REAL MAN TRUCKWORKS & SURVIVAL
VEHICLES, CAMPERS, and BOATS => Everything Trailer, Camper, or RV related => Topic started by: KensAuto on May 18, 2015, 11:40:30 PM
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Just thought I would show off my latest acquisition. I had plans for a toy hauler in the future, but ran across this one at a price I couldn't turn down. The 12' garage is 3" too short for my ranger crew, and the queen loft at the front of the garage needs to be raised 3" to clear the roof, but should be worth the mods.
It's 38' with 2 slides, w/15,800 gvw and 11,500 empty:
(http://i.imgur.com/BVMOE5i.jpg)
...arriving home:
(http://i.imgur.com/lXCcxSc.jpg)
extra pics:
(http://i.imgur.com/vFvE4FC.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/aTyMHEq.jpg)
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This is the bottom of the loft that will come under the knife:
(http://i.imgur.com/WqqLvu7.jpg)
..and the inside view of the loft :
(http://i.imgur.com/68sg2L1.jpg)
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Looks great.
Would it be easier to just make a folding bumper (like my sami needs) and smaller tires just to make it simple?
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Man, those things are made out of cardboard. (I have a big 5er and am amazed at the flimsy construction) How do you plan to mod it to fit? I'd rather chop the top on the Ranger....
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That thing is Huge!
How about some interior shots??
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JR, that was my first thought. It only has a front bumper, and it's integrated in a way that would require more work than I would like. My first task will be raising the loft. I can take the bed off the ranger with 2 bolts, that I can replace with pins. I can weld a new extended door frame at a later date....like thin gauge 2x8 steel....to the back, that way if I change toys (think RZR 1000) it will even fit. The tire option ran through my peabrain, but I even tried flattening the tires and it only dropped about 2" which still makes it 1" too tall just to fit under, let alone all the bouncing around on a rough road.
Tex's idea of chopping the roll bar was also considered....more work than raising the loft. It, like the walls, is aluminum, and I have a spool gun and a fire extinguisher . The key is making it look factory in case I trade this up for something grander someday.
And yes Mr Tex, I have seen your Taj-majal. That thing is a beast!! (but not in Ken's budget) lol
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Interior. I'm past the whole oak look, but again, for the price......
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I don't have any yet of the slides extended...but the full living room and the master bed extend..typical of a dual slide:
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there was almost a time I bought a new one of those and decided to live out of it.
they are nice.
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Definitely a nice unit.
Plan carefully, is all I can say. I tore out part of a bunkhouse (4 beds) and added storage.
Nothing was easy.
But what you're after, be careful, and plan ahead.
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Ken that thing is fine. Instead of parting with it, park it at your selected hide site and build it in!
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Put a standard size toilet in there. I am looking at the Aria myself. Full height, standard enlongated seat and mostly china.
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JR, that was my first thought. It only has a front bumper, and it's integrated in a way that would require more work than I would like. My first task will be raising the loft. I can take the bed off the ranger with 2 bolts, that I can replace with pins. I can weld a new extended door frame at a later date....like thin gauge 2x8 steel....to the back, that way if I change toys (think RZR 1000) it will even fit. The tire option ran through my peabrain, but I even tried flattening the tires and it only dropped about 2" which still makes it 1" too tall just to fit under, let alone all the bouncing around on a rough road.
Tex's idea of chopping the roll bar was also considered....more work than raising the loft. It, like the walls, is aluminum, and I have a spool gun and a fire extinguisher . The key is making it look factory in case I trade this up for something grander someday.
And yes Mr Tex, I have seen your Taj-majal. That thing is a beast!! (but not in Ken's budget) lol
I've seen your work. I have faith in you.
MY 5er? You mean my wife's 5er that she has me tow around for her? Yeah, its a moose but the only way I can get her outdoors.
You did it the smart way. Let someone else take the depreciation hit and then buy it.
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I got started on raising the loft yesterday. After 2 hours of measuring, it was decided that only half needed to be raised, 31-1/2" wide to be exact, which would still allow a 30" bed upstairs. The raised portion will be for storage, and 5" higher than before.
....also was done in a way not to disturb the tv cabinet in the garage and the oak cabinet up in the loft.
The following was a full days work with my brothers (2) helping...
First we removed the overhead cabinets, outlets, fan, and light switches:
(http://i.imgur.com/3ltCiIY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/vCPYWM0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/lToi7qd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/knr8ZnD.jpg)
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Then the panel from under the section, then the panel from above. Note: they actually brad nail and glue the panels to the aluminum tubing. I didn't even know that was possible!!:
(http://i.imgur.com/RUQQ8RF.jpg)
...then the outer support:
(http://i.imgur.com/riIXsXE.jpg)
...with the side support removed:
(http://i.imgur.com/QIcSIOW.jpg)
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We cut 5" off the bottom of the support "wall" and flipped the piece over, cut the horizontal bars out, welded them together, and reinstalled. This saved me from purchasing any tubing:
(http://i.imgur.com/eqANYj5.jpg)
It was a bit tough to keep from burning down the trailer, but we managed:
(http://i.imgur.com/sxmCdoZ.jpg)
The outer wall was hung with care, screwed, glued, and tattooed.
Actually, I didn't glue it:
(http://i.imgur.com/nAgqgfI.jpg)
And that was the end of the day.
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Interesting!
You have me wondering about that factory assembly technique. Nailing into aluminum???
What do you think about that?
Did it look like it was an accepted technique, or something done to save time?
I have an aluminum structure in my camper...
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I think that without the liquid nails, it would not hold, and in places where the glue failed (there are many places, and they didn't use a thick enough bead), some of the little brads just pulled right out without any force. It seems as though the serrations on the brads had/have insufficient holding ability....kinda makes me wonder about taking a trailer like this down a rough dirt road, and I plan on doing that quite often.
Side note: the brads I am using have better serrations, and I'm not being shy with the liquid nails.
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Today I started trimming it out, reusing most of the original paneling since it will be painted eventually:
(http://i.imgur.com/T24w1JG.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/p6hI8Gl.jpg)
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This trailer didn't come with a generator, but does have the prep for it. I have an extra a/c unit that will be added above the bedroom (it's prewired) because I plan on staying married, if you catch my drift.....so....,
This "happened" sometime last week. I found it on CL, and the price seemed to good to be true, and it probably was........once home, I noticed a bunch of oil carbon in the exhaust, and the plugs are oil fouled.
But...it was overfilled by more than a qt. of oil....so they were either adding too much oil because it burns so much, or they just didn't know any better and the over abundance of oil is causing the oil consumption....
(http://i.imgur.com/Vi919O7.jpg)
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The intake is a 2 piece aluminum design, silicone and riveted together. Kinda weird if you ask me. Since I've had some time on the spool gun as of late, I went ahead and welded it up, split it apart, cleaned and layed on some fresh sillycone, then riveted it back together. Tomorrow I will see if it runs and smokes, or runs and doesn't smoke, or doesn't run and doesn't smoke.
This is after welding (it broke about 2 inches from the carb mount flange).
....after drilling out rivets:
(http://i.imgur.com/w6yTmqz.jpg?1)
...clean up:
(http://i.imgur.com/ppON77u.jpg?1)
...and back together:
(http://i.imgur.com/2gMwNrG.jpg)
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Interesting!
You have me wondering about that factory assembly technique. Nailing into aluminum???
What do you think about that?
Did it look like it was an accepted technique, or something done to save time?
I have an aluminum structure in my camper...
The brads are used to hold it in place while the glue dries. That is a pretty common practice.
Ken,
That looks good. I help a friend work on these things on my days off, it's his business. They are pretty fragile units as a whole. The lightest cheapest materials are used typically for obvious reasons. I do think the builders get paid per screw or staple they install.
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7K gen is a biggin'
Too bad you didn't score a 3-4K oil burner...
I am always looking for those things. I feel if I don't have 2-3 generators laying around I am ill-prepared.
Good job on the refinish so far. It will look factory by the time you get finished
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....... I do think the builders get paid per screw or staple they install.
Haha...I think you're right! I finally took a grinder with a cut off wheel to them after trying to pull them out with dikes.
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7K gen is a biggin'
Too bad you didn't score a 3-4K oil burner...
I am always looking for those things. I feel if I don't have 2-3 generators laying around I am ill-prepared.
Good job on the refinish so far. It will look factory by the time you get finished
Thanks.
Yeah, 7k should run both a/c's on high, and still cook a turkey in the microwave while she blow dries her hair while watching American idol on an 80 inch plasma.
I need to stick with gas in the fueling station so that the Ranger can sip from the same cup.
....but I may need a bigger tank than the current 20 gal!
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7K gen is a biggin'
Too bad you didn't score a 3-4K oil burner...
I am always looking for those things. I feel if I don't have 2-3 generators laying around I am ill-prepared.
Good job on the refinish so far. It will look factory by the time you get finished
Thanks.
Yeah, 7k should run both a/c's on high, and still cook a turkey in the microwave while she blow dries her hair while watching American idol on an 80 inch plasma.
I need to stick with gas in the fueling station so that the Ranger can sip from the same cup.
....but I may need a bigger tank than the current 20 gal!
You sound like you are talking about my wife....and her idea of roughing it...
Nice work Ken.
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I think Don must have some sort of psychic powers, because he mentioned something about wishing I had bought an oil burner, or something along those lines. Well rest easy Big D....I have an oil burning son of a gun. Matter of fact, it's a dual fuel unit, burning both gasoline, and oil, at about the same rate!
I knew it was too good to be true. I'll rebuild it here shortly....in too deep to buy a different one.
That was a bit depressing, so I went on down the list and checked off #28 on my tale board....installing a second roof air. This one came off of my tent trailer and has less than 10 hrs on it:
(http://i.imgur.com/ZxEQdsh.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/3HhG8om.jpg)
...and yes, I plan on recoating the roof shortly, after fixing all of the vents.
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Did a bit more trim work in the garage:
(http://i.imgur.com/Escwwdj.jpg)
..and made sure the ranger fit. Myself and my brother jerked on it as hard as we could side to side to make sure there wouldn't be any interference on the sides and the roof:
(http://i.imgur.com/BPCsfSp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/3tzK0BJ.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/sFKrgYe.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Pf4K8P6.jpg)
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Very nice work. Did you thing about using trim screws vs brads on the reassembly?
To bad about the gen, maybe the rings are just fouled, let it run a little.
That roof will need addressing soon. Looks like mine, 10 years old.
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Good work ken!
Even if you have to pull that gen engine down, it's not a big deal to re-ring it
But could be a PSV valve malfunction or failed seal or something simple
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Very nice work. Did you thing about using trim screws vs brads on the reassembly?
To bad about the gen, maybe the rings are just fouled, let it run a little.
That roof will need addressing soon. Looks like mine, 10 years old.
[/quote]Good work ken!
Even if you have to pull that gen engine down, it's not a big deal to re-ring it
But could be a PSV valve malfunction or failed seal or something simple
Thanks guys
JR, I did think about screws, but I'm trying to make it look original, in case I ever sale this thing. As long as the liquid nails hold, I shouldn't ever have an issue.
As far as the roof. it looks worse than it is. I cleaned where the a/c goes, and it was barely starting to weather crack. Regardless, I have 8 gallons of high dollar EPDM coating coming, and once I replace the vents, it will get coated.
I ran that gen for close to 2 hrs before I pulled the muffler and ran it another hour. I was running a strong mix of fuel and seafoam. I then wired it into the trailer and that's when it started bellowing, under full load. I need to read the plugs, but at this point it's laying in the dirt where I pushed it off of the forklift. I lost my cool that day.
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Sounds like you covered all the base's.
Seafoam does wonders and would have freed those rings up for sure.
At least its out. Do a comp test and check the carb.
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Anyone have some det cord they can let Ken borrow? That'll fix it.
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[/quote]
Thanks guys
JR, I did think about screws, but I'm trying to make it look original, in case I ever sale this thing. As long as the liquid nails hold, I shouldn't ever have an issue.
As far as the roof. it looks worse than it is. I cleaned where the a/c goes, and it was barely starting to weather crack. Regardless, I have 8 gallons of high dollar EPDM coating coming, and once I replace the vents, it will get coated.
[/quote]
Make sure you write up the roof re-coat, I plan on doing mine this year and would love to see how a "REAL MAN" does it. Long story short I had a buddy pay an RV dealer here $500 to re coat his roof and it already peeling up. Dealer has pushed back on repairing it because they said there must be some sort of coating on the original roof that wont allow it to stick... pure BS.. he bought that thing new in 2008 and hasn't even been on the roof... from this same dealer....
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I'll try to take pics, but doing it in 105+ temps, I probably won't be in a good mood.
It will fit under my shop awning but I would have to be less than a foot tall to make it work. lol
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I've been jumping around my list like some skitzo, but we had a weird june storm roll through, and I thought it might be a good time to start on the roof. The normal temps would be 100+, but it's cloudy with highs in the lower 90's. The rubber roofs or nothing more than a sheet of about 1/8" black rubber, with the outer half being white (not sure how that's done). The outer white layer gets chalky and dirt embeds into it.
After it rained off and on for a day, I thought that it would be easier to scrub, so I jumped up there with a brush and some tide and managed to clean a spot about 4' square before my arms started burning.
Fast forward to Saturday and I realized that I had some tools that the average guy may not have....an 18k capacity forklift, and a fairly new hot pressure washer.
Here's the dirt:
(http://i.imgur.com/3HhG8om.jpg)
..where I started scrubbing it:
(http://i.imgur.com/9A9NKPx.jpg)
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...the master plan. A large forklift. check.
A few scaffold planks. check.
Super duper pressure washer. check.
An idiot with a death wish. Double check.
(http://i.imgur.com/OvqdgJc.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/LD1Yd5A.jpg)
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I am down to see the end result of this!!!!!!!!!!!
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The dirt came off quickly enough, but there was a layer of pink colored "chalk" directly under the grime. I found that if I was careful, I could literally cut that layer off, with the boiling water, down to the virgin rubber. I also found, that if I moved to slow, that the virgin rubber would be sliced like butter, with the boiling water.:(
The perfect combination resulted in me being on that roof for about 3 hours....but the payoff was ending up with a pure white, like new, rubber roof, albeit half as thick and twice as porous as what came on the trailer when new.
In this pic, up by the far a/c, you can see dark spots to the left...that is the pink layer that was eventually removed:
(http://i.imgur.com/DtwxWxi.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/1qp1wkm.jpg)
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I am down to see the end result of this!!!!!!!!!!!
Me as well my friend.
I was supposed to work on it today, but my body said otherwise.
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...and the final result:
(http://i.imgur.com/v6VSWYs.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/nBOZmVv.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/g9FMVLE.jpg)
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I figured with hot boiling water made with a gasoline powered motor on a platform 15 feet off the ground being held up by a forklift there would have been a "don't try this at home kids" moment........;D
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that is a nice clean white roof right there. now you just have to re-coat it.
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I took the queen mattress, from the garage loft, home to go under the knife. It was cut into 2 equal sizes, each 30 inches wide. I guess that's the standard size of a traditional cot, and also in big rigs' sleeping quarters. A virtual trip to Amazon and I found these...cot size zip up mattress covers, and quilted covers.
The mattresses will fit side by side on the now uneven loft bed for 2 people to sleep, or doubled up to make one person comfy:
(http://i.imgur.com/5Pjjbg0.jpg)
hmmm, Don must have taken that one for me..
(http://i.imgur.com/D9JaS9x.jpg)
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I figured with hot boiling water made with a gasoline powered motor on a platform 15 feet off the ground being held up by a forklift there would have been a "don't try this at home kids" moment........;D
Yeah, well that sucker liked to bleed off. I was really getting into my work, and about a half hour later I noticed the forks only 4" away from the roof, down from the 2 feet I started with. That was a pucker moment...should've seen me scamper down that ladder! lol
I have 8 gallons of some high dollar coating just waitin' on me, but I still have to replace all the little round vents, and redo the silicone around the perimeter....and fix the ladder mounts, and.......
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...foam cut in half:
(http://i.imgur.com/2OZdV7T.jpg)
One new bed, another on the way:
(http://i.imgur.com/a2875AF.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/lX3pDxW.jpg)
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That forklift thing had all the makin's of a good tale
Story when the results don't end up in an emergency and involve the VFD...Tale when it pushes ahead and involves some of the earlier elements
Ken, not silicone...check it out that PVC rubber composite does not work with silicone. I have tubes of the stuff you need, but can't recall just now what it is.
Results are spectacular...You bought that roof a few more years!
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Roof looks amazing now!
Don is right about the other product. I too can't recall what it is.
I was expecting a 'tale' to arise from the castastrophe brewin.
Glad there isn't one at the same time.
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Roger on the silicone. I used that word loosely, for sealants. I have the right sealant for the task, in this case made by Dicor.
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That's the stuff...Dicor!
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Dicor has two sealants for that rubber roof. The self leveling for the flat stuff up on the roof works great. On the corners the non-sag is better. It stays in place on the vertical stuff better. A couple tubes should do down the sides and the corners. If you're resealing everything that's up there it'll prolly take a dozen or so tubes of self level. Put a couple heavy beads around everything that's sticking up and it will lay down real purty. That old sealant can be carved off of there with one of those oscillating tools. I dull the new blades on concrete for a second so they don't cut the roof so easily. Just light pressure not forcing it or it will slice the rubber. With some practice all the sealant could be stripped off in less than an hour with that tool.
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Decor has two sealants for that rubber roof. The self leveling for the flat stuff up on the roof works great. On the corners the non-sag is better. It stays in place on the vertical stuff better. A couple tubes should do down the sides and the corners. If you're revealing everything that's up there it,ll prolly take a dozen or so tubes of self level. Put a couple heavy beads around everything that's sticking up and it will lay down real purty. That old sealant can be carved off of there with one of those oscillating tools. I dull the new blades on concrete for a second so they don't cut the roof so easily. Just light pressure not forcing it or it will slice the rubber. With some practice all the sealant could be stripped off in less than an hour with that tool.
Interesting technique
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Thanks rasimmo, that's what I purchased, 4 of each...leveling and not leveling.
(http://i.imgur.com/Uj16zpY.jpg)
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when you mention oscillating tools, do you refer to one of these?
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Those oscillating tools are awesome! I've been using the Dremel version it it works great. Both the cutting blades and the scraping blades.
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I have the one pictured, but never thought to use it on sealant.
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Just a little DOT... but i used the Dremel oscillator and the scraper blade to scrape heaps of old linoleum glue off of a plywood subfloor... like buttah
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when you mention oscillating tools, do you refer to one of these?
yessir that's what I was talking about. Use one of the blades that have the offset in it that drops the blade part down 1/2" or so and has the squared off end like a scraper. You need to hold the blade parallel to the roof or it will dig in real easy. Like I said before, dulling it a little keeps it from cutting the roof so easy You can't do the gutters/side molding with it cause it will just cut the roof, but everything on top can be done. It's a whole lot easier than using one of those painter multitool scraper things of a flat scraper. You still need one to clean up a little bit though. Just take your time and be real careful, you can strip all the rubber off if you don't. When you hit the screw heads just pick up a little, slide over them, and let it walk back down. Me and my brother-in-law scraped everything and reapplied the Dicor in 45 minutes on a 26' travel trailer a couple weeks ago. We were trying to see how fast we could do it.
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Clever post.
Good use for a relatively newer tool
I would have never thought about that, or dulling the blade some to prevent over zealous rubber removal
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I should've dulled the razor sharp automotive gasket scraper I was using. :(
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Glad I could contribute something useful. I hope yall don't expect that too often. I might not have many left.
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You don't have to post anything else that may be considered useful, just show up in AZ and do this roof for me and we'll call it even. haha
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If you weren't so far from Southeast Louisiana I would. We do a bunch of reseals. We remove and replace the sealant around everything. We do not coat the roofs though. If the rubber gets all cracked up or starts showing the black through the top we just change it out. I aint saying the sealers are bad, just never used them. I will be interested to see your thoughts on it. I got 2 5th wheels to replace the roof on when I get home from work. One ran under a low limb and tore up a little which should be simple. The other has a little rot to repair once I get it stripped. My brother-in-law does mobile repairs for the majority of his business. I take care of most of the shop work on my days off from my real job. We both make good money with this arrangement and my poor wife does not have to put up with me for the whole 7 days I'm off.
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Been working on customer cars lately, since summer is my busy season, so not much time for working on the rv except for the weekends.
The oscillator worked well, but the small battery had a short life. I would do one vent, put it on the charger while resealing, and on and on.
First I replaced the plastic sewer pipe vents with metal ones:
(http://i.imgur.com/ySBUlZ1.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/R84knDd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/cW0raqv.jpg)
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...some butyl tape:
(http://i.imgur.com/162fRfA.jpg)
...new vent:
(http://i.imgur.com/AUXNFwc.jpg)
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There were 3 of those vents. Next I replaced the crank up vent covers, fan blades, and new rubber seals. I went this route, instead of replacing the entire fixture(s), for a couple reasons; #1, the sealant was in pretty decent shape...no sense in breaking the factory seal and take the chance of ken doing something inferior, #2, you can purchase "unbreakable" lids from ventline, but not sure if you can purchase them installed as a unit, and #3, pure laziness....it's less work to just rebuild them.
Here's the lids, seals, and blades:
(http://i.imgur.com/1cdpkfY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/reKDWZw.jpg)
...well, didn't take pics of the new vents, nor the sealing job with the Dicor....hmm.
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Here's a shot of the old seal, that the lid closes against:
(http://i.imgur.com/QnjnZoF.jpg)
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Decided to throw some of these vent covers on, before coating the roof. The brackets mount with a few of the vent-to-roof mounting screws, so they had to be sealed. The covers will protect the lids from uv's, keep rain out, and allows you to leave the vents open with little fear of wind ripping the lids off...I went with smoke colored, because I don't want extra light....we have enough around these parts:
(http://i.imgur.com/oGk6t12.jpg)
This is before I trimmed the sealant to allow the brackets to sit flush:
(http://i.imgur.com/r5xBaAp.jpg)
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Found a pic of the vents, and the new skylight for the shower. The old one was cracked and leaking. It was also white, and with the shower located in the bedroom it allowed way too much light in for my taste:
(http://i.imgur.com/qNGTPTA.jpg)
...and no pics of the install.
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Yesterday I buttoned everything up, wire brushed some areas, and prepped for the coating.
Here's what I went with. It is one of only a couple products specifically made for EPDM (rubber) roofs. It is basically the same chemical makeup, and actually "melts" into the existing material. It is messy, NOT water soluble, and takes several days to dry (it is actually waterproof the moment it's installed tho).
Dicor makes a great product from what I've read, but it uses a primer (which tells me it doesn't "melt" into the roof) and takes multiple coats to attain the desired thickness.
This stuff, Liquid Roof, goes on in one coat, 20-30 mils, and is so thick, you have to use a squeegee to spread it. Then a roller to lightly smooth it over, then it self levels.
(http://i.imgur.com/uE6ZyTQ.jpg)
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I miscalculated, probably because I'm not some educated pilot type, and figured 8 gallons would be good for 30 mils, on 36 linear feet of roof.....and I was wrong. I measured out the roof and marked it every 3.75 linear feet, which would be about 1 gallon per 30 square feet, which would be 30 mils, which would take about 10 gallons, which I didn't have...so I went 1 gallon per 4.5 feet and barely had enough but gave me a 20 mil layer.
If the roof had been in worse shape (black showing) I would've waited and ordered some more.
...fyi for those who don't know, EPDM rubber is basically 2 layers, bottom half black, upper half white. The roof loses layers of white to uv, turning to chalk. The roof is presumed to be good until black starts showing through.
I wanted a good layer to protect what was left of what would be considered a decent roof.
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The finished product, and the only time I had to take pics.....when it was done:
(http://i.imgur.com/wfMEDDD.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/n0nSGnd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kHZc0Hp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/5pHF7v8.jpg)
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Looks like it turned out fantastic!
Levelled of nice by the looks of things too.
Squeegee and roller huh, that is thick.
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great job ken.
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Don't have to be some pilot type to do a great job. Man that looks super!
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Thanks guys. I am pretty happy with it, but time in the az sun will be the true judge.
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You need to build a cover for that thing to keep the sun off that good looking roof. Unless a person lives in one full time, they spend a lot more time idle than being used.
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Hey Ken-
How level does the trailer need to be? My drive is sloped enough that it'd be difficult to get it perfect.
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You need to build a cover for that thing to keep the sun off that good looking roof. Unless a person lives in one full time, they spend a lot more time idle than being used.
Yeah Bob....just add it to the list of things to do! You're not my wife in disquise, are you? :)
Actually a good freind and neighbor of mine said I could use his shade......so when it's not being used or worked on, it will be covered.
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Mike, the front of the rv has a pretty good slope, above the bedroom, and it was fine. The problem was over the edges, where the top curves to 90* on the sides. While I was pushing the molasses toward the edge, my brother, on a ladder, was pulling it down with a fine nap roller. He would work it to a thin layer at a time to build it up (probably less than 20 mils), doing a 4' section or so, then returning to "push" up any sags as we went along. I will say this, I would never have been able to that job (right) without another person.....just impossible in hot weather....and once you start, you can't stop.
..and 3 people would have been even better.
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Excellent work Ken, looks great
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Thank you Kyle.
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That roof looks great. I was looking at the same coating at the local ACE and you just made up my mind!
I replaced 1 of those vents last year and the other is broken to. I put a little better fan on mine, but it is mine so upgrade was warranted.
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jr, you never answered us on the outcome of your repair job of your campers roof.
how did it turn out?
any leaks?
etc?
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I have not finished it, just had it covered and had not had time with other things coming up.
I just placed a fill patch over the repaired area and need to seal that, then will place another patch over that that wraps under the trim. Having a repair vinyl panel made up for the inside right now.
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Roof looks great. How long did it take to apply?
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From the time I started mixing, it took 2 guys about 2.5 hours, with a 10 minute break half way through. If I had to do it again, maybe less than 2 hours, just cuz this time it took me a bit to figure out how to get the proper thickness.
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Been doing a few things before work every day this week. Temps have been pretty brutal in the evenings, but a.m. is tolerable. I finished reinstalling the forward a/c, tinted vent covers, etc and can now call the roof done.
Next, I replaced the outside speakers...they looked like a Dodge's interior after sitting in the sun for 2 years:
(http://i.imgur.com/D4qG474.jpg)
...got some cheapos off Amazon:
(http://i.imgur.com/KGtWiLg.jpg)
...a bit of sealant, and a ladder to make me taller and that problem was solved:
(http://i.imgur.com/Sl0iRhl.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MttTDCw.jpg)
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This toyhauler has a fueling station, but when I tried the pump, it didn't work. I traced a short to the rear of the pump housing where someone had pinched a wire. While I was under there, I noticed that the pump had a 1" inlet (rated a 4 gallons/minute) necked down to a 3/8" barb. I'm thinkin' "that will never do" so out came the 20 gal tank. There are 2, 3/8" suction tubes in the tank....one for the genset, the other for the pump. After trying to adapt and create something larger, to no avail, I decided to install a spin on fuel filter...the kind with 2 inputs and 2 outputs. The 2 3/8 hoses going in, a 1/2 feeding the pump, and a 3/8 (still) going to the gen. Now , in theory, it should have about a 50% increase in volume.
Here's the new 1/2 barb at the pump inlet:
(http://i.imgur.com/DBooCFb.jpg)
The fuel filter housing:
(http://i.imgur.com/QsDGzP6.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6zhPQ4w.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/UdDZMgy.jpg)
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....I bolted the tank in, and realized that it just "floated" in place. I could move it upwards about 2", simulating a nasty bump in the road. So, down it came again, and I cut up a pool noodle (acquired for the microwave...wonder where that idea came from) and glued some sections to the floor ribs:
(http://i.imgur.com/wFDFlCs.jpg)
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Once the tank was back in, I replace the pump hose. The old one was short at 5 feet in length. I ordered a 10 footer, along with a fancy swivel, just like the ones at the gas station.
Old one vs new one:
(http://i.imgur.com/YO4z0Nw.jpg)
Swivel (for those that can't read the package):
(http://i.imgur.com/EGVVCCR.jpg)
All done:
(http://i.imgur.com/tbNzYzm.jpg)
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...and still had time to add these to my little 3/4 ton, to get the rear bumper off of the ground.
It's a shame that I didn't make time for installation pics....but it was a pretty straight forward install.
I like the wireless feature so far:
(http://i.imgur.com/xcdrAx7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/KB1UWg6.jpg)
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I made time this week to tear the generator down. The bearings and just about everything except the cylinders, looked practically new. The bottoms of both cylinders were full of oil and very little crosshatch remained. what was weird was the oil rings have a huge gap, like 1/8", and both cylinders had the gaps of all of the rings at the bottom....perfectly lined up!
Here's proof of the teardown:
(http://i.imgur.com/DUfkcoU.jpg)
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While waiting for the gen to come back from the machine shop, I figured I'd keep truckin on some other projects.
This week I added a wireless camera system. It has a 7" monitor and came with 2 cameras. For now, I just mounted one in the rear of the trailer, and wired it to the clearance lights. Pretty painless:
(http://i.imgur.com/C93yMts.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MMgqV8M.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/2oPfHMA.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/c7g9Vi2.jpg)
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I got this fancy dancy tablet mount from amazonia. It has a quick connect that allows for removal when not towing. I bolted the flexible "snake" thing to the seat bracket, on the passenger floorboard:
(http://i.imgur.com/WDbHPOv.jpg)
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Then I fixed a hydraulic leak at the reservoir.....twice. They want $126.00 for a new tank, $400.00 for a new assembly......so a $2.00 o-ring , then $5.00 worth of sillycone the second time seemed like the right way to go:
(http://i.imgur.com/AeKempF.jpg)
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Finally made time to rebuild the garage cabinets. I had to shorten them 3 inches to match the new loft height. They were made in place, not like traditional cabinets.
First I pried the 2 pieces apart then cut off one million staples, that previously held it together:
(http://i.imgur.com/DZi3Fm0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/d7jvmaa.jpg)
Here the upright has been shortened and both pieces rejoined with magic:
(http://i.imgur.com/qaJqttC.jpg)
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Nice work, Ken.
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I made time this week to tear the generator down. The bearings and just about everything except the cylinders, looked practically new. The bottoms of both cylinders were full of oil and very little crosshatch remained. what was weird was the oil rings have a huge gap, like 1/8", and both cylinders had the gaps of all of the rings at the bottom....perfectly lined up!
Here's proof of the teardown:
(http://i.imgur.com/DUfkcoU.jpg)
Been waiting for this one
START IT UP!!!!
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Oh, and really nice work Ken!
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I made time this week to tear the generator down. The bearings and just about everything except the cylinders, looked practically new. The bottoms of both cylinders were full of oil and very little crosshatch remained. what was weird was the oil rings have a huge gap, like 1/8", and both cylinders had the gaps of all of the rings at the bottom....perfectly lined up!
Here's proof of the teardown:
(http://i.imgur.com/DUfkcoU.jpg)
Been waiting for this one
START IT UP!!!!
HA! that gave me a chuckle
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You know he's gonna do that every chance he gets.
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I bet I have that gen runnin' long before someone has his cumminGs puffin smoke!
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I bet I have that gen runnin' long before someone has his cumminGs puffin smoke!
Is there a poll for that? I wanna vote. ;D
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Check!
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Well you have been busy, all looks good.
I have been thinking bout a filter on my tank. It has a large pickup like yours but I think mine is 40 gallons.
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Thanks JR.
Wow, 40 gallons. IIRC the flyers on the raptor say it comes with 20, but after taking it out, I feel that it's about 30.
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I made time this week to tear the generator down. The bearings and just about everything except the cylinders, looked practically new. The bottoms of both cylinders were full of oil and very little crosshatch remained. what was weird was the oil rings have a huge gap, like 1/8", and both cylinders had the gaps of all of the rings at the bottom....perfectly lined up!
Here's proof of the teardown:
(http://i.imgur.com/DUfkcoU.jpg)
Been waiting for this one
START IT UP!!!!
Oh sweet payback hey big D!
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I knew I'd get someone with that!
Feels good!
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I feel like someone special now, that I've been DOTted. Before I get all teary eyed, let me post some final cabinet pics.
After making sure the lights and ceiling vent fan still worked, I finished nailing 3700 pieces of trim and paneling on the inside, covering the wiring harness.
Next, the doors lost 3" off of the bottom:
(http://i.imgur.com/SaqF6RL.jpg)
Then this 1/2" round over bit was used to reshape the edge to match the other 3 sides:
(http://i.imgur.com/d68TBPr.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/NbvWiEy.jpg)
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The handles were flipped so only one new hole needed to be drilled:
(http://i.imgur.com/WOiUyQg.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kAFKdmZ.jpg?1)
Relocated and straightened the upper hinges (whoever built this trailer didn't use a tape measure), and installed the lower hinges after careful alignment:
(http://i.imgur.com/zaPETeu.jpg)
..installed and prepped for paint:
(http://i.imgur.com/26kT15F.jpg)
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Finished until I get time to paint the entire garage:
(http://i.imgur.com/hjSHMNn.jpg)
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Another item checked off the list was upgrading all of the light bulbs to LEDs. There are 26, #921 style bulbs and 4, #1156 style bulbs inside the trailer. I haven't done the outside ones yet.
This is what the 2 styles look like:
(http://i.imgur.com/Hg4GbpK.jpg)
The 1156 style on the left is good for 150 lumens, the 921 style on the right is rated at 250.
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I converted our RV too, using the pancake style LEDs... one of the best things i did. They run soo much cooler and use far less juice. And every bit as bright.
Cabinets look good too!
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I wanted the 250 (or 300 icr) lumen 1156's but they had bad ratings....I guess they run hot and start losing led's.
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I just ordered mine on amazon... el cheapo fresh off a shipping container. Still worlds better than the incandescent pieces of junk that come standard. So far so good with the cheapies... did my mom and dad's trailer too, and theirs are also holding up
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Wow Ken! Tons of work accomplished, AND Don gets a crack shot of revenge in! You should be all choked-up!
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Really nice work there Kenneth!
It's the little things, the attention to detail like flipping the handles and routing the edges that bring this home as a great conversion.
Well done!
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Another item checked off the list was upgrading all of the light bulbs to LEDs. There are 26, #921 style bulbs and 4, #1156 style bulbs inside the trailer. I haven't done the outside ones yet.
This is what the 2 styles look like:
(http://i.imgur.com/Hg4GbpK.jpg)
The 1156 style on the left is good for 150 lumens, the 921 style on the right is rated at 250.
Could you give us a link/source for those bulbs?
I want to do my camper as well
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Sure looks good. Got my roof patched, but need to seal the whole thing now.
Link would be good. I got some cheapo's sometime back and although they looked good, some of the LEDs have burned out.
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http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Stars-92111805-Replacement-Natural/dp/B00FSG8224/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435722172&sr=8-1&keywords=gold+star+921&pebp=1435722172532&perid=0BHDHBQ76N72X8Z99NHS
These are the 921's.
....and the 1156 style:
http://www.amazon.com/Gold-Stars-11568304-Replacement-Natural/dp/B00FSH0WM6/ref=pd_sim_263_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1GADW3ZCGW9EGQGRAETQ
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Dangit. I've heard the stories, but thought I had enough driving talent to prevent myself from becoming a statistic.
Maybe I should've held out for a slider..."if you pay attention, you don't need a slider" some of my friends said. :(
(http://i.imgur.com/TRZsQNa.jpg)
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Have you become one of those old men that needs his driving privileges reconsidered?
Don't beat yourself up too bad, I've seen that happen a bunch. My brother in law just put one into the cab corner on his fancy new F250 platinum. He has a slider that usually stays in the rear position moving stuff around the yard. He forgot he locked it forward. Of course I am still picking on him about it. I'm just glad I have a long bed.
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You know, I honestly didn't think that my truck would turn sharp enough to make contact while going forward....never even considered it...
.and yesterday I had moved the hitch to the most rearward adjustment just to see how it would tow, and was actually going to move it back forward this week because I noticed a measureable (negative) difference.
I wish this trailer had the concaved corners like the newer ones.....hmm, might have to make some modifications.
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Ouch!
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Oh man, that stinks!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Maybe that safety hitch contraption is what you need.
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Maybe that safety hitch contraption is what you need.
How did I know someone would mention that....Turkey!!!!!
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Looks like a good time for a sliding rear window, and excuse,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
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So, this is like one of those movies where you see the ending first, and then all the blanks are filled in. The busted window was the bad ending...
The latest project started out like this:
I ordered up some new spring equalizers....
(http://i.imgur.com/zrj9dXJ.jpg)
they weren't packaged very well. These help absorb road shock and remove some of the "chucking" when towing a heavier trailer.
This Dexter kit comes with greasable shackle bolts, heavier shackles, and bronze bushings to replace the plastic ones in the leaf spring eyelets.
(http://i.imgur.com/bp8gB9n.jpg)
...those shackles are 1/2" thick !!
(http://i.imgur.com/wox72ve.jpg)
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Looks like a good time for a sliding rear window, and excuse,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Me thinks the corners of that trailer are going to shrink, or disappear, or at least be visited by a masseuse.....with a sawzall.
Just to have it archived, since I had to know this stuff when ordering, I guess there's basically 2 different standard axle setups on a triple axle rv....33" axle spacing, and 35".
When you order equalizers it makes a difference. The 35" setup is typically found on trailers with more than 6k axles. My trailer has 3- #5200lb axles, and the spacing is 33" so it took the smaller kit.
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I ordered that stuff because I was going to have the axles out of the trailer for a bit.......what better time for an upgrade?
I figured (multiple times and then refigured some more) that I needed to raise that trailer 5" to meet my needs. I wanted it to ride fairly level on my mildly lifted truck, and attain the most clearance possible between the bed and rv.....oh, and have plenty of ground clearance.
Not too many pics....but here's the 2x5 heavy walled tubing tacked in place after several hours of prep:
(http://i.imgur.com/ZcCBho0.jpg)
new bushings installed:
(http://i.imgur.com/nWm4bKO.jpg)
One axle in, 2 to go:
(http://i.imgur.com/xgOl0He.jpg)
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Holy smokes...A fiver with a lift kit!
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While it was apart, I packed the bearings (actually my brother...I didn't want to get my hands dirty), cleaned the brakes, and mounted some new tires. What you can't see is the beam welded in between the 2 sides, for torsional support. We painted it up, extended the brake wiring, and lubed the shackles. There might have been a bunch of welding somewhere in the beginning.
She almost touches the roof of my shop.....I had about 1" to spare on the front a/c.....measuring 13'6" at the highest point:
(http://i.imgur.com/xgvUMjz.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/uagkh9k.jpg)
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I then was able to drop the pin box down to the lowest setting, giving me an additional 2.5" of bed clearance:
(http://i.imgur.com/s1xUVmr.jpg)
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That dog'll hunt!
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....which was about 1" too much. I anticipated this, so then the hitch was lowered 1" and moved rearward at the same time. This rearward movement should prevent trailer-to-cab contact (I think we know what happens later) :(
This was the former position, with the mounts forward of the axle centerline:
(http://i.imgur.com/trxM0NO.jpg)
...moved rearward and down:
(http://i.imgur.com/vSUWSMb.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/qZulbxe.jpg)
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This is how she sits at the present, unladen, about 12k lbs and 65psi in the air bags. I still have to throw the genset up front along with 2000 lbs worth of wife necessities, 110 gallons of H2O in the rear, and my Ranger....which is about 1700 lbs, and then I'll reevaluate.
On flat ground, it has 26" of ground clearance at the rear end:
(http://i.imgur.com/VQb5LBM.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/QgR4Myn.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/J8QHGji.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/SagCNkO.jpg)
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That thing is huge...a quad-plex camper. You rent out the basement and a few rooms and live in the remaining 11 rooms for free...Brilliant!
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I'd talk!!
I keep waiting for Tex to post a pic of his Castle on wheels. It makes ours look like housing in south Compton. lol
Next up, since I had extra time this weekend, was to switch over to 6v batteries. Of course nothing is as easy as it first appears.
This compartment had enough room for 3 batteries, but the way they welded in the brackets only allowed for one big 12v.
I cut all that wimpy junk out, welded in some thicker metal, and just like that, more powa:
(http://i.imgur.com/nzXovnt.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/m9h70UE.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/MlCafSs.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/BnipVjZ.jpg)
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Gonna be around 17k? Or more? That's quite a load!
5ver lift looks great Ken! Nice it still fits in the shop too
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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Wow is that something. Never thought I'd see one get a lift!
Looks great Ken. Just too bad about the window.
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Thanks guys.
Yeah, it barely fits under the shop roof, but it may not fit under a bunch of back country overpasses! haha
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Why would you need bigger? Hmm, mine sits at 13/6 at the AC.
What I have never understood, why don't they put nice rear bumpers on these things? Just a little tap would really screw up any TH.
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Why you ask? The places I go, and have been for30 years. Camps that I call home when hunting in the hills of Az. Some are 25 miles from pavement, and i wouldn't have been able to get a trailer this size into......and it wasn't even close to being level when hooked to my truck. The truck will never be lower than it is now, nor any future trucks for that matter.
Your's is 13/6 stock? holy moly. Mine, stock, was 12 at the roof line plus 14" for the a/c, sitting level. and the axles were flipped from the factory.
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Mine is stock, no sliders or lift and I need a 4 inch drop to run level. That should change though as I just ordered new 35 tires and have pieced together the rest of the lift for it. Loosing the rear blocks for a flip.
I don't think you trailer is too big, just can't see why someone would need more, but they are out there. I like comfy but really just sleep, shower, #2 and get out the rain with it. Always dry camping.
You should see some of the crazy stuff out here with the weekend crowds. They go so overboard out here it is scary sometimes. Monster trucks with lifted 5th's going 75+ and not knowing how to drive.
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Yeah especially those Dune People....bunch of crazies with more money than sense.
I'm mostly doing this for my wife, but also for the both of us when we get to where we can travel a bit. I plan on spending some summers in Alaska someday.
I still know how to sleep on the ground, but there's always that one rock. lol
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wouldnt have hit the window with a long bed, just sayin
I still think you have me beat...
DOT Shot of the wife's 5er....I just tow it.
(http://i60.tinypic.com/23jh1k3.jpg)
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Nice rig she's got there RN. You don't see very many with a door on the left side. I'm sure there's another on the other side too.
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Just tow it?
I hope you stay in there too
I feel so inadequate with my camper.
Well, I guess I actually feel just fine, and that is one awesome trailer you have there. You guys with these big ones, towing north of what 17K? That must really be something going up hills. I only tow mine weighing a bit under 8K loaded so it's nothing like what you guys are pulling.
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My horse trailer empty is around 13k. Loaded with 3 horses and all our junk it's 17k - 18k. It's 40' long. Basically it's about equal to a 26' camper with a 12' slide in front of the horse area which fits 3 horses and tack. Not as tall as most of the 5ers so wind drag ain't so bad. I just set the cruise at 70 and ride. My stock truck don't mind it at all. I managed 11.5 mpg towing from home to Lexington Ky last year. That's not the worst hills but some pretty decent ones.
DOT complete
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I can't find a picture of mine, well not hooked up.
And, the height is 136 inches, not 13' 6" :-[
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Hahaha. Yeah, 11'4" sounds a little better. :pokejr
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Just tow it?
I hope you stay in there too
I feel so inadequate with my camper.
Well, I guess I actually feel just fine, and that is one awesome trailer you have there. You guys with these big ones, towing north of what 17K? That must really be something going up hills. I only tow mine weighing a bit under 8K loaded so it's nothing like what you guys are pulling.
Mine is aluminum structure with glass walls. Not nearly as heavy as Ken, thus only the 2 axles. And mine is not a toy hauler. Camp ready, it weighs about 15,000 without water. On the 60hp tow tune, you'd be surprised how well it gets up a 6% grade. And yeah, she lets me sleep in it too. My favorite part is the outdoor kitchen. Really roughing it to have a microwave, Keurig coffee pot, fridge, sink and gas grill all outside. I get up early and the old (older) men all congregate at my place for coffee and the smell of bacon frying. Most say their wives won't let them eat bacon....You meet a lot of neat people around a coffee pot at 6am.
Nice rig she's got there RN. You don't see very many with a door on the left side. I'm sure there's another on the other side too.
Yes, it was one of the reasons we bought that unit. There is a second bathroom in the back where the girls bunk house is. That door leads directly to the second bathroom so no need to traipse completely through the camper to get to the bathroom when the kids are dirty or the guests need to use the potty.
In 2 weeks we take off for Colorado for 10 days. Looking forward to some altitude and lower temperatures.
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Mine GVs out at 11k and just a 23ft (measures24???) but has that all important separate bedroom and a stand alone shower, not over the toilet!!
I would love to add an outdoor kitchen.
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Believe it or not, the Raptor is sitting just under 12k dry....16k gross..
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A little more progress this weekend, along with more frustrations.
Started putting the genny back together. Onan no longer makes standard rings, so I had to replace the pistons and have it honed .010" over. My machinist ground the valves at the same time.
Here's some boring pics....not of the actual cylinder boring process....well you know what I meant:
(http://i.imgur.com/wQfR20G.jpg)
Slapped on a new starter:
(http://i.imgur.com/0RALrAh.jpg)
Replaced the engine mounts and modified the carrier plate so that when draining the oil, it doesn't collect under the engine (like these older ones are known for:
(http://i.imgur.com/uJjl38D.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kwPm3oE.jpg)
New fuel hose:
(http://i.imgur.com/v0BLu7z.jpg)
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Whats that gen set doing with a spark plug???
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After mounting the engine, I decided to run it before manhandling it into the trailer, to work out any bugs or whatever. That's when my project went sour. Long story short, the oil pump disintegrated on startup. I later learned that Ken (me) left out a shim/gasket from between the 2 halves of the pump. I promptly fired him, and then moved forward by stealing a pump from my brother's genset, installing it, and then rehiring Ken to lift the genny into the trailer compartment.
Before that, I took out the shielding that the previous owner tried to destroy, straightened it, and added some sound insulation:
(http://i.imgur.com/sOltMs1.jpg)
...here's the "new" oil pump:
(http://i.imgur.com/A5Q9Taq.jpg)
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Whats that gen set doing with a spark plug???
Mine's not the Luxo-Coach edition!
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...
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.....I proceeded to install the genny:
(http://i.imgur.com/Wu9JTRc.jpg)
...and then with the help from my brave friend, we replaced the awning:
(http://i.imgur.com/743iOCP.jpg)
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I assume there was no rapid release of awning spring tension. Those things can bite. I got the scars to prove it.
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No. ...that's the only thing that went right.
Heck. ..I didn't mean to double post that window pic. ...I thought I posted it over on the DF. Easy enough to delete.
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Nice and I know what you mean when draining the oil!!!!
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No. ...that's the only thing that went right.
Heck. ..I didn't mean to double post that window pic. ...I thought I posted it over on the DF. Easy enough to delete.
The guy that built my house had a worker lose control of a garage spring when installing a door
The thing came apart
and
Cut the guy's arm off!
Yea, they're dangerous!
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Some more boring trailer stuff happened.
I built a stainless exhaust out of some scrap water pipe:
(http://i.imgur.com/2bIdnpt.jpg)
Wrapped it header wrap:
(http://i.imgur.com/8P8sOFN.jpg?1)
(http://i.imgur.com/AI3ZzQg.jpg)
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I had to run it out the "awning" side because of the bedroom slideout on the other side.
Purchased one of these gen-turi exhaust stacks to force the exhaust skyward:
(http://i.imgur.com/2VEBzZS.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/rpr27J1.jpg)
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It attaches to the exhaust pipe with a mini tractor pin, and uses rubber bungees that hook to the side of the trailer, then the upper 2 sections just stack on loosely. Pull the pin and undo the bungees, and put it back in the supplied bag, and your ready to travel:
(http://i.imgur.com/iglLtD7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/H0cRecy.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/b8NsgfO.jpg)
The gen-turi has a venturi at the bottom that draws in cool air, keeping the plastic stack from melting.
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After spending a week trying to get the generator to stay running longer than 30 minutes (in 110* temps), I think I finally fixed it with a new fuel pump. After that, I decided to take the time and hook it up to the inside control panel that came with the trailer....the gen is from the 80s or so...the trailer an '05, so yeah, the wires/connectors didn't hook together without some research. I ended up making this adapter harness, using a 2006 chevy p/u injector harness plug.
This is the trailer connector:
(http://i.imgur.com/SuwQcgc.jpg)
...adapter harness:
(http://i.imgur.com/HewR2DJ.jpg)
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Yesterday I added some 12v accessory sockets, since this trailer had not even one. I put one near the entertainment cabinet for the new 12v China dvd/stereo system:
(http://i.imgur.com/Zj8DJTY.jpg)
...then opened the box for the brand new 12 volt 32" tv....which turned out not to be 12v...urrrr. I mounted a tv articulating thingy and bolted on the tv anyway:
(http://i.imgur.com/856YNkw.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/WIcaa9D.jpg)
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Those gen-turi's are AWESOME. Very popular for tailgating where RV's are stacked in close. Always a bummer when somebody doesn't have one and smokes out their neighbors...
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Very nice work, and ideas!!
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Those gen-turi's are AWESOME. Very popular for tailgating where RV's are stacked in close. Always a bummer when somebody doesn't have one and smokes out their neighbors...
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I got one purely for selfish reasons. You won't ever see me next to another camper, and tailgating has never appealed to me. lol
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Well they do exactly as advertised! Great product
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Nice work ken. Thanks for,the update
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Those gen-turi's are AWESOME. Very popular for tailgating where RV's are stacked in close. Always a bummer when somebody doesn't have one and smokes out their neighbors...
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I got one purely for selfish reasons. You won't ever see me next to another camper, and tailgating has never appealed to me. lol
Exactly, why get away to park next to someone else like the suburbs and pay almost as much as a motel room.
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Those gen-turi's are AWESOME. Very popular for tailgating where RV's are stacked in close. Always a bummer when somebody doesn't have one and smokes out their neighbors...
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I got one purely for selfish reasons. You won't ever see me next to another camper, and tailgating has never appealed to me. lol
Exactly, why get away to park next to someone else like the suburbs and pay almost as much as a motel room.
Parkin lot party before football games boss, not a camping trip. Meh, never mind....
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If either of them lived near a winning team they might be more into it. Go Hawks!
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Be careful here....
(Notice, 4 dots instead of the usual 3...)
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Yesterday was an eye opener for me.
The trailer is nearing completion and all the girls in my life have been promised a camping trip before school starts up again, so.....
I made a run up to the hills to check out my old hunting camps and check tree heights, as well as overpasses and such along the way. I had absolutely no idea how many people actually go to the mountains in the summer time, as of late. Typically I don't spend time in the hills til October or later.
I stayed away from the well known high country lakes, but that didn't matter. There were huge camps, in every camp that I have ever stayed in, as far as 20 miles from the highway...people on top of people, people camped near water holes....rangers, rzrs, bikes, up and down my trails.....you name it, it was like a cancer that had taken hold and was just draining the life from the forest. I'm speechless and a little depressed right now.
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Now that I'm back to reality, it's time to go back to work. I installed these hard start capacitors to help keep the genset from dragging down when firing up both a/c units. Truth be told, both of the units already had these installed, albeit smaller and probably subpar versions. I wish I would've taken some pics, but the sweat was a rollin' by the time I bailed back off the roof. Here's what they look like;
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Added a couple more 12v outlets:
(http://i.imgur.com/I1o6G7f.jpg)
Just tied them in to the nearest light:
(http://i.imgur.com/EzfobHh.jpg)
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I'm bored, so here's some shots of a clean trailer before this storm hits (I hired it out):
(http://i.imgur.com/c3YDOe5.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/z8iAxDp.jpg)
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The hardest thing I've installed so far:
(http://i.imgur.com/2mTpWcB.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/HKeqgke.jpg)
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Got it looking good Ken! :thumb. Lol I'm due for a new set of step rugs.
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Thanks! I just ordered 4 more to keep the other steps from getting cold. Guess i could've went with longer ones, but these were cheap.
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Ah, those are fine. Your foot is only so wide.
Those clouds look "nice".
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If only the rain would follow the humidity to the ground. :(
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Went North again this weekend and found some nice spots, so it's time to finish this little project. We have a trip planned for next week.
The trailer was missing the master queen bed. I probably would've replaced it anyways, so I was shoppin' around, trying to decide whether to spend some serious coin, or cheap out. I have a very "sensative" back, so the bed quality does matter. Then it hit me.....a couple years ago my wife replaced my Nautilis air matress with a sleep number setup. Stubborn as always, I couldn't bring myself to throw it away, and it ended up in storage.
Beginning with the base to see if it would fit in an "RV queen" setup:
(http://i.imgur.com/SpN7bWO.jpg)
The air matress part:
(http://i.imgur.com/lL8hDCo.jpg)
...and it fit....barely:
(http://i.imgur.com/yBQmFmW.jpg)
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Looks good Ken. My base lifts up on struts and has a shallow storage area. Perfect for a remy 870, an AR and some spare mags, ammo and other kit.
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Have a cheapo in mine. But with no box it feels good. Looking at a memory topper now.
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Go with best quality you can afford- standard RV mattresses aren't much more than a little padding over cheap springs wrapped in low quality fabric playing the part of cloth. I was fortunate to get the one my father had custom made to fit an RV by Serta that looks similar to that one Ken, without the air bladder- I sleep as good on it as the one in the house. Like RN stated, with tilt-up storage underneath, it houses two bar stools, extra bedding, boots, coffee maker, bucket, space heater with plenty of room for some thunder sticks!
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thunder sticks are cool...............;D
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Yah, just remember that nothing in an RV provides cover, just concealment !
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I tried it...it still lifts up, albeit a bit heavy!
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Heading back to So. Missouri to sleep on it one last trip before "Back to School- My Freshman Year" starts, as Don so gleefully pointed out! Y all laugh at those back to school commercials, I shed a tear! :'(
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Well it's time to DOT the Master DOT. I just arrived at the KOA in Abilene. We decided that a one shot trip back to houston was not viable for the kids. I'm sitting here waiting on the 5er to cool in the comfort of the truck. At 7pm it's still 102. So AC in the dually and a beer is just like being in CO.......
And Ken. I highly recommend this if you don't have it. (http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/05/052a43c6d68d3b2f738c811c1dcdb0d4.jpg)
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/05/c2d26bd1b8f496cb03b6fb21ff83200a.jpg)
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That's a TST 507 hardwired with external antenna in the rear window.
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It's on my list. I'm running out of room for gadgets tho!
Those just screw on to the stems? Or internal?
You runnin 120 psi?
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Goodyears 614. 110 psi. External screw on.
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To get the ranger to fit length wise, I have to remove the bed. I screwed on a thick polymer bar across the front lower edge of the bed for support. It's very simple to remove....take 2 hinge bolts out and unplug the taillight harness. I then layed a piece of carpet on top of the turbo area, drug the bed rearward, and tilted it up onto the front edge. ...add a couple pillows for window protection, and strap it down:
(http://i.imgur.com/lIPdCqm.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/A3dzrzA.jpg)
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...and it fits. All strapped down for the maiden voyage:
(http://i.imgur.com/r8venn8.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/GuPpUAZ.jpg)
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now the question is ken.................how many times have you walked in to that cactus...?
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I'm a desert hunter remember.. I have learned cacti avoidance (well ok, only 3 times)
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I'm a desert hunter remember.. I have learned cacti avoidance (well ok, only 3 times)
Did you ever read my trigger meets the cactus story?
A Chinook landing blacked out in the desert...Trigger was the name we called the guy crewing the ramp...Paint a picture yet?
It was ugly...Pliers and a few hundred needles ugly!
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that would suck right there
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that would suck right there
He was a SP4
We landed in a spot up in the chocolate mountains...Still Arizona, maybe??
NVG landing, total blackout
We have to set up a tactical FARP for a flight of Marine CH-53's about 15 minutes out
So we hit the ground running. literally.
We have to a fuel hose out a hundred fifty feet.
It starts with running the fuel point stuff out first, two handfuls of stuff. Trigger is a big boy so he gets saddled with more junk.
Maybe 50 beet behind us is one of those sorora cactus. Trigger hits it so hadr he bear hugs the thing. Cleaned the bottom 5 feet of all the needles.
But he's a soldier and a Night Stalker, so he continues mission
Even refueled the 53's.
But afterward he was down for the count. We got a couple of pliers and all of us yanked those needles out of him for awhile, then flew him back and took him to the hospital. He even had them in the genitals!
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What a nightmare....I bet he remembers it as well as you!
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What a nightmare....I bet he remembers it as well as you!
Oh, you know it!
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ouch
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Is this D.O.T. Revenge or what?
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As near as I can tell. There's not other explanation that comes to mind. lol
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Some goodies for the trailer. First an Aussie table top grill. Completely stainless. I purchased the hose for 20# propane tanks:
(http://i.imgur.com/bkaEvvk.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/f3zE6fS.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/lwrkR9i.jpg)
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...and a new camp table, a "Lifetime" brand. My old one was a metal one from the 60s, and has seen better days:
(http://i.imgur.com/YrW40v0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6tBNWZT.jpg)
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Holy Cow! You can do camp site ceramic coating with that thing!
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im with don, if that thing can get to that temp, that is pretty nifty.
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I fired it off yesterday, outside in the sun, and it went to about 450 in a few minutes. I doubt that it would ceramic coat tho.
and Don, just because your speedo goes to a buck-eighty, doesn't mean the vehicle does!!
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I fired it off yesterday, outside in the sun, and it went to about 450 in a few minutes. I doubt that it would ceramic coat tho.
and Don, just because your speedo goes to a buck-eighty, doesn't mean the vehicle does!!
Well, then I'm lucky
I thing Square D's speedo is a 85MPH one, or is it???
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I think you're right...80 or 85 iirc
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Love the lifetime stuff. Those 3 kayaks are Lifetime and I have several table too.
I have been using one of these with the butane. Works really good and compact. Not as fancy as the grill, but does the job!
Don, you sure that was the Chocolate mountains in AZ? I thought they were just east of the Salton Sea and that would make sense if the 53s were coming out of Pendelton. Of course, I wasn't there,
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That's a cool little stove.
I went for the grill, for burgers, dogs, and such.. we'll use the inside stove for other meals.
Chocolate mountains....not AZ as far as I know.
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Ken, I carry two lifetime tables in mine but they don't fold in the middle. Let me know what you think of it. I was a little leery of the folders but for no documented reason.
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I've butchered an elk on a similar folder, so I'll vouch for them, unless quality has changed in the last 6 years or so.
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Love the lifetime stuff. Those 3 kayaks are Lifetime and I have several table too.
I have been using one of these with the butane. Works really good and compact. Not as fancy as the grill, but does the job!
Don, you sure that was the Chocolate mountains in AZ? I thought they were just east of the Salton Sea and that would make sense if the 53s were coming out of Pendelton. Of course, I wasn't there,
We were flying out of Yuma, but those ranges were north west so Cali is more likely. 53's were down in Yuma in the same crazy training op we were in.
Marines n' Armee werkin together?!? Right after that came dogs sleepin' with kats!
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I've butchered an elk on a similar folder, so I'll vouch for them, unless quality has changed in the last 6 years or so.
Will that plastic top hold up to the heat from the BBQ?
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Will that plastic top hold up to the heat from the BBQ?
if anything, get you a 12" x 12" piece of marble from lowes to use as a heat shield
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It did yesterday, but if not, I guess I'll throw it on the ground and cook at knee level!
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I can vouch for the tables being fairly stout. Not butcher an elk, but the one I used was pretty good. Nice that it folds too.
Wow what a DOT tangent there. At least we're back on task for the time being.
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I personally took a day off for the most part, and couldn't help myself. DOTing is addictive!
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I personally took a day off for the most part, and couldn't help myself. DOTing is addictive!
Said like a Boss!
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I wondered what you all would do if I didn't post something to DOT all up, but I see it here.
You people DOT each other all up
Love it!
And I'm starting to see a leader emerge
Maybe Ken, maybe JR. The guy from the north pole gets sucked in all the time but is otherwise innocent, as is most of the rest, but the DOT is strong in AZ/CA
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;D
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8)
Not quite at the North pole!
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i think atkinsmatt is closer to north pole than you are........
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8)
Not quite at the North pole!
Might as well be with all the snow you get!
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Thankfully doesn't get anywhere near that cold here.
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I just read through your whole thread Ken, great job on all the work. The roof looks great and I will keep this thread in mind when I need to complete roof maintenance on my new rig. Like you I'm in the AZ sun and know the toll it takes on those rubber roofs.
I also installed the Dexter Axle E-Z Flex suspension on my rig when I added the lift, Momma said it rides much smoother now (she hangs out in the 5ver while en route to our destinations).
You did a awesome job on chopping up that garage for the Ranger, and the 6 volt upgrade is also on my list.
Mine came with a small solar panel, it seems to do a good job keeping voltage up when I have her parked for a long time.
Where you talking about Happy Jack for your mountain get away?
I want to check some area just west of Alpine about half way to Big Lake, have you been there?
I used to have a Ranger, then in 2011 I picked up a RZR900XP (I'm one of those crazy Duners)- looking at the new Yamaha with a tranny. (Maybe next year)
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Beautiful country on the eastern side of the state, but I don't like going that far for camping. You're probably talking about black river country....pretty awesome.
We were closer to Clint's wells, just north of strawberry.
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Then I fixed a hydraulic leak at the reservoir.....twice. They want $126.00 for a new tank, $400.00 for a new assembly......so a $2.00 o-ring , then $5.00 worth of sillycone the second time seemed like the right way to go:
(http://i.imgur.com/AeKempF.jpg)
Just an update on this. The silicone and new o-ring didn't last. I ended up replacing the entire assembly. Now, the hydro hoses going to the large slide out are leaking....that won't be any fun at all. uggg
Other than that, we've made a few trips with "Mongloid" and it's done really well.
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Since there's not a lot going on right now....
Huntin' season is just about here, so I got around to changing out the hydraulic lines to the slideouts this weekend. It was a real joy, especially ripping the bed apart upstairs.
(http://i.imgur.com/53SKqsi.jpg)
Not a lot of pics:
(http://i.imgur.com/3Pm7WLK.jpg)
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Then I remembered that I had one of these I bought for the truck, but couldn't find a decent place to mount it because of it's size:
(http://i.imgur.com/zyBPbE1.jpg)
The trailer already had a transfer panel for the genset, but was not hooked up, since it didn't have a gen. when I got it. I had been just plugging the shore power cord into a 50a receptacle mounted below the 7k gen when I installed it.
The inverter got mounted...urrr..installed, in the luggage basement :
(http://i.imgur.com/cAN7uL3.jpg)
Then built some 1/0 cables to hook to the batteries:
(http://i.imgur.com/t41QIXT.jpg)
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I took the voltage meter/display and power switch out of the inverter and soldered in several feet of cat6 to remote mount them inside by the fuse panel.
(http://i.imgur.com/R0f7dX3.jpg)
...the volt meter fit in a switch slot almost perfectly!
The (large) inverter switch interupts the output power (110v), which is tied into the shore power in the transfer panel so it HAS to be off when plugged in at home. lol
I have the 2-110v legs of the trailer ran to the 2 pole switch (the coach is 220v...the inverter is only 110), and the single leg from the inverter feeds both legs when turned on. If I was pushing more than 20a, this would probably have issues, but so far so good.
The other switch shuts off the Converter, so it doesn't drain the batteries trying to , uh, charge the batteries. It was mounted upside down to help eliminate confusion (I need all the help I can get).
This is with the microwave on:
(http://i.imgur.com/lM6i2ig.jpg)
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Then, I wired the generator to the transfer panel, and swapped out the 50a drier recepticle to a 50a welder plug. If I ever need power somewhere, this will be handy because all of my welders and compressors have that style plug. I might even make a cord that will backfeed the house if power goes down.
(http://i.imgur.com/rLq3TdH.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/NjnmYzl.jpg)
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...and finally, I added some diamond plate the the rear ramp so I can strap the ranger up against it now that the bed is shorter (the tires stick out past the bed)
(http://i.imgur.com/H9nda0B.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/bMLzVHq.jpg)
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I like the setup and you've given me a new idea on mounting mine.
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Upgraded the toilet recently. It's porcelain, full size, came with a remote sprayer, and it's the best upgrade to the trailer to this point!(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170501/b1c3e9350f8020ba4b8f07945fd014e0.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170501/f3bf4ebc1aac0acd35f0772c8db42783.jpg)
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Real toilets in the camper are awesome.
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I want a full size too. Hate having to move so I hit the bowl. I was looking at the Aria, was yours that pricey?
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It was about 2 bills JR. I didn't look at any other brands.
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That's good. Think the aria is about twice that.
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Guess I'll revive this thread.
I've redone the fuel system twice on this trailer. Once when I purchased it, about 5 years ago, and then last year for hunting season. All 3 fuel pumps were locked up, and the tank and the gen carb were varnished.
So, this time when I was done using it for a while, I drained the system.
Now, a few months later and a really warm summer, the plastic tank cracked. I assume because I drained it.
No one makes a direct replacement. No one. No used ones. There's a few newer style metal ones on the web, but they won't fit without serious mods to the trailer.
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I should've waited to see if this works out before posting, but now I'm committed.
Started with some aluminum I already had in the shed. Just had to order some bungs in different sizes.
Old plastic one is 62x20x7. With a rib in the middle it held 30 gallons.
My version is 48x20x7... should get me 28-30 gallons.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201130/f060954a501344c7b0efbeee283cf99e.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201130/919eec475227bbd8f2e4217930eb010e.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201130/641971f69fefb69f4201ebc75d2080d0.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201130/b173e6a80590b14bee1da57a36a463cc.jpg)
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Ken, is that 48” wide sheet? The reason I ask, and I’m not sure it’s the same with aluminum sheet as it is with steel. However, when you make a steel tank from sheet you must cut a solid 1/4-1/2” off of the width of the sheet. During the process to make the steel sheet and rolling of it there are fine cracks along the width edge. If you try to weld it and make a tank from the full width you will never get it to stop leaking FYI. Just a thought for consideration.
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That’s a pretty big undertaking, I don’t understand the reason to change from what ya had?
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I wonder what my tank looks like. Same year and make! Gen still runs good.
Alum is a great way to go.
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That’s a pretty big undertaking, I don’t understand the reason to change from what ya had?
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The plastic tank was dry cracked and started leaking when I went to fill it up with the pure gas I just bought.
JR, yours is a raptor?
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Attitude TH, but same year and company.
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Gutsy move there Ken. What are you using to weld it with?
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Using the spool on inside welds tig where it matters...or visa versa depending on caffeine levels.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201130/8fbfd461c38f3a3a0a36abf6315380fb.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201130/4e14a0d3702dbfdc663e683386b23159.jpg)
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That Miller is a nice rig. Until a board goes down
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Man. I’m super jelly. Would love to have an ac tig machine and be skilled enough to use it.
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Me too. I can do mig/stick pretty well, but never tried TIG.
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The only time I've used it hard core is when I built the aluminum bed for my ranger. Honestly, spool gun is the way to go for most jobs. Almost as easy as mig welding steel.... and way faster than tig.
Dave the board will be fine. I'm not welding pipe line.
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Finished the tank today.
Note to self: Don't ever try this again without more practice, and extra spool gun wire and tips.
Didn't have any 2" pipe for the fill neck so milled one out of solid stock.... nice and sturdy.
Added a machined ring for the sending unit and multiple bungs. ...2 on the side, at the bottom, for generator and auxiliary pump which will have shut off valves, 1 for the vent on top, and fill vent on the side, and finally a drain on the bottom.
I made the mistake of welding the inside (for added rigidity), which put too much heat into the welds.
I used an evap tester, (a smoke machine), to test for leaks. It only puts out 1/2 of a psi. Found 3 pinholes and fixed them.
...then went with straight air at 4 psi and found 19 more leaks. Fixed and tested at 6 psi and called it done.... well until I put gas in it.(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201206/f67815120fe84835937ceb7529429913.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201206/02644e0daa5d5898add7e0bb33fdc599.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20201206/0a1cd48151187ec2343e0ea010cc48b9.jpg)
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You better polish it now!! Lol looks good Ken
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Nice work. Put a filter between the tank and pump.
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Thanks guys.
There's already a spin on set-up I put on last time JR.
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That's really good work (overkill) for a camper,
but,
Isn't this what happens to everything that any of us purchase?
We MBE (Mo-better engineer) the thing and end up with a better performing, longer lasting something or 'nother that has the added kool factor.
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That's really good work (overkill) for a camper,
but,
Isn't this what happens to everything that any of us purchase?
We MBE (Mo-better engineer) the thing and end up with an overly complex, twice as expensive, less reliable something or 'nother that has the added kool factor.
FIFU (us)
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Charles, take that back!
Lol