The View Out Our Window

Since we’re takin’ the Fiver this year on our summer wanderin’s and it has sat here for the last three years, while we traveled in the truck camper, I been workin’ on everything on it & in it. I got her some new shoes from Firestone, packed wheel bearin’s, checked brakes, repaired the ladder where it was comin’ loose from the coach, repainted the steps, wheels & center hubs. Installed one o’ them Wal-Mart florescent lights over the sink, it draws a whoppin’ 3/10’s of an amp per hour. Gave her a good wash job, boy did it need it, wax will have to wait fer’now.

The next project is one I been procrastinatin’ on fer’ a while, but it needs done for’ we head out.

This used to be our beautiful bedroom slideout.

I had noticed a few years ago that the slideout was settlin’ and I jacked up the room and removed the rollers, put oak shims under the rollers and reinstalled them. This raised the room back to it’s normal height and all was good, fer a while. Now the room is settlin’ again and it’s time to open things up and find out what’s goin’ on, so’s I can fix it. It seems that water has infiltrated the room and the bottom is rotten. Found a few pinholes in the caulkin’ that must have caused the leak. Funny but there was no indication of a leak on the inside of the bedroom. I was ponderin’ how to get the room out and down on the ground so’s I could work on it, but instead I tried somethin’ else. I removed the extruded aluminum fittings that seal the room when it retracts against the side of the coach and pulled the slide inside the room. After removin’ the sheet aluminum that supposedly protected the bottom of the slide out room I was shocked to find 1/8” paneling supporting the sheet metal. That’s all that was on the bottom of the slideout, Paneling! How is that supposed to support the weight of that room?

Our trailer was built by Damon in Elkhart, Indiana, but they sold their towable division in 2000 to Keystone, so we have an orphan and can’t get questions answered from either manufacturer. The cabinet work in the trailer is nice, all solid oak, all screw pocket face frame construction. But I have my doubts about the trailer construction after finding this. Oh the basic framework is aluminum, but the ‘fill-in’ woodwork probably leaves a lot to be desired.

After the rotten paneling was removed, the framework inside is 2x2’s filled in with thin batt insulation. The frame needs replaced, as well as the floor under the carpet.

Here’s the 1/8 inch paneling and Beer can thick aluminum.

Here’s our bedroom slide inside the Bedroom.

This is the plywood subfloor under the carpet.

Here’s the slideout with the floor removed.

I plan on replacing everything in the floor system. The bottom paneling & sheet metal will be replaced with a 1/2” PVC board that can’t rot.

I been waiting to do this and watching the weather and don’t ya’ know, now that the room has been removed there’s a tropical rain system movin’ in on Monday. I’m glad someone is watchin’ out fer’ me, even if it’s Murphy!!

Well, got lots o’ work to do so I’ll sign off fer’ now. Hope to see ya’ down the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.

I’ve Escaped

I was kept captive on on old fishing trawler and spirited away to a little known Caribbean island and forced to work in the sea salt beds.

Nah!

Just been busy livin’ life here in the balmy breezes of sunny FL. Let’s see what’s new. Linda & I went over to central FL to a Multi Gallon Blood Donor Dinner as I have donated over 12 gallons of blood, most of that while I was still workin’. Nowadays I only donate when they offer a free T shirt. We also visited our buddy Rose in Kissimmee for the weekend that trip. Then we arrived home to find our friends George & Della from Indiana pullin’ into the yard to stay a few days and visit on their way home. Then a few hours later more friends, Barb & Noel from Wisconsin pulled in. It was great. Like a campin’ reunion of "’Snob Corner’, a name we earned several years ago in a campground we frequented. They both stayed a couple o’ days and we were able to sneak in a Birthday dinner for Barb at Red Lobster. When they pulled out I went back to work on the solar panel installation.

The panels were all mounted but I needed to rewire the remaining two with the wire that had come from Northern Arizona Wind & Sun. Now each of the panels is wired to the junction box individually and everything is workin’ as it should. We got our own utility plant now, makin’ electricity from the sun.

Here they are crankin’ out electricity.

This is the junction box I mounted on the roof.

The pictures look blue cause they were taken just before dusk. I have the junction box setup for one more panel & I have the mounts built for the panel as well.

Still have some room for more panels.

Still have yet to do a dry campin’ run to see if we use more than the panels will restore in a day. I been busy doin’ other stuff, packed the wheel bearings, checked the brakes, installed a florescent light in the kitchen, new ‘twisty’ type fluorescents in any incandescent fixtures. Next project is a major one, remove the bedroom slide and rebuild the floor which has become soft.

The wife and I took a trip to Lion Country Safari the other day with our daughter, her boyfriend and our grandson. Forgot to take the camera, so all I got was cellphone pictures and not many of those.  They have a drive thru Safari park & a walk thru amusement park with a splash park all for the same admission price. We had a good time but after walkin’ thru the amusement park, getting’ all hot & sweaty, we headed to the Splash park only to find it was closed due to lightning in the area, so we chose to drive thru the safari park again. The weather just got worse from there and the little guy was disappointed. Maybe another day.

Christopher feedin’ the conjures.

Grandma & Christopher enjoyin’ the day.

The end to a great day.

Well I’ll say ‘Adios’ for now my friends, I got to get outside and get that slideout out so’s I can rebuild it. We’ll be headin’ out soon so I got to keep pluggin’ away. Problem is each time I seem to cross somethin’ off my list I seem to add somethin’ else.

Oh well, hope to see ya’ doen the road as we’re;

Dancin’ on the Wind.