My First RV Cover

[marsman]

So today is November 25th and we're having a short stint of mild weather; today's high was about 2 degrees and tomorrow it's supposed to be sunny and up to 8 degrees (about 46 degrees Fahrenheit).

Last week, after two years of switching back and forth on my decision of getting a portable garage, a modular carport or a high quality RV Cover, I came across a very nice RV cover made here in Canada from a company called RV Cover Canada (http://rvcover.ca. I decided that this option is best for keeping my backyard uncluttered and I could conceivably user the cover in other locations (i.e.: it's mobile).

I wasn't planning on putting it on this year because the trailer was dirty and winter was coming - today, however, it was warm enough to wash my trailer well; I didn't dry it (See pic below) because tomorrow its warmer and I'll give it a final polish and install this RV Cover.

It's called the "Gold Shield 5L - Trailer Cover for Fifth Wheel Trailer 20' To 23' Feet Long" and should fit well; It sells regular for $699.99 and I paid $349.99 on this Black Friday sale price. I thought that was an excellent price for a 5 layer cover with a lifetime warranty!!

I'll post an update tomorrow on how long and difficult installation is and, some new pics of how it all fits once installed. CHeers,

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by marsman

I'll post an update tomorrow on how long and difficult installation is and, some new pics of how it all fits once installed. CHeers,

Nah, wait till you put it on for the second time, the first time is a learning experience.

Ron

[oldwave]

Have some help
I speak from experience

[marsman]

Ron,
Heading up to Kelowna next week, looking forward to some of that nice non-Ontario warm weather!!

[Suregrip391]

Looking forward to seeing pics. We might order one if it’s nice and fits well?

[JeffinBC]

Looks very similar to the Adco cover. Looking forward to hearing how it fits and it’s longevity. Good find.

[Shiny]

Interested, thanks for posting.

We bought our 5.0 used and it came with a new cover, but I don't know the brand. I think they bought it from Escape as the trailer was a year old.

Last winter I installed it. I did it without help but there was no wind. What I found was the cover had excess material. Despite my best effort to tie it all down. the cover suffered some wind damage but there were no abrasions on the trailer so I plan to put it on again as UV damage risk is high here.

Given our experience, the lifetime warranty sounds huge. I'll be interested to see how yours installs and fits.

[marsman]

OK Folks, so yesterday the weather was good, sunny and 12 degrees C (54 degrees F) and so my wife and I installed the cover. The issue was that it was really windy and our first time doing it so here is a summary and some photos:

1. Before installation I bungeed some thick towels onto the solar panel so the sharp corners would not poke thru the cover; also installed some slip-on thick rubber pieces on both sides of the rear bumper and taped a rubber mat over the top of a small recycling bin which I inverted over the TV antenna to protect it from the weight of the cover.

2. The cover went on quite easily - we placed it on our kitchen floor and rolled up the sides to the center and then the front and back towards the center,

3. We placed the whole thing between the antenna and the Air Conditioner on the roof of the trailer and then rolled it towards back and front and then let the sides fall down to the ground. Adjusting it wasn't so difficult but keeping the cover from shifting in the very high winds proved a challenge.

4. We used the ropes it came with to tighten it as best we could (cover ended up off-center so it wasn't perfect). Lastly, I tied three long ropes around the entire trailer; on either side of the wheels and on the loft section.

You can see in the photos that the cover seems a bit loose (it's made to fit up to 23' fifth wheels and ours are less than 20 feet) but from this installation I've learned the following:

A. From now on I will install it on a day that is nice and calm; that will allow much better positioning and it will fit better.

B. For the next time I install it I have purchased the following:

-some tarp clips to add additional tying spots along the bottom edge for a snugger fit and,

-some adjustable bungee cords which will make the tying much quicker and again allow for a much snugger fit.

All in all, it seems to be fine for now and as you can see in the photos it started snowing soon after installation, so I am glad I installed it cause now our little baby is snug as a bug in a rug!!! - until January that is when I wake her up for our trip to ARIZONA wilds ,,,

[cpaharley2008]

Hopefully, it will not be buried in snow in January......

[A&B]

For the solar panels we use pool noodles cut down the center and slipped over the ends...cheap and effective.

[jnfrombigt]

https://youtu.be/5knm19qbiOg

Somebody has posted this guy's video before. He has two , Sound is a little bad. I'm using the same basic procedure modified slightly to accommodate my 5.0. Today it took me about 20 minutes to put the cover on. I used a step ladder on the drivers side and moved the ladder twice this was to get the side panels in position to be pulled down to the ground. I'm using heavy duty para cord and the pole I'm using is longer than the one he uses. For me, it makes it a lot easier. I have to do this alone and I'm an old fart. Very old.

[jnfrombigt]

Luckily I put this on yesterday. Had scrubbed the roof and trailer nose the day before. At my location if the trailer sits out for a period of time the tree sap, pollen and other debris weld themselves to the roof. Last night a heavy line of thunderstorms moved through so I was glad I had covered the trailer. One good thing about this spot is that I don't have the wind issues many of you experience.

[marsman]

Wow that looks very tidy; not having to deal with a lot of wind seems to make installation simpler for sure. On that subject we had some heavy rain move through our area last night (how weird is that? Heavy rain and warm weather end of November!!) and today we had quite the windstorm with gusts up to 50km per hour (about 30 mph) and the cover has not moved at all.

I believe that tying up the front snugly under the loft and then wrapping those three ropes around the entire trailer really helps to keep the cover from moving.