Storing Trailer at Florida Trailer Park Long Term

[Backforty]

[QUOTE=FLTom52;226647]Would you mind telling me where in Florida are you storing your fifth wheel?

I would not have answered this question on a public forum .

[SGT ROC]

[QUOTE=Backforty;278033]

Would you mind telling me where in Florida are you storing your fifth wheel?

I would not have answered this question on a public forum .

I tend to agree with you, but then I'm a little paranoid about things like that. But on the other hand I tend to be to open sometimes too.

[Jerryr]

[QUOTE=Backforty;278033]

Would you mind telling me where in Florida are you storing your fifth wheel?

I would not have answered this question on a public forum .

Why would you have not answered?

[FatTire]

That’s why I store mine in a covered storage facility in Florida. I’m paranoid about the potential of water damage.

I'd love to store mine inside - where is this in Florida - and if you don't mind, whats the monthly rental?

[Jerryr]

I'd love to store mine inside - where is this in Florida - and if you don't mind, whats the monthly rental?

TOO MUCH! $300/mo in North Sarasota. It has 20 amp 120 v receptacle so I can keep the battery charged and pre-cool the fridge a few days before we go on a trip. I owned airplanes for 35 years in Florida and we always kept it in a hangar since Florida sun was horrible on paint. When we sold our last plane about 5 years ago we were paying $750/mo in Ft Lauderdale and $300/mo in Venice for a hangar so we are conditioned and $300 isn't too bad for us.

I also have a outdoor spot at Ft Drum for $20/mo at a gated remote community. The RV's there show age real quick in the sun. My wife is bugging me to give up the Sarasota covered spot and save the $300/mo but I don't want to.

Here is the Reflection in the covered spot in Sarasota.

[boyscout]

We camp in Florida for about 5 months each year in our Solitude Fifth Wheel and have decided to leave the Fifth Wheel at our Florida camp site rather than taking it home to Canada as we will not be using it in the summer in Ontario, Canada. Can anyone tell me if I should be lifting the unit and rotating the tires a little to avoid a square bottom on the tire and should I put a rubber mat between each tire and the concrete pad the trailer sits on to avoid concrete moisture from penetrating the tires? We will be leaving our air conditioners on set at 80 degrees and we have a humidifier inside along with packs to absorb moisture which should avoid a build up of moisture in the trailer. I am concerned about the converter charging the batteries in the hot weather in Florida and wanted to turn off the battery disconnect switch to avoid the constant charge running through the batteries. Does this thinking make sense to those of you who have experience with long term trailer storage in a Florida park? We have a company coming in next week to wash and wax our unit which hopefully will provide some protection from the hot Florida summer UV rays. I really appreciate the advice on summer storage in Florida from the experienced users. I always try to answer forum member questions when I see them if I feel I can add value based on my experience. Thank you

No experience of my own, but friends of ours have done this for a couple of years now, storing down near Fort Myers. They got a lot of advice about doing it before they began, and use several large PAILS of moisture-absorbing material inside the trailer. They pay a woman to go into the trailer every (I forget, four weeks? Six weeks? Something like that.) and she replaces that material at least once during the months they are summering in Canada as well as checking things over for them re: bugs and rodents. Doesn’t cost them much. Your use of air conditioning will alleviate this very important need to keep things dry, but certainly won’t eliminate it. Dry = very, very high importance in the moist heat of Florida summers.

Re: battery, you’d be best to disconnect the battery. Just turning off the “kill” switch guarantees you’ll have a dead battery - possibly not recoverable - when you return since various things in the trailer are NOT disconnected by the kill switch and they will drain it flat within weeks. Disconnect the cables from the posts on the battery. Given the length of time you’ll be away from the trailer, it would be best to add a trickle charger specifically designed to be attached long-term to the battery. You can likely get away without this but it’ll shorten the life of your battery somewhat if you don’t do it. Will that cost you more than buying a charger? That’s the highly-debatable question.

[Pawsitive Camping Life]

We lucked out and found a covered spot with power in Sarasota for 185 month, worked great to keep the sun off and able to run our dehumidifier inside when we weren't using the camper. It was at Ed Cote's RV Storage (we moved to the NW last fall). Person lives on site so it is secure and also mechanic on site. They will even pull it out when you are ready to pick it up and wash it for you (for a fee I'm sure). They are packed in the winter but store many rvs through the summer for snowbirds!

I wouldn't leave outside all summer in Florida if I could help it. That sun is brutal, along with the torrential downpours all summer, that occasionally have hail with them.

[djlemonier]

Hey Jerry, is the indoor storage unit you use in FL airconditioned? Asking because I live in SE Louisiana, and like FL, it gets stupid hot in summer (especially this summer). I went to look at an all metal enclosed storage unit nearby that was becoming available shortly, and at 3 in the afternoon (99 degree high that day) the sidewalls of the storage unit were radiating heat like crazy. Assume it was at least 120 degrees on the inside. Am I better off storing in a unit like that or just keeping it exposed on my property? I don’t have a covered structure tall enough on my property to park an Rv under.

[ForBruce]

a lot of those problems would be eliminated if you stored the camper in the northern part of south Carolina.

don't need air left on ,no snow , mild winter , ..you just have to pull batteries unless you have solar to keep them charged.

and the storage rate in South Carolina (northern part) is most likely much less than florida

and i would not use rubber under the wheels... i myself use 10" by 6 foot boards under the tires (ends are cut 45 degrees)