Conversion of my Blair Cargo trailer

[Kankujoe]

Where did you get/what brand is your tongue box?

Really not sure of the brand. I don't believe it has any brand markings on it. I bought it in Kansas City at a shop called "Truck, Trailer & Hitch." It cost $135.00. It is made of a plastic resin.

[bobhenry]

[.

. I'm also trying to come up with a way to "lock" the pieces in place for transit.

Any suggestions would be welcomed.


[/quote]

Walking furniture ! I was visiting a fellow camper this past weekend and he had to show off his vintage trailer. He had fitted it out with a hand-me down sofa bed ( hand-me down hell It was real nice) anyway I had remembered your problem with walking furniture and asked if he had the same problem when on the road. He grinned a little and offered to show me his secret if I'd help him lift the piece out. He had simply screwed thru 2 short aluminum drinking glasses and into the floor. You just lift and place the 2 rear legs in each glass. Still easily movable but didn't walk

Way too simple

[Kankujoe]

BobHenry, thanks for the suggestion. Sounds good except my sofa/bed does not have legs like a standard sofa. Each piece is a box which is flat.

I have figured out a solution though. I purchased some "D rings" to install part way up the walls to secure things with ratchet straps.

[Miriam C.]

KJ have you checked out appliance tie downs. The rv places have them. You could also fit some T-nuts under your boxes and run a bolt down to screw it in. Wouldn't be too hard to remove.

[Kankujoe]

KJ have you checked out appliance tie downs. The rv places have them. You could also fit some T-nuts under your boxes and run a bolt down to screw it in. Wouldn't be too hard to remove.

Thanks for the suggestion. The d-rings I have are doing the job. Everything seems pretty secure.

[Kankujoe]

Getting things ready for our 9 day (Lewis & Clark Trail) trip through parts of IA, NE, SD, ND, MT, WY & back home. We've done most of the eastern section & western section but not the middle section through SD, ND & eastern MT.

Leaving next Friday after work, 1st stop northwest IA or northeast NE along the Missouri river. We plan on visiting the highlights of the Lewis & Clark sights, Interpretive Centers, and any bicycle trails we can find along our route. I'm following the information gleaned from four books: 1) Nat'l Geographics Guide to the Lewis & Clark Trail, 2) Bicycling the Lewis & Clark Trail, 3) Along the Trail w/ Lewis & Clark, and 4) Lewis & Clark Road Trips.

After we make it into Montana we'll either head south into Yellowstone (maybe Grand Tetons?) or north into Glacier National Park depending on our travel times before heading home.

Right now in my build I'm busy getting the electrical system planned & components put together. Looks like I'll be using a temporary system for this trip since no one locally (I can't find them) has all the components that I want for my permanent DC system. I have to buy online & I'm still getting info on what I really need.

For now, I'll be using my "Power on Board" rechargeable power center (AC/DC portable power supply w/ NOAA weather alert radio) to supply my DC needs. I'll be using an AC shoreline cord with an attached "Shock Buster" (15 Amp breaker & GFCI) portable quad safety outlet for my AC power needs. I installed a shore power inlet plug, a 6' length of 12/3 stranded wire & a ShockGuard GFCI recepticle/junction box. And I picked up a 50' 12/3 outdoor extention cord. Hopefully this will do for this trip.

[catrinka]

KJ, we just came back through SD and MT from Minden. I'm not sure the exact route that you are taking but I can tell you that there is not much between Billings and Great Falls on MT3. On the way down, we went south from Great Falls to Bozeman and through Yellowstone. Lots to see on that route. Stopped in Thermopolis just east of Yellowstone and soaked in the hot springs, great therapy on a weary tired body after 2 longs days of travelling. Hope that helps with your planning.

[kiacker]

KJ,

I see you might be passing through western Iowa, so I thought I'd throw out a few things of interest over in that area.

On your way to NW Iowa you may be interested in a quick stop at the Loess Hills Preserve near Onawa. The loess hills were formed from blowing soil during the last glacier age. There are only 2 such formations in the world - the one here in Iowa & the other in China. You can also see the Loess Hills from I29 traveling northward from Onawa to Sloan - those hills you see to the east are the Loess Hills. They aren't impressive like the Rockies, but still very unique land formations.

Another cool place to check out in western Iowa - Desoto Bend Wildlife Refuge. http://www.fws.gov/midwest/desoto/ The display of the steamboat they excavated there is really interesting. There is lots of other things to see and do there, well worth the entrance fee. I go there every fall to watch the bird migrations. Incredible! If you want to camp, there is a state park campground nearby.

Hope you have a great trip! Have fun traveling in Lewis & Clark's footsteps!

[Kankujoe]

Well we made it back from 9 days (just under 3000 miles) of camping up & down the Missouri River. Our TTT worked great for our trip, not only for our over night stays but also for mid-day rests at the several dozen (Lewis & Clark sites, markers) stops we made enroute to our main destinations. The whole 9 days the trailer was not once unhitched from the Jeep as we visited scores of Lewis & Clark Trail sites in 6 states (MO, KS, IA, NE, SD & ND). We even got stuck in the middle of a herd of buffalo during one of our (non-Lewis & Clark) side trips at Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park (north unit) in ND. It took over an hour of inching along to get through the 70-80 buffalo that decided to surround our vehicle & camper! It was both exciting & unnerving not knowing what the buffalo might do.

We learned that we are definately glad to be able to stand up & move around in our TTT which has almost eliminated my desire to build a traditionally sized TD. We also decided which things are essential for our typical mode of travel/camping & which things just took up space & got in the way.

I have definately decided that DC powered venting & exhaust fans are a must. With temperatures in the mid to high 90s the entire trip it was a little warm at times but on the whole not too bad. Actually, both of us wished we had an additional week to add to our travels.

I also plan on attaching one or two "Gerry Cans" on my trailer. Some of the stretches of road in the Great Plains do not have service stations for hundreds of miles.

[Kankujoe]

KJ, we just came back through SD and MT from Minden. I'm not sure the exact route that you are taking but I can tell you that there is not much between Billings and Great Falls on MT3. On the way down, we went south from Great Falls to Bozeman and through Yellowstone. Lots to see on that route. Stopped in Thermopolis just east of Yellowstone and soaked in the hot springs, great therapy on a weary tired body after 2 longs days of travelling. Hope that helps with your planning.

Thanks for the info on MT... we found that there was so much to do & see just following the Lewis & Clark route (with a 2 day side trip to Theodore Roosevelt NP) that we did not have time to enter into Montana or Wyoming. We've decided to travel to Yellowstone, Tetons & Glacier on another trip. I've been to western Montana & Wyoming several times but have never gone into Glacier or down into Yellowstone.

[catrinka]

Glacier and Yellowstone are the best parts of those 2 states.

[Kankujoe]

I haven't posted much on further changes to my TTT lately since I have not made any significant structural changes to the trailer. During the past few months we have spent 18 nights camping in it on 5 separate trips (4 weekend trips & a 9 day extended trip). During our time in the TTT we have continued to learn how to best store our clothing, personal items and cargo.

In a TTT (more so in a TD) living quarters are tight & space is at a premium. For two people trying to dress/undress and organize personal effects it is easy to get in each other's way. What seems to work on paper does not work in experience.

Initially, I had planned on using the available under-bed storage boxes for our personal items & clothing, with plans to eventually build some permanent shelving over the head of the bed and along the walls. It quickly became evident that storing frequently used items in the under-bed storage was to cumbersome for items used several times per day or when both of us were getting ready for bed or getting ready for a new day. From our experiences during our trips we have decided we needed to go in another direction because we were always in each other's way when getting ready for bed or getting ready to go in the mornings.

Since our decided primary concern is utility over looks we decided that a series of mesh cargo nets of varying sizes would be more practical for our storage needs.

While we were in the Dakotas we found (at Lowe's) suitable semi-rigid mesh/net storage bags of varying sizes and purchased several for very reasonable prices. I spent a few hours installing our newly found solution. I installed several small cargo net pockets (6"W x 8"H x 5"D) on the internal hand rails that run midway up along both side walls. These we use for our small personal items (toiletries, flashlights, water bottles, cups, phones, keys, pdas, iPods, etc.). I also installed several larger semi-rigid mesh cargo net bags (19"H x 15"W x 10" D) on the side & front walls. These we use for our clothing (which is in "Eagle Creek" packing cubes). In addition I previously installed 2 nylon-web strap loops (1 on either side) to hang up a few garments.

The under-bed storage will be used for less frequently used items (linen, camping, cooking, tools, cords, etc).

[RAYVILLIAN]

Sounds like your getting it togeather Joe. Trudy and have found that we get up and ready for bed one at a time. Trudy usually goes to bed before I do and I usually get up before she does so it works out fine. Since the Winter warriors dressing area is only 2' by 3' it's the only way that works.
Our under bed storage is usually used for bedding when the table is up and dirty clothes. Our suitcases just get thrown under the table part of the bed.
Gary

[Kankujoe]

Ceiling Vent/Fan or Wall Exhaust Fan?

The past several weeks have been really hot & muggy and not your ideal "dry" camping weather. Since more than half of my camping is away from "shore power" I'm looking for an efficient 12V or non-power way to cool things down inside my trailer, especially at night. It's hard to doze off in a pool of sweat!

I decided earlier that I would not cut into my fiberglass roof (a thin fiberglass shell) but I am strongly re-considering to install a generic RV ceiling vent/fan. I haven't yet installed any wall mounted exhaust fans but these are also on my "A" list. I'm also considering insulating my ceiling to deflect some heat.

Anyone know how much air the typical 12V ceiling fan moves verses wall mounted exhaust fans (12V computer cooling fans?)? How about the cooling effect of a non-powered ceiling vent? Is the non powered vent enough? Does a ceiling exhaust fan move enough air to keep things comfortable?

I might even consider rigging up a small AC unit externally with flexible ductwork for those rare times I plan to camp with electrical hook up. I've seen a few small AC units for less than $100 which should work fine. Since I expect this to be a rare occasion I won't be making a permanent install to my trailer.

[packerz4]

i think insulating will help if the heat issue is daytime: i.e. when sun is pounding the roof.

the thing about the roof vents is hot air rises, and you'd be releasing it out the top.

i find that my 12v fantastic fan does a great job pulling fresh air in from my windows and venting the heat out the top.

if you don't want to place a hole in the roof, maybe some of walmarts cheap $14 battery powered fans could get your air moving enough to make it comfy? place one facing out the window or door, and one facing at you. trick is to get the trailer "breathing"/exchanging air.

at least that's the way i see it.

tk