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Yet another German designed concept trailer. https://www.curbed.com/2018/8/27/17786774/camper-trailer-rv-caravan-buerstner-harmony-3?fbclid=IwAR317GK5ml8TLAtS5UQLHvvAWmGzYfLtUPfTTj6XVUOxK0ZcNfw0LWiCbI4

Dave: Good news on the extra 400 pounds. OTT will have inspected and checked all they can. One item I do recommend YOU do is to connect a 4,000 pound trailer to your Audi. I am not questioning your driving skills. But I am suggesting that the new brake controller will need to be calibrated. Yes, OTT will work with you to do so, but it would be far better if you had worked with YOUR controller on the Audi in advance. One way to do this would be to ask your contractor friends to borrow a loaded trailer for an afternoon. I too have pulled loads for most of my life. But not with a new brake controller on my current TV. If you get there and yours is defective for some reason, you are stuck with a difficult problem that you should have known about in advance. Best wishes and good karma for you and Donna. PS: Ollie and I will be in Ruch, Oregon in early June for the ten day Applegate Open Paragliding Championship. If you are in the area look up I'll be flying a Red and Blue glider!

Thought I would add my completed curtain rod project. I used Overland's style so the rod would be a little higher to decrease the chance of another mark on my bald head. I drilled a 1/16 inch pilot hole, used a countersink to smooth hole to a little bigger that 5/32 inch. Then drilled a 5/32 inch hole in center of countersink. 5/32 inch is the suggested pilot hole for a # 10 machine screw. Sealed everything with 3M 4200. The machine screws worked perfect with no cracking of gel coat and everything pulled up tight.

We bought an ebike for my wife Susan about a year ago, and she really likes it. I have done a lot of cycling. I commute to work by bike, and when I was younger and fitter I completed week-long 500 mile supported cycle tours, over about eight summers. We like to ride together, often on the Jordan River Parkway here in SLC, and when especially when we are camping. However, Susan struggles on even a modest hill, which limited us to fairly flat routes, such as the Jordan River Parkway. I tried to convince Susan that she should get an ebike, but she said she was not interested. Then a year and a half ago our bikes were stolen off of the bike rack on the back of our trailer. The trailer was parked in front our house, and I put the bikes on the rack the night before so that we could make an early departure. There were four cable locks on the bikes, (two from the bike rack, and two more), but a bolt cutter makes quick work of cable locks. Statistically Salt Lake City is a low crime area, but stuff happens. We were bummed. Susan’s bike was cheap, but my bike was expensive. I commute on heavy bikes that have lights, rain fenders, and a rear rack to carry panniers (saddle bags). The panniers carry my briefcase, my laptop, my lunch, and a change of clothes, and weigh 20-30 pounds, so it doesn’t make any sense to have a lightweight bike. The bike that was stolen I called my “weekend ride” bike, and it was an expensive LeMond carbon fiber bike that I bought before my second cycle tour. I was really bummed. However, our homeowner insurance covered the theft. Susan’s bike was cheap, but they valued a comparable replacement carbon fiber bike at $2900, more than double what I paid for mine (on special sale) in 2005. The insurance also covered the accessories: pump, water bottle cages, under seat tool carrier, etc. So we had some money to spend on new bikes, and we revisited the ebike question. Digression. Our insurance claim went smoothly, in part, because we had good documentation, sales receipts, and photos of the bikes. ebikes are expensive, and if you buy one keep these documents where you can find them. I have stored the scans of sales receipts and photos of the bikes on my Dropbox. So I wanted Susan to get an ebike. She said no, that she would like to get into better physical shape so that she could get up hills on a regular bike. My counter argument was “you couldn’t get up hills when you were 25 years younger,” and based on this rational argument she relented and we started doing research on ebikes. As Pete said above, there are two types of ebikes. He got the “pedal assist” type, where you must pedal. The other type is called “throttle,” and while you can provide power by pedaling, they can also go without pedaling much like a motor scooter. Susan got a pedal assist bike. Like regular bikes, most ebikes have gears. This allows you to determine how many pedal revolutions provide so much power, whether you are using electric assist or are going solely on pedal power. There are two types of gearing systems, an external derailleur (like on most current 10-speed bikes), and an internal gear hub (like those on the 3-speed Raleigh bikes of my youth). I initially wanted the external derailleur because I was used to them, and I knew how to adjust them. As I learned more, I discovered that the modern internal gear hubs are extremely reliable, and that they are completely protected from water, dirt, and grime. We ended up getting an bike with an internal gear hub. There are also two locations for the drive motor, either in the bottom bracket (between the pedals) or in the rear hub. Both types have advantages and disadvantages. The bike we selected had a mid-drive. Another variable is where the battery is located. Most ebikes have a removable battery, but some have it built into the frame. I think the non-removable batteries are a strong negative, because you have to plug directly into the bike to re-charge the batter. I think people like the non-removable batteries because they don't look like a “cheater” bike. (We camped at Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon this summer. We visited the fort and were returning to our locked bikes when someone shouted “who has the cheater bike?”) The removable battery can be located on the down tube or on a rear cargo rack. Some people prefer the battery on the down tube as it has a lower center of gravity. Single track mountain biking is very popular around here. When we were shopping for ebikes we saw a lot of full suspension mountain ebikes, designed for trail use. If we were interested in single track riding I would definitely get a down tube mounted battery. The bike we got has the battery in a rear cargo rack, and we have been happy with having the cargo rack. When we ride to the farmer’s market we attach a milk crate with bungee cords. I carry the panniers on my commuting bike which has a rack, but the panniers will fit on this ebike rack. When camping, we put a small trunk bag on the rack for our rides. This trunk bag is insulated, and a blue ice keeps our lunch cold. Finally, and most importantly, test ride any bike. You need to make sure the frame size and geometry are comfortable for your body. There is a reason that serious cyclists spend a fortune to get a frame custom fitted to their dimensions. Also, don't worry if the saddle, or seat, is not comfortable. Many people buy a bike they like and replace the saddle. We bought a Kalkhoff Agattu B8 ebike. Susan wanted a step thru model (what as kids we called a girl’s frame). This bike has the Bosch Performance Line motor, the Bosch PowerPack Li-Ion 36V / 13,4 Ah (500 Wh) battery, and a Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub. It has a predicted range of 68 miles; we have never come close to running out of power. The controls on the computer are intelligent and easy to use. The bike has a number of features, including fenders, front and rear lights, and in integrated rear wheel lock. Susan really likes the saddle (seat), which is a large gel saddle atop a suspension seat post. I thought this suspension seat post was weird, but Susan really likes it. It has been a year and half since we bought the ebike, and it is amazing how many more ebike stores there are now in SLC. We had to go 40 miles to a distant suburb to get the Kalkhoff bike. Part of me worries that we bought too soon with an advancing technology. But another part of me knows that ebikes have been used for quite a few years in European cities, and I think the technology is fairly robust. Susan mostly rides without any electric assistance, and thus gets a cardio workout, but turns on the assist when she is going uphill. Her bike has the same four levels of assist that Pete mentioned, Eco, Touring, Sport and Turbo, and she mostly uses Eco. We have really enjoyed riding up City Creek Canyon, which is a paved road through protected watershed, very close to our house and to downtown Salt Lake City. It is a 7 mile ride, all uphill, through a beautiful canyon with periodic picnic tables. They have a good system. Pedestrians are allowed every day, bikes on odd days of the week, and cars on even days of the week. Susan could never ride up City Creek Canyon before she had an ebike. While Susan got a very expensive ebike, I replaced my weekend bike with a more modest Cannondale Synapse aluminum frame bike that was on deep discount at REI. While it is not as lightweight, or as expensive, as my old LeMond carbon fiber bike, it does the job. I am no longer doing regular 80 mile rides, so I didn't think I could rationalize a really expensive bike. When we bought the new bikes we agreed that we needed to get good locks. So I spent time researching bike locks, which is probably not a surprise to anyone who reads my posts. Websites with good discussions of bike locks can be found HERE and HERE. Basically any lock can be cut by a sufficiently determined thief with appropriate tools. The better locks are 1) more expensive, 2) heavier, and 3) and have larger diameter steel that makes it more difficult to cut through. So it is a tradeoff between weight and price vs. protection. I wanted to get two types of locks. The first is a chain to lock the bikes to the trailer bike rack, and the second is two U-Locks to carry on a ride to lock up at a destination. For each type I downloaded data from the bestbikelock.com site on chain locks and on U-locks, and put the data into spreadsheets. The spreadsheets have thickness of the steel (important!), weight, dimensions, and protection score. I added prices from Amazon. For the chain lock I purchased the OnGuard 8019L Mastiff 6' x 3/8" Quad Chain Lock. It has 10 mm thick chain links, a Gold protection score, and its 6 foot length seemed perfect for my purposes. It is just long enough to go through both bike frames and around the bike rack. For the U-Locks I purchased two Kryptonite Evolution Mini-9 Bicycle U-Locks, which have Silver protection scores. I purchased them directly from the manufacturer so that I could get both locks using the same key. Keyed alike locks can be a real convenience. We camped at Zion National Park two weeks ago, and brought our bikes. After setting up our campsite, we walked through the entrance station and saw a small sign that said “No eBikes in Zion NP.” I asked several rangers about this, and they seemed to not know why. “I think the policy is under review.” “I don't know why they have that policy.” We are law-abiding types, so we were disappointed. But after we saw a number of people riding ebikes thru the campground, we decided to be scofflaws and rode our bikes on the paved Pa’rus trail down the middle of Zion canyon. It was spectacular, and here are a few photos.

Get the shorter wheelbase model. Unless you were going to tow a very large/ heavy trailer you will never see any stability difference. If you started talking about a short SUV, say 100” WB, that is a very different story. John Davies Spokane WA

Like Bill I'm no expert or engineer regarding these questions, but do have quite a bit of experience towing my with 2013 F150 and the Elite II. Allow me to add my wheelbase is 156" however. Lariat Super Crew with 6.5' bed. It is a long truck but its also worth pointing out it really is not that difficult to park either but it does require some practice and getting used to in order to be proficient in smaller parking lots. By comparison we can park our 2017 Subaru Outback effortlessly in an instant. The long and short of it is, I have no regrets what so ever with the length of this truck and if doing again would purchase the same configuration for a litany of reasons. The short beds simply put does not offer enough room IMHO to be usable enough for my needs, and the Super Crew cab is awesome with its additional room and fairly easy access. Regarding stability Bills experiment is interesting and not what I would have thought. FWIW I do not have a WDH, nor anti sway bars and don't feel the need for either given my towing experience thus far with this truck and camper. Its worth noting I have had to perform emergency maneuvers on several occasions as well. In fact just a few days ago while driving back home from a trip to the southwest shortly after entering the Madison River Valley here in MT in the pitch dark of night a deer jumped right out in front of me forcing me to slam on the brakes with a quick avoidance steer only to find yet another deer this one laying dead in the middle of the road. I only had time to make a split second decision to straddle this deer rather than make a very wide swing around it. Thankfully it worked due to the high clearance of both truck and camper. Most travel trailers would not have been able to accomplish this without some damage most likely. My advice, buy the truck you need and want, and forget about parking issues. You'll be fine. Hope this helps.

I’ve often wondered why no one has come out with this before, perhaps partnering with someone like Tesla to make it happen. Going a step further, if you add a stability control system to the trailer that links to the car, then you could completely eliminate trailer sway.

One of the things that amazed me while living in Europe were the lightweight travel trailers and small tow vehicles, often just a small car. This would take all the fun out of honing your backing in skills! Mike