Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Big snow storm here today. Warm weather pushing up along the coast lifting moisture out of the Atlantic, with cold weather pushing across results in a lot of snow piling up. I went into work for a couple of hours and was glad I left when I did.

The Jeep, with the new antiskid rear diff and just 2 wheel drive from the rear (due to still not having completed regearing the new front axle) did lousy. Got stuck (and unstuck) several times in about 4-6 inches of snow. Spun sideways a few times. Our road hadn't been plowed much at all so when I went to back down into the left side of the driveway, like I always do, she drifted sideways spinning both rear wheels on the slight down slope in the road and I ended up drifting all crossed up into the right side of the drive. When coming to a stop the depth of the snow essentially acts like wheel chocks and without the front wheels pulling, the rears just kick with no forward traction. Should be much better once I get the frontend done, but for now it is a handful.

At least the flattened shed hadn't collapsed yet (before it got dark out and I could still see it from the house).

We ended up with something like 10 or 12 inches.

I was wondering how you were fairing in the storm , glad you're all right. Need to finish that axle!


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Ned B wrote:I was wondering how you were fairing in the storm , glad you're all right. Need to finish that axle!

Thanks Ned, yes indeed!

Weather’s been strange eh !!! Youse' guys stay safe , stay warm !!! ..

Thanks GPW. I just got my net pad up and running again with the new solid state hard drive. Still have to fix a bunch of forgotten password stuff, like my e-mail account, face book, and probably more, but at least it is speedy and not as frustrating to use as the Gateway.

More snow and rain tomorrow.

KC, going to the SSHD, was that something you did yourself ??? Was considering going to a SSHD for my Mac Mini ... seems fairly easy ... ( famous last words )

Yeah. I watched the nerd pull the old mechHD first, and when he ruled it dead, decided I could pull off the SSHD install myself. Had to call OEM with the SN and spend $42 to get reboot thumb drive sent. Of course the instructions for BIOS weren't any good (in my experience step by step computer instructions rarely ever match), but somehow it managed to reboot on its own (or I accidentally muddled thru and unknowingly did something right).

I also got an external back up hard drive and need to get in the habit of using that on a regular basis!

Basically you pull all of the screws out of the rear cover on the net pad; carefully pry the plastic cover off the rim of the chassis; remove the three (3) screws holding the drive down (only three of the four locations had screws in them); then pull up and away on the little plastic pull tab. Transfer the metal brackets from the old drive to the new drive (four screws) making sure to get the orientation correct for the contacts to set properly. Then just tuck the new drive down into place, screw it back down and reinstall the back cover.

I can't speak to how to transfer your data, but my guess would be that you can clone the old drive on another computer or external drive first, then boot it onto the new drive once installed.

Thanks KC, that sounds encouraging ... I already upped my RAM from 2G to 8G , and that was super easy ... Thank goodness for you tube videos ...

KC:

Can you see the light at the end of the tunnel for your "weekend project"? You going to get your camper in the woods this summer?

Tony

Yeah... what Tony said...

Seriously, how's the Jeep... and any progress on TPCE??


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RE: Jeep replacement front axle, I couldn't get the carrier to go in with the preload shims due to how the oil relief notches are cut in the bearing seats; they wanted to let the outer races cock and dig in. So I'm waiting on the case spreader tool to arrive in the mail.

RE: TPCE, I was going to work on sanding that big epoxy filler run that sagged down the street side (way back when... it has been months!) but it ended up being pretty cold this weekend and Karl kind of waved me off due to other activities in the shop. A little more peer pressure from you guys (please, nudge, nudge, ) and I just might try again this evening despite being sub freezing out at the moment.

Bodywork is a long tedious process, and I am only so-so qualified to do it... I run out of patience... so don't expect miracles. That winter camo paint scheme is at the top of my options list at the moment.

It does seem like we should be into a short list by now, so let's take a look;
1. Finish filling weave and fairing (including street side rear, street side front, upper front, and hatch... I forget where I left off on the upper front, but at least I don't have to worry about the areas under the rock guards).
2. Fabricate and fit side door latch strike plates.
3. Touch up epoxy work on TB.
4. Install and fair hatch clearance light and taillight nacelles.
4. Sealer/primer coat and paint.
5. Make trim rings and install side door windows.
6. Lower cabin and hatch down from loft, includes fabricating lifting rig (gulp )
7. Final install of hatch, doors, and roof vent, do leak test.
8. Fabricate external switch box, install external switch, and test hatch actuator control module.
9. Land cabin on trailer.
10. Install TB, external lighting and do final wiring.
11. Remove roll around wheels/tires and install final wheels/tires
12. Level trailer and weld draw bar (may require longer shackles to optimize suspension travel).
13. Build and install TB lid, rock guards and fenders.

At this point it should be campable. Then;
14. Finish galley and lower/rear vent fan install, including travel provisions for portable solar panels and wing tables.
15. Finish axe and shovel mounts.

Of course there are many smaller steps that make up each of these milestones, and they may not be listed in exact order (for example, I may get the hatch install further along before leaving the loft), but that is my "short list" at the moment.

15 items is a short list!

Cheering gallery here.... KC! KC!

-Nudge- -Nudge- wink wink- knowWhatIMean? knowWhatIMean?



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Shorter than my list! Wink. Nudge.


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Short list means almost finished ...

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. There are a few more things, like installing a mattress and bedding, etc., but it is getting to where there are a lot fewer things to do than have already been done!