Utility Trailer Score - The Charcoal Briquette

[GPW]

That’s a lot of hoops to jump through for a simple registration...

[kk4czd]

Just as an FYI, the sell an electronic blinker relay that eliminates the problem of using either LED bulbs or trailer lights that cause the irregular/fast flashing. Most of them are designed to directly replace the thermo control that is standard on most vehicles. Some vehicles need a short (included) pigtail to fit. I hope this helps.

[KCStudly]

In place of the flasher module in the TV fuse panel, or one of those trailer wiring relay kits? 'Cuz I already have the relay kit and it is a big FAIL! Hence my frustration having spent good money on something that lasted just one single year.

Sorry, I don't mean to blast you personally.

Do you have a link or reference to the device that you are referring to?

[kk4czd]

LOL, I didn't think you were bashing me, but I did forget to add a link.

Here is one http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/car-install-supplies/cf13gl-02-led-bulb-electronic-flasher/782/ that I found doing a quick search for "replace flasher unit for led lights". This type of item uses and electronic timer instead of a electrical resistance, bimetal relay to flash. You need one of these when you either want to change your bulbs to LED's or if you added trailer lights cause the relay to think that a bulb is blown.

[kk4czd]

Here is a little more info about this: http://www.ledtrailerlights.com/tips.htm

[KCStudly]

Thanks.

So I did a little looking around and found this thread in the Escape City bulletin board (my first time there: http://www.escape-city.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3373

Basically it says that the 2005+ Escapes do not have a traditional flasher module, they have a "Smart Junction Box" instead.

It sounds as if, had I sprung for LED lights on The Briq, it would not be a problem because the load would not have been so different from stock.

I'm thinking that by adding the extra lamp (resistance) in parallel, it has reduced the overall draw on the circuit in the same way that having a bulb burned out would have. Any electrical wizards out there care to confirm my thinking and/or suggest an appropriately sized resistor to set things back in balance?

I am loathe to buy another relay kit.

[KCStudly]

Last night, Thursday, I added the 3-light rear marker.


The boss was none too happy when I told him that I needed another half day to go back up to Wethersfield today. Oh well.

Sailed right thru the inspection part and got the VIN assigned; then had to wait an hour in line for the paperwork; but got my permanent plate in the end. Whoohoo!

When I got back to Mecca and went to park The Briq, I found that the foot, shaft and works from the tongue jack had parted ways leaving only the main jack tube and pivot pin. I’ll have to swap out a new one in due time.

The Ballista had arrived last night after I had gone home. (For those of you that have not been following my Poet Creek build thread, I am involved in the Punkin Chunkin catapult event that you may have seen on television. Our machine is called Mista Ballista and we compete in the adult torsion category.) Despite (or maybe due to?) the efforts of another of our team members, Mr. B has some pretty cobbled together wiring. So tonight after getting back to Fab Mecca I stripped most all of the wiring out and will start fresh in the morning.

More time away from TPCE, but it is fall in the northeast, so there are pumpkins that need to be hurled!

So that is just about it for The Charcoal Briquette for now. Maybe I’ll post a quick update when I install the new jack, and someday I might get a little deeper into it, but for now I need to move on/back to other projects.

[KCStudly]

I replaced the tongue jack on Saturday. Reese 1k lb wheeled side crank from Tractor Supply.



I shortened the C-shape clamp bars to remove the excess that would otherwise hang down, deburring and rounding over the cut on the Bader sander. They came out nicer than the old ones that I had whacked while in place.

Also, looking at the instructions I found that the old ones had been put on backwards. By turning the clamps with the legs of the ‘C’ facing out, I was able to trim another 1/4 inch off of the bolts to where they hardly stick out at all. I also reused the original SAE bolts with self-locking nuts, rather than the new metric ones.

All better now.

[d120]

SCORE!!