Covers... what are you using?

Fergie

For any recent T@B owners, there have been a few previous posts on this subject.

I posted the following over a year ago.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/56827#Comment_56827

We are now into our second winter season in Alaska since we moved and the cover discussed is still working great after three seasons. When taking it off in the spring, I have learned to fold it on top of the camper and then roll it up on the ground (and mark the front!) in such a way that I can put it on again by my self with just a short step ladder in the fall. I am in my 80's and if I can do this, anyone can! I do this by putting the rolled up cover back on the roof and unrolling and unfolding it there. I think putting the extra strap around my front mounted spare tire as shown in the picture to take up slack in the cover during the hight winds we sometime get up here has prevented "wind wear" reported by other owners.

Hope this helps some new owners contemplating getting a cover.

Fergie

BrianZ

We're in our second year using this cover & working well so far.  It fits over the tub in front, but snugly.  Has a 3-yr warranty.

Classic Accessories 80-298-163101-RT PolyPro III Teardrop Camping Trailer Cover For Tab & Clam Shell Trailers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IU4BE6G

PS:  The zippers around the door have gotten difficult to move when the fabric is tight, but after spraying the closed zipper with 3M dry silicone lubricant, it works much better..

3M Silicone Spray (Dry Type) Lubricant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MQX7K2

jgram2

@Fergie Here’s hoping you and yours are alright after that quake and continuing aftershocks.
Judi

Fergie

To Jgram2:

Thanks for your concern. We were lucky at home. Our power in Palmer never went out. I sent the following note out to family and friends this morning shortly after we picked up all the stuff that had fallen off shelves and bookcases:
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"To family and friends, Marilyn and I are safe and sound here in Alaska. 

It was a 7.0 quake with the epicenter between Anchorage and Palmer about 20 miles from our house. There was a tsunami warning for the coastal areas, but it has been canceled. So far no notifications of any deaths or injuries, but there is a lot of damage in the Anchorage area with at least one house in flames (most likely a broken gas line) and one whole interchange on the Glenn highway between our Valley and Anchorage dropping into a sink hole! There are other cracks in one of the main highway interchanges in the area and traffic being rerouted. We are still feeling some good aftershocks.

When the quake struck, I was in the Wasilla Alaska Club pool doing my water walking! The water sloshed around like a bathtub and the lights went out leaving only two dim emergency lights! All of us in the pool managed to get out, quickly dressed and out of the building and into our cars! I couldn't call home as the system was only taking emergency calls, but when I got home I found Palmer had full power, and Marilyn was picking up stuff that had fallen off the shelves, but otherwise nothing was damaged. However, the region still has almost 50,000 homes without power. 

We are safe, but stay tuned!

Doug Ferguson & Marilyn Bennett"

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As assessments continue, most of the damage is in the Anchorage area. The power losses were mostly due to automatic shutdown mechanisms in place here in Alaska, the "Home of Earthquakes" as a part of the earthquake codes implemented after the 1964 Good Friday earthquake that was the largest recorded in North America and devastated Anchorage. It takes a while to phase the substations back in safely. This evening 10,000 homes are still without power because of substations that were actually damaged. So far no deaths and very few injuries. However, a lot of damage was to portions of main highways and on-ramps that create big problems as they have so few traffic arteries here. Very few houses or large buildings have been severely damaged due to the tough building codes. The house on fire I mentioned above was a heritage house so it wasn't built with the new codes.

A pretty exciting day!
 
Again, thanks for your concern.

Fergie

jgram2

@Fergie Glad to hear from you. Seems like Alaska has a lot to teach the outside about riding out a big quake. You swimmers actually experienced a “tempest in a teacup”!

Michigan_Mike

Wow, glad you are safe as a 7.0 temblor is a BIG quake!  Probably with the earth quaking, shaking and movin, the power poles were rocking back and forth, causing the primary and transmission lines to come together, causing the substations to lock out when the line faults occurred.  And with such a massive quake it affected a large area simultaneously and the outages were widespread.  Tough weather to have such s large number of customers impacted and without power.  

 It’s a miracle and amazing that there was no loss of life too as the photos of the sections of highway that basically dropped down 6-8 > (with people still in cars!) were pretty scary looking!   Too many people I’m sure it was like the world was coming to an end!  Stay safe, keep us posted and post up any photos if you get some interesting shots.  

Fergie

Thanks to those concerned about our welfare here in earthquake country! We are still getting some fairly strong (3.0 -5.0) aftershocks here. One last night was enough to wake me up! As of 10:00pm last night the local TV was reporting that over 80 aftershocks had occurred since the original big one! We are to expect this to continue in a diminishing rate for some time. I understand the reasons being that this event is so near the surface, ranging from 10 to 30 miles underground and so near our population center. It certainly tends to keep you on your toes!

Back to the subject of covers. In my original post on covers, I didn't give the make or model of the cover I bought several years ago and discussed in the older post whose link I added above. In response to a request here from jgram2, it was a Classic Accessories Overdrive Polypro 3 R-Pod Trailer Cover - 16'. At the time our RV dealer didn't have access to a model specifically for the T@B. As it turned out, the extra length worked out perfectly since I had mounted the spare on the hitch and wanted it covered also. If you go to the link to the older post, there are pictures of it in place on our T@B when we were still in MN. 

Fergie

OpenSky

eTrailer has inexpensive tire covers which match the silver PQ cover color.  Not perfect (they don't have a wrap-around strip with a clip or velcro, something I expected to need) but they've worked fine for nearly a year.   The trailer sits on the west side of the house, facing north.  The right tire doesn't need a cover (shaded by the house in the morning), but the summer afternoon sun would destroy the left tire in short order without some shade.