how do you pay for your vintage rv addiction

[iamcaper]

I usually buy and sell cars and trucks to make extra cash to pay for my obsession.

if you have a retro rv you need to be handy like everyone here. we have skills! this video shows how I pay the bills on the rv : https://youtu.be/3mmP1zLH_JM

  but I am always interested in learning from other knowledgeable people.  so how do you do it?  thanks everyone!

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I tried putting on a dress and standing on a street corner.  Being the very large hairy dude that I am, it didn't work out very well for me.   W% W% W% W% W%

Kev

[iamcaper]

just standing on the wrong corner lol

[ClydesdaleKevin]

 :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao

Kev

[Sasquatch]

First, I own http://www.adventurepowersports.us


Then, how I save money is that I make many of the parts I use.  I have a full machine shop so I fabricate many of my projects along with doing all my own work.


Time.  I have had my coach for 23 years.  I just pick on a couple of projects a year.  Spreads it out quite a bit.

[LJ-TJ]

Hey Guys, we just found a guy who can make and supply all our hard to find parts now. :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao got his own machine shop. D:oH!

[Aaarrghh]

I usually buy and sell cars and trucks to make extra cash to pay for my obsession.

if you have a retro rv[/l][/l]

You mean 'vintage rv', right? Retros are new, made to look 'vintage.'

[iamcaper]

You mean 'vintage rv', right? Retros are new, made to look 'vintage.'

correct I am in a vintage rv lol    appologies

[tmsnyder]

I pay for mine by not taking the family on vacations except in the RV.   Flights for 5, rental car for a week, meals (ok we still eat out mostly), but hotel rooms not rented!, add up fast every time we take a trip.

[khantroll]

I do it the old fashioned way; I work a regular job as an IT Administrator, and then apply the Johnny Cash principle of "One piece at a time".

[Rickf1985]

Welding and fabrication, carburetor rebuilding as side jobs as my body will allow.

[beaverman]

Semi retired contractor, ( want to be full retired but still need to finish some projects of my own, like building our new shop/ small apartment for a base camp at my sons and a couple more projects on the Winnie to suit our liking) at 62 I have a couple more years until Social Security so I pick and choose the jobs that I do, my old worn out body won't do the things that it did when I was 30! my brain thinks I'm still 22 but my body screams WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! most of the time! 

[LJ-TJ]

Well I'm on a modest pension. So I have to learn every thing I can and rely of the gang here to teach me  how to fix everything on my 1975 Winnebago Brave. We usually find a Walmart or a Cracker Barrel  in the area we're traveling in to lay over night for free. We find the food in the States inexpensive so the only thing I have to pay for is fuel. That I cover by going to farm auctions and buying a broken down piece of farm equipment take it home fix it, clean it up and then sell it. There's more than one way to skin a cat. Don't ever let anybody tell you it can't be done. Just move them out of the way of someone who's doing it. Where there's a will you'll always find a way.

[Rickf1985]

Beaverman, I hear you on the brain and body disagreement! After 4 spine surgeries, a knee replacement, a hip replacement, waiting on the other hip and two torn rotator cuffs I have finally gotten to the point where my brain has admitted defeat.


TJ, I can't go to farm auctions, I am dangerous to my own bank account!!!!!

[beaverman]

Beaverman, I hear you on the brain and body disagreement! After 4 spine surgeries, a knee replacement, a hip replacement, waiting on the other hip and two torn rotator cuffs I have finally gotten to the point where my brain has admitted defeat.


TJ, I can't go to farm auctions, I am dangerous to my own bank account!!!!!

Amen brother, getting old aint for sissies!

[Aaarrghh]

Go to vintage camper rallies. There's where you meet guys that can do all sorts of stuff. I needed a rare part and met a man who had it in his junk pile, said come and take it. Problem solved!

[Gearhead88]

Yes , I still work for a living , here's the stuff I work on ââ,¬Â¦..Cranes , pretty much mostly crawlers , a lot of older machines and the trucks/trailers that haul them .  Good times !!

[Rickf1985]

Did that for a short bit between jobs when the fire chief at our volunteer company offered me a job for a temporary bit servicing some cranes on the waterfront. Interesting work and damn well better not be afraid of heights! That high up over water with no reference point can be a bit unnerving. My job was greasing all of the pulleys and I can tell you that the jib on a crane a couple hundred feet up moves a LOT in the wind! I don't know how those operators can land a load on spot the way they do.

[Gearhead88]

It's hard work for an old guy .


Even though we are trained and equipped for it we ,  don't often work at heights , for maintenance , the crane is boomed down to grease the sheaves. I don't live near the water so I have not worked on any barge mounted equipment , I was wondering how  they can  boom down safely to lube the sheaves


These cranes are rentals , we load all the components and haul to site , It gets assembled and when they are done with it we show up with trucks , take  it apart and haul it all back to our yard.


Older equipment , when it becomes necessary gets overhauled  , Big parts in some of these ââ,¬Â¦..

For reference , to get an idea of scale , those chunks of wood , one has blue paint on it  , are 12" X 12"

[Rickf1985]

These were mostly set up on the docks but the prevailing wind came from Pennsylvania towards NJ and this was in Philadelphia so the cranes would be pointed towards NJ to keep them from being cross to the wind. Also, This was the early 70's, OSHA was not a factor. N:(  We basically free climbed the booms and checked the pins as we went and tied off once at the top to do the maintenance on the wheels. I did this every day at dawn or in the evening if bad weather was predicted for the next day. the operators were gone for the day and I think the whole idea was to have the work done while the operators were not on the clock making big bucks to do nothing but lower a boom and wait a couple hours to raise it. That would be half a day wasted. The safety rules have changed now I am sure, as have the union rules. I didn't get into the gears and chains. That was what my buddy did as a full time job. He was being paid just a little more than I was. W%

[WrigleysBraveWin]

Iââ,¬â,,¢m one of those Silly Rabbits who work hard entire life, saved like crazy and could afford a $150k motor homes but elected to buy used and redo as required ..... I have a lot of coin into my Classic 23ââ,¬â,,¢ Brave but still well under budget ..... Basically I saved for 35 years, lots of tent camping and someday will have one!

[WrigleysBraveWin]

These were mostly set up on the docks but the prevailing wind came from Pennsylvania towards NJ and this was in Philadelphia so the cranes would be pointed towards NJ to keep them from being cross to the wind. Also, This was the early 70's, OSHA was not a factor. N:(  We basically free climbed the booms and checked the pins as we went and tied off once at the top to do the maintenance on the wheels. I did this every day at dawn or in the evening if bad weather was predicted for the next day. the operators were gone for the day and I think the whole idea was to have the work done while the operators were not on the clock making big bucks to do nothing but lower a boom and wait a couple hours to raise it. That would be half a day wasted. The safety rules have changed now I am sure, as have the union rules. I didn't get into the gears and chains. That was what my buddy did as a full time job. He was being paid just a little more than I was. W%

Roofer 42 years, we covered everything!

[Rickf1985]

Long time, no see. Glad to see you are still hanging around.

[WrigleysBraveWin]

Long time, no see. Glad to see you are still hanging around.

Oh yea, RV repairs took awhile - have a wonderful shop here in Mountain Home, Arkansas that did most of restore ..... Mountain Home Auto and RV and the Owner, Mike, knows his stuff inside and out from the coach to the brakes - should anyone read this post they are at


794 HWY 5 N Mountain Home, Arkansas 72653


Ask for Mike - 870-580-0952 - tell him guy with 1994 Brave sent ya!

[WrigleysBraveWin]

Semi retired contractor, ( want to be full retired but still need to finish some projects of my own, like building our new shop/ small apartment for a base camp at my sons and a couple more projects on the Winnie to suit our liking) at 62 I have a couple more years until Social Security so I pick and choose the jobs that I do, my old worn out body won't do the things that it did when I was 30! my brain thinks I'm still 22 but my body screams WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! most of the time! 

42 years in Roofing and 36 years as Contractor- Sold Biz in August 2016 and never went back into the Shop, bye bye all good to know ya!