Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

deceiver, Howdy;

Take the Alternate route! More enjoyable, you won't have the hassle of the
Ohio turnpike (toll road), Toledo and Detroit to contend with. There was a
brief period when I shuttled roll-off containers back-n-forth between Buffalo,
NY and Flint, Mi. (pre 9/11), and the trip was made in several hours. Generally,
the other truck and I could make 2 round trips a day depending on how long
it took to cross the borders.

hank

Agreed, take the alternate route across the Bluewater Bridge. A prettier drive too and you'll still get to the best spots in the Mitten. Looking forward to the final report!

Three weeks. Most of it in Michigan. What a great state. Never expected it to be one of the best camping states I've been to and I've camped in 46 of them. I'm slowly blogging it on http://gagnerwebsite.com/Deceiver2/Blog_8_14-12_16/Entries/2015/9/11_The_Michigan_Loop.html now that I'm back. Next button at the bottom of each page move along to the next leg of the journey..

glad you liked my state. I'll check out your blog

When in Michigan saw so many Ford F-150's. I talked with people about them and they seemed to like them. I've always been a chevy man but my last silverado rusted out to being uninspectable at 84.000 miles. Well, we had to trade to a new vehicle. We are now the owners of a new Ford f-150 xlt, Bronze fire metallic. I must admit it's an amazing vehicle. I really like this truck, I pray that I don't have to hate it later on. I had Krown undercoated, even if the body is Aluminum. The frame is steel. Fingers crossed.

So, Ford trucks pulling trailers at campgrounds outnumbered others 9 out of 10. Is this because people get a special discount where they are made in Dearborn?

deceiver, Howdy;

Check the VIN numbers and you'll find it was most likely put together in the Norfolk, Va. plant.
It's all they used to make there. Also where ex-wife #2 & #4 used to work when I first met her.

hank

hankaye wrote:deceiver, Howdy;

Check the VIN numbers and you'll find it was most likely put together in the Norfolk, Va. plant.
It's all they used to make there. Also where ex-wife #2 & #4 used to work when I first met her.

hank

invoice says dearborn. So I assume it's there....

deceiver, Howdy;

I stand corrected ... apparently, Norfolk, Va plant is partially demolished having
been closed in '08 and they moved the F-150 line to Dearborn.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ford_factories

Last time I was in the Dearborn plant was about 2002, picking up some hazardous waste.
They were tearing down the original line that Henry built around 1913 and we were
contracted to haul out the Hazmat. It was interesting walking around in there with the
huge chains that were used to 'move the line'. Like super sized bicycle chains.
The other side was Rouge Steel and the old Mustang Assembly line, stamping plants
and fabric and glass manufacturing plants. They used to make just about everything
necessary to build a vehicle on site ...

hank

Not sure but I think the plant was retooled for the aluminum body. I guess it was quite an undertaking.

Cool! Another Proline customer!

Earlier this year I bought a cheap 6x12 cargo trailer. Once I got into some it was painfully apparent that it was another cheaply made, zero craftsmanship trailer. I refuse to put another dollar into it.
I lived in southern Maine/SE New Hampshire growing up and my folks live 40 minutes from the Proline factory. The last time I visited I went and toured their factory and saw some trailers being built. They do a quality job top to bottom. I was thoroughly impressed by the time I left.
If all goes as I hope, my current trailer will be sold off and I'll order up a Proline cargo trailer to serve as my toy hauler/utility/moving trailer. Based on what I've seen it'll be the last trailer I'll ever need to buy.

pbnut wrote:Cool! Another Proline customer!

Earlier this year I bought a cheap 6x12 cargo trailer. Once I got into some it was painfully apparent that it was another cheaply made, zero craftsmanship trailer. I refuse to put another dollar into it.
I lived in southern Maine/SE New Hampshire growing up and my folks live 40 minutes from the Proline factory. The last time I visited I went and toured their factory and saw some trailers being built. They do a quality job top to bottom. I was thoroughly impressed by the time I left.
If all goes as I hope, my current trailer will be sold off and I'll order up a Proline cargo trailer to serve as my toy hauler/utility/moving trailer. Based on what I've seen it'll be the last trailer I'll ever need to buy.

My sentiments exactly. And, depending on how far you live from there, If any accidents or wearing out should occur they handle all their own stuff in repairs.The only metallic part of the trailer that is not aluminum is the axle and back door hardware. So far I've been very satisfied with it.

Planning on going south for a few weeks from Maine.

We needed a place for the dinnerware, not loose in a box in the drawer



An overview of the pantry with the dinnerware addition and the coffee pot holder on the left. Paper towel holder that has friction delivery so that it doesn't unroll while in transit.


Finally added 12 volt plugs and USB ports near the small counter. Top area reserved for a battery meter. The one I ordered came through dead. Waiting for another one.



Other mods/changes. I replaced the 500 watt baseboard with a 1000 watt baseboard heater. The smaller one did the job but took to long to come up to speed. I also made a hanger for the rear awning seen on the left of the second picture.

I think you'll love your Ford Truck. I am a bit biased I admit. I currently have a 2011 F150 4x4 Extended Cab with 5.0L V8 that will pull 9,200 lbs as it sits. The 1/2 tons today are like the 3/4 tons were 10 years ago. I think that is partially because they are lighter .. and the technology has improved.

flboy wrote:I think you'll love your Ford Truck. I am a bit biased I admit. I currently have a 2011 F150 4x4 Extended Cab with 5.0L V8 that will pull 9,200 lbs as it sits. The 1/2 tons today are like the 3/4 tons were 10 years ago. I think that is partially because they are lighter .. and the technology has improved.

I certainly hope so. I decided on the 5.0L too. Glad I did also. Those ecoboost engines don't get that better gas mileage and I'll bet they drop under load. And when I look at issues with this truck any engine issues were with those engines especially the 3.5L ecoboost. My trailer being all Aluminum is really fairly light. I had a teardrop that was heavier. This one I can roll around by hand on a smooth surface. I really don't notice any difference with it on or off... unless there is a lot of wind. This trailer has a larger area compared to my old trailer.

In a few days the wife and I are hooking it up and taking it south for a few weeks from Maine. We'll boondock a couple nights till we get below D.C. Then we'll see some sites on the Carolina's coasts and spend some time in northern Fl, and in Georgia and Alabama. I picked up a book called "Off the Beaten Path". It's really great. Each state has a list of stuff that we like. We're not city people.