Steph and Dud B

News story from CO: https://kdvr.com/news/local/camper-catches-fire-in-golden/ Two seriously injured. Looks like a private residence on Google Maps. Hope they're OK.

Nah. I taught video/film production for 19 years. Feels too much like work to me now. 😁

Me, too.

On our other trailers I just flipped the water heater circuit breaker off when the tank was empty, to prevent that mishap. But here's a thought: on our 2022 the water heater and fridge are on the same 20A breaker. So, we couldn't do that with this trailer.

We downsized from a 5th wheel and put a Diamondback cover on our dually. Secure storage underneath and bike racks (or whatever) on top. But it would be a hassle to remove when you want to haul your horse trailer.

That's assuming the power being supplied is stable. On the other hand, in a full hookup campground with marginal power, you can turn the AC element off during the heat of the day - when others' air conditioner use has driven the campground voltage down - and run your water heater on gas only. Then, in the morning when the voltage is nominal again and your wife wants a shower after you, you can flip the AC element back on for a faster reheat and shut it back down after her shower. Been there, done that many times. Well worth the inside switch.

Nice work!

Congratulations on your retirement! My wife and I will be right behind you, leaving the profession at the end of the first semester of 2023-24. Make sure you bring the correct ball hitch and some wheel chocks. (Chocking before unhitching is critical, as @Rivernerd said.) Some levelers. We use Lynx "Lego" blocks but you can usually buy Anderson levelers at Oliver (although they might be cheaper elsewhere). Bed linens and pillows. Utensils. Toiletries. Some basic tools (Harbor Freight has a decent little toolkit for $34: https://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/tool-sets/tool-set-with-case-130-piece-64263.html). You can leave the whiteboard markers and gradebook at home!

We use a Fort Knox hitch lock. Not as pretty as a Proven Industries but just as tough and a little less expensive. Bulldog Sliding Collar Coupler Lock Includes Cobra-Sidewinder puck lock- BOLT CUTTER PROOF!!! https://a.co/d/gkBIplM I also loop a large padlock through the two safety chains and attach them to the front basket so the trailer can't be dragged by the chains.

Failure cause found. I've installed a few TVs and the mounts often come with some spacers to go between the mounting plate and the TV - to account for obstructions, curvature, etc. Careful examination of our TV and mount reveals that the wings of the mounting plate itself are bent slightly upward. Look carefully at the TV back and the plate mounting screws in this picture and you can see it. Tightening the screws at installation pulled the center of the TV against the center post, causing two of the mount points to pull out through the plastic TV back on the left of this photo. Two possible solutions for the new TV: disassemble and try to flatten the mount plate, or install nylon washers or rubber spacers between the plate and the TV to stand it off away from that center post. https://pointerclicker.com/where-to-put-spacers-on-tv-mount/#:~:text=Report Ad-,Do I Need Spacers for TV Mounts%3F,the back of the TV.

Hmmmmm. Something to consider as well.

OTT is sending us a replacement TV under warranty. We'll travel with the TV in the down position from now on. Our last fifth wheel had a TV mounted in the viewing position without problem for years. I think the TV mount points are designed for a shear force rather than a hanging force.

There's actually not much you can do with the auto adjusting Dexter brakes. You can back them off, but the auto adjuster will just put them back to where they were. However, you might be able to lower your brake controller power setting to eliminate the skidding. Our 2022 was dragging one brake as you describe and I was able to lower the brake controller setting enough to stop the skidding, but still have enough braking power overall. Our Ollie's brakes are very strong and require a lower setting than our previous trailers.

Following. Very interested.

Further info: both fractures are on the passenger side of the TV - the same side the cable bundle rests on while the TV is folded up. The cables aren't very heavy, but wondering if that's enough to accelerate the damage on that side. Now convinced the TV should be in the down position while traveling.

The rear of our Vizio TV is developing multiple cracks radiating out from 2 of the mounting screws in the back of the TV. I'm assuming these are stress fractures from flexion while traveling. Trailer still under warranty, ticket submitted, will see what happens. These cracks are hard to see if you're not looking for them.

The inverter shouldn't have any effect on the 12v outlets. They run directly off the batteries. Sounds like an issue with the outlet itself, or the wiring connection to it. First, look up inside the 12v socket/outlet. There should be metal around the perimeter of the side wall and a separate piece of metal in the center of the bottom of the socket. Those are your 2 connections to the plug (- on the side and + on the bottom). Is all that metal shiny? Not corroded in any way?

Tow rating: You need to subtract the weight of any passengers or cargo in the tow vehicle from the tow rating, which is calculated with the weight of a driver only. Also subtract any fluids or cargo in the trailer. Ex.: 5000# tow rating - 3700# dry weight - 150# passenger - 50# cargo in the vehicle - 266# fresh water - 200# food/clothes/etc. in the trailer = 634# capacity left. Gross vehicle weight is the curb weight of the vehicle, plus whatever you put in the vehicle, plus the tongue weight of the trailer.

I think we'll stick with our kayaks. Now, if we're talking any replacement mode of transport, there are some really nice Class B RVs out there. I like their flexibility/mobility (although I have to question their practicality).

There's a reason pilots use checklists. Every flight.

We use an app called Check Off for our lists. I exported our preflight list as a CSV file here so it can be opened by other applications: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nAse-4wJWtPWX7akFvRi8jG1lTG0NWpS/view?usp=drivesdk

That's like saying your expenditures will always rise to meet your income! I think there's a direct correlation between those 2 theorems.

Good luck (and good choice on the burgundy graphics 👍)!

Genius!

We used these: https://a.co/d/fZyEGex but found they were a bit too strong. The bathroom door flexed too much when releasing, so I added a clear silicone bumper to one of them for a bit of separation.