hello everybody, 1972 nomad newbie questions

[Louis Soto]

hi everybody, new to the forum and also new to rv'ing. i am from riverside california. i am 38 yrs young, married and have 3 wonderfull girls (3, 9, and 13). i build choppers (motorcycles) for a living. i deliver these bike pretty much anywhere in southern california. i love to take my family with me on "working vacations" when i do (usually over weekends). we love spending time by the beaches. a few weeks ago i went to visit a friend with my wife and i saw this trailer with a for sale sign sitting in a neighbors driveway. i commented to my wife how i always wanted to buy one but i could never justify the cost of buying it considering the amount of use i would give it. anyhow i asked my friend if he knew how much they where asking and he didn't know. we decided to walk overthere and ask. the owner said he was asking $500 or best offer. needless to say, i offered him $450 and we struck the deal. i couldn't believe my luck!!! it is a 1972 nomad and it is in very decent condition. the owner just never used it so he decided it was time to sell it. i have zero experience with trailers so please be patient as i have many questions. my first question is about the bad odor in the trailer. it smells like it's been closed for many years or something(kinda like mildew i guess). i looked around but i could not see any rot or mold. there is one little corner of the ceiling that had water damage but it has been repaired  and everything is quite dry. i have been reading about how these trailers tend to sweat. is there anything i can do to get rid of the smell? we will be reupholstering all the seat cushions and putting down some new linoleum flooring. we are kinda hoping that will take some of the smell away but i doubt it. any input folks? 

ps: here are a couple pics of what i do and the only pic i currently have of the trailer. will take some later today:

 

 

 

[Louis Soto]

thanks john i will definately look at those items before i leave tuesday. i always did wonder if the electric brakes had some kinda maintenance. besides making sure the connections are clean and tight, could you elaborate on this alittle?

[John "T" Nordhoff]

  I do all my own but getting into brake adjusting and maintenance is a bit much to get into here. They often use a star adjuster like old fashion drum brakes and you basically adjust them (shoes) out so they are just off the drums. Often the magnets need a good clean and polish to remove the rust plus you clean any oil off the drums etc.

 

  Good ground connections is a MUST as far as brakes and lights are concerned and many problemns are caused by poor grounding

 

 If youre not familiar with adjusting the outer axle end nut which sets the pre load tension on the bearings you may wanna ask for local help as its veryyyyyyyyyy important but Im not gonna try to explain it on here, sorry. If unfamiliar have a trailer shop check and pack the bearings and adjust them and the brakes maybe

 

  John T

[David Grant]

In Maryland, any trailer Over 3000 lbs must have working brakes.  Our little things are less than that.  But,....according to the guy who inspected my 57 Yellowstone 14-16' single axle, if he sees brakes, "They must work".  That said, I recently drove in snow and rain using a Subaru Outback Sport to pull mine, and BOY did I like the way the brakes work.  In the event of a surprise "Big Truck or Windy bridge" wobble, I could just tap the manual control on the brake controller ($79) and it tugs the system a bit tighter to keep the rig straight.  Safety is a big thing worth paying a few hundred bucks for...  It also felt nice on big steep downhills to have the trailer sharing in the slow-down power.   Not necessary, but truly nice.  Ask your inspector ahead of time and make your choice.  The whole new assemblies are sinple, bolt-on and about 60-ish bucks for a pair.  The only headaches then is wiring and getting the "controller" in the car.

[Louis Soto]

hey guys, here is another update on this. today i took off each wheel and drum to clean, inspect and adjust everything before the trip on tuesday. if anything goes wrong just let me assure you it won't be the braking system ha ha ha. i took the drums off, cleaned them/wiped them down. brushed the interior where the pads and magnets are, regreased and repacked the bearings and finally, adjusted the "star wheels" so the drum would have a slight drag. i also made sure all the connections to the magnets where clean and tight. tomorrow i will take the trailer on a spin to get familiar with the brake controller. last thing to do is buy the greywater tank and see how i need to make my connections to make it work! very excited now

[David Grant]

woohoo! You are going to like having brakes.  

[Louis Soto]

hey guys just wanted to thank everyone who pitched in and conveyed they're knowledge to help me get this trailer done. we just got back from our spring break vacation 3 hours north of us in santa barbara. we went and came without any hiccups. it was nerve racking at first learning to tow the rig (and parking it!) but it's a matter of getting used to it. i was definately able to learn the parameters of this trailer and equipment. for example, a 25 gallon grey water tank will last 1 day with 5 occupants. i need stabilizer bars so i don't have to grip the steering wheel so hard next time!! other than that the braking system was awesome! anyhow i thought i would just top the cake with the photobucket link to our vacation after all that is what all this boiled down to. thankyou again and enjoy the link.   Lou

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v307/motolou/santa%20barbara%20ca...