M116A3 Build

[featherliteCT1]

At the campground I was at the other day in Florida, my camping neighbor had two Himiway electric bikes, with the big fat balloon tires. He let me ride one. I loved it. The best part is that he said it is legal to ride the bike on public trails. I am pretty sure I am going to buy one. Pricey at $1,300.

[bdosborn]

We had a couple of bikes hanging in the garage for years, we never rode them. I bought a
Bafang mid drive ebike kit from Amazon and converted one to see if it was something we'd like. My wife rode it once and loved it. I converted the other one and we've been riding them a lot. DIY is the way to go if you already have a bike - costs less and you get more power.
Bruce
P.S. You can turn the speed limiting of the Bafang way up.

[lfhoward]

It was a beautiful 65°F day so I decided to spend a couple hours doing trailer maintenance.

Today’s job: grease the tongue jack!



The jack had a few solidified clumps of former grease, but otherwise was completely devoid of lubrication. Probably the last time it was greased was at the factory or when it was in use by the military. I learned how to disassemble the unit and filled it with Lucas’ Red & Tacky. That grease is compatible with what was in there originally.

It works flawlessly now. Raising the trailer tongue up is incredibly easy now.

[featherliteCT1]

Another success story!

[bdosborn]

Boy, you'd think there would be a grease zirc on something like that.

Bruce

[lfhoward]

The top plate comes off and you can pack grease into the gears. Then if you put the trailer on the hitch you can tip the leg up and run the foot all the way out. This gives access to the screw and “nut” at the top of the jack foot. All of that was dry as a bone! Greased up well now.

[lfhoward]

Featherlite and Bruce, thanks for following! This good weather makes me want to start working on bike maintenance as well. It’s been about 3 years since I rode regularly, so I’ve got to at minimum lube the chain and adjust the brakes. I may have to replace tires and/or tubes if they’ve cracked from sitting this long.

The electric bike links were very cool! The 48 volt one: it doesn’t come with a battery! Can you get lithium cells for this? I imagine weight would be a factor.

[bdosborn]

A Li-on battery is a must for an ebike. I got this 48V battery: X-go bike battery. The Bafang will take up to a 52V battery. The more volts your battery, the higher your top end.

Luna Cycle has the hot rod ebike parts. I'd love me a Sur Ron X!

Bruce

[featherliteCT1]

Bruce, thanks for posting info about ebikes. I might start a new thread on this topic so as not to hijack Lf's thread. Eventually, after I do more research later on, I hope to be able to pick your brain.

[lfhoward]

Rainy day project: Fabricate backing plate for camper receiver hitch.





That receiver should not move once installed. The beam it will be attached to is 5/32” thick too. I’m hoping this is strong enough to haul a couple of bikes and a bike rack. I also want it to be able to carry a person’s weight if I get those retractable steps for the receiver someday.


https://www.easyhitchstep.com/models/

Next I need to test fit the receiver on the camper (drilling some holes), and if everything looks like it’s lined up right, hit that backing plate with some Rustoleum before permanent installation.

[lfhoward]

First coat of at least two, depending on how much paint I have left over.

[lfhoward]

Today I installed the trailer’s receiver hitch on the rear beam.

Holes drilled and painted:


Receiver installed with 1/2” stainless hardware:


It’s a good strong installation. I put my pintle hitch into it and stood on it, and nothing moved. I think it will be just fine for my bike rack, hitch haul basket, and eventually a set of stairs.

[featherliteCT1]

Beautiful!!

[lfhoward]

I want to report that the first overnight test of the Propex heater was a success! We camped in the mountains where it was 35°F (3°C) overnight and we were comfortably warm. The heater was relatively quiet as well. We cracked the roof vent open about an inch for fresh air and to let out the humidity, and the temp stayed about 68° inside. In terms of fuel usage, we used just 1 lb of propane over about 15 hours, which at about 3 hours of total burn time for 1 lb according to Propex, it must have been firing for 12 minutes out of every hour on average.

[bdosborn]

Well done! It so nice to have a heater when you're camping, isn't it?
Bruce