New Member From Indiana

Scrublife · 10-07-2021, 12:39 PM

Hey all. I am sure my situation is completely different than anyone else, and that also applies to you as well. But, with that being said... hello.
My name is Bradd. I am a medical professional. I could get into details, but I work in surgery. I suppose that non of that matters. What does matter is that I work in travel. My contracts are usually 3x12h days. So working out of my home at a distance is something I have been considering.
Now, I have been following Skoolies for a bit. The idea of not hitching up or buying a vehicle that would be good enough to tow, well the bus option seemed to make sense.
I am not really ready for this endeavor, I am well aware of that. Kind of like kids... you are never really ready. With the way I was going about it, a Travel Trailer fell into my lap for virtually nothing. 500 purchase and 100 to move it. I dont own a truck. It is a 2005 Forest River Surveyor. It is actually really nice. The person I hired to move it, offered me 2k on the spot without seeing the inside.
My original plan is to gut it and move everything to a bus...
I have so much to learn.
Shore power
12v systems
Propane Fridge

I guess what I am saying is, Hello. I have a 27ft Travel Trailer in my driveway, and I have no idea what I am doing. That is part of the fun right?
Right?

Hi guys, god help me.

Scrublife · 10-07-2021, 01:00 PM

Here she is. The day I got her, without cleaning it.

o1marc · 10-07-2021, 02:17 PM

Well you're off to a great start with the trailer purchase for parts. Keep reading all you can here before looking for the bus.

Sehnsucht · 10-07-2021, 05:27 PM

Maybe my first thought is do you want to have mobility while you're parked/setup? The downside to skoolies and drivable RVs is if you don't tow a vehicle along with you then you have to pull up roots just to go run an errand or else you're reliant on public transportation or Uber or something. Without fully understanding how you plan to use the skoolie, I'm wondering if you might actually be better off investing in a tow vehicle. That way you can still run around without having to drag along the living unit. Otherwise, if " 3x12h " refers to you are only someplace for 3 days doing 12 hr shifts then you may not see any need for transportation if you've adequately packed for the duration. I pack in my semi for 5 days and that's not as much as you'd think but it's enough that I don't have to restock on route.

Just a thought.

Scrublife · 10-07-2021, 10:37 PM

Thanks man. I have a steep learning curve, but I am into learning. So that part is a plus.

Scrublife · 10-07-2021, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sehnsucht

Maybe my first thought is do you want to have mobility while you're parked/setup? The downside to skoolies and drivable RVs is if you don't tow a vehicle along with you then you have to pull up roots just to go run an errand or else you're reliant on public transportation or Uber or something. Without fully understanding how you plan to use the skoolie, I'm wondering if you might actually be better off investing in a tow vehicle. That way you can still run around without having to drag along the living unit. Otherwise, if " 3x12h " refers to you are only someplace for 3 days doing 12 hr shifts then you may not see any need for transportation if you've adequately packed for the duration. I pack in my semi for 5 days and that's not as much as you'd think but it's enough that I don't have to restock on route.

Just a thought.

In response to this. It really is my thing. I dont per say need a sustainable full time home. I was more so just thinking about current use and possible use.
I have the ability to take showers and use facilities at my job when out of my home location.

But here is my personal things.
1. I dont have experience with trailers.
2. I dont have a truck.
3. It felt into my lap, while thinking about possibilites.

I can learn to drag a trailer. That is probably a skill I could and should learn. The second point is a real thing. It is more expensive to buy a truck that is capable of trailing something like this, than it is to buy a bus that is fully capable. I have been looking. I am a guy I just want a truck for construction stuff with my home. Lastly, I was looking at alternative living solutions and it was really cheap. No matter what option I decide, I feel like I am in a position to not lose.

At the same time, If I could gut this and retro them into a bus... is the value of the items I acquired worth more than the value of the trailer. That current value to me is 600. That is where I am with this all.

If that makes sense.

somewhereinusa · 10-08-2021, 06:44 AM

Just my two cents worth. Anything in an RV is made of cheap plastic junk. Sell the RV and use the money to buy better quality household fixtures. There are some things that you need that is "RV" since you are in Indiana it's a quick trip to the Elkhart area to any number of RV surplus places. You can get things that fit your build instead of trying to make something work that was installed in something else.

cadillackid · 10-08-2021, 06:57 AM

some of the stuff in the trailer might be good.. frig, A/C, and stove / range. seem like items that might be of use.. as also maybe the folding dinette into bed if you dont want to build one..

Scrublife · 10-08-2021, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

Just my two cents worth. Anything in an RV is made of cheap plastic junk. Sell the RV and use the money to buy better quality household fixtures. There are some things that you need that is "RV" since you are in Indiana it's a quick trip to the Elkhart area to any number of RV surplus places. You can get things that fit your build instead of trying to make something work that was installed in something else.

I didn't realize Indiana was a popular state for all of this.

Kentucky Dreaming · 10-08-2021, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrublife

I didn't realize Indiana was a popular state for all of this.

Forest River and most other RV manufactures are headquartered in Elkhart, IN.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/

Scrublife · 10-08-2021, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kentucky Dreaming

Forest River and most other RV manufactures are headquartered in Elkhart, IN.

https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/

Awesome I have been trying to find out everything I can about this thing. That may make a trip up there worth while. Esp if I could get a user manual or some paperwork similar.

Thanks for the info.

T-Bolt · 10-08-2021, 09:56 PM

Where in Indiana are you?

Scrublife · 10-09-2021, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-Bolt

Where in Indiana are you?

Indianapolis.

T-Bolt · 10-09-2021, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrublife

Indianapolis.

I am in Lafayette with a "finished" bus if you have any interest in seeing one and discussing the build experience.

Scrublife · 10-09-2021, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-Bolt

I am in Lafayette with a "finished" bus if you have any interest in seeing one and discussing the build experience.

Absolutely. That would be grand! I am just looking for a weekend adventure thing with my kids kind of deal. Add in the possibility of using it to stay when on travel assignments.

After a day and a lot of looking at this rig, she has some demons lurking. Mostly a soft area on the floor in the dinnette area. It looks like a cheap, but extensive labor kind of job, then to find and address the actual cause.

Going to talk to a few others in regards to value of things in it... Value of just walking away. So far it's been on my mind, and now that something sits in my driveway, it has been sensory overload and lots of learning to do.

Rovobay · 10-09-2021, 12:11 PM

first of all, welcome. I bought a water damaged camper (damage over the bed area only) and utilized a lot of the salvaged things that you would need in a build. stove, refer, ac unit, power converter, propane tanks, awning, etc. There is a lot to be reused. Check out my build thread in my signature for some pics. Learning is half the fun!!!

Scrublife · 10-09-2021, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rovobay

first of all, welcome. I bought a water damaged camper (damage over the bed area only) and utilized a lot of the salvaged things that you would need in a build. stove, refer, ac unit, power converter, propane tanks, awning, etc. There is a lot to be reused. Check out my build thread in my signature for some pics. Learning is half the fun!!!

There we go. I mean even tanks and anything I can get out of it. I am still pondering all of this. Meanwhile my kids are just loving playing house in their home.

So there is that.

T-Bolt · 10-09-2021, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrublife

Absolutely. That would be grand! I am just looking for a weekend adventure thing with my kids kind of deal. Add in the possibility of using it to stay when on travel assignments.

After a day and a lot of looking at this rig, she has some demons lurking. Mostly a soft area on the floor in the dinnette area. It looks like a cheap, but extensive labor kind of job, then to find and address the actual cause.

Going to talk to a few others in regards to value of things in it... Value of just walking away. So far it's been on my mind, and now that something sits in my driveway, it has been sensory overload and lots of learning to do.

Send me a PM and we can set up a time.