5th Wheel Skirting Job - What to Charge, and Materials?

[lilsuz]

If yu're dealing with extreme cold/wind ; you can sandwich insulation between two layers of fabric to keep even more heat in.
[/quote]

Darren, Thank you for the explanation on this. In the climate I'm in (and Customer too) we have lots of rain. Not so much freezing, but some days cold enough to have some ice and snow (close to Seattle). I can give the Customer the options though, thank you for your thoughts on this.

I have put lots of batting into engine covers for aircraft. I thought you were speaking of insulation, but wanted to be sure.

[Mojo]

Suz:

I am confused on the project. Are you skirting his entire 5th wheel or just the front around the over hang ?

The majority of people in my area that have the skirting do not worry about freezing pipes. It does freeze here in Florida, ( trust me I have experienced nearly every winter I have been down here ), but the runs of water lines in RV's are buried in insulation and in the floor assembly.

The pipes that are exposed run from the RV to the water source. This is where frozen pipes occur and many use insulation or pipe wrap to keep them from freezing up. Most current RV's have a utility bay where the outside source comes in and connects to the RV in addition to the 12 volt water pumps, sewer lines, etc. This utility bay is heated most times with a small ceramic heater.

Most RV'ers who have skirting have done it for 2 reasons 1.) To cut down on the cold wind blowing under the RV, like Russ did on his jobs. In my case, my jobs have been for 2.) providing them an area to close off and use for storage under the RV and hide from public view items they own. It is basically for the sole purpose of storage and aesthetics.

Just thought I would add this comment for you.

Chris

[Can-Vas]

I would want to personally check the pattern he made before sewing it together...
(at least do only one small section and have him check it)
Standard is 70% to double price markup - 30% is waa-aay too low...  does not cover your self for freight,  fabric cuts, discards or mistakes...

I'd use webbing loops for your "tabs"

just my opinion...

[stitcher_guy]

I chose not to do rails for sliding panels in because of the slideouts and varying heights I was creating. The snaps were easier for the way I was doing the skirts. Also, again it's just a matter of hold up the panel and snap it in place. They were tugged tight and had very little airflow through it.

for the top where I mounted, I rolled the Tuff Stuff twice. That made three-layer thick 1" wide hem to put the snap heads through. More than strong enough.

If you look at the bottom of my skirts, you see an extra flap. Serves two purposes....when they owner parks on an incline or uneven surface, it gives extra length to compensate. When the trailer is closer to the ground, it is an extra layer for strength when sandbagging on it. I also put grommets on the bottom edge of the skirts to allow for stakes to be driven through into the ground. Most of the transient workers didn'tn do this, just put down weights. But someone parked for the season might want more permanency.

[lilsuz]

Chris, I'm skirting the entire 5th wheel. Turns out, it is 34 feet long with (2) tip outs that need covering as well.

We do get freezing pipes here, and I used to have a travel trailer and do recall the pipes freezing in it. So, I wrapped the pipes and hoses going to the trailer with heater tape and that solved the problem. I always wished to have a skirt on the trailer, but never did.

My Customer has expressed concern about the wind and cold getting under his trailer and losing the heat. Again, he lives in his trailer, says he pays quite a bit to keep it heated and he thinks it will help the situation. I think so too.

I did ask him the other day if he wanted the front of the trailer for storage underneath to determine if I should make a way for him to get in and out of it easily. Surprisingly, he said he does not plan to use the space underneath and said not to worry about that. Hmmm.

Thank you Chris for the ideas! Very helpful!

[lilsuz]

CanVas,

I like the webbing loops for tabs idea, that's great!

Thank you for your thoughts on the mark up price. Initially, I thought I should double the material cost, but I'm really giving him a huge break and he knows it. I plan to have him paint the bumper on my car later! He is a painter and does some very nice work. So that is another reason for the low mark up price. There are so many ways to figure pricing though, so I do appreciate your ideas here.

Yes, I think you are right in suggesting I should check his pattern. I told him I want to go and see the trailer and check his pattern against it. He wants to save money by cutting the time that I spend doing this, but since he does not sew, there is a strong probability that he would not make a pattern the way that I would make it. This is the first time I've worked with him on a project and although he is a great painter and masker, that is not the same as what we are going to do making covers.

Oh I should also mention that I have had the experience of somebody sending me their pattern (windshield cover for an airplane) and going by the pattern to make a cover only to find they had something wrong and guess who has to get it right? You!

Thank you again CanVas!

[lilsuz]

Stitcher Guy,

Thanks for the ideas, these are great! Looks like the flap idea is a winner, Customer decided he wants those. Cool idea just to put grommets in the flaps. Hmmm I like the idea of the webbing loops too, but grommets in the flaps would probably be easier.

I'm so glad you took photos of your work and shared them! You deserve a box of chocolates or a case or beer! ;)

Kind regards,
Sue