it seems like it was but an eye-blink. When you're cooking it isn't such a great idea to lose track of time. You can produce some especially inedible foodstuffs that way. Burnt chunks that will only find their way into the trash. Kind of a waste really. I have a solution! Buy a small minute timer.


For years I've used a simple 3 minute egg-style timer that would suffice for most jobs. Then I used the timer on the front of my convection/microwave. These all worked well. But I wanted something with more versatility. So I could use it for other jobs. Say, like using a two part epoxy for a repair. You get the picture. I had a nice timer from my flight bag. (Back in the day, you would actually TIME your turns when flying in bad weather [IFR]) I just couldn't bring myself to take it out of my flight bag. I mean it's lived in there for YEARS. What I really wanted was an inexpensive solution that could live in my RV utensil drawer happily. During my twice yearly visit to IKEA I stumbled across a very inexpensive ($2.99) minute time. It runs on 1 AAA battery and has a LOUD chirp to let me know it's finished counting down.


It's incredibly simple to use. Just three buttons. MIN(utes), SEC(onds) and START/STOP. It works exactly like you'd expect. Tap the minutes and seconds buttons to set a time you'd like to countdown, then tap start. There it goes! If you want to reset it, press both the minute and seconds buttons simultaneously. I love when things actually work just like they're supposed to. No extra frills on this gizmo. It does what it has to and I'm happy with that.  As a side bonus, it matches my ivory interior color. I did add a piece of stick on Velcro to the back to let me adhere it to the wall (or ceiling!) That let's me keep it out of the way and be able to see it easily. I thought about adding a small strong magnet as well, but there really aren't that many places that it would stick to inside my RV.

Now I have a simple, inexpensive timer that does just that...time! Baking will be much easier now! Not that I bake all that much, but you never know.

Be Seeing You...Down The Road,

Rich "The Wanderman"
www.thewanderman.com