RV NEWBIE: TEAR DOWN CHECKLIST (KYD)

▶︎ About the episode:

One would think it's just a matter of reversing the steps, however I was surprised to learn that there were far more steps when tearing down than setting up.

To download the checklist, click the checklist below and it will open as a PDF where you can save. But don't stop there! Make changes and customize to your RV. Chances are good your RV has it's own unique steps to ensure the safety of your and your equipment.

**This checklist is designed for a travel trailer and may not be complete for your rig. Your RV may have other steps necessary to ensure the safety of you and your equipment.

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[Smapdi]

I would add 2 things to this great list.
1. I have my DW stand behind the trailer and we check turn lights, brake lights etc.
2. While she is back there I pull ahead 35' and she does one more visual check to make sure we didn't leave anything (wheel chocks, litter etc.)

[kerryschoolfield]

You might want to mention that the electrical must be turned off at the box before disconnecting from the Rv. You might get a shock if it’s not. I always start at the box the disconnect the RV.

[jerrybarger]

I would turn off electric before removing cord. Thanks for the info. Safe travels!!

[OhthePlacesWellRoll]

Great video Marc and Trish. Two VERY IMPORTANT things I've come across on our journey: 1) If your electric stabilizers stop working requiring you to hand crank, you are supposed to disconnect the electrical connection before manually cranking them. According to Lippert, turning the motor can put current back through your panel and cause damage to your electrical system. I'd say, at a minimum, going slowly while cranking should help to avoid this. 2) We were at a park once with our grey tank valves open like you do and people kept stopping outside our rig to take a look at our slinky. After the third person stopped and looked, I stood up to see what the show was about. It turns out my slinky became detached from its elbow and we were draining (luckily only) grey water onto the ground. It was only a little bit, but not something you want to discover about your setup. Had that been the black tank, things would have been quite nasty! No one let us know that was what they were looking at though. I would have appreciated someone taking a moment to knock on the door to let me know. So, be very cautious when any of those valves are open. Keep up the great work on your channel. Your videos have inspired us to follow in your footsteps!

[roger]

Great video. I have seen people driving down the road with their 'slinky' hanging out the side. Oh Funny story though, after watching the 'slinky' episode, we were entering the highway near our home and there was a 'slinky' laying on the side of the road. I said to my wife "Look - Marc and Trish must be in town!" We got a good chuckle out of that. Thanks for all you do for us RVers.

[robertbayler]

Don't forget to check all your lights on the walk around.

[paulneedham]

One of my checklist items is to make sure you have ample fuel in your truck before connecting. I got caught with low fuel and had to actually disconnect in a parking lot because there was no access to a filling station that could accommodate my rig. Really cuts into your travel progress on tear down day! Love your videos, happy, safe travels to you!

[susanwood-rautenstrauch]

Don’t forget to put down the antenna too. Good job on the camp breakdown. Love the Videos!

[sydney]

One thing I noticed that you didn't mention is that while you are doing your walk around was to constantly look under both your rig and trailer to make sure everything has been cleared out. Learned from experience when I had slipped a storage bin under and started to drive away and I could hear it scrapping on the ground. Don't just look under from one side but from all sides included front and back. Simple enough to do and simple enough to forget. One other spot to walk around is the entire site to look for stuff you might have left out on the picnic table or on a clothes line or tree. Leave your site as clean or better than when you got there. Love the information you guys are willing to share all the time. Thank you!

[chuckduncan]

We are new full time RV living and these videos have helped so much. In fact before I printed out the check list we had a little damage on the inside because, I DIDN'T HAVE THE CHECK LIST!! This will not happen again. Seriously, to be honest we picked up the rig to bring to the house that we just sold to load up and coming up the long tree lined driveway a limb hit and broke three different pieces. DAY ONE!! Didn't even make it up the driveway. Newbie mistake numbers one and two. Great to have this help!!!

[mskid]

Do you ever feel the need to check your trailer brakes as you're pulling out? Squeeze your brake controller as you are starting to slow roll.

[jonandrews]

Just a suggestion for the outdoor kitchen door that was nearly missed. Put a thin strip of red tape 2" long for the 'Open' position and a green strip of tape for the 'Closed'. That way on your walk around you will see if the handle is lined up with red/green and its a simple visual indicator to see the status.

[christopherthorn]

Good video ! I would add that you should check your lights every time. We always have the passenger stay outside and check things as the trailer pulls out of the site. This is particularly useful in a crowded site with lots of obstacles. Another good tip is to try to get a full tank of gas while the truck is unhooked to save the anxiety of pulling into a gas station with a large trailer.

[JerryDLTN]

3:50 idea: print out the checklist(s), laminate and stick to the compartment hatch.

[deltabravo]

Lots of comments to do an ops check on the lights. Here's how I do mine (as a solo traveler): Turn on my parking lights and my 4 way flashers, then walk behind the rig. If the 4 ways work, then the brake and turns function too, since they are the same bulb / same circuit. They (turn and brake) are powered by the same wires in the umbilical cord from truck to trailer.

[sydneybaumgartner]

Really appreciate your videos! We are Pre Newbies, so I've been watching to learn how to get started in 2019. We just bought a used 27' Toy hauler to explore this country on motorcycle from a base camp. I have been riding for 54 years. As you can see we are a little over the hill. (72 &71).Keep them coming!

[DownTheRoadWeGo]

When I got the notification that you uploaded a video, I thought oh crap is it Sunday already. I need to put the trash on the street.
Shirley did the slide water thing to me, but I was standing next to the slide. Yep got soaked and wished I had that on video.

[charitizzle]

I’m an old rver, we start tearing down night before and have no check list!🤣 Just not full timer. ❤️ you guys!

[stevennoyes]

Several have already mentioned this but it is important enough to mention again. NEVER pull the power without shutting off the breaker at the pedestal! You can be shocked or the plug can be damaged by an electrical arch (?) jumping across. It can burn the contact surfaces which increases the possibility of a poor contact which in turn causes heat as current has to work that much harder due to the damaged contacts. With you standing on wet ground, you were in even more danger because the ground potential was even greater! Check out the "no shock zone" he has a wealth of information on these things, scary smart! Oh, great video! Love what you guys do!

[SuiteTravels]

As previously stated....check your lights. Just before the walk around we activate the emergency flashers and turn the parking lights on. That way you can check the lights as you walk around. Also, turn off the hot water heater, TV amp and water pump. By the way - that's a REALLY good idea to wrap the step handle!