It saddens me to hear the fray. Not that you should have had to, in community company, but receivers have lock pins also. Great idea to have one anytime. Messing with your trailer was wrong. Bringing the dogs was wrong (even if it was okay'd). Wrong as in not a good idea. What if everyone brought their dog or two ? After the help you gave to Tyler, it would be hard to say no, even if it was not a good idea. Dropping from the forum is wrong too. A boneheaded move. Seldom are decisions made from emotions wise. Chris, my best to you, and my hopes for the best of endings in things you have shared with us.
I agree with all Cliff said. And more. I think I posted a link to those hitch pin locks on the page before the last. I don’t know, I can’t remember crap anymore.
But they get stolen, just the hitch bar and pin or whatever they are called because they cost so much. They ain’t cheap to replace. I know, I have one with a 1 7/8” ball on it, one with a 2” ball on it and one with the 2 5/8” ball on it. Why because I am always getting a call from one friend or another to tow something. And they never have the standard 2” ball hitch. So ya I would definitely recommend getting that lock as well as one for the trailer itself.
It will keep not only your trailer safe from this but keep someone from steeling the hitch as well when you don’t have a trailer on it. I know it sucks to have a trailer or hitch stolen. But then locks are for honest people, a theif is going to get around that. But in this case we are discussing here it was I think for the most part honest people. Well except in that parking lot later.
Now back to your trailer thread.
I wondered why you didn’t put the AC unit on top like the big motor homes and such do. That would have saved you space.
Steve
------------------ Technology is great when it works, and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
A roof mount AC unit has a minimum BTU rating of 13,500 and pricing starts at 600 bucks, although you can get them cheaper than that on sale. They also increase drag and raise the roof height by another 14-18 inches depending on make/model and enclosure.
This AC unit was 30 bucks, the white Polyolefin panels were free, the PVC Pipe, couplers and fittings came to less than 40 dollars, and the angle iron to mount it to the tongue was another 25.
Also, keeping the weight low, just like with the battery below floor, increases the stability of the camper when going down the road or faced with a high speed cross-wind. I don't feel the tractor trailers when they shoot past me or when I am passing them, like many people with campers/RVs do.
Space-wise, the AC isn't really using a lot of space, as it is almost entirely external.
Also, the current weight balance of the trailer is perfect. I have almost exactly 10% of the total loaded weight right on the ball hitch, which is what you want when towing a trailer. It is stable at speeds up to 90mph, runs and rides smooth, I get no sway out of it and definitely no fish tailing.
Without the AC on the tongue, it would be a hair too light and those issues would begin cropping up.
As for the locks.. As stated a couple of times, I have a trailer lock for the trailer itself to prevent it from easily coming off the ball, intentionally or other-wise. When fully locked, I can't get my bolt cutters onto it to cut it, so the chances of someone else doing so is slim.
I do need to get a receiver lock pin though, but need one where the key goes in 90 degrees perpendicular to the direction of the pin, as I can't get a key in end-wise. The hitch and pin are recessed behind the rear fascia a good 2-3 inches, and space is limited.
***Would someone, anyone in attendance at this years events please correct Purple Reighn's statements about me. I find that tho be extremely upsetting, and easily the worst thing to have EVER been said about me on this forum. ***
***Would someone, anyone in attendance at this years events please correct Purple Reighn's statements about me. I find that tho be extremely upsetting, and easily the worst thing to have EVER been said about me on this forum. ***
Tony Kania
He wasn't directing that at you. It was a statement that was misunderstood about me. I never felt or said that Nellie was being disrespectful, but that is what was reported to Nellie. It was a misunderstanding based on a statement that I was looking for something to do to help Nellie with the load and Nellie was doing everything (which was not a bad thing). That got turned into me saying "I felt that she disrespected me" which is NOT what I said, felt or meant, but we all know how things can be twisted... Trust me, I am a prime example of foot in mouth syndrome and causing problems when what I said and what I meant were two separate things.
So, his statement wasn't about you. It was directed at false information relating to me, which is usually the case lately. Nellie and I had a long discussion about everything that happened this weekend, and we both agree it is due to a major misunderstanding, and a large part of it is, in Nellie's words, my social overcompensation which leads to those misunderstandings and awkwardness due to my comfort level (which on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being OMG I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE and 10 being "Yeah, I am comfortable enough to relax in my underwear" - a horrifying visual). I was at about a 2, so I tend to be a bit more boisterous and tend to overcompensate.
[This message has been edited by Synthesis (edited 08-03-2011).]
***Would someone, anyone in attendance at this years events please correct Purple Reighn's statements about me. I find that tho be extremely upsetting, and easily the worst thing to have EVER been said about me on this forum. ***
Tony Kania
Most definitely NOT directed at you. Like Chris said, it was pretty much an all out misunderstanding of words. What i heard from a VERY RELIABLE source in the morning at breakfast. The quote 3 times over was "Chris calling Nellie disrespectful" ..... that's all. Now that the air is clear, apparently that wasnt exactly what was said.
LOL..... thanks man...... tho i think its still going askew
I'm sorry, but you deserve a negative. Because anyone who built such a beautiful, powerful car, but drives it like Grandma Margaret should have a neg. I'm changing my positive for you to a neg.
LOL..... thanks man...... tho i think its still going askew
haha, at least you know more people like you than dislike you.
Who knows about me? I could have 49 negs and would never know!
^Andy, the one time I've been with the rest of the MN crew I watched PR roast the tires, so I'll vouch that it isn't always a Grandma driving, so maybe neutral?
I'm sorry, but you deserve a negative. Because anyone who built such a beautiful, powerful car, but drives it like Grandma Margaret should have a neg. I'm changing my positive for you to a neg.
Quoted for Perfect Spoken Truth!!!!!!
That old bastard drives like there are 6 wood blocks under the pedal. I mean damn, he is almost 40 now.
Then again, maybe it's that arthritis kicking in already in his old knees and he can't push the pedal down harder?
I just hope this conversation doesn't end up reflecting in any way on our car show or the good cause it was intended to fund. We ended up raising just over 4200 for scholarships this year at the Tyler Shipman Memorial Car Show and hope to continue being successful each year....
I really don't think anything could possibly tarnish the charitable cause that brought people from all over the country together to make your son's last days as enjoyable as possible. Likewise, I feel, the yearly get together is just as "sacred." I was inspired by the original story, and I continue to be inspired by the yearly event. The event is bigger than the actions of a few indviduals; maybe I'll make it some year.
***Would someone, anyone in attendance at this years events please correct Purple Reighn's statements about me. I find that tho be extremely upsetting, and easily the worst thing to have EVER been said about me on this forum. ***
Tony Kania
Tony, I think the only part directed at you (and probably me) was to stay out of this if we weren't there. The respect part was directed at Synthesis (who I see making an honest attempt to clean things up on his end).
I'm sorry, but you deserve a negative. Because anyone who built such a beautiful, powerful car, but drives it like Grandma Margaret should have a neg. I'm changing my positive for you to a neg.
LMAO !!!!! apparently you didn't actually WATCH the video's ??? I drive like that at every light
quote
Originally posted by Racingman24:
Quoted for Perfect Spoken Truth!!!!!!
That old bastard drives like there are 6 wood blocks under the pedal. I mean damn, he is almost 40 now.
Then again, maybe it's that arthritis kicking in already in his old knees and he can't push the pedal down harder?
Ahahahahahahahahahah
And you TRACTOR BOY, must be talking about Kevin !!!! How quickly you forget when we were at a light in Pontiac Michigan ???? Yeah..... grandma my a$$
And you TRACTOR BOY, must be talking about Kevin !!!! How quickly you forget when we were at a light in Pontiac Michigan ???? Yeah..... grandma my a$$
Took you long enough.
That's right, I forgot that when you get closer to retirement age, you tend to sleep later, and move slower, so it probably took an hour or so just to get from the bed to the computer.
So I was doing a little trash can reading to entertain myself here at work when I stumbled upon this gem in a member's signature!
Did you ever see this one Chris?
Yup!
Wkayl's was one of my inspirations for mine. He lived in Colorado I believe, and wanted to attend the Dells run one year. His wife said No because of hotel room costs, etc. So he built a teardrop and towed it to the Dells.
When I had mine there this year, I had I don't know how many people come up to me and mention his. lol
So I discovered some water damage on the plywood sides..
It turns out that some of the trim around the doors are holding water, rather than shedding it. This is due to the putty tape shrinking back away from the trim underneath.
Water sat inside the trim long enough to soak up into the wood structure behind the trim and the treated plywood, and then soak into the plywood itself.
The Urethane treatment held up, but the wood blistered in two smaller sections behind the urethane due to the water trap.
I'll be sanding the urethane off over the blisters, drilling some small holes into the blister, and heating until it is dry. I have some epoxy injection kits for repairing this type of issue, and will do so once they are dry.
I'll be resealing with UV resistant silicone sealant around the trim, and retreating the wood with several coats of urethane.
It is only these two spots having the issues, one on either side of the camper at the doors.
The Putty Tape is a "guaranteed no shrinkage" tape.. But it still shrunk back... So, I'll be contacting the manufacturer.
Did you treat it with UV silicon around all the edges the first time, or just rely on the putty under the trim? When I rebuilt my pop-up roof, I used the Gray RV putty tape, and then hit every seam, top and bottom and every screw hole with GE outdoor silicon.
Also, screw holes are notorious for letting water in through the putty.
I also keep my trailer tarped at all times when not in use.. mostly to prevent any sitting water from finding weaknesses in my construction techniques.
I'm sure you did everything right, just trying to help you troubleshoot it.
Did you treat it with UV silicon around all the edges the first time, or just rely on the putty under the trim? When I rebuilt my pop-up roof, I used the Gray RV putty tape, and then hit every seam, top and bottom and every screw hole with GE outdoor silicon.
Also, screw holes are notorious for letting water in through the putty.
I also keep my trailer tarped at all times when not in use.. mostly to prevent any sitting water from finding weaknesses in my construction techniques.
I'm sure you did everything right, just trying to help you troubleshoot it.
Yeah.. The putty shrunk back a bit, and the molding provided a channel for the water to sit in where it had shrunk back.
I did not treat the edges of the trim against the wood, as at the time it wasn't needed, so I was told and so my experience told me. The putty tape felt different from what I remember using when we rebuilt a couple of RVs when I was younger.
As for the tarp, yeah... Protection for it will be planned for before the snow flies, but tarps trap moisture, and I have seen photos of a wood sided teardrop that was tarped for the winter... It won't be tarped this year, but instead will get an all-weather car cover designed to allow it to breath. Wood paneling, even with urethane on it will delaminate...
The wife has almost agreed to let me build a teardrop to drag across the western United States (actually, I can build it any time, more accurately, she's almost agreed to go with me). I'm curious if there's an inherent benefit (no delamination?) in using marine grade plywood for the sides and possibly the "top?" Any suggestions on a mattress? I'm thinking of using one of WalMart's Memory Foam mattresses. I'm also thinking of going with Northern Tool's 5' by 8' trailer to give us another foot in width since both of us are used to a king sized bed. Any thoughts on that?
I would love to see someone do something like this with a Fiero, but all the trailers show proof of how little room the fiero really offers...
HEY! Keep the seats in it, and solve the ages-old "Fieros only hold two people" problem! Great solution to when the new girlfriend/wife says "we need something that seats more than two, baby is on the way" or "I need something bigger for getting groceries"!
So, tonight I finally got around to repairing the water damage, adding the lower trim plate between the camper and the trailer frame, and resealing all of the trim where the water was pooling to cause the damage...
Looks better, will work better, and a worry off of my mind.
While scanning through, I see some mentions of various materials. I would think plywood would be a little heavier than some other available materials. I've worked with a very strong and lightweight material made of aluminum. It's corrugated for strength and comes in various exterior colors and thicknesses ranging from about 14 inch and upward. You can get the fluting in either the length or width and the thinner sheets can be roll formed. It is similar in thickness and design of the Coro-Plast signs we often see placed on the wire stands.
Tom, there's a supplier near you, over in Cumming. Aluma-Panel
While scanning through, I see some mentions of various materials. I would think plywood would be a little heavier than some other available materials. I've worked with a very strong and lightweight material made of aluminum. It's corrugated for strength and comes in various exterior colors and thicknesses ranging from about 14 inch and upward. You can get the fluting in either the length or width and the thinner sheets can be roll formed. It is similar in thickness and design of the Coro-Plast signs we often see placed on the wire stands.
Tom, there's a supplier near you, over in Cumming. Aluma-Panel
"Alumalite is a strong, aluminum composite panel with a high-density corrugated polyallomer (CPA) core that will not swell, corrode, rot, wick water, or delaminate even under prolonged water exposure. Factory-baked polyester painted aluminum faces add high gloss brilliance and rigidity. Warranted not to crack, chip, flake, or peel. Colorfast 10-year limited warranty. Benefits: -Field-tested through extensive freeze/thaw cycling tests with no significant structural panel failure -Ideal for paints, digital inks (both UV or solvent cured), screen print inks, and pressure-sensitive vinyl -Strong and lightweight, Alumalite is the same weight as .040 aluminum sheet metal yet 50 times stronger -Routs and cuts easily using standard carpentry tools; even bends around corners -Wind-resistant—when properly fastened between two posts, Alumalite can withstand winds over 120 mph -Weather-resistant with a "Class A" flame spread rating "
and my hopes for the best of endings in things you have shared with us.
***
It was directed at false information relating to me, which is usually the case lately.
