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<\/a><\/p>\nThree weeks ago I posted this photo as an introduction to my brand-new camping trailer, a 2024 Rockwood Geo Pro G15FBS that I’ll be using for bird photography trips to remote locations in several western states beginning this spring. That post got a lot of comments and folks have been commenting on it since, even on later posts that had nothing to do with the trailer.<\/p>\n
So, I thought there’d be some interest amongst my readers in how it’s been going as I try to get the trailer ready for trips to the back country. It’s been quite a project and it isn’t over yet, so this is more of a progress report than it is a summary of a completed job.<\/p>\n
Big things, little things – they all add up to a significant investment in time. And money.<\/p>\n
Fair warning: This is a long read so if you don’t have the interest, I’ll see you next time.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n My first challenge was the Equalizer trailer hitch that I’d been using on my previous trailer. My new trailer is much smaller and lighter so I assumed that this hitch would have no problem with it. But folks at the dealership, including the salesperson and a couple of the service guys in the shop, said that my hitch was too heavy-duty for the new trailer. If I used it, I’d run the risk of it bending the frame of the trailer when I was making sharp turns, especially if the angle of my pickup was significantly different than the angle of the trailer. And where I go, it often is.<\/p>\n Well, that got my attention. So I visited one of the most trusted trailer hitch establishments in Salt Lake City, Pard’s Equalizer Trailer Hitch Co.<\/a><\/span><\/span> (their location is almost in my back yard). They told me that with some significant adjustments, my old hitch would work just fine with my new trailer.<\/p>\n A new hitch would have cost me about $1200 but I got out of Pard’s with $275 worth of adjustments, fine tuning and testing so I feel pretty darn good about it,<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My next (big) problem was the spare tire for the trailer.<\/p>\n One of the main reasons I bought a new trailer was for its higher ground clearance for getting into the backcountry spots that I prefer. The spare tire of most small trailers is carried by a bracket mounted on the rear bumper. But my trailer doesn’t have a bumper, so it was mounted beneath the trailer. Dumb! Why in the hell would they mount the spare tire there, on a trailer touted for its ground clearance? Having the spare tire beneath the trailer reduced ground clearance by a lot.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But at least there’s a receiver on the back of my trailer. So, I ordered a spare tire carrier from eTrailer.com<\/a><\/span><\/span> (about $123) that fits the 2″ receiver on the back of my trailer and that solved the problem. I no longer have a bottom-dragging spare tire under my trailer.<\/p>\n But the damn thing caused another problem. Can you spot what it is? If you look carefully, it’s evident in this photo.<\/p>\n The exhaust for the furnace is right behind the left edge of the spare tire and that thing is hot<\/span> when the furnace is running. The last thing I need is a spare tire that’s been damaged or weakened by extreme heat.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So I made a deflector out of sheet metal and attached it to the furnace exhaust. Problem solved. Now, when the furnace is running, the tire barely gets warm. And for a change, the solution to this problem was cheap.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I have two Honda generators. Usually, I only carry one of them to charge my trailer batteries (the solar on the new trailer helps but it’s pretty slow). But a single generator won’t run my AC so when it’s hot I carry them both in the back of my pickup.<\/p>\n But when I tried to get the generator on the right started and serviced it refused to fire up. I spent more time than I care to admit working on it with no luck at all. So I ended up taking it to the shop where they installed a carburetor kit and performed a tune-up on it. Cost – $169.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Trailer manufacturers are always stingy on the cupboard shelving, so I had to make and add shelves to several cupboards, including the pantry to the right of the fridge. Cost – about $80 (I already had some of the wood.)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whoever designed the sofa in front of the Murphy bed is a certified idiot.<\/p>\n There’s a small rotating table that attaches to the black bracket at the bottom of the sofa but when I have the table removed there’s no convenient place to set drinks or anything else. Those two black drink holders in the drop-down arm rest are worse than worthless. They’re only about an inch deep, they’re too wide and worst of all – they’re too far back to reach with a drink while you’re sitting on the sofa, especially with my bad back. I don’t twist well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So I had to design and build this custom black “tiny table” to hold drinks and small miscellaneous items, including the odd chocolate donut that serves as my breakfast occasionally. It may look like it’s not very stable but it is because it has a steel “L” bracket imbedded in the wood. I’m quite happy with its functionality. Cost – about $50.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The “little things” really added up, especially with the time involved. Here’s a small sampling. I’ve added a white board and towel hook on the left and a paper towel holder and small spice rack on the right. The knife holder is held firmly in place by Velcro. Cost for it all – not much.<\/p>\n That roll-up contraption over the sink that came with the trailer is a joke. It’s flimsy, it doesn’t stay in place and for obvious reasons it can’t be used as a cutting board. It’ll end up in the trash.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n