A few general questions

[EnigmaticEarthling]

Hello! I have a few questions on RV living if any of you could answer them.


Can I hook up a desktop computer?

I will be living at mobile home parks instead of traveling. Are they usually cheap or modestly priced? (I will be living in a travel trailer)

What are some problems that I will experience? I heard leaking is a major problem after a year or two.

Thanks for any information!

 

[mockturtle]

Hello! I have a few questions on RV living if any of you could answer them.


Can I hook up a desktop computer?  Yes.

I will be living at mobile home parks instead of traveling. Are they usually cheap or modestly priced? (I will be living in a travel trailer) Relatively, yes.

What are some problems that I will experience? I heard leaking is a major problem after a year or two. Leaking can sometimes be an issue when you get to be my age, especially when you cough hard. But you are probably talking about RVs.  RVs that have not been properly constructed nor maintained can leak and cause major problems, sometimes structural. Have it inspected before you buy it and inspect it yourself several times a year afterward.

Thanks for any information!

 

[minimotos95]

Around here(Colorado) lot rent for RVs can run from $260-300/mo with and wifi without a meter on the power, up past $1000 plus power.
On mobile home lots it's normally up to you to pay all the utilities whereas at most RV parks they are included in the monthly rate. I'm at the cheapest lot in my town at $260 flat, but it doesn't have a water or sewer hookup, the next cheapest at $300 flat had bigger lots, full hookups but didn't allow siberian huskies. Here you can get a better deal at the right RV park, or MH park that has a specific RV section. From what I've seen normal MH lots are $350 and up then you pay all the utilities. Shop both options in your area and determine what's the best deal.
When looking for a place to park your TT watch out for discrimination in parks, whether against TTs, the age of your rig or any pets you may have.

If you have grid power the only reason you couldn't have a desktop is the size, but I have a medium size desktop and 19" TV in my small van so size is hardly an argument when you are talking about a TT, To be honest since I replaced my dead laptop with a hand me down lenovo G560(upgraded to an I5-480m running ubuntu 14.04) I rarely use my desktop, at most a couple times a week playing video games and the occasional movie stream.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the forums EnigmaticEarthling!  Living in a mobile home park is similar to living in a house or apartment so hooking into all of the systems is the same. You should be able to get high speed internet and cable TV too if you wish.  Mobile home parks in small towns or out in the country are usually inexpensive but the cost can really go up if you want to be near a large city or a tourist area.

 Leaks are not a problem if you keep up with maintenance however if you're buying a used trailer checking for signs of leaks and water damage is very important. Will you be living in a fairly moderate climate? It's hard to heat trailers and keep the water lines unfrozen in the winter. Mold is a problem in cool, wet areas like the Pacific Northwest. Mice sometimes climb up the electric cords and invade RVs so seal any holes.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

You didn't say which part of the country you are in.  Trailers generally don't handle really cold weather well.  Most are not particularly well insulated, they are hard to heat, and the plumbing frequently freezes up.

There are Youtube videos made by people trying to live in motorhomes and trailers in the North Dakota oilfields, and you would not believe what they go through when the temperature really drops.

Regards
John

 

[Canine]

In Phoenix, RV parks have lot rents that run about 425-500 a month plus metered electric, which for a 24 foot trailer would be 50-75 monthly, unless you have a big unit with 50 amp or twin air conditioners. If it's a single with a 30 amp service that price was what I was quoted last month. Here most mh parks lot or pad rent is higher, but it ncludes water, sewer and trash. Everyone charges for wifi, from a low of $25 to $50 for high speed. Rv parks have zero amenities, mh parks sometimes have a clubhouse or pool. MH parks often look nicer, the rv parks around here are in the crappiest areas for living, right off the train tracks where the train sounds it's "faint" horn 5-7 times a night.

Trailers can leak and rot out quickly, you have to have any trailer inspected unless you really know what to look for. I used to pride myself in looking for and finding hidden damage till I got snookered on 1, the seller had spent a lot of time hiding things. Idiot could have just fixed them for little more... If in doubt get it properly inspected by an rv place, or mobile rv tech.

Like was posted, insulation and quality of construction varies considerably. A newer Arctic Fox or other 4 season unit is spendy but nice, my level of brand x crappie trailer was flimsy and drafty... You get some of what you pay for, even the nicer lines are a lot of eye candy and still aren't well built...

 

[Theadyn]

As a comparison, I live in western Oklahoma. There is an RV park that charges $360 per month that includes electric, water, sewer and basic cable. I lived there once for six week back in 2000. Oilfield is big here, and a lot of workers live there for cheap while raking in oilfield money. It's across the street from a grocery store and dollar store. Shaded, decent lots, on the quiet end of town. If they included wifi in the deal that would just about be perfect!!

 

[Almost There]

I will be living at mobile home parks instead of traveling. Are they usually cheap or modestly priced? (I will be living in a travel trailer)

You've gotten lots of answers to your other questions but this one stuck out to me.

Most mobile home parks don't allow travel trailers and most RV parks don't allow mobile homes.

The zoning for each of them are different and it's rare to find one that has dual zoning.

RV parks pricing ranges from the really cheap per month with everything included but no amenities to luxurious $1,200++ a month resorts as well as being extremely dependent on where you are located.

 

[akrvbob]

In Quartzsite you can get full hookups in a decent little RV park for $180 a month. There are many small RV parks across the Southwest for less than $250 a month, but generally they are in pretty out-of-the-way places.

LTVAs are BLM land that is $180 for 7 months. They have no hookups but many have a dump station and water that are free and also dumpsters for trash. If you can provide your own electricity that's only $25 a month--cheap living!

Probably the best deal is the New Mexico state Parks Pass, $225 for the entire year and you can stay for free at any NM SP. Hookups are only another $4 a day but many of them have showers, they all have water spigots and toilets. You get a lot for less than $20 a month.

Lets say you decide to live there all year and pay the extra $4 a day every day, that totals out to be $1685 for the year (including the initial $225 fee) divided by 12 months is $140 a month for the year. Pretty cheap living in some truly beautiful areas! You do have to move every 2-3 weeks, but you could look at that as a plus. Many of them are high enough you wouldn't have to worry about heat.

See a review of the Parks here:
http://www.cheaprvliving.com/blog/review-of-the-new-mexico-state-parks-pass/
Bob

 

[EnigmaticEarthling]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I am in college as of right now. I will be earning a degree in computer science and engineering so I can end up working anywhere. When I graduate, I will probably come back and ask about the specific problems that the area has.

A few of you mentioned that I need to ensure I get the travel trailer checked out. How do I do that? In addition, what are some TTs that are built well?