Now the fun starts
- Thread starter MickinOz
- Start date
Cool.
This morning, I rang my son, "Aren't we supposed to be clearing a certain room, in a certain house, for a certain lady?"
"Yes, but I'm flat chat finishing yesterday's second fix wiring job. Can you collect my tradesman, take him up to the house and collect the stuff he wanted to buy from her, and then go pay her and give her the key back?"
This is a deceased estate we were asked to assist with clearing. We bought some stuff from her, and advised on the value of some other stuff.
e.g. the $13,000 Fluke instrumentation tester and calibrator she thought was just another multimeter.
Long story short , mission accomplished, except for what are we going to do with about 100 fluoro tubes.
I trundled out to the city dump to enquire as to disposal options.
It was quiet, so I weighed the teardrop while I was there.
340kg on the wheels
380kg total
Damned happy with that. 836 pounds for an 8 x 5 which only needs the TV and mattress installed to be called complete, and landed almost exactly 10% of the total weight on the tow ball.
This morning, I rang my son, "Aren't we supposed to be clearing a certain room, in a certain house, for a certain lady?"
"Yes, but I'm flat chat finishing yesterday's second fix wiring job. Can you collect my tradesman, take him up to the house and collect the stuff he wanted to buy from her, and then go pay her and give her the key back?"
This is a deceased estate we were asked to assist with clearing. We bought some stuff from her, and advised on the value of some other stuff.
e.g. the $13,000 Fluke instrumentation tester and calibrator she thought was just another multimeter.
Long story short , mission accomplished, except for what are we going to do with about 100 fluoro tubes.
I trundled out to the city dump to enquire as to disposal options.
It was quiet, so I weighed the teardrop while I was there.
340kg on the wheels
380kg total
Damned happy with that. 836 pounds for an 8 x 5 which only needs the TV and mattress installed to be called complete, and landed almost exactly 10% of the total weight on the tow ball.
Started raining.
Rain gutter could have been bigger, but it is doing the job.
The top of the door is dry, and the stuff running off the roof is being directed past the door and down the wall.
Some went in where it hit the hinge. This ran down the outside of teh door seal and out of the door opening.
No water inside.
Pretty basic, but works fine so far.
Rain gutter could have been bigger, but it is doing the job.
The top of the door is dry, and the stuff running off the roof is being directed past the door and down the wall.
Some went in where it hit the hinge. This ran down the outside of teh door seal and out of the door opening.
No water inside.
Pretty basic, but works fine so far.
Yes, just a cheap $50 secondhand Palsonic 19" off Facebook Marketplace.
I couldn't really test it before I bought it, and I strongly suspected it would not be able to handle the newer HD TV codecs, and I was right. Still gets the SD channels. Only a few HD channels are different programming here, quite a few are just HD transmission of the companion SD channel.
I don't think it was used much before I bought it.
I was attracted to the 19 inch screen size. In an 8 foot trailer with the interior cabinets the screen is only about 4 feet from your face. Don't want too big.
The small TV/DVD combos here don't have internal power supply circuitry. They come with "plug packs" - AC mains transformers that put out 12V DC to plug into the TV.
I went to the local Jaycar agent, bought the appropriate coaxial power plug for the job, dug out the soldering iron and fabricated a lead to wire back to the fuse block.
I now have a very basic, but in my opinion all you need, very robust 12V only power.
4 circuits, currently each is fused at 10 amps until I lay my hands on some smaller fuses.
Internal power.
Internal lights.
TV/DVD
Galley and external lighting.
50amp anderson socket in galley for charging or power out.
Don't think it can be much simpler than this:
I couldn't really test it before I bought it, and I strongly suspected it would not be able to handle the newer HD TV codecs, and I was right. Still gets the SD channels. Only a few HD channels are different programming here, quite a few are just HD transmission of the companion SD channel.
I don't think it was used much before I bought it.
I was attracted to the 19 inch screen size. In an 8 foot trailer with the interior cabinets the screen is only about 4 feet from your face. Don't want too big.
The small TV/DVD combos here don't have internal power supply circuitry. They come with "plug packs" - AC mains transformers that put out 12V DC to plug into the TV.
I went to the local Jaycar agent, bought the appropriate coaxial power plug for the job, dug out the soldering iron and fabricated a lead to wire back to the fuse block.
I now have a very basic, but in my opinion all you need, very robust 12V only power.
4 circuits, currently each is fused at 10 amps until I lay my hands on some smaller fuses.
Internal power.
Internal lights.
TV/DVD
Galley and external lighting.
50amp anderson socket in galley for charging or power out.
Don't think it can be much simpler than this:
I'm creeping up on it. We've had quite a few rain forecasts, with a disappointing hit rate.
The 'drop lives at my mum's place, I go and get it when I have time and weather to work on it.
This means running back and forth almost every day.
Thumper the dog loves it - Grandma always keeps doggie jerky for him.
She loves it too - she misses her big dogs (Shepherds), but is getting too frail to deal with a new one, so having a dog she can spoil for an hour then give back is ideal.
And I get to check on her every day.
The butterfly vents have been installed.
I put the mattress in today. 6" foam queen size fitted perfectly.
Went to K Mart yesterday. $34 AUS got me a set of sheets and pillow cases and two pillows.
It's surprisingly comfortable for such base level bedding.
So close.
Fitted the new black mudguards/fenders.
I want to splash one more coat of marine grade polyurethane over the outside, then I'm calling it good enough to advertise.
Have arranged to borrow the middle son's girl friend for the sale photos.
A cute girl always helps sales, I reckon.
The 'drop lives at my mum's place, I go and get it when I have time and weather to work on it.
This means running back and forth almost every day.
Thumper the dog loves it - Grandma always keeps doggie jerky for him.
She loves it too - she misses her big dogs (Shepherds), but is getting too frail to deal with a new one, so having a dog she can spoil for an hour then give back is ideal.
And I get to check on her every day.
The butterfly vents have been installed.
I put the mattress in today. 6" foam queen size fitted perfectly.
Went to K Mart yesterday. $34 AUS got me a set of sheets and pillow cases and two pillows.
It's surprisingly comfortable for such base level bedding.
So close.
Fitted the new black mudguards/fenders.
I want to splash one more coat of marine grade polyurethane over the outside, then I'm calling it good enough to advertise.
Have arranged to borrow the middle son's girl friend for the sale photos.
A cute girl always helps sales, I reckon.
KCStudly
Senior Member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2012
- Posts
- 9,686
Looking good! What's left to do?
Way back in the process, I estimated the finished width of the trailer.
It's important. If not more than 2100mm wide, you only need amber reflectors on the side of the trailer.
If more than 2100mm wide, these must be amber clearance lights wired in with the taillights. The first amber light or reflector must be no more than 1000 from the rear of the body. At least 1 reflector must fall within the first 3000mm of body length, and must be no more than 3000mm from the tow hitch.
I forgot all about the measurements, and just bolted on the mudguards with the supplied reflectors stuck on the middle.
It is just pure unadulterated arse, as tinny as can be, but I have accidentally satisfied all constraints.
The split from front to back is right, and the trailer is 2099mm wide from the face of one reflector to the face of the other.
Fantastic, otherwise I'd be out there looking for amber lights and splicing them in.
It's important. If not more than 2100mm wide, you only need amber reflectors on the side of the trailer.
If more than 2100mm wide, these must be amber clearance lights wired in with the taillights. The first amber light or reflector must be no more than 1000 from the rear of the body. At least 1 reflector must fall within the first 3000mm of body length, and must be no more than 3000mm from the tow hitch.
I forgot all about the measurements, and just bolted on the mudguards with the supplied reflectors stuck on the middle.
It is just pure unadulterated arse, as tinny as can be, but I have accidentally satisfied all constraints.
The split from front to back is right, and the trailer is 2099mm wide from the face of one reflector to the face of the other.
Fantastic, otherwise I'd be out there looking for amber lights and splicing them in.
TimC-TNT
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 23, 2015
- Posts
- 1,460
Nice work Mick. I wish I had your ambition.
Tried building a "For Sale" TD but winter came and I lost interest. I thank my brother for noticing and deciding to buy the unfinished TD and finish it himself.
Tried building a "For Sale" TD but winter came and I lost interest. I thank my brother for noticing and deciding to buy the unfinished TD and finish it himself.
Mick, did you track the hours you put in? It would perhaps be interesting / frightening to look at your "hourly wage" after accounting for material costs when you get the sale. Of course there was more to it than just money.MickinOz":6k5n8uxl said:
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KCStudly
Senior Member
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2012
- Posts
- 9,686
Congratulations on being "done". It is a fine camper!
Someday I'll be able to say the same thing... just not today. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.
Someday I'll be able to say the same thing... just not today. Tomorrow doesn't look good either.
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