Today is a travel day for us. The new hitch is ready for a road test, and we have four travel days to reach southern Arizona.
When we arrived in Carson City, we were limping in with a broken hitch, and we still had electrical issues on the kitchen circuit that needed to be resolved, the van was nearly out of gas, both of our checking accounts were nearly empty, and any one of these issues alone are normally severe enough to be a show stopper for us. The hitch install, although heavy and a little complex went along quite well, and I have a much better understanding of how it all works, and the importance of greasing the moving parts. I hate greasing things.
I completed the wiring project of moving the kitchen instant hot water heater onto the same circuit as the house hot water heater. A few days ago I bought another 20 amp GFI circuit breaker, and replaced the 1 month old one that was now tripping with less than a 15 amp load, all for only another $71.00. The most important issue that we had was the nearly empty checking accounts, and they have been refilled, and are ready to propel us on the road again.
Our mail arrived yesterday, and our ballots were enclosed. We marked the ballots up and they are in-route back to Hood River Oregon.
I enjoy sharing travels and touring on the blog, and Anne-Marie and I enjoy doing them, but the last few weeks have kept us on edge with repairs and changes to the trailer, and out of the touring circuit. We are looking forward to having the vacationing life back, as we travel south and touring as we go down the road.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Hensley Hitch Installed and Ready to Travel South
The Hensley arrived on Thursday, I unboxed the parts and saw that all was there, and Friday I started the install. The Hensley sales person said that at the factory, the install or change out takes about an hour, and I should be able to do it in an hour also, two hours tops. Two days for me to complete the install, with a few trips to the auto parts store for a couple of tools and necessary goo’s. I had to drill two holes in the frame bracket on the road side, the existing ones just didn’t line up.
During one of my trips to the auto parts store, I looked at grease guns, I have a standard sized one and one about half size, but I hate touching them. I remember disliking grease and lubing tools from back when my Dad had a service station in the 1960s, and I still don’t like getting the stuff on me. I haven’t found a better lubing tool than the ones that I already own, and don’t think that I could like a new one any better. When I got all of the parts that needed grease rubbed on them, ready for the grease, I took a nap and dreaded the project for about 40 minutes, then I gloved up, slopped the goo on the appropriate parts, and got them assembled and covered up.
The instructions were easy to follow, and I have a better understanding of what the hitch does, and how it works. The installation guide has some don’t do this instructions, because damage will happen, and keep grease on that part suggestions. I maladjusted the hitch, and didn’t put lube in some of the places (ever). When we had the 4 inch drop hitch bar, I over stressed the hitch by cranking the spring bars up way too high, for about a years worth of travel, till we exchanged the bar for a 2 inch drop one. It was so hard to get weight transferred to the front with the 4 inch bar, and the 2 inch was the best fit for our Van.
The new hitch will be looked at, with a different eye for adjustment, and an assurance for enough of that nasty grease in all of the right places. I hate touching the grease guns.
Bright orange and nicely painted.
During the install, I was nearly overly protective of the big and heavy carriage, not wanting to scratch the orange paint, but I know it wont last.
During one of my trips to the auto parts store, I looked at grease guns, I have a standard sized one and one about half size, but I hate touching them. I remember disliking grease and lubing tools from back when my Dad had a service station in the 1960s, and I still don’t like getting the stuff on me. I haven’t found a better lubing tool than the ones that I already own, and don’t think that I could like a new one any better. When I got all of the parts that needed grease rubbed on them, ready for the grease, I took a nap and dreaded the project for about 40 minutes, then I gloved up, slopped the goo on the appropriate parts, and got them assembled and covered up.
The instructions were easy to follow, and I have a better understanding of what the hitch does, and how it works. The installation guide has some don’t do this instructions, because damage will happen, and keep grease on that part suggestions. I maladjusted the hitch, and didn’t put lube in some of the places (ever). When we had the 4 inch drop hitch bar, I over stressed the hitch by cranking the spring bars up way too high, for about a years worth of travel, till we exchanged the bar for a 2 inch drop one. It was so hard to get weight transferred to the front with the 4 inch bar, and the 2 inch was the best fit for our Van.
The new hitch will be looked at, with a different eye for adjustment, and an assurance for enough of that nasty grease in all of the right places. I hate touching the grease guns.
Bright orange and nicely painted.
During the install, I was nearly overly protective of the big and heavy carriage, not wanting to scratch the orange paint, but I know it wont last.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Installing the Hensley Hitch
I got started on installing the hitch yesterday.
The boxes have all been opened, and the new parts have all been found. A wrinkle has been discovered, I don’t have the necessary deep socket size 11/16 inch. I dug through the sockets bag, and there just wasn’t one there. Being a necessary size for the U bolts to be torqued down to the proper lbs, this was a temporary show stopper. Anne-Marie and I went on a shopping trip, and the first stop was an automotive shop to pickup a small set of sockets. The shopping trip took some energy away from my enthusiasm for installing the hitch yesterday.
One of the old strut assembly rods was bent on the old hitch.
These two pictures show the frame brackets, and how the used one has bent under stress. This is the rod that the screw jacks hang on, and they can have a lot of pressure on them when pulling the spring bar up.
First frame bracket installed, the holes matched up, and the U bolts are all torqued down. The other side didn’t have the holes drilled in the correct places, and after a botched hole attempt, I called it tired for the day. I should finish it all up today.
This is the parts box that is carried in the van. I built this in January 2009 and wrote a story about it on Airforums.com and a Google search for “Hensley hitch parts” will bring the link up on the first page.
The boxes have all been opened, and the new parts have all been found. A wrinkle has been discovered, I don’t have the necessary deep socket size 11/16 inch. I dug through the sockets bag, and there just wasn’t one there. Being a necessary size for the U bolts to be torqued down to the proper lbs, this was a temporary show stopper. Anne-Marie and I went on a shopping trip, and the first stop was an automotive shop to pickup a small set of sockets. The shopping trip took some energy away from my enthusiasm for installing the hitch yesterday.
One of the old strut assembly rods was bent on the old hitch.
These two pictures show the frame brackets, and how the used one has bent under stress. This is the rod that the screw jacks hang on, and they can have a lot of pressure on them when pulling the spring bar up.
First frame bracket installed, the holes matched up, and the U bolts are all torqued down. The other side didn’t have the holes drilled in the correct places, and after a botched hole attempt, I called it tired for the day. I should finish it all up today.
This is the parts box that is carried in the van. I built this in January 2009 and wrote a story about it on Airforums.com and a Google search for “Hensley hitch parts” will bring the link up on the first page.
Friday, October 26, 2012
The New Hensley has Arrived
The new Hensley Hitch arrived yesterday about 4:00PM and the sun wasn’t on this side of the trailer any longer, so I decided to wait till today for the weather to be warm enough to wrestle the heavy thing around.
Three boxes of parts, and the UPS guy set the boxes right close by.
These new parts look newer than the advertised refurbished. The old carriage sure looks beat-over. The new sleeves have a webbing part welded between them, if the old ones had that, it’s long gone. I left the old hitch linkage attached to the trailer frame, so I could tell where the new stuff goes to, and what adjustments to set them at.
I called Hensley this morning, and asked if this was a new or refurbished hitch, and they said that it is refurbished with new parts as necessary, to be as good as new. I can’t detect any wear on anything, and all of the stress points that I found on the old hitch, look to be new and unused on the one I received. Gotta go to work.
Three boxes of parts, and the UPS guy set the boxes right close by.
These new parts look newer than the advertised refurbished. The old carriage sure looks beat-over. The new sleeves have a webbing part welded between them, if the old ones had that, it’s long gone. I left the old hitch linkage attached to the trailer frame, so I could tell where the new stuff goes to, and what adjustments to set them at.
I called Hensley this morning, and asked if this was a new or refurbished hitch, and they said that it is refurbished with new parts as necessary, to be as good as new. I can’t detect any wear on anything, and all of the stress points that I found on the old hitch, look to be new and unused on the one I received. Gotta go to work.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Hensley Hitch Stretched and broken
I removed the Hensley from the trailer yesterday, and got a good look at the areas of wear.
I have looked for other Hensley problems, and this is not the first report of this type of pulling apart. The Hensley owners with this type of damage, mostly seem to have a taller tow vehicle, with a long drop hitch bar, 4, 6, or 8 inch drop. The owners try to transfer weight to the front of the vehicle, and sometimes over stress the system for thousands of miles. Most of the reported damage is on high mileage hitches, we have 30,000 miles on this one. The elongated holes seem to be a common wear issue on high mileage units. We had a 4 inch drop bar, and last year when we were in Michigan, a stop at the Airstream Dealer got it exchanged for a 2 inch drop bar. I may have over stressed the system way back then.
If Hensley had this issue with every hitch, and with their lifetime guaranty, they would not stay in business very long. We haven’t used any other hitch, and have had no sway issues, and we don’t even know if the wind is blowing across or straight on, except for the trees waiving along the side of the road. A fault of the hitch system might be that it works well even if maladjusted. I don’t fault Hensley for this damage, as I just can’t help but think, that I may have contributed to this failure.
The new hitch will have a warranty, the broke hitch came with the trailer. I just couldn’t see spending any money for a warranty transfer, with this supposedly bullet proof hitch. Silly me.
The heavy coating of grease and road dirt may have prevented me from seeing the the first break in the lower carriage. The pictures are of the unit removed from the trailer, and turned upside down. The first picture shows the sleeves where the spring bars sit, and the broken metal is actually hidden from view when the hitch is attached. I only saw the broken metal, because Anne-Marie had backed up to the hitch a little off center, and the lower carriage was shifted and turned to the side a bit for hooking up, and I could see the break. The second picture shows the deep gouging in the swing arm, lower center, that was caused by the spring arm bending the sleeve away from the lower carriage. I had what appeared to be an ample amount of grease in the sleeves, and on the ends of the spring bars.
The main hitch assembly is shown in these pictures, and this is the underside part that faces the trailer. Remember, this heavy thing is upside down for these pictures. The struts attach to the main assembly with pins that fit through these holes. The left side holes on both of these sides show the metal being stretched a bit.
These are the pins that held the struts to the main assembly, and both are bent a little. There must be a lot of pressure on these guys.
The bottom hole on the screw jacks are elongated. This is where the spring bars attach, and pull up to put pressure on the hitch assembly.
The new hitch will be here today, UPS says that it’s out for delivery.
I have looked for other Hensley problems, and this is not the first report of this type of pulling apart. The Hensley owners with this type of damage, mostly seem to have a taller tow vehicle, with a long drop hitch bar, 4, 6, or 8 inch drop. The owners try to transfer weight to the front of the vehicle, and sometimes over stress the system for thousands of miles. Most of the reported damage is on high mileage hitches, we have 30,000 miles on this one. The elongated holes seem to be a common wear issue on high mileage units. We had a 4 inch drop bar, and last year when we were in Michigan, a stop at the Airstream Dealer got it exchanged for a 2 inch drop bar. I may have over stressed the system way back then.
If Hensley had this issue with every hitch, and with their lifetime guaranty, they would not stay in business very long. We haven’t used any other hitch, and have had no sway issues, and we don’t even know if the wind is blowing across or straight on, except for the trees waiving along the side of the road. A fault of the hitch system might be that it works well even if maladjusted. I don’t fault Hensley for this damage, as I just can’t help but think, that I may have contributed to this failure.
The new hitch will have a warranty, the broke hitch came with the trailer. I just couldn’t see spending any money for a warranty transfer, with this supposedly bullet proof hitch. Silly me.
The heavy coating of grease and road dirt may have prevented me from seeing the the first break in the lower carriage. The pictures are of the unit removed from the trailer, and turned upside down. The first picture shows the sleeves where the spring bars sit, and the broken metal is actually hidden from view when the hitch is attached. I only saw the broken metal, because Anne-Marie had backed up to the hitch a little off center, and the lower carriage was shifted and turned to the side a bit for hooking up, and I could see the break. The second picture shows the deep gouging in the swing arm, lower center, that was caused by the spring arm bending the sleeve away from the lower carriage. I had what appeared to be an ample amount of grease in the sleeves, and on the ends of the spring bars.
The main hitch assembly is shown in these pictures, and this is the underside part that faces the trailer. Remember, this heavy thing is upside down for these pictures. The struts attach to the main assembly with pins that fit through these holes. The left side holes on both of these sides show the metal being stretched a bit.
These are the pins that held the struts to the main assembly, and both are bent a little. There must be a lot of pressure on these guys.
The bottom hole on the screw jacks are elongated. This is where the spring bars attach, and pull up to put pressure on the hitch assembly.
The new hitch will be here today, UPS says that it’s out for delivery.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Snow in the Sierra Nevada’s
The cold winter weather has caught up to us here in Carson City Nevada, as it has for each of the fall visits we have made to this town. Carson City is the last stop we make while visiting relatives on the West Coast, before landing in Tucson Arizona for the winter.
Yesterday Anne-Marie and I made a little shopping trip to Costco, and we saw a few cars with snow on them.
This view is from in front of Kathryn’s house in Carson City Nevada. The snow has covered the hills between the city and Lake Tahoe.
Today Anne-Marie and I took Grandma Johnson out to lunch, and driving through the residential areas, we found the Governor's Mansion. The Nevada Governor’s Mansion has always been decorated for the season, and in years past the Governor has even answered the door and gave out Trick or Treat candy on Halloween.
Tomorrow, the UPS folks are going to deliver the new Hensley Hitch, and I have started to remove the old hitch.
Yesterday Anne-Marie and I made a little shopping trip to Costco, and we saw a few cars with snow on them.
This view is from in front of Kathryn’s house in Carson City Nevada. The snow has covered the hills between the city and Lake Tahoe.
Today Anne-Marie and I took Grandma Johnson out to lunch, and driving through the residential areas, we found the Governor's Mansion. The Nevada Governor’s Mansion has always been decorated for the season, and in years past the Governor has even answered the door and gave out Trick or Treat candy on Halloween.
Tomorrow, the UPS folks are going to deliver the new Hensley Hitch, and I have started to remove the old hitch.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Balancing The Power Use, Finished Wiring the Instant Hot Water into the House Hot Water Circuit
Yesterday I finished running the power wire behind the shower and made it a part of the house hot water circuit.
This is a view under the fridge, the drawer and the frame work holding the drawer slides has been removed. The yellow cable is the new power supply, and it has a white label marking it as hot water feed.
I got to disassemble the bathroom vanity cabinet again. The new yellow wire lays with the group, and has a white label, marking it as hot water feed (far right of yellow wires).
Wiring completed and only the crumbs to be picked up. The two water heaters, if they happen to be on at the same time, draw a total of 16 amps, are on a 20 amp circuit, and should work comfortably together. The house has been reassembled once again.
The kitchen circuit still tripped again yesterday, and I have replaced it with a spare 20 amp circuit breaker, and it held today with the rice cooker, coffee pot and small 500 watt bathroom heater, all on. The kitchen GFI circuit breaker has weakened, and was tripping with less than a 15 amp load. Another trip to Lowes or Home Depot for a replacement, I don’t mind the job or visiting the store, but the GFI costs about $50, and I already changed it out once this month.
The new Hensley Hitch should be here on Thursday.
This is a view under the fridge, the drawer and the frame work holding the drawer slides has been removed. The yellow cable is the new power supply, and it has a white label marking it as hot water feed.
I got to disassemble the bathroom vanity cabinet again. The new yellow wire lays with the group, and has a white label, marking it as hot water feed (far right of yellow wires).
Wiring completed and only the crumbs to be picked up. The two water heaters, if they happen to be on at the same time, draw a total of 16 amps, are on a 20 amp circuit, and should work comfortably together. The house has been reassembled once again.
The kitchen circuit still tripped again yesterday, and I have replaced it with a spare 20 amp circuit breaker, and it held today with the rice cooker, coffee pot and small 500 watt bathroom heater, all on. The kitchen GFI circuit breaker has weakened, and was tripping with less than a 15 amp load. Another trip to Lowes or Home Depot for a replacement, I don’t mind the job or visiting the store, but the GFI costs about $50, and I already changed it out once this month.
The new Hensley Hitch should be here on Thursday.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Small Project in the Trailer
We are parked at Kathryn’s house here in Carson City, and tethered up to water, power and sewer services. There is a threat of freezing weather next week, and our water supply might be threatened if it arrives. I haven’t started to remove the hitch from the trailer, and a closer inspection has shown a additional break in the lower housing, and we are grounded till the replacement arrives, UPS tracking says Thursday.
Saturday morning and again Sunday, the kitchen GFI circuit breaker has tripped. Saturday the instant hot water heater was on, and Sunday it was off, and the only other appliances were the rice cooker, and the coffeepot.
Saturday I started working on running a power cable under the floor, from under the fridge, across the trailer to under the stove. This sounds like a very workable project, I have found the access holes in the floor, where the power cables come up on each side, but the one under the fridge is off to the side under the shower unit. The hole in the floor under the stove is in a area that I can’t look directly into it, and I can only blindly work my hand down to it. The wires are free between each side, but I can’t get anything shoved or pushed through between these two openings. I have tried my fish tape many times, and Anne-Marie has helped with this while I was on the other side listening and looking for any sign of the tape. I even have tried pushing the new power cable through, and nothing that I have tried has had any success. I believe that if I could remove the cabinets on both sides, this project would have been done in just a few minutes. The picture of the heating duct, is under the closet, and the flashlight is wedged in looking at the hole in the floor under the adjacent cabinet. The picture of the power wire under the fridge, is a failed attempt at pushing the wire across the floor.
I have bought a new tool for this project, it is a camera with a 3ft flexible gooseneck with a 3ft extension. The monitor is a wireless type, and can be used across the room. I finally was successful in getting the fish tape across the correct channel, with the camera looking at the wires from under the stove, and the wireless monitor under the fridge where I could watch it, while I blindly was feeling for the correct hole with the fish tape. I took this picture of the wires laying under the floor, the date/time hasn’t been set, and I found that the light on the end of the camera can be turned up brighter.
Yesterday I pulled the heating duct out of the way, and got a clear view of the power wire chase, Airstream runs the 12 volt wires and the 120 volt wires separately, and I didn’t want to use the wrong channel. I used a jigsaw to cut strips in the wall between the shower stall and the under the fridge area. The plywood didn’t break cleanly, but it allowed my hand to feel across and find a different access hole from the ones that I had previously been poking wires and fish tapes into. The fish tape found the right one, and I watched it in the monitor as it reached the kitchen side. The picture of the right is of the wire in place after Anne-Marie and I pulled it across, and under the floor.
Today I plan on fishing the power cable behind the shower, and into the bathroom cabinet, and across to the hot water heater. This should conclude removing the kitchens instant hot water heater from the kitchen GFI circuit breaker. The new GFI breaker, is tripping in the morning with the coffeemaker and the rice cooker both on, and I think that it has been weakened as it is tripping with less than 15amps of a load.
After my afternoon nap, I broke away and dashed over to Schat’s bakery for a fresh loaf of bread for dinner.
Saturday morning and again Sunday, the kitchen GFI circuit breaker has tripped. Saturday the instant hot water heater was on, and Sunday it was off, and the only other appliances were the rice cooker, and the coffeepot.
Saturday I started working on running a power cable under the floor, from under the fridge, across the trailer to under the stove. This sounds like a very workable project, I have found the access holes in the floor, where the power cables come up on each side, but the one under the fridge is off to the side under the shower unit. The hole in the floor under the stove is in a area that I can’t look directly into it, and I can only blindly work my hand down to it. The wires are free between each side, but I can’t get anything shoved or pushed through between these two openings. I have tried my fish tape many times, and Anne-Marie has helped with this while I was on the other side listening and looking for any sign of the tape. I even have tried pushing the new power cable through, and nothing that I have tried has had any success. I believe that if I could remove the cabinets on both sides, this project would have been done in just a few minutes. The picture of the heating duct, is under the closet, and the flashlight is wedged in looking at the hole in the floor under the adjacent cabinet. The picture of the power wire under the fridge, is a failed attempt at pushing the wire across the floor.
I have bought a new tool for this project, it is a camera with a 3ft flexible gooseneck with a 3ft extension. The monitor is a wireless type, and can be used across the room. I finally was successful in getting the fish tape across the correct channel, with the camera looking at the wires from under the stove, and the wireless monitor under the fridge where I could watch it, while I blindly was feeling for the correct hole with the fish tape. I took this picture of the wires laying under the floor, the date/time hasn’t been set, and I found that the light on the end of the camera can be turned up brighter.
Yesterday I pulled the heating duct out of the way, and got a clear view of the power wire chase, Airstream runs the 12 volt wires and the 120 volt wires separately, and I didn’t want to use the wrong channel. I used a jigsaw to cut strips in the wall between the shower stall and the under the fridge area. The plywood didn’t break cleanly, but it allowed my hand to feel across and find a different access hole from the ones that I had previously been poking wires and fish tapes into. The fish tape found the right one, and I watched it in the monitor as it reached the kitchen side. The picture of the right is of the wire in place after Anne-Marie and I pulled it across, and under the floor.
Today I plan on fishing the power cable behind the shower, and into the bathroom cabinet, and across to the hot water heater. This should conclude removing the kitchens instant hot water heater from the kitchen GFI circuit breaker. The new GFI breaker, is tripping in the morning with the coffeemaker and the rice cooker both on, and I think that it has been weakened as it is tripping with less than 15amps of a load.
After my afternoon nap, I broke away and dashed over to Schat’s bakery for a fresh loaf of bread for dinner.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Travel Expenses, and Waiting for a New Hitch
When we were in La Pine Oregon, I was hoping to be able to drive through the Sheldon Wildlife Reserve East and South of Lakeview Oregon, but the broken hitch didn’t make me want to add miles to our trip to Carson City Nevada. When we got to Lakeview, our thoughts were to keep on straight South, because the hitch was getting a little worse, and if we reached the point of needing help, a better traveled road would be best. We spent the night in Alturas California, 53 miles south of Lakeview, and yesterday we drove straight to Carson City Nevada. We are now parked at Anne-Marie’s Sister Kathryn’s house.
The new hitch has been ordered, and is scheduled to arrive next Wednesday. The old hitch is in real bad shape, I think that the welds broke some more, and the back side looks to have bent some. We don’t want to take any more chances with trying to move the trailer, we are in a good spot, Kathryn has a RV hookup alongside of their house, and we can stay as long as necessary.
We seem to have had a lot of travel expenses this year.
Trailer expenses this travel season:
Grand Rapids Michigan, Slide gasket install and parts $183.06
Duluth Minnesota, bathroom backsplash $60.17
Mitchell South Dakota, turn brake rotors, brake pads, parts and tools $188.04
Yakima Washington, Replace Rear Stabilizer Controls $107.00
Yakima Washington, finish brake pad replacement, trailer brake pads $51.93
Portland Oregon, electrical wiring repair, parts and tools $159.08
Carson City Nevada, Hensley hitch replacement $2089.00
The total this season to date: $2838.28
Van expenses this travel season:
Wall South Dakota, towing to Rapid City and engine repair at Ford Dealer $1351.88
Urbana Illinois, fix air-conditioning after Ford Dealer $109.76
Sault Ste. Marie Michigan, fix heater after Ford Dealer $59.95
Indianapolis Indiana, two front tires $467.04
Front hubcap still missing from front wheel after tire replacement.
Yakima Washington, brake pads $60.99
Hood River Oregon, turn brake rotors and tools $68.57
Hood River Oregon, engine fluids flushed and changed $256.64
Total this season to date: $2374.83
The total repairs and expenses for the travel season are $5213.11. The amounts that some other full time RV travelers have are greater, but this is the greatest for us.
The new hitch has been ordered, and is scheduled to arrive next Wednesday. The old hitch is in real bad shape, I think that the welds broke some more, and the back side looks to have bent some. We don’t want to take any more chances with trying to move the trailer, we are in a good spot, Kathryn has a RV hookup alongside of their house, and we can stay as long as necessary.
We seem to have had a lot of travel expenses this year.
Trailer expenses this travel season:
Grand Rapids Michigan, Slide gasket install and parts $183.06
Duluth Minnesota, bathroom backsplash $60.17
Mitchell South Dakota, turn brake rotors, brake pads, parts and tools $188.04
Yakima Washington, Replace Rear Stabilizer Controls $107.00
Yakima Washington, finish brake pad replacement, trailer brake pads $51.93
Portland Oregon, electrical wiring repair, parts and tools $159.08
Carson City Nevada, Hensley hitch replacement $2089.00
The total this season to date: $2838.28
Van expenses this travel season:
Wall South Dakota, towing to Rapid City and engine repair at Ford Dealer $1351.88
Urbana Illinois, fix air-conditioning after Ford Dealer $109.76
Sault Ste. Marie Michigan, fix heater after Ford Dealer $59.95
Indianapolis Indiana, two front tires $467.04
Front hubcap still missing from front wheel after tire replacement.
Yakima Washington, brake pads $60.99
Hood River Oregon, turn brake rotors and tools $68.57
Hood River Oregon, engine fluids flushed and changed $256.64
Total this season to date: $2374.83
The total repairs and expenses for the travel season are $5213.11. The amounts that some other full time RV travelers have are greater, but this is the greatest for us.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Our Hitch has broken Welds and Needs to be Replaced
Yesterday morning in La Pine Oregon, we woke up to the temp inside the trailer at 60deg, and I needed to start the furnace to get it warm above the temp that I was shivering at. There was a fog laying about the area, and frost had gathered pretty heavy. Anne-Marie and I had a good day of viewing wildlife along our drive in Southern Oregon, 70 antelope, 3 coyote, 15 deer.
When I was putting away the utilities, I found ice on the ground, all piled up from a drip at the hose connection, it was cold.
This tarp tent, was where a traveling biker camped, in La Pine. The motor bike had broken down, and he was waiting for parts before he could move on. The tent campers are in a RV Park in Alturas California, and they have been weathering freezing temps at night, but they have an ac outlet, and they might have a small heater. The park manager says that they are moving on in a week.
The hitch we are using is a Hensley, anti-sway and load leveling, and it has served us well, but it has developed a problem. Several states ago during our travels, I noticed that at rest, and unhooked, the hitch had a slight lean to the curbside, but I could push it to level by hand. When I had attached the van and tightened the spring bars, all was level and firm, and all seemed OK. When Anne-Marie and I were on the Oregon Coast, a RV Park resident looked at our van/trailer hookup, and said that the van was riding too high in the front, and we needed to tighten the equalizing bars, a little more. We looked at the van, and said it looks OK, and it always rides high in the front, even when empty because of the four wheel drive under the front, and we drove on. We have driven over mountain passes in Montana, the Continental Divide, Satus Pass in Washington, the Coast Range twice in Oregon, and around Mt. Hood on Hwy’s 35 and 26 in Oregon, and all the time not being aware of this. Yesterday in La Pine Oregon, while hitching the trailer, I happened to glance at this part of the hitch, and saw a gap and the ground below, where a strong weld should be. The broken weld is why the van sits high when hooked up to trailer, the rear of the van is carrying most of the load. The picture of the van and trailer shows the van sitting a little high in the front, and the close-up of the hitch shows some of the broken welding, and it is pulled apart.
This morning I have called Hensley MFG in Michigan, and I have sent pictures of the part, and described it best as I can. If I knew that this was all that was worn out, the single lower housing would be around $400, plus shipping. There are four big bearings between the black part in the picture, and the orange upper housing, that just barely shows in the upper left of the picture, there are pivot bars between the two housings, and underneath are the spring bars. I’m guessing that the short pivot bars may have damage, from the lower housing rubbing against them, and the torsion spring bars could have wear in the hidden part of the lower housing. There is too much to know about how one part that is broke, effects all of the rest, and we are getting another hitch from Hensley, and we will ship this one back to the factory.
We will continue South to Carson City Nevada, and park at Anne-Marie’s sister’s house, where they have a RV hookup. I will remove the old Hensley, and wait for the UPS delivery.
When I was putting away the utilities, I found ice on the ground, all piled up from a drip at the hose connection, it was cold.
This tarp tent, was where a traveling biker camped, in La Pine. The motor bike had broken down, and he was waiting for parts before he could move on. The tent campers are in a RV Park in Alturas California, and they have been weathering freezing temps at night, but they have an ac outlet, and they might have a small heater. The park manager says that they are moving on in a week.
The hitch we are using is a Hensley, anti-sway and load leveling, and it has served us well, but it has developed a problem. Several states ago during our travels, I noticed that at rest, and unhooked, the hitch had a slight lean to the curbside, but I could push it to level by hand. When I had attached the van and tightened the spring bars, all was level and firm, and all seemed OK. When Anne-Marie and I were on the Oregon Coast, a RV Park resident looked at our van/trailer hookup, and said that the van was riding too high in the front, and we needed to tighten the equalizing bars, a little more. We looked at the van, and said it looks OK, and it always rides high in the front, even when empty because of the four wheel drive under the front, and we drove on. We have driven over mountain passes in Montana, the Continental Divide, Satus Pass in Washington, the Coast Range twice in Oregon, and around Mt. Hood on Hwy’s 35 and 26 in Oregon, and all the time not being aware of this. Yesterday in La Pine Oregon, while hitching the trailer, I happened to glance at this part of the hitch, and saw a gap and the ground below, where a strong weld should be. The broken weld is why the van sits high when hooked up to trailer, the rear of the van is carrying most of the load. The picture of the van and trailer shows the van sitting a little high in the front, and the close-up of the hitch shows some of the broken welding, and it is pulled apart.
This morning I have called Hensley MFG in Michigan, and I have sent pictures of the part, and described it best as I can. If I knew that this was all that was worn out, the single lower housing would be around $400, plus shipping. There are four big bearings between the black part in the picture, and the orange upper housing, that just barely shows in the upper left of the picture, there are pivot bars between the two housings, and underneath are the spring bars. I’m guessing that the short pivot bars may have damage, from the lower housing rubbing against them, and the torsion spring bars could have wear in the hidden part of the lower housing. There is too much to know about how one part that is broke, effects all of the rest, and we are getting another hitch from Hensley, and we will ship this one back to the factory.
We will continue South to Carson City Nevada, and park at Anne-Marie’s sister’s house, where they have a RV hookup. I will remove the old Hensley, and wait for the UPS delivery.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Moving The Trailer South Again Today
Anne-Marie and I moved the trailer south yesterday, From Hood River to La Pine in central Oregon. Last night was cold, and there was frost on the ground this morning. The heaters weren’t putting out much heat, and I was thinking that the front room heater needed to be looked at and fixed or replaced. About 9:00AM the power went out in the trailer, and I checked the main breaker outside, and it was OK, but the power was still off. I went outside again, and a neighbor was outside also, and she said that hew power was out also, and it must be most of the RV Park. The power returned several minutes later, and I looked at the volt meter, and it said 101 vac, and it must have been lower before. The heaters in the trailer just might be OK and I will check them at another RV Park where the power is at 120vac.
I would like to drive through the Sheldon National Wildlife Reserve in Northern Nevada, so we will have a short drive today to Lakeview Oregon, and tomorrow the drive through the reserve. We drove through the Wildlife Reserve this spring, and only saw a few wild burrows and horses, perhaps this trip they will be closer to the road.
I would like to drive through the Sheldon National Wildlife Reserve in Northern Nevada, so we will have a short drive today to Lakeview Oregon, and tomorrow the drive through the reserve. We drove through the Wildlife Reserve this spring, and only saw a few wild burrows and horses, perhaps this trip they will be closer to the road.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Bad Things Happen in Three’s
We took a short drive around Hood River, wasting time and looking at the fall colors, and we came upon this tree . I believe that once the leaves change to this color, they only hang on the tree for a few days before dropping.
A couple of days ago I had a challenge fixing leaks in the plumbing under the sink, and causing more of a leak, but that is all well now. Yesterday morning I started to drain the black water tank, and as always I turned on the tank flush valve, this is a valve in the water inlet compartment, and I have a hose connected from the valve to the black water flush inlet. I could hear the water going into the tank as it was draining, and I opened the grey water tank drain valve to flush it. I closed the black water tank drain valve, and went into the trailer.
Sitting on the couch I could smell something not good, but I wrote it off to the back water tank being drained. Anne-Marie sat on the couch, and she could smell it too, and the smell was only around the couch area. I got up and walked to the door, and looked back to see dog crap on the floor in front of my side of the couch. We cleaned it up, and I went out side and scrubbed my shoe on the grass.
After all of this I went out to the van and started it, while waiting for Anne-Marie to finish getting ready to leave, and she came out of the trailer shouting “I can hear water running into the black water tank, you didn’t turn the water off.” I ran to the back of the trailer, and water was dripping from areas that I haven’t seen drips from, ever. I pulled the black water tank valve open, to drain it again, and turned off the flush valve line. I went into the trailer, and water had come into the bathroom, around the toilet. We had to visit the Laundromat to wash the bathroom rugs, and the towels that were used to mop up the water.
Bad things seem to happen in threes, and I never have figured it out, but there always seems to be three together.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Two trips to the hardware store
Yesterday was a day that I had hoped to tour, a little. A Dam had been removed on the White Salmon River, and I wanted to look the area over, and see the effect on the water level upstream where a lot of summer homes were located. There are a few wineries in the area, and Anne-Marie wanted to visit a certain one for a special flavor to take to Nevada. None of this happened. I got involved in a plumbing leak repair, and got tied up for most of the afternoon.
The leak that I found the day before was needing to be addressed and I disassembled the drain pipes right where the leak was located, and with the leaky parts in hand, I went to the local hardware store. The hardware store that I went to was one that I had visited many times before, and I knew where my needed plumbing parts were located. The front of the store had an Excuse Our Dust sign, explaining that they were in the process of a remodel. I had the same luck of finding my items, as if I had entered a store that I had never seen before, everything had been moved to a different part of the store.
I found not only new drain pipe, but new gaskets for all connections, I have the best luck with these projects when I put all new stuff in. I got back to the trailer with the silly idea that this would be quick, and Anne-Marie and I could go to White Salmon and explore for the rest of the afternoon. As I was fitting the the parts together, and trying to make sense of what I had brought home, I found that one section of pipe was for a different application, and would not work here. Frustration hit me hard, but I tried the new gaskets on the old pipe, and they fit and seemed to work well, except for now another leak was there. While twisting and cinching the fittings down, I found the sink strainer basket, was not tight and I could turn it inside the sink. I had Anne-Marie help to hold the strainer in place, while I used a big wrench under the sink, in a failed attempt to stop the newly found leak.
Depression, and a nap to recharge my energy levels, and then another trip to the Hardware Store, and I bought a new sink strainer and basket, plumbers putty, and some Teflon tape.
This shows the plumbers putty that has gushed out and onto the old gasket and threads of the old basket, and the shiny new one. Cleaning the old parts up, and getting the underside big ring nut to tighten easily, was more than I wanted to deal with, so in the trash they go, and the new parts assembled easily.
The finished sink drain, and no leaks underneath. Plumbing issues are best resolved, for me, by removing all that I can reach with a wrench, throwing it in the trash, and buying all new from the hardware store.
The leak that I found the day before was needing to be addressed and I disassembled the drain pipes right where the leak was located, and with the leaky parts in hand, I went to the local hardware store. The hardware store that I went to was one that I had visited many times before, and I knew where my needed plumbing parts were located. The front of the store had an Excuse Our Dust sign, explaining that they were in the process of a remodel. I had the same luck of finding my items, as if I had entered a store that I had never seen before, everything had been moved to a different part of the store.
I found not only new drain pipe, but new gaskets for all connections, I have the best luck with these projects when I put all new stuff in. I got back to the trailer with the silly idea that this would be quick, and Anne-Marie and I could go to White Salmon and explore for the rest of the afternoon. As I was fitting the the parts together, and trying to make sense of what I had brought home, I found that one section of pipe was for a different application, and would not work here. Frustration hit me hard, but I tried the new gaskets on the old pipe, and they fit and seemed to work well, except for now another leak was there. While twisting and cinching the fittings down, I found the sink strainer basket, was not tight and I could turn it inside the sink. I had Anne-Marie help to hold the strainer in place, while I used a big wrench under the sink, in a failed attempt to stop the newly found leak.
Depression, and a nap to recharge my energy levels, and then another trip to the Hardware Store, and I bought a new sink strainer and basket, plumbers putty, and some Teflon tape.
This shows the plumbers putty that has gushed out and onto the old gasket and threads of the old basket, and the shiny new one. Cleaning the old parts up, and getting the underside big ring nut to tighten easily, was more than I wanted to deal with, so in the trash they go, and the new parts assembled easily.
The finished sink drain, and no leaks underneath. Plumbing issues are best resolved, for me, by removing all that I can reach with a wrench, throwing it in the trash, and buying all new from the hardware store.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Working on the Plumbing
Yesterday afternoon I worked on a wiring project, between the bathroom and the water heater under the kitchen sink, and got side tracked by the discovery of a water leak in the drain pipe under the kitchen sink.
Yesterday afternoon I got under the kitchen sink for something, and I found a small amount of dampness. I removed everything close to the drain pipe, and found the source of the leak. If you enlarge the picture, a brown crust has formed on this fitting, where the leak has been. I tried to tighten it up, and I found that the threads are stripped, and it needs to be replaced. The cause of this is that sometimes something is pressing against the pipe during travel, and bumps, and hard breaking push things against it hard, or vibrates against it. This is just something that happens, and today I will go to the hardware store, and buy the replacement part.
Across the hall from the kitchen I was looking for a path to run another power wire to the kitchen sink area. I want to put the hot water tank, the one that supplies the whole trailer with hot water, and the little instant hot water heater located at the kitchen sink, on the same power circuit. When I installed the instant hot water heater, I wired it to the only source of power that was there, the kitchen circuit, and as we have been living in the trailer for three years now, we have been using more electric appliances, and the circuit is over worked.
The bathroom cabinet is home of the big water heater, it holds five gallons at a time, and is hidden in the corner to the left of the sink. These pictures are from 2009 when I rebuilt the cabinet face and enlarged the drawers. I remember the power wires crossing under the sink, and if I can find the path under the floor to the kitchen cabinets, I can fish another wire.
These are old pictures, from the cabinet remodel, that I found this morning. The first picture is the old cabinet face before being removed, and the second picture is showing the hot water heater, and the maze of water pipes, the rerouted drain pipe, and the wires and cables resting on top of the wheel well and passing on through behind the shower. The power wire crosses under the hallway floor beyond the shower, near the fridge.
I disassembled the bathroom cabinet to the level as shown in the old picture on the right, and I found that if I can get the power wire to here, it’s a workable solution. What I did discover, is that all of the cabinet stuff didn’t need to be removed yesterday, but I didn’t know how the power wires were run until I looked here. It was during this project that the leaky pipe was found in the kitchen. I reassembled the bathroom cabinet, before troubleshooting the kitchen leak.
Yesterday afternoon I got under the kitchen sink for something, and I found a small amount of dampness. I removed everything close to the drain pipe, and found the source of the leak. If you enlarge the picture, a brown crust has formed on this fitting, where the leak has been. I tried to tighten it up, and I found that the threads are stripped, and it needs to be replaced. The cause of this is that sometimes something is pressing against the pipe during travel, and bumps, and hard breaking push things against it hard, or vibrates against it. This is just something that happens, and today I will go to the hardware store, and buy the replacement part.
Across the hall from the kitchen I was looking for a path to run another power wire to the kitchen sink area. I want to put the hot water tank, the one that supplies the whole trailer with hot water, and the little instant hot water heater located at the kitchen sink, on the same power circuit. When I installed the instant hot water heater, I wired it to the only source of power that was there, the kitchen circuit, and as we have been living in the trailer for three years now, we have been using more electric appliances, and the circuit is over worked.
The bathroom cabinet is home of the big water heater, it holds five gallons at a time, and is hidden in the corner to the left of the sink. These pictures are from 2009 when I rebuilt the cabinet face and enlarged the drawers. I remember the power wires crossing under the sink, and if I can find the path under the floor to the kitchen cabinets, I can fish another wire.
These are old pictures, from the cabinet remodel, that I found this morning. The first picture is the old cabinet face before being removed, and the second picture is showing the hot water heater, and the maze of water pipes, the rerouted drain pipe, and the wires and cables resting on top of the wheel well and passing on through behind the shower. The power wire crosses under the hallway floor beyond the shower, near the fridge.
I disassembled the bathroom cabinet to the level as shown in the old picture on the right, and I found that if I can get the power wire to here, it’s a workable solution. What I did discover, is that all of the cabinet stuff didn’t need to be removed yesterday, but I didn’t know how the power wires were run until I looked here. It was during this project that the leaky pipe was found in the kitchen. I reassembled the bathroom cabinet, before troubleshooting the kitchen leak.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale
When our son Andrew and I were in the Rogue Public House in Astoria, on Thursday last week, Andrew asked the bartender about a new beer that was available, and all that I paid attention to, was just the answer and not the name of the beer, her answer was that it goes out the door as fast as it comes in. Very popular, she said, and the reviews are a bit mixed, some love it and some can’t stand it. I didn’t pay attention to the name of the beer, only that there wasn’t any available that day, as I was paying attention to the available flavors.
The day after our Son Andrew and I visited the Rogue Public House, a Airstream friend of ours, Mona, shared a picture on Facebook that she took in the Portland area, of a display of the Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale bottles. The comments that she had were a little mixed, but all liked the bottle.
Here in Hood River Oregon right here in the local Safeway Store, I found in the beer section, Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale, and there were a lot of them, two rows on the shelf, clear back to the wall, and two of them stashed on the top shelf, because of lack of room in the Rouge section. Yesterday morning, I walked across the street to the Safeway Store, with the thought of buying just one, (I wanted to take it to Tucson to share with friends, it might not be available down there.) and I found that the store was almost out of that beer. I took my camera with the thought of showing how many pink bottles were on the shelf, but all but two were gone. At this point all that I knew about the beer is that it had a neat bottle, and a funny name. Not wanting to miss out completely, and with a little bit of panic, I bought both bottles.
Last night Anne-Marie got a kick out of my reactions to the comments that I was reading on line about this beer, and the videos were fun too. Some of the beer rating sites were really good about describing the aroma and taste, right down to the complex and layered flavors, and how surprising and different two people rate this beer. Some of the comments were so laugh-out-loud funny, that I was nearly in hysterics and unable to read them to her. The bottles are stashed in the van, and packed well for the trip south.
Laundry day yesterday, and this is one of the two cleanest, neatest Laundromats we have been to. The owner even has a snack bar, that is open on busier days.
When we got home from the laundry, we had about 30 quail running about the shrubbery, they are always fun to watch.
A 1958 Pontiac Chieftain was in the parking lot here at the Motel/RV Park. This car looked to be in new condition, and original condition except for the side exhaust pipes. The license was from Alaska, but it must have been shipped down, because the front of it looked new and really clean.
The day after our Son Andrew and I visited the Rogue Public House, a Airstream friend of ours, Mona, shared a picture on Facebook that she took in the Portland area, of a display of the Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale bottles. The comments that she had were a little mixed, but all liked the bottle.
Here in Hood River Oregon right here in the local Safeway Store, I found in the beer section, Rogue Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale, and there were a lot of them, two rows on the shelf, clear back to the wall, and two of them stashed on the top shelf, because of lack of room in the Rouge section. Yesterday morning, I walked across the street to the Safeway Store, with the thought of buying just one, (I wanted to take it to Tucson to share with friends, it might not be available down there.) and I found that the store was almost out of that beer. I took my camera with the thought of showing how many pink bottles were on the shelf, but all but two were gone. At this point all that I knew about the beer is that it had a neat bottle, and a funny name. Not wanting to miss out completely, and with a little bit of panic, I bought both bottles.
Last night Anne-Marie got a kick out of my reactions to the comments that I was reading on line about this beer, and the videos were fun too. Some of the beer rating sites were really good about describing the aroma and taste, right down to the complex and layered flavors, and how surprising and different two people rate this beer. Some of the comments were so laugh-out-loud funny, that I was nearly in hysterics and unable to read them to her. The bottles are stashed in the van, and packed well for the trip south.
Laundry day yesterday, and this is one of the two cleanest, neatest Laundromats we have been to. The owner even has a snack bar, that is open on busier days.
When we got home from the laundry, we had about 30 quail running about the shrubbery, they are always fun to watch.
A 1958 Pontiac Chieftain was in the parking lot here at the Motel/RV Park. This car looked to be in new condition, and original condition except for the side exhaust pipes. The license was from Alaska, but it must have been shipped down, because the front of it looked new and really clean.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)