Where To Start... Where To Start.... :P

[Curtis in Texas]

Sorry, I stepped away to go for a motorcycle ride yesterday after posting!
It was too nice a day to stay home and work!

Yea, a hair dryer will work alltough slow. It can be improved a bit by using a difuser like a funnel to concentrate the air flow and changes the rate of air flow. This make it work harder and it heats it up more. Be careful not to burn it out. Some are more sensitive to it than others. So don't use the wifes good hair dryer or you'll hear about it the REST-OF YOUR-LIFE! Trust me on that one.!

I had one of the Harbor Freight heat guns and it lasted about a month.
The Shop Hair Dryer has been hard at it for 15 years. (My old HD from when I had long hair)

A shop heater works well to, or a butane torch ot lighter. But you have to be careful not to burn the tubing or bungee cord cause the get way to hot.

Ace Harware, Wally World Automotive and most Automotive stores sell heat shring tubing.

[SirJoey]

Well, I'll address the bungee-scraping detail a little later. For now, I've moved on to a much more important issue...

After MUCH contemplation, I finally decided on a course of action for the cabinet doors.
Wood filler was too expensive for just this one small job, as was actual trim pieces, so I
settled on making some ridiculously fat, oversized trim pieces out of a 1x2 I already had:







No glue, but plenty of 1 1/8" drywall screws:







Had I known in advance that I'd end up doing them this way, I could've made the doors out of
leftover paneling from the ceiling job, instead of 1/2" oak. They wouldn't have been as heavy,
or quite so ridiculously thick, & I'd have saved myself 9 bucks, too!

Of course, if the knucklehead at Lowes wouldn't have chewed the edges of my oak boards all
to heck, I could've used them "as is", without any trim at all, which was the original plan.
Oh well, "Live & Learn", as they say...



On the plus side however, I can also use 'em as truck ramps!

[crazylarry]

Joey,
You've come a long way from the guy who couldn't fathom a well-shed! I always knew that you had a carpenter hidden down deep in you somewhere!
I'm proud of your work!
Larry (Loco)

[SirJoey]

I always knew that you had a carpenter hidden down deep in you somewhere!
I'm proud of your work!

Ah, good ol' Larry, always generous with the praise! Thanx bro, but you may be
retracting those statements when you see it "up close & personal", this Summer!

[8ball_99]

Those turned out pretty good! LoL But did you feel like using some screws? Atleast you know that trim won't ever move

[shortycas]

Good Job, Joey!!
Been watching your thread. We just bought a 7x18' and are going to slowly but surely convert it as well! Your thread is giving us inspiration and ideas! Although, you're moving a lot quicker than we probably will get to!
I like the sound system....hadn't made up our minds yet as to whether or not we would be putting one in. We will be using for mainly camping, and I have a feeling the neighbors at the campgrounds might object to it, since my husband doesn't know how to keep anything on a decent sound level
Will keep checking back! Thanks for keeping this updated!

Here's our thread:
http://tnttt.com/viewto ... 599#667599

[SirJoey]

Good Job, Joey!!
Been watching your thread. We just bought a 7x18' and are going to slowly but surely convert it as well! Your thread is giving us inspiration and ideas! Although, you're moving a lot quicker than we probably will get to!
I like the sound system....hadn't made up our minds yet as to whether or not we would be putting one in. We will be using for mainly camping, and I have a feeling the neighbors at the campgrounds might object to it, since my husband doesn't know how to keep anything on a decent sound level
Will keep checking back! Thanks for keeping this updated!

Thanx for the kind words, guys! I don't do a whole lot at a time, but I try to do a little each day, or at least most days.

Tell hubby if he lets YOU control the volume, you'll agree to the stereo, LOL! Seriously tho, like I've said before, I prolly
won't use mine much in actual camping situations, but I wanna have it for those times when I WILL use it, just like the TV.
Besides, even in camp, you have the ocassional rainy/stormy day where you have to sit in the camper all day, & when you're
flying solo like me, it's even more important to have a little entertainment!
Checked out your thread too. Looks like you're going about it right, welding good solid supports in for that AC!
Well, time for this ol' dog to get back out there & try to wrap up my cabinet doors!

[shortycas]

Good Job, Joey!!
Been watching your thread. We just bought a 7x18' and are going to slowly but surely convert it as well! Your thread is giving us inspiration and ideas! Although, you're moving a lot quicker than we probably will get to!
I like the sound system....hadn't made up our minds yet as to whether or not we would be putting one in. We will be using for mainly camping, and I have a feeling the neighbors at the campgrounds might object to it, since my husband doesn't know how to keep anything on a decent sound level
Will keep checking back! Thanks for keeping this updated!

Thanx for the kind words, guys! I don't do a whole lot at a time, but I try to do a little each day, or at least most days.

Tell hubby if he lets YOU control the volume, you'll agree to the stereo, LOL! Seriously tho, like I've said before, I prolly
won't use mine much in actual camping situations, but I wanna have it for those times when I WILL use it, just like the TV.
Besides, even in camp, you have the ocassional rainy/stormy day where you have to sit in the camper all day, & when you're
flying solo like me, it's even more important to have a little entertainment!
Checked out your thread too. Looks like you're going about it right, welding good solid supports in for that AC!
Well, time for this ol' dog to get back out there & try to wrap up my cabinet doors!

You are soooo right!! Getting stuck indoors on rainy days is DEFINITELY time to pull out the entertainment!! Especially when you have kids to entertain! lol!!
Can't wait to see the cabinet doors on the unit!!

[SirJoey]

Those turned out pretty good! LoL But did you feel like using some screws? Atleast you know that trim won't ever move

Thanx, 8-Ball! Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have scrimped on the screws, huh? LOL!
Just wanted to make sure it was solid, since I didn't use any glue.
I think I accomplished my goal...






A little paint, some knobs & hinges, & my new "truck ramps" are almost passable:













Voila! I have 2 little kitchen cabinets, with bomb-proof doors!
Not surprisingly, the speakers sound noticeably better too, now
that they're in a completely enclosed cabinet!
Another milestone reached! Moving on...

[crazylarry]

It's too late, now, of course, but I wish you'd weighed before and after...just for fun!

[SirJoey]

It's too late, now, of course, but I wish you'd weighed before and after...just for fun!

Actually, it's not, Larry... the trailer started out 875 lbs. I'm gonna go out on a limb here, & estimate the
finished weight, fully loaded, to be around 1500 lbs. Anybody else wanna toss their hats in the ring?
C'mon, be brave!






Test report on the $180, ThermaRest Dreamtime camp mattress....

Decided to test it on my livingroom floor before draggin' it out to the camper. The results: EPIC FAILURE!
Inside the soft, fleece cover, this thing consists of memory foam on top, & a thin air mattress on bottom.

Even though I tried various levels of firmness with the air mattress section, I couldn't find a level that
didn't kill my hips. The problem is, if I make it firm enough to not bottom out, it's TOO firm. Conversely,
I'll bottom out before it gets soft enough.

Don't get me wrong though, most folks would find this thing quite comfortable, but due to severe hips
& back issues, it just doesn't work for me. So far, it's been a collosal $180 waste of money.

My next attempt will be to purchase a $95, 4" thick, memory foam mattress topper. I'll try it out by itself first,
& if that doesn't work, I'll cut it down to the same width as the ThermaRest, & lay it on top of the ThermaRest.

Hopefully, this will be the ultimate solution. I sure hope so, especially after spending a total of nearly
$300, but then, being able to sleep is pretty much priceless, right? At any rate, to me, it's priority one!
...yep, even above the tunes!

[Curtis in Texas]

I too have back and hip problems. I sleep on my side most of the night with a pillow between my knees. Sleeping on the ground is no longer possible for me. So here's how I make my camping bed.

I bought the Extra Large Cabellas version canvas cots and put an extra large Therma Rest self inflatable mattress on top of it. The cots are extra large to allow room to turn over and not feel like I'm balancing on a 2 X 4 all night. It really makes a difference.
I use four pillows, one under my head, one against my back, one against my chest and one between my knees.
I sleep like a baby with my rectangular extra large sleeping bag. (From Bass Pro Shops)
Total cost about $300 counting the pillows and pillow cases.
I have the same set up for my wife, and when we camp out in our big tent we sleep really, really well. Her only complaint is my snoring, which I do at home too! But at home she can change rooms!

My cargo trailer will be using all this same equipment in it and we will just fold the cots up flat against the wall to get the motorcycles inside for traveling. The canvas cots are more forgiving than flat plywood.
All my cabinets will be in the forward section of the 16' trailer.

So, all that to suggest this!
Maybe you just need to frame out your bed and stretch some canvas for your mattress. Then put your fancy inflatable mattress on top of the canvas. Much like the Sleeping cots at Summer Camp!

[SirJoey]

Changed tongue jack & installed tongue box.


Started with this:







Installed new tongue jack, & welded on some thin, 2" angle irons:







Wirewheeled the rust away, masked, & primered:







Painted:







Everything's covered in yellow, radioactive dust, AKA POLLEN!



If I stand atop my stepladder, using my binoculars, I can almost see the finish line from here!

[crazylarry]

OH! Noooooo!....You robbed the" SirJoey Bicycle Trailer"!

[SirJoey]

OH! Noooooo!....You robbed the" SirJoey Bicycle Trailer"!

C'mon, would I do THAT?

Of course not! I bought yet ANOTHER tub!
This makes 3 so far! I should own stock in Rubbermaid!