My funny TROLL

OK everybody, I am going to have some real fun here!! I want everyone to meet my funny little blog Troll!! His name is Mike...

Isn't he about the silliest thing you've ever seen!! He flashes his blather on my blog, but I just delete his nonsense so you good readers don't have to see it....why you ask?? Well, because I can!! He likes to put down my simple life, tries to shame me into feeling guilty for being able to travel and camp out on BLM land, trying to make me feel like a bum. He has no idea that I have money galore, setting in CDs with Charles Schwab and Bank of America. That I don't choose to spend it is my choice, I don't need it! And because Mike the troll can't get published on MY blog, he is now attacking me on Glenns blog--tosimplify.net but Glenn is on to his antics as well, and just deletes him! Randy the Mobile Codger is onto Mike the flashing troll as well, but Randy lets his posts stay up for the most part, because Randy finds amusement in trolls like Mike!! Mike the goofy troll does not like Randy either... Mike the silly troll chastised me recently for buying a genset and battery charger from Harbor Freight, saying I was supporting the Chinese, rather than buying American made products....bet you all a dollar Mike the ignorant troll drives a Toyota or Nissan!! Mike thinks because I am doing work in Ace Hardware stores that I should buy from them......I don't work FOR Ace, just in the stores! Unfortunately, Mike the arrogant troll will post ANONYMOUSLY 99.9999% of the time....why?? What is he hiding?? I tried to pin him down on this once, and in true stupid troll style he said he was advised to stay anonymous......me thinks that was just more troll nonsense!! I truly hope that my silly troll Mike stays around and keeps posting to my blog, as I will just keep deleting his flashing, because he truly has nothing to say of interest....but I do find him amusing.....

Memphis bound

Been a long week here in Tennessee, and it ain't over yet!! Started out in Nashville then on to Goodlettsville, over to Waynesboro, up to Parsons and then later today headed to Memphis.....since we have to be in Oakland, TN next Monday, a few of us are just going to spend the weekend in Memphis rather than drive back home only to drive back to here on Sunday afternoon....doubt if we make it to Graceland, but likely will seek out some good BBQ!! It IS Memphis after all......and, rumor has it we are headed to north Georgia for a couple weeks of work in Ace stores there. May and June are to be very slow for us in Ace, but when the 3rd quarter gets here we are booked solid with reset work thru Christmas!

By then I will have the new trailer outfitted and ready to do some serious boondocking! A visit to friends in Cedar Key, FL is at the top of the list, then will likely head to Arizona again!! Maybe I'll swing down to the Dallas area and meet up with Debra and hang out a few days.....gotta find some BLM lands to camp at for free too!!

Sidetracked

Got called back to do more work in Ace Hardware stores in the Nashville, TN area, so the panelling of the STEALTH trailer is on hold, as well as the awning install. At this point, we don't know how long we are going to be in TN, but the need to make money far outweighs the need to finish up undone work on the STEALTH trailer!!

Have a new wiring harness for the solar panel on its way in, and am giving serious thought to ordering another 100 watts of solar to go up on the roof.....that would put my solar power at 200 watts, which would help tremendously in charging those 2 big amp hungry Lifeline AGM batteries!

On another blog that I follow, tosimplify.net the owner of the blog--Glenn--recently said he remains curious why there are not more people chucking the traditional sticks and bricks lifestyle with the mortgage and the car payments and property taxes and lawn care, and taking up our lifestyle of full time RV living on the open road.....the lifestyle IS readily attainable after all.....there are many reasons why more people don't do it:lack of money being the leading factor.....followed by how would one make an income while living/travelling full time in their RV??? What do you, my faithful readers, have to say about this?? I realize there are many other factors/excuses holding people back, but would love to hear from others what THEY have to say about this!!

Equipment---cost vs. usage

It seems that one of my readers thinks I bought crappy equipment in the genset and battery charger.....I guess he wanted me to go spend $1200. for a little Honda genset, and another $400. for a big 100amp battery charger...my question back to him is----WHY??? He thinks I'm likely to burn my trailer down running this low cost equipment!!

What he doesn't know is that the genset will never run on the inside of the trailer, and it will never run unattended! It will only be used to "top off" charge the batteries.....maybe 3, 4 hours a day, and NOT every day....my genset and battery charger came from Harbor Freight, and combined they were just over $165.....I know how to take care of equipment, and only a total moron would run the genset inside a closed space!!

This guy likes to put me down, and he doesn't even know me! This is why I have my settings on my blog set so that all comments have to be approved by myself.....99% of comments get published, but that DELETE key is specifically for this boobs comments....he doesn't like people like me who chose the simple life, even though I'm not costing this yoyo one cent in taxes or social security or Medicare/Medicaid, or unemployment, or anything else.......he just gets his rocks off putting people down that don't follow his way of life...what a loser. He doesn't get it, and never will...thankfully my DELETE key works great!

More mods..........

It has been a crazy few days this week!! Failures with new equipment, countless phone calls to manufacturers and Amazon.com and ordering more new stuff to replace goofs with existing stuff!! Turns out, Amazon.com hates returns!! But after an hour on the phone with them and Cobra, that made my inverter, success arrived and a new inverter is being shipped at no cost!

Unfortunately, a new wiring harness for the solar panels did not go that well!! Somehow when I hooked up the inverter, the wiring overheated to the panels, and the inline fuse blew....when I replaced the fuse, it blew again and literally blew the wires to the pigtail clear apart!! After 3 phone calls to the company I bought the panels from and the company that sold the panels to that company and then a call to the company that actually made the panels originally, well.....a new wiring harness coming from the charge controller to the panels is $87!! But, its something I have to have!! When the new inverter and wiring harness come in and everything gets re-wired and hooked up, I should be good to go!!

I also am putting up the panelling tomorrow morning!!

Its a nice light shade, Honey Birch they call it.....will make the trailer lighter with the natural light from the roof vent. And it will be better than looking at bare plywood walls!

Got the genset and batt charger too.....

This is yet another experiment, that I want to try in alternative energy....the solar works great, and the wind turbine works great as well, but the wind turbine has a drawback---you need to be parked AND the wind needs to be blowing!! The solar charges the batteries whether I am parked or rolling down the road at 60 mph, provided the sun is shining!!

With the genset/charger hook-up, I can top off the batteries in 4 or 5 hours and be good to go.....I never really run that much electrical load in the trailer anyway...a lamp, a small fan, charge the laptop or the cell phone.....maybe watch a DVD via the laptop.....if I'm stopped for a day or so somewhere with no hook-up, as is my preferred way to camp, then I have my power needs covered! Setting in the desert or setting at a roadside rest area, I can run my light and charge up my cell or laptop and watch a DVD while the fan blows keeping me cool, and no one is the wiser.

Mods continued.........

One thing I never got around to with the 1st STEALTH trailer, was doing something with the floor!! Fixed that issue with the new rig today!! Only spent $47. on this indoor/outdoor carpet!!

No, it wasn't a perfect job, but hey, no one will see it most of the time but me, so who cares!! Tomorrows project?? PANELLING!! That job will be a little tricky as well, since the interior height is 6'-6", and sheets of panelling are 8' high.....but will hide the mis-cuts with crown moldings!

Also, the new solar batteries are at the local NAPA store being charged up, since they came in pretty much dead!! Tried to charge up using the new solar panels, but I blew out the inline fuse.....also cooked the new 1000watt inverter!! Not real sure what happened, but I know its cooked!! Giving serious thought to saying the heck with the solar AND the wind, and just re-charging the batts with an onboard genset with battery charger hooked in!! Likely would not have to run genset more than 3 hours a day to top off the batts, and even then only every few days.....

Got to be in Tennessee next couple weeks doing the Ace gig, so need to get the panelling done before leaving!

The first modification.....

Having had various types of RVs in the past, one thing I really missed on the STEALTH camper was an awning!! Nothing like setting out under the awning early morning with a fresh brewed cup of joe, or in the heat of the afternoon with an ice cold Coors light!! I looked for a reasonably priced awning before for the 1st STEALTH camper, but to no avail!!

But alas, I must not have looked hard enough!! Found this beauty on Amazon.com and it will be perfect!!

It has been ordered, should be in this week!! It cranks in and out in under a minute, and will bolt right to the top rail of the trailer...will likely secure a 1" x 2" on the inside with lag bolts to give it a more secure mounting.....will be so nice to have an awning to give respite from the summer sun!!

The NEW rig!!

Here she is.........

Ain't she purty!! The guy must have done some things in it before he died, because the floor was filthy!! I got the new solar panels/batteries today , as well as the new turbine mast!

The turbine and mast need to be hooked up, maybe tomorrow on that...

So next step is to get started on finishing out this blank canvas!!

Stealth trailer REBORN!

I am happy to report I have found a new stealth trailer!! Almost identical to the first, with barely noticeable differences!! And it was at a great price-----$2000!!! It was setting in Marietta, GA and is in fact brand new, has 30 amp power, as well as a rooftop air conditioner! The guy that had bought it was planning to use it as a base for his RC planes hobby, but he unfortunately passed away in February, and never even got to use it!

He had spent $3700. having it built, but his wife offered it back to the builder, who contacted me.....I snapped it up fast, and it was delivered Tuesday.....its a beauty!! Pics coming soon....I look at it as a bare platform, to design the way I want! Changes over the first I had, lessons learned from it that will be changed this time around.....example--a larger propane tank on the tongue, to eliminate those EXPENSIVE 1 lb. LP cylinders used for heating.....linoleum over the floor rather than stain...possibly even carpet....

A new wind turbine mast is being shipped and should be in today!! The mounts for the solar panels are already in place, and new solar panels are expected today as well!! Bought a new wind turbine last week on Ebay, and it is here---a 400 watt 12 volt tri-blade.

On a temporary hiatus from work, but have to be in Tennessee the 16th of this month for a couple weeks, then the schedule is up in the air....gives me time to work on the new trailer.....

U2 I Still Haven't Found What Im Looking For Live From Milan

A little rock to start the day!! Like the song says, I still haven't found what I'm looking for either.......but I'm getting close!!

A nice surprise!!

A few weeks ago I had blogged that my old Ford pickup was severely damaged when I blew the water pump out in Albuquerque last August, scoring a cylinder....it was bucking and snorting and had poor acceleration, and was just a miserable ride! I had went so far as to begin looking for another vehicle, and had found a nice little Ford Ranger in really great shape, for a decent price.

But this past Friday, while in Joliet, IL doing a reset, I was setting in the truck at a Bob Evans with the engine idling, when a guy walked by and came over and started talking to me.......turns out he was a Ford mechanic at a nearby dealership, and told me he had heard the miss in my engine. I told him about my problem with the water pump. and he asked me to pop the hood and he would give it a looksy-----no charge!

Well, 15 minutes later, he tells me all I need is a tune up, a new rotor cap, and an idler bearing/pulley...$200. and 2 hours shop labor and he said it would be good as new, and likely last another 100k miles!! I asked him if he could do it that afternoon, and he said absolutely!

So, I followed him to the dealership and dropped the truck off, and he took me back to the Ace where I was working. True to his word, he called my cell at 3pm, and said it was all done, good as new! I got done at Ace, walked to the dealership, and he came out to the showroom and told me I was all set...total bill was $279.22 and it runs like it did when it was brand new!!! I mean, it runs smooth as silk!! I just can't believe my good luck sometimes!!