Prepping to Camp

Well after our ordeal with our axle I thought it was time to switch gears and do a couple feel good projects to give me a pick me up and make me feel like the trailer is getting closer to being done.  I chuckle a bit at this because in the back of my mind my list pops up but hey these are looking good now.

Awhile back I installed a slider for our little butane stove (we use it on short camps and when it's just the two of us) and started the pull out for our ice chest which Crybaby failed to install.  I had to stop the project because another more pressing project came up as has been our lot since we received our hot mess.  Well this week I was back at it and though I haven't stained or trimmed them it's great to have the sliders so that we don't have to lug the ice chest in and out.  I used 1/2 inch plywood for the base which I glued and nailed a birch face and sides to it before leveling and installing the glides to it.  My husband smiled and rolled his eyes when I nailed the two 1/8 inch sides together without a nail even hinting of popping through the sides.  He commented, "So that's how you use one of those, that's a huge difference between your work and Crybaby's."  I laughed and thanked him and reminded him a nail/staple gun can be a great tool if used correctly.

Stove sliding drawer makes throwing a pot of coffee on so easy.

Our ice chest fits great into the slider.

I put insulation around the walls where the ice chest goes to help keep it cooler.

I'm going to make some curtains I think to cover the ice chest when not in use.

I found a cool gadget for the cooler and installed it after I was finished with the drawers.  This is a waterproof cooler light and it has an auto setting so when you open it the light comes on.

The axle sparked my husband to start prepping the car for camping too.  Last year we went on 11 camps with the trailer in various stages of disrepair and rebuild.  Our plan has always been to try and get out once a month with it and we were very close considering everything we've had to rebuild.  We laughed while we remembered each on including our first camp with the Teardrop group when we only had outer walls and wiring hanging everywhere.  Each camp brings us closer to each other and closer to completing our rebuild.   The trailer should pull like a dream with the new axle, balanced tires, and the tune up Dory received.

New tires and brakes and we are ready to kick off camping season.

I completed one more side project in anticipation of our next camp, our solar oven!  I can't wait for it to completely cure and we can take it out on a camp.  I highly recommend building one, you can make it as large or small as you wish.  Our solar oven is 15"x17" and is about 16" deep.  I purchased an oven stone and built the oven around it using 1/4 inch plywood then glued and nailed it together.  I painted the whole thing black then I went back and painted the inside with a silver reflective paint.  I had purchased some reflective solar film which I glued with waterproof cement to the sides inside the box to conduct the sun rays into heat.  I splurged and purchased a solar oven thermometer so I could see the temperature for cooking. Then to close it off I cut plexiglass  to fit the top.  

We used a pizza box and tinfoil last summer so the girls could cook a pizza at camp and we all had a great time with it.  When we do our next camp we are going to shoot the moon and bake cookies and muffins in the box.  I'll share photos and recipes when we do.

Silver reflective paint helps to conduct the sun rays for cooking.

The solar film on the sides generates more energy for cooking.

The cooking stone holds and spreads the heat more evenly for better cooking.

This is a set it and go have fun type of cooking with the sun doing the work.

I have so many new things to review for camping I can hardly wait to get out in the woods.  I love finding things that making camping easier or fun.  We are trying to go all solar so we can increase the areas we can camp at, from our solar battery charger to the new solar lanterns we want to be able to just go and not worry about hook ups.

Our next project hopefully another won't bump it again will be the nose cabinet.  I've been dying to get our linens stored properly.  Until next time stay safe and happy camping!

Axles and Spindles, and Hubs..... OH MY!

So much has happened since discovering our welded axle, I've definitely learned a lot about axles, spindles, and hubs.  There is not only the weight to consider but also length, material, type, brakes or no brakes, hub face, lug length and pattern..... it's enough to make you run screaming away but we didn't.

I admit I'm a geek and researching and learning things like this are exciting and fun for me, I enjoy knowing how things work.  To the Internet and book store!!!  I started my research and my search for for the right axle for our tiny camper.

For the proper axle length you need to measure hub face to hub face and also from the spring centers.

Bolting the axle to the springs is pretty straight forward using U bolts and locking nuts.

With the knowledge I learned from research, reading, and speaking with professionals I felt confident to order our axle.  I placed our order and waited for it to arrive.  We had already made reservations for our annual Mother's Day Camp so I started getting a bit nervous.  Our axle arrived while we were out and when we saw it our heart sank.  They sent us the wrong axle.  Instead of becoming defeated... heck I've come this far with this hot mess I wasn't about to let this set me back for long.  Okay it was too late to ship it back and wait for the replacement so we had to come up with a plan B.  Back to the Internet to find axle companies within driving distance.  

After making some calls it really sank in how dangerous and crazy it was that Crybaby / Surfside Trailers cut and welded our axle to make it fit.  Every time I spoke with someone I would hear, "WHAT?  You're kidding.... man I have to see that, can you bring it in?"  I felt like we were the owners of a two headed goat and everyone wanted to pay two bits to have a look at our oddity.  I took photos and sent measurements and they all still wanted to see it in person even more.

After speaking with Jerry and James at Pacific Trailers we loaded up the twisted two headed beast and took our freak show on the road down to Chino.  Once there the crew came out of the shop to look over the beast we brought in, they couldn't believe what they were seeing and were disgusted it was even put on the road.  The pipe didn't even line up and would roll on the flat surface to the offset side of the added pipe.

You can see the tire wear from the broken axle.

Crybaby / Surfside never had our tires balanced before putting them on the trailer.  Notice the white center on the inside rim, Crybaby / Surfside spray painted our rims while they were on the trailer.

Crybaby / Surfside even spray painted our lug nuts on the trailer.

You can see how the original axle bows down because the welds don't line up straight and were breaking.

Look at how the added piece doesn't line up correctly.

The welds glopped on and breaking. 

You can see the crack in the weld.  The axle was spray painted black to hide the welds.

Another angle of the welds.

The pictures don't show just how much the added section of pipe is offset at the welds.

After seeing the hideous beast the guys at Pacific Trailers I think took pity on us for it and the distance we drove and they told us they could have our new custom made axle to us that same day.  I couldn't believe it I wanted to hug them and jump up and down at the same time.  They took measurements and we decided to go with new hub faces and hardware too.  We signed our paperwork then went off to wait for our phone call that it was ready.  We didn't have to wait long which was completely unexpected and made us even more thrilled.  We hurried back to the shop and there it was in it's beautiful galvanized glory...... our new axle!

Pacific Trailers built our axle in less than 4 hours. Our new axle is rated for 2,800 lbs.

We loaded both axles and our hardware into the truck and off we went to install the new axle.  We got home and used the marks to center the axle under our springs.  We ran into our first glitch here, our hardware was about an inch too short with the necessary spring spacers.  Not to loose momentum we ran up to a local trailer sales yard for new hardware.  Unfortunately they didn't have the size we needed so we tried NAPA Auto and again skunked.  By this time it was getting dark so we called it a night and my husband made the trip back to Pacific and exchanged the hardware.  I can't tell you enough how wonderful the folks are at this shop, professional and so friendly.

New hardware in hand it was back to installing the axle.  It mounted quickly and easily and after my husband took the tires to the local shop and had them rotated and balanced.  Back home we ran into our last snag.... the lug nuts were just a hair smaller than the new bolts.  A phone call to Pacific later and we were back at NAPA for the correct lug nuts.  Both these glitches we didn't mind because we couldn't have known about them until we were putting things together.  The old axle was made in China and the measurement was slightly different for the lug nuts.

The left side of the trailer had more tire wear and when the tire was off we found the tire was rubbing against the trailer too.

The bearings can be greased without removing the tire or climbing under the trailer.

The new axle is straight and strong!

The new axle mounted to the springs.

The tires fit better and the left side no longer rubs on the side.

The tires have been rotated and balanced.

Even with the small glitches this project went quickly.  We wouldn't be back up and running if it weren't for the amazing and talented men at Pacific Trailers, we highly recommend them if you need to replace an axle or if you are starting your build.  

From cut, welded, and busted...... to solid, custom fit, and STRONG!

We can't wait to take the Blue Guppy out for our next camp!  I will definitely be letting you know how it pulls when we return.

In honor of Mother's Day and our annual camp I thought I'd share a campfire creation to celebrate Mom and bring her breakfast in bed.

Grands Orange Cinnamon Rolls

1 can Pilsbury Grands Cinnamon Rolls

Oranges

Campfire

Cut the oranges in half and scoop out the meat (use it for fruit salad or snacks).

Place a roll in each half, place in baking pan and cover with tinfoil.

Place over fire and watch them until they rise and are cooked through.  Careful not to burn them if your fire is really hot.

Remove from fire, ice and serve.  Enjoy the smile on Mom's face when you bring her fresh cinnamon rolls from the campfire!

New Axle A Must

Hello all!  Today I took my camera and camera wand out and took photos and video of the undercarriage of the trailer.  Upon looking at the video I found something terrifying, our axle had been cut and welded to fit the trailer.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing so I climbed under the trailer for a closer look and yes it was cut and welded and the welds were of course cracked and braking causing a bow in our axle and the wear on the tires.  I am just floored, speechless, and mortified that Crybaby (now Surf Side Custom Trailers) thought this was safe to put out on the highways under stress and high speed.

Axles are made from I-section, drop-forged from medium carbon or alloy steel and heat treated to give them toughness and strength.  We went to Harbor Freight and took photos of the trailer we purchased that they used to build our trailer and photographed the axle to show how the axle came and what Crybaby (Surf Side Custom Trailers) did to it.

Harbor Freight trailer with solid axle.

The weld on the right side of the trailer, you can see the weld failing and cracked.

Tomorrow we will be ordering a new axle to replace the welded one.  It was very easy to order and we're taking the opportunity to upgrade the weight of the axle because we'd rather overbuild it and make it to last.  We definitely aren't taking this even around the block with the current mess on the trailer.  We have to purchase new tires too because of the weld break making the tires wear on the inside.  

With the cracked welds you can see the tire wear it has caused.

We are so lucky this axle didn't break while we were on the road.  This shouldn't have been allowed on the road, but then just look back through my blog and you can see they shouldn't even be selling trailers.  It's scary to think that with just a quick name change on Craiglist they are back at selling these deathtraps on two wheels to the public.

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A Bucket List Camp

Hello everyone, so much has been happening as it does in life and my husband and I were able to sneak away so I could take him on a bucket list trip for his 50th birthday.

I finished our beautiful camp kitchen box and put the Malibu tile in the galley so I was feeling very good about how the guppy is coming along so with reservations made we were off to our favorite KOA in Manchester.  We arrived very late but I had called ahead and as always their great staff took care of us and left our packet for us when we arrived.  A very quick set up since their spaces are very level and we got a quick 2 hour rest before we were up again and off on our outing.

What do you get a man who has everything for his 50th birthday...... CRABS!  I had booked a crab fishing trip which has been on Bill's bucket list for some time.  This was quite the weekend I found to do this as it was in the middle of Fort Bragg, Little River, and Mendocino's Crab festival weekends.  I was able to find the only boat going out for crab and quickly booked us on the Telstar with Captain Randy.  Now it's much better to catch crabs in a group than by yourself and we had 3 other couples on board for the fun!  We found out one of our guests is a coastal celebrity, Miss LaLa was on board with us and the Captain and crew were excited because when you have LaLa on board you are in the fish!

We left out of the Fort Bragg harbor and started North to collect the 50 pots that had been soaking.  The crew was friendly and gave a rundown of the different jobs for this trip.  Bill and I were put in charge of measuring and bucketing the crabs though it ended up being all Bill since one of the measuring sticks were missing and on the small boat it was too crowded by the rest of the group doing their jobs.

On our way to the pots we were able to get alongside three whales who were feeling frisky offshore and since this is a family blog I will not post the mating video.  The whales run up and down the coast annually but this action was a first for all of us.

Three whales and a very frisky sea lion mating off the coast.

The blue bucket was for females and the grey buckets for the males. Since we limited with males all the females were released.

As we pulled pots in they were checked, repaired, rebaited, and reset for the next group to haul.

Each crab had to meet the legal size limit and we needed to make sure they hadn't just shed their shell and were still soft.  A lot goes into fishing crab.

Bill enjoyed every minute of the trip as did all on board.

This guy had a lot of fight in him and would chase anyone who got close to the bucket.

On our way in the local sea lions sunning on the buoy.

While we were fishing the crab one of the gals on board got "bit/pinched" by a large crab.  It was the first time this happened on the boat and my Mommy skills kicked in when I saw she was going into shock.  I sat her down and cleaned and wrapped her finger which was split wide open.  She turned pale and I asked her if she has any candy or soda.  She said she had a Sprite so I told her to start sipping it while I grabbed an ice water bottle from my bag for her to hold to her finger.  The sugar in the soda brought her slowly out of shock and her color returned.  I told her she'd need to clean it again and suggested some good spirits and that crab as dinner because tomorrow she was going to feel that finger.  She thanked me for mothering her while on board when we got to shore and I told her she had a heck of a story to tell for many years.  We limited and after an ice cold Anchor Steam and an hour long cook we collected up our bounty and drove back to camp.

This is the off season for camping along the Northern Coast of California which makes it nice to have the campgrounds almost to ourselves.  This has been my favorite KOA for the 10 years we've been camping with them.  They sit just off the beach which is a preserve for snowy plover and the coastal beaver both of which are endangered.  There are trails you can walk from the campground to the beaches and if you're lucky you'll spot both.  Wild turkey, deer, and other creatures are everywhere in this area and there are several lighthouses and the old Russian fort, Fort Ross to explore.

The spaces are large and clean at the Manchester KOA.

We had folks from larger RVs come and look through our tiny trailer many remarking they wanted to downsize to one like ours. Our flag welcomed guests as the stopped in and chatted about tiny trailer camping.

The new camp kitchen box worked well and the vintage Coleman duel fuel stove I restored worked well for our trip out.

I'm going to build a second box for food storage and add a shelf in this box for the plates and bowls.

On the next box I am going to build in a special top for the stove to rest in.

The stove was great and access to the cooking pots, pans, and gear really made this a great set up.  I pulled out the shelf in the kitchen and used it as a prep shelf.

The Manchester KOA has everything from tent sites to deluxe cabins.

The Malibu tile set and grouted.

The galley is so close to being complete and this weekend I am going to finish it off so I can move on to the next big project.

So this camp we ate what we caught and grilled a couple of the crab on the grill along with some buffalo and venison.  It doesn't take too long to do and the flavor is outstanding without even the need for butter. It was a very lovely time and one we look forward to doing again with the kids.

In closing I do have to update you all on Crybaby Teardrop Trailers.  I've been contacted by several people who have had the same experience with this company and some have left their reviews on Yelp as I have.  They have since changed their name to Surfside Camping Trailers and they are still selling these trailers on Craigslist.  Please BEWARE others have written stating they made a deposit on a trailer only to have them not build it while others have received their trailer like we did as a mess with nothing but problems and repairs to chase.  They may have changed their name but their business practices and quality is the same.