- Joined
- Dec 19, 2019
- Messages
- 815
- RV Year
- 2016
- RV Make
- Newmar
- RV Model
- Dutch Star
- RV Length
- 37
- TOW/TOAD
- 2021 Willys
I set up a North Trail appointment to replace the washer in the coach with a Splendede unit. The soonest they could get me in other than drop the coach and wait two weeks or so was a month and a half off. Not wanting to subject the coach to their "care" for an undetermined amount of time, I finally decided to give it a try (how hard could it possibly be? 
) Since ours is in the back bath behind the toilet, it wasn't looking good, but I am sorry to say, I really don't trust a service department to take the same care as I would. I imagined getting it back with walls and corners scuffed with another visit required to repair.
I removed the dryer, and the vent hose was so short, I really don't see how they hooked it up. The dryer was relatively light, so no problem getting it out and on the bed platform, but it IS attached to the washer with two aluminum plates that are screwed to the units. The washer is actually made of lead, I believe as it weighs somewhere near 180 lbs. With my persistence, a little help from the DW, and a floor jack, I got the washer over the toilet and we transferred to a hand truck to get it to the front of the coach. At that point, I had to call in a favor from a good friend (the only one I know that's young enough to not be half crippled) to get it over the passenger seat. I strapped half of a 10' extension ladder over the steps and slid the unit out to the ground. The Splendede was actually a little lighter, so we carried it up and got it in it's nest without much drama. I replaced the dryer vent hose with a longer piece, built a platform out of scrap wood to line up with the top of the washer so I could hook up the vent without having the wife do it while I held the dryer. All in all, it went smoother than I thought it would, although if I have to do it again, I'd probably take a trip to Nappanee.
) Since ours is in the back bath behind the toilet, it wasn't looking good, but I am sorry to say, I really don't trust a service department to take the same care as I would. I imagined getting it back with walls and corners scuffed with another visit required to repair. I removed the dryer, and the vent hose was so short, I really don't see how they hooked it up. The dryer was relatively light, so no problem getting it out and on the bed platform, but it IS attached to the washer with two aluminum plates that are screwed to the units. The washer is actually made of lead, I believe as it weighs somewhere near 180 lbs. With my persistence, a little help from the DW, and a floor jack, I got the washer over the toilet and we transferred to a hand truck to get it to the front of the coach. At that point, I had to call in a favor from a good friend (the only one I know that's young enough to not be half crippled) to get it over the passenger seat. I strapped half of a 10' extension ladder over the steps and slid the unit out to the ground. The Splendede was actually a little lighter, so we carried it up and got it in it's nest without much drama. I replaced the dryer vent hose with a longer piece, built a platform out of scrap wood to line up with the top of the washer so I could hook up the vent without having the wife do it while I held the dryer. All in all, it went smoother than I thought it would, although if I have to do it again, I'd probably take a trip to Nappanee.
