What is your latest popup mistake.

Sorry, this was my motorhome, the clipper (hence the fuel tank).

 

Once years ago, I left work early and went to Salt Springs CG. Wife and kids were to meet me after the kids got off from school and the wife got off work. My thing was to get everything set up prior to their arrival. I arrived and backed into the campsite, unhooked the safety chains, electric plug etc. Opened the hitch and jacked the PUP up and cleared the TV. The PUP had a wheel on the front jack, and the thing started rolling down hill, since it was a large Jayco PUP I could not stop it, It rolled down hill and stopped at the next site, luckily nothing was hit or hurt, I am getting the TV ready to back up and re-hook but a worker there cutting grass had hooked up to it and returned it to me standing there red faced and really embarrassed . He was laughing and said not to worry that he had see a lot worse
The big lesson (and I remember it until this day) ALWAYS CHOCK THE WHEELS before unhooking the TT, I also did away with the wheel on the front jack too as I never use it anyway. Having a bad case (all my life) of C.R.S. I also have used a check list for set up and tear down

 

My biggest one was not double checking to make sure the coupler was securely attached to my hitch...I was driving down the hill and hit a small dip in the road and the pup uncoupled...luckily minimal damage to the tongue wheel. No damage to my truck. Painful to try and recouple to the truck. Tongue of the trailer was probably 200 lbs.

 

Had our roll where I park it at the house. Fortunately only about three feet. I had back up just a bit too far and when the tongue cleared the ball it rolled down the small hill. Now have a brick on each side for safety stops that stay there 24/7. I also now remove safety chains last just in case I forget to chock at a camp site.

Salts Springs is on the shortlist for a trip in the planning. Is it a quiet place? The DW and I really need a place where the boys can play and we can turn off the phones and relax.

 

My most recent gaffe was not checking the pigtail. I found out it was dragging on the ground about two hours into my five hour trip. Luckily the brake lights still worked, but I'd lost the brakes and the running lights. The Expedition can handle braking, and I made danged sure to make the return trip early enough to not need running/tail lates.

Like so many things, this was a blessing in disguise. I completely redid the pigtail with a nice junction box, and provided power to a new electric jack (the handle broke on that same trip, but that wasn't my gaffe).

 

You sound well versed in pop ups, and I need an opinion. This morning on our last leg home from a 2 week trip I noticed that the wheel bearing and hub one one wheel was completely gone from our 2003 Rockwood. Had to leave it at the hotel a few hours from home. Suppose it needs a new axle, hubs and tire rim. We were going to hunt for a newer one soon, soon came quicker than anticipated. Since it is far from home, would you tow it and fix it, scrap it, or find a buyer to take as is? Am a fish out of water! Thanks.

 

Hard to say without seeing it or at least pictures... I would try to get a new hub and bearings - packed and ready to slam on and try to limp it home... otherwise I guess find a shop in the area or flatbed it home. Typically wouldn't need to replace the axle unless the spindle is severely damaged.

 

This!!! Luckily we've only done it once and it only rolled about ten feet. The campers in the next site had a good laugh.

One time hubby came to pick me up from work, all hooked up and ready to go. I have a habit of walking all the way around and checking everything before we take off from anywhere, even getting gas, and it's a good thing I did cuz he'd left the hitch crank wheel thing down and driven all the way across town to get me.

Couple of years ago we made the mistake of ignoring the fact no one else in the entire campground had their awnings deployed. That night ours ripped off in the wind.

Leaving the step down in the driveway is also not a good idea. Our sons girlfriend backed into ours a few years ago and we've been unable to use the locking box in it for the crank ever since. Luckily that didn't cost anything - our daughters boyfriend bent the step back so it closes up and everything.

 

When we first got our pup it came with a pair of chocks and I'd only chock the low side of each wheel. Problem was sometimes my sense of "low side" wasn't correct and we had a few times where the camper shifted dramatically. The worst case, I had just explained to my sons that we always leave the safety chains attached until the camper was completely off of the ball and stable. As I was cranking it up, it rolled away violently and the chains indeed saved me. After that incident I went out and bought another pair of chocks and now I chock both sides of both wheels.

 

Had the pigtail come off when driving too, halfway sanded by the drive, luckily I only use 4 wires at the moment, all was still working, bought the replacement, waiting on the snow to melt to replace it

 

my mistake right now is that I did not pick up phone and call for a campsite reservation.

 

Well last year I sealed my roof with clear silicone . Most of you know that is an enormous sin in camping life. Silicone is a great sealer ,not for campers . I just removed all the silly cone ,re-sealed with dicor sealant especially made for campers . I just finished the roof today with the second coat of paint and it looks 200% batter . I have a 1995 Jayco jay pup.

 

On my last trip, we got busy loading up and I forgot to take off the removable handle to crank up the roof. We were 4 hours down the road when I realized that I left the handle on. Needless to say it had fallen off somewhere along the way. The crank handle fits into a 1" square tube on our Starcraft so I was able to use a crescent wrench slowly raise and lower the roof. I ordered a new handle while we were camping and it came in at the house a few days after we got home so I was able open the camper to clean it.

 

Memorial Day weekend, drove 4.5 hours to meet my buddies for a long weekend of camping. We were using my popup as base for sleeping and cooking. I pull into the camp site, stoked to see 'em and start the fun, only to realize I'd forgotten the keys to the popup (and the lock that I use to keep the ball lip down). Thankfully I'd thrown in a hack saw...had to hack my lock off the ball, hack off one of the front storage container latches, bend the under storage to get my crank out, and climb in and out of the trailer, since I couldn't get the hatch open. We placed the door up and down as we needed to get in and out. Thankfully didn't cost me much but I hopefully don't ever make that mistake again.

 

Was reminded of the first time we (family of three) went inside a TT on the lot of the dealer. Both of the guys hopped up on the bed and ....yikes....the tongue went skyward! We thought we'd broken something...but the dealer hadn't put down the stays! We ended up buying that PUP...and hoping that was probably the worst goof that happens (not)!

 

Mother's Day weekend, we pulled out of the driveway, & I hear a CRUNCH....drag drag drag....I had forgotten to lift the rear stabilizers. Destroyed one, severely damaged the other. Replaced them with these:

 

when we bought ours, all the stabilizers were bent and hanging by ratchet straps, i got rid of them right away, We use sicsor jacks and blocks now, i cut a jack handle that fits in my cordless drill and the thing is up in lever in seconds, I simply place a level on the roof and pull the drill trigger a couple times... its ways faster then the original system. and if you drive off you dont drag em..

 

Just yesterday, I forget to tighten down the door for the lid to my propane cover, and lost it somewhere on the ride home. Sigh.

This thread just reminded me of that, and replacements are $15 on Amazon. Just got a 3D printer, so maybe that will be the first thing I try to make. Actually... I can make a lot of replacement parts, if I get good enough and the $200 printer isn't a piece of junk.

 

I posted this last year, but this one's a doozy worth repeating:
I was putting things away inside the PUP as we were getting ready to tear down & leave the campsite & head for home. Wife & daughter were outside putting things away. I undid the turn-knobs on the inside at the top of the door & was preparing to fold the door up, but it wouldn't budge. I gave the door a hard yank, and the roof of the PUP dropped two feet! I was knocked to the floor & must have been out for a minute or so. Turns out that either my wife or daughter tried cranking down the roof, but nothing happened, so they ignored it & went on to something else. I was OK, and everyone learned a lesson that day.

 

Forgot to plug in the pup for towing. Ceiling came unscrewed from the FOAM!?! Frequently try to lift or pull the pup (by hand) with chocks and stabs down.