RV There Yet? Towed Hall Build Journal

[Barefoot]

Thank you, Miriam. I do feel better, in fact quite well. The familiar scary symptoms SEEM to have been a false alarm, and the seemingly endless hard freeze has passed. After some work cleaning up our extnsive damage, I got a few things done on the TTT: light sanding, polyurethane touch-up, fastening bases on the jack stands for use in our sand, fastening wheels from the original HF trailer "kick stand" under the back to prevent dragging the bumper, opening up a hatch for the battery and wiring it, sanding out the roof first coat of paint. These and a few other things, like most at this stage, don't offer much to show in photos, but move the project closer to finished --or at least close enough for spring camping! Wait until you find out where I've decided to go first.

[Barefoot]

"The report of my death is an exaggeration." (Mark Twain). The report of mine was also premature, as were my forecast of my full recovery and the end of cold weather, back in January. That's where I've been all this time, pretty well bummed out by an exceptionally long and cold winter, especially for Florida. Watch the price of what little produce survived to start going way up.

HOWEVER, winter did not really last forever and I am up and about again. Not having Towed Hall ready for spring camping after all, I spent our absolutely wonderful April days doing all the outside jobs I needed to and most of what I wanted to.

Now it's suddenly humid and over 90, the first few of an average of more than 100 days of that, and I have shifted to the shade of a sorta' semi-cooled garage and started back on the TTT. I got three coats of goop on the roof, the final coat of polyurethane on and rubbed out, the first coat of varnish on the body, and the battery charged up. The water tank came at last and fit perfectly in the space I had for it over the axle, with room for a little pump, but the connections came out in the wrong place.

In all, not that much is left to do and I can go easy on the work over summer and be still fully finished for the fall camping season. It made me sore all over after being idle so long, but now it feels so good to be up and working again.

[Barefoot]

Amen to that last sentence Tuesday. It is so good to be well and back in harness again and back with a "Saturday evening post." Since Tuesday I got the final coat of varnish (oh, it shines so nice, even more than the poly) with enough left over to do one coat inside. I recommend cranking open all the windows and putting a big fan blowing in the doorway for that! Then I did a big batch of all those endless odd bits and touch-ups before the final push of wiring, trim, curtains, maybe a tongue box and some day when I figure it out all over again, plumbing.

[Barefoot]

I'm baaack! I've had two more rounds of health problems, seemingly endless internet and face-to-face research into financial matters, seemingly endless work with an attorney, a dozen outdoor jobs while spring lasted. then messed up and got more work. Aww. In short I had little time to work on Towed Hall, indeed got out of the habit. Sad but true.

No more! It's hot, hot, hot but this year I arranged minimal air conditioning in the garage and with the left-over bits of foam insulation on the garge door where the afternoon sun hammers it, it stays about 80-85 degrees until about 5 or 6 PM. Good enough.

At last all the 12 and 120 volt wiring is finished, complete with lighting, fuses, recepticles, GFI, surge sppresser, and tiny inverter. The polarity is right and the mini-fridge and Pet Cool still work and can both run at the same time without popping a 15 amp fuse.

By the way, I just read back over my shares during the building and that let me see that it has come a long way indeed. It was not always stuck just after the exterior finish went on. It was also a kick to see how many people said nice things about the project and encouraged me on the progress. Bless you all.

[Miriam C.]

You will get there. Just read everyday and all that get up and go will come back. Almost camping season for you folks in the deep South.

[aggie79]

Barefoot,

Good to see you post again. I think you have one fine build going there. I especially like your Petcool installation and may borrow some of your details.

Tom

[bve]

Hey Barefoot, it's great to see that you are back at it. I'm looking forward to seeing the updates once again, and anxious for your maiden voyage with the Towed Hall.

[Barefoot]

http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=68379[img]
http://tnttt.com/album_ ... c_id=68380[/img]

Good week! The interior of Towed Hall is done except for the curtains--things like cleaning out saw dust and wiring debris, putting up pictures that turned up at a yard sale and a dream catcher (why not?), finding places to store kitchen appliances (and repairing the cord on one), putting up a small bin for samll junk (it's OK loose around the house but this house MOVES), and mounting a fire extinguisher-- then cleaned up the "shop" and put stuff away. Everything took longer than I would have thought but in all, it is very satisfying. In the photos (gotta' have pictures) note also the 12 and 120 recepticles --and Mr. Towed / Toad. Now to the exterior trim.

P.S. Since the last time I've forgotten one of the steps for inserting photos. Lordy, what a battle it is. Please click on the http: thingies above.

[Barefoot]

'Nuther good week, with a couple of days for "work" on TTT. I've marked up and cut out all the exterior trim and sanded and installed half of it. With any real luck, next week I'll sand and install the other half, do the top edge trim, finish coat it all, and make photos. I'm using plywood that was the template for cutting out the side walls, this after it was the floor for the HF cargo trailer that became the TTT frame. Reduce, reuse, refurbish, and recycle indeed, the new four Rs.

Along the way, I got the door to shut fully. It seems it fit differently with the trailer on the wheels than on blocks, just enough to bind at one spot and require a bit of rough snding. I hope that's all the HF frame flexes, considering that I reinforced the joint between the front and rear halves.

[Miriam C.]

As nice as ever! I know that almost finished feeling and bet you are feeling really pleased.......

Pictures, click on thumbnail, right click on url to copy, come to post, click on img, right click to paste and close tags.

[Barefoot]

Thank you, Miriam, for the kind words, for posting the photo for me, and for the hint about again trying to include photos. It was the first click on img that I missed, and it wouldn't add in after the fact.

Anyhow, I already caught another half-day, an hour or two at a time, and got the trim on other side finished up and installed. Next I'll varnish it all and add top trim. I dug out some left-over (ecru?) canvas and sure enough it's light enough for curtains and heavy enough for "shadow privacy." No laughing while I learn to run a little $15 yard sale sewing machine. Come on now.

[Barefoot]

Ta-dah! The exterior trim is done and varnished, and I'm better pleased with it than I'd expected. It was not as hard as feared nor as easy as hoped, much like life here and in in general. Indeed, having learned how, I could now do roof bows and walls much easier, using 3/4 ply, and the trim using 3/8". This also wraps up construction. Next comes checking and packing wheel bearings and sewing curtains, then maybe plumbing the holding tank and making a tongue box to use up left-overs, an approach you know how much I enjoy. Likely I'll keep piddling until Florida fall weathr fit for camping and outside work

[bve]

Nice work Barefoot, that's one great little camper.

Burke

[Barefoot]

'Tis done! Well I had decided that the final job would be the curtains, put off for last as the job I most dreaded, namely learning to sew beyond replacing a button, like on my $5 yard sale machine. Anyway, I saw kitchen towels and the light bulb went off. I got these, on sale, lively enough to ease the heavy look of the walls. Later I realized that I could fold them over the rods, glue (!) them, set 2x4 uh, gravity clamps on the "seams", then later trim the excess. The next day I thought of using the cut-off part of each to make a fakey valance(?) using the same technique, and really like the result.

Until better weather comes, I may tinker in the garage some, hooking the kitchen sink to at least a cold water supply and/or a better drain. When it cools some, I need to check for a level ride when hooked to the tow vehicle, and I already know how to correct that if need be --without giving up any of the giant 1/2" clearance under the garage door.

Next I'll post in the section on what you would do differently the second time, then maybe post a shakedown camping trip or few.

[Ageless]

As one who loves woodgrain