Author Archives: Jim

There Be Dragons …

Teardrop Trail Log: June 13, 2016

I guess I should be grateful we didn’t have more problems. If you think about it, trailering is an unlikely pastime, wherein one drags a small metal box on wheels at high speed over sometimes nasty, bumpy roads and expects everything to arrive at the same time. Then there’s the summer heat, rain, and wind — all of which can be extreme. Top it off by camping in the woods with open campfires, animal encounters and rutted trails masquerading as roads, and it’s a wonder things go as smoothly as they do. It’s a testament to the essential hopefulness and naïveté of the average camper. Certainly it describes our view of staying in the woods.

Repairing the antenna tube

Looking back, I understand our first several trips were usually trouble-free. Perhaps it was payback time. After a day of construction, rain, and detours, I thought we might have taken our lumps. As it turned out, we were just getting started. Day 2 dawned cool and overcast, and wonder of wonders, there was a Starbucks nearby. We went in and ordered, and within minutes I was in possession of the magic elixir. A Mocha. On the way back to the rig, I noticed that the antenna storage tube was askew. One of the supports had broken. Better fix it.

I decided to run our solar beer cooler while we were on the road. The day promised to be sunny, and I would have cold beer while setting up camp. Off we went through Paris, Texas, on our way to Joplin. Easy travel.

Dropping voltage

Since I was curious how much power we were generating and using with the beer cooler, I checked the voltage monitor every time we stopped. The battery voltage was falling slowly, suggesting the solar panel wasn’t keeping up, but nothing to worry about. Then during one of our stops, I noticed that the battery voltage had dropped by two volts. Not normal behavior. Considering the problem while we drove the next leg of the trip, I realized that one cell in the battery had catastrophically failed. This battery was toast.

We would have to find another. Marilyn got to work with the maps. As she plotted routes and queried the web, I mused on the rotten luck. What were the odds? Batteries don’t normally fail like this. On the other hand, it was over a year old. Maybe the battery maintainer wasn’t very good. Then, she announced her result. There was a Costco in southeast Kansas City, and going there would only take us a few miles out of our way. The camping gods had smiled.

We stopped at Costco, bought a replacement battery, and installed it in the parking lot to recover the core charge. Even so, we arrived at the Jacomo Campground by 7. Plenty of light to set up while Marilyn cooked a delicious dinner. Maybe we had finally paid our karma debt and could sail unconcerned into the adventure!

A New Battery

The Adventure Begins …

Teardrop Trail Log: June 12, 2016. Red Power Roundup trip start.

Building, modifying, cleaning, planning and packing complete, the day of departure finally arrived. If we didn’t have it, we didn’t need it. We left midday, intending to reach Lake Bob Sandlin State Park in northeast Texas by early evening. Marilyn had a route, and it looked like a great day for travel.

All went well for the first hour or two and we joined I-35 at Round Rock. It was Sunday and I commented on how well traffic was moving. I must have jinxed it, because we encountered the first construction shortly after around Salado, and it continued all the way to Waco. What should have been an hour took more that two. Not a great start.

American Lotus (Nelumbo lutea)

To avoid further construction, we turned onto Highway 31 towards Corsicana, reasoning we would see the back country, and go through a few quaint, small towns. The scenery was beautiful, and we encountered a vast expanse of American Water Lilies in Henderson County between Trinidad and Malakoff. We pulled into the roadside park to make photos. The sky was threatening however, with consequences later in the day.

The sky threatened …

Turning north on Highway 19 at Athens, Texas, we were still making good time. Marilyn wanted to head northeast, more directly toward the state park. At Canton, we turned onto FM 17 (a two-lane “farm to market” road). More great scenery. Lush fields of hay with stands of tall pine trees dotted the landscape, set off by a dramatic sky. Although not Interstate speeds, we were sailing along when …

A fiery road-block near Fruitvale, Texas

We encountered a blazing car fire with traffic stopped in both directions. Sitting in the long line of cars for about 10 minutes, it was clear that it might be hours before the road opened. We had to go back. Now I had to turn our rig around on a narrow, two-lane road with no shoulders and no place to pull out — all with an audience of the several dozen.

Perfect.

Marshaling my best backing skills, I completed the U-turn in a few minutes. Thank goodness our rig is small. Anything larger and we would have been stuck. Retracing our steps back to Canton, we took I-20 West and re-joined Highway 19.

By now the light was fading, and we would have to set up in the dark. We’ve done it before, and it’s not so bad. Then it started to rain. Hard. Driving toward Sulphur Springs, the downpour worsened, with poor visibility as well. Perhaps a nice motel room would be best.

Reaching Sulphur Springs and I-30, we headed east toward Mount Pleasant. Marilyn called ahead and made a reservation. Arriving around 10, we loaded into the room in the pouring rain. Although low cost, a warm, dry room seems like a palace when compared with setting up in a dark, rainy campsite. Roughing it in a Motel 6 is still camping, right?

Mt. Pleasant Motel

Easy Leveling with an Atwood Stabilizer Jack

Jim, July 31:

The new storage box and galley table would certainly improve our setup and strike time, but I was sure it could be improved a little more. When we drive into a campsite, one of the first jobs is to level the trailer. Up to now, I used two scissor jacks (one under each rear corner of the trailer) and that worked well enough. Scissor jacks are fiddly and can be hard to use. They certainly aren’t quick. The light-weight jacks had to be extended by hand until they could be wedged under the trailer because they would “dance around” while turning the adjustment screw. They couldn’t be stored under the trailer. I thought we could do better.

Atwood Stabilizer Jack — Deployed

Looking around at other RVs, I learned about a “stabilizer jack”. Intended for leveling a trailer and designed to store under it, they seemed to fit the bill. A quick cruise on Amazon, and we had a candidate — the Atwood 82301stabilizer jack. I ordered a set of three. One for the tongue and one for each rear corner.

The Atwood stabilizer jacks can be either bolted or welded onto the trailer. My friend Jason at Vintage Motor Car agreed that welding would be best. A day or two later, they were installed. A little black spray paint, and the job was done.

Atwood Stabilizer Jack — Retracted

The jacks hide under the trailer when not in use, and only take a couple inches of ground clearance. Deployment is easy. Pull into the site, swing the two rear jacks down into the locked position and then deploy the front stabilizer jack the same way. The trailer sits pretty low to the ground, so occasionally I dig a little ground out from under the jack before it swings into place.

Jack handle in use

The final step is using the steel handle to adjust each jack’s height while watching a bubble level. The recommended jack handle (purchased separately) is rather short and will only install in the jack if all the holes are perfectly aligned — not always the case. A “heel” pry bar with a tapered end is both longer and will work with less perfectly aligned holes. The 16-inch pry bar (purchased in a set of four for $12 from a Red Power Roundup tool vendor) was the perfect size. Amazon has a similar product from about $25.

Pry Bar Set

Each stabilizer jack has a 650-pound work capacity and a 1000-pound support capacity. They measure 11 1/2-inches retracted and extend to 17 3/4-inches. I carry an assortment of wood blocks from 1/2-inch to 3 1/2-inches in thickness to account for sloping campsites. Also, I carry one scissors jack for unforeseen circumstances from pulling a stuck trailer hitch to changing a tire. That satisfies my “belt and suspenders (and belt)” approach. So far, we’ve been able to meet every camping challenge!

Pry Bar vs. Atwood jack handle

New Countertop for the Galley

Jim, July 24:

Trailer kitchen in the living room.

The Problem

Over the last several trips, I realized we were spending a lot of time setting up and striking each campsite. The lack of storage was corrected with the tongue box, but the Timber Creek Camp Kitchen took too long to set up. We needed another surface for the stove. I began to think about a counter that would hang on the galley edge.

There were several criteria. It had to attach with little modification and compliment the style of the teardrop. It had to store easily and be strong enough to support a two-burner stove with pans and skillets. And of course, it had to set up quickly. The raised lip at the back end of the galley could be used as an attachment point, but without legs supporting the other end because of the trip hazard. The best solution was to cantilever the counter with support from the underside of the trailer. Time’s a wastin’!

The Build

Initial mockup

I cut a 21-inch by 26-inch piece of birch plywood. This was the largest surface that would mount in the hatch opening without interfering with the galley storage. It was long enough to support our camp stove with a propane bottle. Next, I cut 9-inch pieces of 3/4-inch steel strap and bent one end to form an “L”. These fit into the gap between the galley countertop and hatch lid while attaching to the plywood. Using a couple of clamps, I mocked up the proof of concept. Success!

Trial fit of support pattern

Now for the cantilever supports. I wanted a design that would fit our teardrop. I drew a shape on a scrap of masonite and cut it with a saber saw. A trial fit with the table mockup looked promising, but I would have to match the curving shape of the trailer exactly. Several rounds of cut and fit were needed. Houston, we have a pattern.

I used the pattern to cut two pieces of plywood. Time for an edge treatment. I routed a 1/2 by 3/8-inch rebate in a piece of birch 1 by 2. This would cover the plywood laminations on the edge of the table, flush with the top. A table saw and a 45º sled made quick work of cutting the birch edges to length. A quick glue-up and I was done for the night.

: Initial assembly

: Detail of edge treatment

: All glued up

Let’s Finish This

The interior of our teardrop is varnished, and the wood and polished aluminum go well together. I sanded all the table parts and coated them with boiled linseed oil. We were running short of time before our trip, and the oil would protect the wood. I’ll add a more durable finish later.

: Folded table will travel in the galley

: Linseed oil finish

: Level and plumb

Linseed oil dried, I mounted the supports to the table with piano hinges. Another trial fit, and all was well. Folded, the table fits flat on top of the galley storage for transport. Finally, I drilled holes through the steel straps into the galley edge and threaded them for thumb screws. This prevents the table from detaching while in use. Level and plumb, the galley was ready!

Ready for camping!

Marine-Style 12 Volt Outlets in Our Teardrop

Jim, July 23:

One thing we learned on our trip to Big Bend, we needed more power outlets! With two smart phones, an iPad, a laptop, two cameras and other low-voltage doodads and geegaws, the two 12-volt and two 120-volt outlets that came with the trailer were simply not enough. Multi-outlet USB chargers helped, but added to the clutter in the cabin — especially at night. Also, the existing outlets were located on the aft interior and galley walls. Not convenient for charging while reading in bed.

Galley outlets

We had been working on a friend’s tiny house, and learned that the universe of 12-volt equipment has greatly expanded in the last couple of years. The tiny house was equipped with a marine power center, and offered 120/240-volt and 12-volt service. Just what was needed while at shore or underway. We equipped the tiny house entirely with 12-volt lighting, and easily found fixtures, light bulbs and other 12-volt outlets. With all the interest in solar power the number and quality of such devices is rapidly improving, and a trip to the Amazon store yielded several marine-style USB, cigar lighter and battery monitor fixtures.

USB power outlet detail

Fortunately, the Ambassador has hollow wood-paneled walls, so expanding the existing 12-volt wiring wasn’t too difficult. I simply replaced the two 12-volt cigar outlets with double and triple-gang devices on the back wall of the cabin and galley, while adding a pair of USB outlets on the forward wall under the cabin light. The marine system is nice because the 2 or 3 position panels can accept any combination of outlets and monitoring.

Now we can read in bed while charging our iPhones and other USB and cigar-lighter-based devices. Perfect!

: Interior — looking aft

: Interior — looking forward

: Cabin light and USB power outlet

A Trip to Krause Springs

Marilyn

Jim, July 22:

Marilyn was eager to connect with teardrop trailer enthusiasts and looked for groups we might join. The Southwest Teardrop & Vintage Trailers had a scheduled meetup in May and we decided to go. The three-day event was more than our time allowed, so we drove up for the day on Saturday. That way, we could make some new friends and check out Krause Springs at the same time.

Krause Springs

Located in the Texas Hill Country off Highway 71 on the way to Llano, the privately-owned, 115 acre park has been in operation since 1955. It’s on the National Registry of Historic Sites and has been owned by the Krause family for over 50 years. We happen to be on the right side of Austin, so it’s very close to our home, Roy Creek Ranch, northwest of Dripping Springs. We were there in less than an hour. It’s a beautiful park with camping, hiking trails, a butterfly garden and or course, the springs! One of the best swimmin’ holes in Texas, the springs ultimately empties into Lake Travis. With both natural and man-made pools, it’s easy to cool off on a hot summer day.

A tour of Teardrops

Marilyn had already contacted the group, and they were expecting us. They quickly found us a spot in the impressive line of teardrop trailers, and we spent the next couple of hours visiting with our new friends. Most of the trailers are custom crafted, and The Ambassador fit right in. There were a wide range of sizes an looks, and it was clear that everyone took teardrop camping very seriously. Our solar-powered beer cooler was a hit, and I was glad we had a special feature to show off.

: Rodger’s Teardrop

: Diane’s Teardrop

: Shelley’s Teardrop

Hiking the Springs

The initial flurry of introductions and tours completed, we had bite of lunch and decided to look around the park. We spent the next couple of hours exploring.

: Down to the swimmin’ hole

: A knotty problem

: Dragonflies

: House and Butterfly Garden

: Hangin’ out

: A butterfly feast

An Evening Potluck

Hikes, swims, naps and other afternoon activities completed, it was time for cocktails and a potluck. Marilyn had prepared some potato salad, and the overachievers in the group insured no-one left hungry. It was amazing to see what was produced in the tiny teardrop galleys: chips and dips, casseroles, slow-cooked pulled pork and a variety of desserts and more. An amazing day — lots of unique trailers and new friends!

Krause Springs Pool

A Solar-Powered Beer Cooler

Jim, May 31:

Tiny, Solid-state cooler

We were recently invited to the Southwest Teardrop & Vintage Trailer meet-up at Krause Springs and knowing there would be some cool trailers there, I wanted to add something unique to ours. Solar power is that not that common on teardrops yet, so it seemed a possibility. A couple of years ago, we purchased a little solid-state cooler from The Home Depot. It cost less than $30, and was shaped like an old Coca-Cola Machine. A similar product is available from Amazon, but without the Coke branding. Best of all, it could run on 120-volt or 12-volt power. Would our solar panel power it for a day?

Photo of the interior of a beer cooler with bottles and cans

Cools a 6-pack

We’ve traveled with the little cooler several times, and I routinely use it in my shop. It will hold a 6-pack in cans, or 4 short glass bottles. I’ve always got it filled with “cool ones”. I had never tried it on 12-volt power though. We also have a solid-state ice chest from Igloo, and it’s always in the car — perfect for keeping groceries cool during the hour-long trip out to the ranch. It draws about 6 amps at 13 to 14 volts (car running), so it’s not super power efficient. We once drained the car battery by forgetting to unplug it while the car sat in a parking lot for several hours. I guess that’s why I hadn’t ever tried the beer cooler on solar. Didn’t want to drain the battery.

Solar panel is removable

This was a different situation. Although the rig would be sitting idle for several hours during the meet-up, we would have sun available, and that might make it practical. I designed the solar panel to be removable, so it can be located in full sun while connected to the trailer electrical system (sitting in the shade) via a 20-foot cable. That should be sufficient to power the cooler and a a few other accessories during the day.

Well, long story short, it worked. Since we weren’t staying for the night, the Lady and the Ambassador stayed hitched and I located the solar panel on her windshield. The extension cable just made it to the normal panel connection on the trailer, and the cooler was plugged into the galley. By the afternoon, I had cold beer. The solar panel kept up just fine in spite of the partially cloudy day and occasional rain. Hmmm, now what else might we be able to power?

Current Galley

The Animals of Balmorhea

Teardrop Trail Log: March 30, 2016

Balmorhea is a unique desert environment because of the San Solomon Springs. Currently flowing at the rate 15 million gallons per day, this artesian spring is fed by an underground aquifer and rainwater from the nearby Davis Mountains. At a constant 72ºF – 76ºF, it makes for a brisk swim in the nearly 2-acre pool before flowing through a series of canals to the restored 3-acre Cienegas (spanish for wetlands). Then it’s on to irrigate a variety of crops from cotton to cantaloupes in the over 10,000-acre project. Chlorine-free, its crystal-clear 25-foot-deep central pool is a favorite with divers.

Comanche Spring Pupfish

Camanche Springs Pupfish

Originally dredged to improve irrigation flow in the 1936 Civilian Conservation Corps project that created the park, the Cienegas were partially restored in 1995 and then enlarged in 2011 in order to protect habitat for endangered species.

Pecos Gambusia

The Comanche Springs Pupfish and Pecos Gambusia, both listed as endangered, make Balmorhea their home. The Pupfish can be found in the pool, while they both can be found in the restored marshland.

American Coot (Fulica americana)

Many other species make their home here, including the American Coot, Red-eared Slider turtle, Texas Spiny Soft-shell turtle and a variety of other fish and birds. The Cienegas are quite special. A large, covered wooden deck overlooks the marshland, and there is a lot to see. With the crystal water, you can see all the way to the bottom, and watch the fish and turtles motor around the pool. Not a bad way to spend an hour or two. There is also an underwater viewing port, where you can watch the proceedings from an underwater perspective.

Cienegas with Red Eared Slider and Texas Spiney Softshell Turtle, and Pecos Gambusia

Some of animals are quite bold, and we had frequent visits from a Greater Roadrunner and several Desert Cottontails. I guess regular exposure makes us seem benign, and the roadrunner spent time with us each morning, looking around as if to say: “What’s for breakfast?”

: Accelerati Incredibilus (Geococcyx californianus)

: Sylvilagus audubonii (What’s Up Doc?)

Solar Power on the Teardrop Trail

In an earlier post, we described a simple solar system for the our teardrop. With only a 15-watt capacity, we needed to upgrade and did so last year. We’ve gotten some questions about our solar power installation on the teardrop, and I wanted to share what we’ve done. This a work in progress, but during our recent Big Bend trip, we never hooked the trailer up to shore power (aka 120 volt hookups) and used solar power almost exclusively. It’s important to state our goals however, we didn’t intend to replace shore power. Instead, we wanted to extend the practical range of our trailer, making it possible to use primitive campsites for days at a time. This is where solar power can really shine (pun intended) on a small trailer.

There are several elements to a solar system. At minimum, a solar panel, a storage battery and some kind of charge controller are needed. Additions include 120/240-volt capabilities like battery chargers and inverters. Our system is almost exclusively 12-volt. With it we run lighting and have the ability to charge multiple devices such as smart phones, tablets, a laptop and digital cameras. We even have the ability to run a few high current 12-volt appliances like an electric tea kettle intermittently. Our trailer has a 7500 BTU air conditioner (this is Texas after all), but that must be run on shore power.

photo of battery, charger and charge controller

Charge controller in place

Broadly speaking, there are two types of charge controllers: Maximum Power Point Transfer (MPPT) and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). Both have their advantages, but a PWM controller won in cost and efficiency for our particular application: hot, sunny climates and systems of 170 watts or less. An article with a more complete comparison may help with your decision.

Here’s what we ended up with:

Renogy® 100-Watt Monocrystalline Bendable Solar Panel (update: no longer available, but this panel is similar)
Renogy® 10-Amp PWM Solar Charge Controller (update: no longer available, but this controller is similar)
Interstate Group 27 Marine Deep Cycle/Starting Battery (available from Costco)
Jensen JMP-800 75-Watt Power Inverter (plugs into a 12 volt outlet for occasional use)

Fortunately, our trailer was built with dual wiring: 12 and 120-volt. There is 120-volt power in both the galley and interior, and a 12-volt outlet is available in the interior. I added a 12-volt feed into the interior cabinets to power a Ten-Tec Triton II amateur radio. Most of the installation work involved mounting the solar panel on the trailer’s roof. The charge controller was mounted in the galley storage adjacent to the battery. The trailer was already equipped with a small charger, and it charges the battery when we’re hooked up to shore power. The solar panel can be removed from the roof and located away from the trailer using an extension cord. This way, we can park the trailer in a shady spot while the panel is located in the sun. The photos show the mounting screw installation process.

: Tapping into the aluminum skin with a double-ended screw

: Re-mounting the screw with marine epoxy

Incandescent Bulb

The trailer came with 12-volt automotive light fixtures and incandescent bulbs.

LED “corn” lamp

These were replaced with LEDs resulting in a 75% power savings. As I mentioned, it is a work in progress, and I would like to add a second panel. There’s room on the roof, and that would double our capacity.

Mounting the panel

More Storage – A Trailer Tongue Box

Jim, May 17:

Bare trailer tongue

During the Big Bend trip, I started to think about refining our trailer and realized that storing jacks and other trailer equipment in the galley complicated our setup. A second storage area would make the galley more convenient and allow Marilyn to start our evening meal while I was setting up camp. I had seen boxes that mount on a trailer tongue, and thought that might be the answer. They aren’t hard to find, and I soon had one on order. Made by Better Built, and 34-inches by 19-inches and 18-inches high, it looked like it would just fit on our teardrop’s small tongue.

The new trailer tongue box

In hand a few days later, it looked great and didn’t weigh much — welded aluminum construction with a locking latch and power-assisted top hatch. Our trailer has a single rail for the tongue however, and it looked like the box was better suited to trailers with a “y” front hitch. Mounting the soft aluminum box on a single rail seemed like a problem — the first time it was leaned upon, it would bend. I decided to get some help from my friends at Vintage Motor to make a stout steel mount. Jason and I quickly decided to cradle the front and back bottom edges with 1 1/2-inch angle iron. These would be welded to other angle iron and attached to the 2 by 3-inch trailer tongue with bolts.

We set to work. After measuring the front and back box edge, Jason cut 16 and 34-inch pieces of 1 1/2-inch angle iron on a chop saw. By placing them under the front and back edge, we were able to mark the precise size and angle using a sharpie. Using these marks, he was able to trim the rails with a pneumatic cut-off tool, and round the rough edges with an angle grinder.

: Cutting support rails

: Does it fit?

: Removing sharp corners

Next, we cut brackets and holes and drilled them to accept the tongue bolts. They were then welded to the rails. There was one bracket per rail, and they were placed so that the rails would be centered on the trailer tongue with a bracket on each side. Finally we drilled four holes on the long rail, and two holes on the short one to mount the box.

: Cutting brackets

: Brackets welded to rails

: Nice weld

: Second bracket welded

Rails and brackets complete, it was time for a test fit. Everything seemed to work, so I set about drilling bolt holes into the trailer tongue. This is very tough steel, and it took awhile — even with the help of my grandad’s 1/2-inch drill. Now we could bolt the rails on, and set the box into them. Last, we drilled holes from the bottom, through the rails, and into the box. It was secured with six bolts as well. We’d had to “fudge” the fit to straighten to box and allow for lid clearance with the trailer, so the front rail was a little off-center. A trip back to the shop to adjust it’s length, and we were ready for paint.

: Drilling mounting holes in the tongue

: My grandad’s old drill

: Mounting the box to the rails

: We’ll make an adjustment to this rail

Now painted, it was time for the final installation. To protect the bottom from being dented, I’ll cut a piece of plywood to fit the inside. The box size seems proportional to the trailer — a lucky break. I was also pleased to see that the diamond plate on the trailer matches the box, both in pattern and rising to about the same height as the diamond plate on the trailer. Looks like a custom fit!

: Rails painted and installed

: Thinking inside the box

: Now for the box

: Finshed installation

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Krause Springs

A tour of Teardrops

Hiking the Springs

An Evening Potluck

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