RV Modification: Washer and Dryer on the Back!
Vložit
- čas přidán 19. 12. 2016
- Our fifth wheel doesn't have the room or the design for a washing machine and dryer. We value them quite a bit in our travels so I did something about it! Check is out and please comment and subscribe!
We are Brent and Gina and we love to travel especially by RV which in our case, is our fifth wheel. We usually take 2 or 3 trips a year ranging from 2 weeks to 2 months depending on the trip and how life is going at the time. We would love hear about your traveling adventures so please leave a comment and share.
Music: Safety Net by Riot
I was thinking of doing this on the hitch of an RV and appreciate your taking us through your process steps.
You are so clever!! This was so interesting!
Works very well for us!
This is one fantastic decision you guys made. I seriously don't think I could handle clean clothes issues anymore. There comes a time when you just have to make it the way you need it. To me, clearing off a foot of snow from my property, would be easier than the torment of having to struggle with where to wash my clothes, not even counting piling them into the car and finding a place to wash them. Fantastic!!! Looks great too. Sheila
It worked pretty good for us on our trip to NC and back Ms. Sheila. Totally worth it.
Brent
Great information. Thank you.
Thanks sir. Keep updating more videos and new ideas.
I will! Am heading to the Renaissance Festival in Arizona now!
Awsome!!!! Video. Thanks
❤ thanks for sharing awesome!!
Great idea!
I live full time in my 5th wheel camper, I've been @ this camp ground for 30 months. A camper pulled in a week ago with a box frame welded to the back with a front loader washer and dryer. My wife loves the idea, but searching online. I only see your video. I'm about to cut up some 5 inch c channel & build a rack.
I am going to get a washer/dryer combo and give it another go. The cheap washer broke. I also need to build a shock absorber into the rack to keep the road bumps from damaging the unit over time. Any ideas?
I know it has been a while but how have they held up? Found them on Walmart and was going to get them
Hi, I normally live full time, just my dog and I, in a Coachman Bunkhouse RV. Right now with my son taking care of his son’s wife. I hope to be back in it in the next couple of months. Now I am in Little Rock and should be moving to JB’s RV park out side of Benton. I thought you said you lived in central Arkansas? Anyway, I have seen someone have this set up before and I have been looking for a way to do this myself. I don’t know if this will be monetarily feasible for me but glad to have seen your set-up.
The dishwash I used in the video went bad. It was a cheaper product and I think the bouncing around didn't help. That was a few years ago so it lasted a good bit for us. Our plan was to purchase a washer/dryer combo to alleviate the switching to the dryer. Thoughts were to turn on at night and next morning they'd be dry. Well, we started saving and then Covid curbed the usual traveling. Today, we're on the fence on whether we're going to keep the current 5th wheel long enough to make a washer/dryer combo purchase worth it or just get a new 5th wheel with hookups inside. Now, we also have ebikes that are going on a rack. We just talked about it again and we're considering options with 2024 being an active year for RVing potentially.
How is it holding up
Great idea. I'll do the same way in the future. How many lbs? For both machines and any problems with the 5 er. Thanks.
It's not much at all, but I don't know the weight. The hitch holds 300 if I remember right. It's less than 150 total I imagine both machines and the tote too. They're all on the rack. No problems in our travels yet.
where can I get that Washer and Dryer setup and how heavy is it
What's the name of the washer and dryer?
How are the washer and dryer holding up to the elements, being outside 24/7 under a tarp, with the underbelly exposed? Getting any rusting? How are the electronics holding up with the exposure to high humidity?
Let me go look. Just washed a load two days ago as part of upkeep. The bottom of both are covered with painted metal like everywhere else. No issues seen other than rub marks where the tote rests next to the washer. Hope that helps.
I have mine set up on a seasonal site, and my washer and dryer sit on treated wood with a cover, and there don't seem to be any problems. I have my drain set up so it drains on the ground, but want to do an adapter like he has above but don't know what connectors to buy.
Just saying, if I was parked next to you at a campground. Would you hear the washer and dryer running at night?....lol. I was wanting to do the same thing on ours.
Very good question! I want to answer honestly because noise is always an issue for some campers especially generators running, dogs barking, and children screaming. Yeah, they get on my nerves too at times.
We used it on our 3-week NC trip. I washed once at night and could hear folks' TV next to us, from inside their trailer, while it was going. We mostly use it during the day, say late afternoon when surrounding noise levels are higher than at night. You need full hookups or it will quickly overwhelm your water/tank storage. But that's true of all RVs with washers and dryers.
Most full hookup places don't lean themselves to "campers" so not a lot of hanging outside going on. Most folks are out and about during the day and retired inside the RV at night. Most picnic tables and hang-out areas are mid-trailer or so. This is on the back of the RV. I asked Gina again just now and she reflected what I remember. We couldn't hear either running while sitting on our back couch which is right next to it inside the trailer. We could barely feel the spin cycle. Our previous combo unit inside our Cameo, was more detectable. Simple answer, I don't think you'd offend anyone. I would say go for it if you're put out sometimes with loading up for the dreaded laundry detail. I bet your wife would appreciate it! Ask her and let me know what she says.
Lastly, even if noise complaints are a concern, you could wash when no one is around like during the week, even say staying at COE parks or state parks. There's always dead times when we travel and with this setup, 2x a week is plenty. Hope this helps. :O)
Brent
No you won't
Smart! My question is. Why not just buy an all in one washer and dryer? I'm in Hot Springs by the way. WPS
Adventures with Bobby and Jackie How funny. Originally, it was just too expensive for us to consider. Now, the washing machine has crapped out on us, so we're going to get a new washer dryer combo before the next big trip just like you mentioned.
Do you think it could be done with a washer/dyer combo?
Yes I do.
i wish i could make my husband do this .... did you ever consider an all in 1 unit .... i have one upstairs in my house ... drying time is long
If we keep this unit much longer, yes for sure.
Any chance you can share the link for that shower to hide adapter?
I'm not sure what adapter you're speaking of. Can you share the time in the video so I can take a look? I'll give a better answer after.
Can You tell me what I need to buy to make the drain on my washer work like yours? (drain through a hose). My drain looks to be the same as yours.
3/4" PVC to standard hose fitting for the washer drain. Talk to the plumbing supervisor in Lowes/Home Depot. The washing machine I purchased had a standard garden hose fitting for the intake so any standard hose will fill. Hope that helps.
@@C3Voyage I adapted mine to work with a garden hose. I will venture to HD and find a 3/4 PVC to hose fitting. Do I need a hose clamp?
@@gageshultz9523 I used a zip tie 'cause it's what I had on hand. There's not much pressure in the line so it works, but a clamp would ensure the fit doesn't come loose and probably cheaper than buying a bag of zip ties.
I worry about that much weight on the rear of a trailer.
What’s the ampriage 30 amps or 50 amps???? I need to know any one
Mary he doesn't seem to be answering questions anymore but I can tell you that I hooked up my regular washer to my 30 amp fifth wheel that was not previously set up for one. I also used my outdoor shower as he did
@@American_couture thank you
Given that the frames on RVs are prone to rusting cracking breaking etc are you not concerned that the weight of these units and the springy nature of it's platform will not eventually lead to it's structural failure to stay attached to the main RV frame especially when driving on a bumpy road etc? I can see the main attachment snapping off at 60mph on a freeway and the units falling onto the roadway causing other vehicles ie tractor trailers etc to veer at high speed causing horrific chaos!
Wow, Lauren, that's quite a comment. It sounds like you're saying you don't trust all of the RV manufactures decision to add a hitch on the back of fifth wheels. For that matter, all the pickup trucks, SUVs, and cars too. They're everywhere.
I don't know how to alleviate your concerns other than give you my thoughts on it all. Grand Design added a hitch rated at 300 lbs. Why did they do that? What other possibility could be used with a 300 lb hitch rating or tow a very, very light trailer?
I have personally only used about 1/3 of that capacity or just over 100 lbs if I remember correctly.
I expect that if such a horrific incident happens, Grand Design will be liable.
I'm not trying to be snooty, honestly and I am curious about your line of thought on it 'cause it's a big fear to harbor. I've been under 2 RVs now for 8 years of traveling. It's part of my pre-departure checklist to check the frame and other components such as the landing gear, jacks, pin, tires, wheels, leaf springs, etc. I've not noticed any rusting or cracking other than very fine surface rust. I just checked again for this answer for you. There is almost zero rust on the whole back assembly and no cracks 3 years of traveling. I hope that helps you out. And, I hope you realize that I'm within normal practices. I certainly hope you come back and post your thoughts after my answer because I worry about your fear. I am afraid of heights so I can imagine what might be going through your mind on it all. Thanks.
If you mix CZcams videos of Lippert RV frame horror stories with a weighted bouncing rear attached frame platform you can easily see this scenario happening. Look up Lippert frame disaster RV stories on CZcams then you will see how I arrived at this idea. I've read multiple Stories about rvers adding a simple double bike rack on the rear hitch of their RV then putting on one or two bikes add anything other than a smooth highway and the frame hitch cracks due to it's paper thin construction and the bike frame n it's bikes and up in shreds on the highway! So I can easily see a heavier weight like appliances on a rear attached platform happening WAY easier than a couple of bikes. Plus people stating that even though their unit has a rear hitch if they add anything to that hitch they void their RV frame warranty!! Stunning!
I did a CZcams search just as you said and the output is all over the place. Can you put the links of 10 cases on CZcams here, the forum conversations with bicycles causing failures, and any other supporting links. What your describing goes against everything I've experienced, researched, read, and discussed with the manufacturer and other RVers. I need to see what you've seen to see your points so please supply those links for me and the others who read the comments.
The warranty only covers basically the appliances and stuff like that. I just went over this with them round and round because our trailer axle was mis-aligned. They told me they don't cover stuff like this because they can't verify what is human error or not. I think that's BS, but it's in writing.
I JUST got off the phone with Mark from Grand Design and posed your concern. He said two things:
1. Lippert wouldn't put it on their frames if they didn't mean that it can support 300lbs worth of stuff going down any road. They're aware of how RVs behave over every surface and hitches have been on RV since the beginning of time.
2. Mark said he has NEVER had a case where someone reported a hitch failure.
I have worked with Grand Design on a few issues directly including the grease seals failing. They paid for everything with just a phone call. They are outstanding to deal with and have great customer service. If you doubt what I'm telling you, please give them a shout.
So, I'm still giving your argument credence and I'm definitely not offended or mad. If I were, I'd just delete your comment. So, please provide the support for your claims and we can go from there.
@@brentginastravelingadventures
Im not offended or mad at all. The info i gave you may not have originated as a actual.posted video but may have appeared as commentary on a video that was posted. I dont know how to do links but next time im on my computer i can see if i can find them again. But what i read regarding this was not a single episode it was many people stating the same experiences.
Ok.
i think you need a groundfalt interupter
Do you think I need one if they entire RV is on an electrical managment system that reads, detects, and protects the RV from many different types of situations? Also, the dryer plugs into a GFCI at the CG panel, but the washer plugs into a line that's goes to the outside bay. All factors included, can you explain more for me?
Brent, very good video. And yes, you do need GFI protection for that washer. As far as I know, electric management systems do not provide ground fault protection. I've seen open ground protection, but that is different. The scenario is while you're going down the road a wire inside your washer vibrates loose or breaks and creates a short to the metal case. If you then come along and plug in the washer and are standing on wet ground and touch the metal on the washer, zap. Thanks for making a good video and be safe!
That outlet you used is GFI protected as is all outlets accessible from the outside.