New Chalet owner questions

[GeneChmiel]

Hello everyone

My name is Gene, and being not only new to RVing, camping, etc, as well as a relatively new owner of a new 2008 Chalet Arrowhead, I was hoping some of the other Chalet or even A-liner owners could answer a few questions for me. Though my questions can apply to 'anyone', besides A-Frame owners.

My wife & I bought our trailer new, early last year ..and have had a ball with it since. Even had a GREAT TIME last summer, when we headed down to Astoria Oregon and spent two glorious weeks there at a great KOA there, relaxing and exploring the area.
Had so much fun ...and relaxed soooo much,  we actually lost all track of time, and ended up having to buy a local paper just to figure out "what day it was".  Just the sort of vaction we like to take.

NOW that it's winter, we've stored it away for the season, where we've got it stored in our condo's underground ( and heated ) garage, waiting for spring to finally come back, so we can start heading out again.
( sorry we're not winter campers It may be fun... but NOT for us )

Anyways ... my questions are probably a bit late in coming, but not being a member of any such group before, I've been a bit hesitant in joining one.. Not knowing what to expect out of such a group as this.

My first question is... Since my Chalet is relatively "light" in weight, (only 1630 lbs. ) should I have lowered the four corner stabilizer jacks to take any of the weight off of the tires, while it's stored in it's parking space? Or isn't it necessary? I checked the tire pressure in them before we parked it and they were good.  
Does anyone else lower their stabilizer jacks when storing their trailer ?

MY second question concerns my trailer's Dual 12V Deep Cycle batteries.

I've "totally disconnected" the two  12V deep cycle batteries that came with our trailer, amd have them safely stored away.
I don't yet have a battery charger for them yet, but as we don't "dry camp"  with our triailer, preferring to "hookup" ( electrical and water ) at the campgrounds we visit, I find we don't drain them hardly at all.
Besides, by the time we drive back to Vancouver BC. from whereever we've been, they are usually fully charged, from off of our car's battery while driving.
They now have been in storage for about 2 1/2 months now.

Will they still loose their charge just sitting there?  They'er not hooked up to "anything" right now.    And if so ... how often should I charge them?  
Once a week? Once a month?  
And if so... can anyone recommend a GOOD battery charger that I should be looking for. ( I know it should be one for Deep Cycle Batteries... But any "other features" you think I should also be looking for in a charger I would be most interested in knowing about ?

Sorry that my first posting is so long, But being "new" not only as a RV owner, but also as a rv camper, I still feel a bit like a fish out of water.
I've gotten my feet wet.. and ENJOYED IT..

But any info any of you "old hands" at this rving lifestyle could send my way would be most appreciated.

THANKS !

[mike4947]

Your can lower the srabilizers but you don't want to put enough pressure on them to take it off the tires. That puts unusual strain on the trailers frame and will casue more problems than the tires will see with the full weight on them.
 
As for batteries, yes they will slowly discharge over time. Most battery makers recommend a monthly charging. Letting the batteries set partially discharged for any significant length of time leads to sufation of the plates and a lowering of the lifespan of the battery(s).

[Recumbentman]

GeneChmiel
Hello and welcome to PUT. If you use the search tab above and input your questions. you will find that you will most likely find your answers. I did a quick search on battery chargers and this is just one of the hits I got and it answers your battery charger question. Take a look at 3 stage chargers
as far as charging your battery, your best bet is to give it a full charge when you first put them in storage and then another full charge just before you are going to use them again. FYI your TV will not charge your batteries when you are towing. Your TV will just maintain the current charge that the batteries have.
Has far as your tires go you don't really need to do anything except to check the air in them before your next trip. A tires enemy is the UV rays from the sun and since you park your PU underground, you will not have those issues. I put my stabilizers down more for security then anything else. (hard to tow a trailer with the stabilizers down)
have fun with your new PU

[coach]

Let me point you to two sources for information.

First RECREATIONAL VEHICLE TIRE AND CARE GUIDE page 8.

Then there is DEEP CYCLE BATTERY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

[wavery]

A couple of tips on battery and tires.

Be sure that the top of your battery is clean. Because of the location of the battery posts on RV batteries, dust and moisture can carry current from one battery post to the other. The dust and moisture will conduct small amounts of electricity and discharge the battery over time. If you wipe your battery top with a clean dry cloth, then an alcohol wipe cloth, you can slow the discharge from storage time significantly.

The worse abuse that you can give a vulcanized rubber tire is non-use. It is important to move the tires, even 12", every few weeks to keep the rubber "Alive".  That's why trailer tires fail a far shorter time span than regular car tires. If you leave a car parked for several months, those tires will also rot. If any vulcanized rubber sits for long periods of time without moving, it starts to break down. Any movement of the rubber sort of "Re-vitalizes" it.

I also store my PU in an underground parking space in my apt building. If I don't use the trailer for more than a week, I just go down and move a little in the parking space to distribute the load to a new place on the tire.

[ForestCreature]

Welcome from another Aframer. We have the Aliner. You'll like yours more and more each time out and even more on an extended road trip.

We store with the stabs barely touching the gorund, it's more to stop it from tipping than anything else.