Long Lasting Heat and...
In discovering new ways to find hidden space in Eagle, we have purchased the
Black & Decker SDC850 Thermal Coffee Maker.
At this point, I loosely fitted the white pvc guide rail and rolled the scooter up onto the rack. With my partner helping me, we straightened the scooter out and we made more exact measurements. My concern was, the angle of the exhaust could have interfered with the fixed camper bumper (black). After testing, we had difficulty getting the scooter down off the rack and onto the ramp. The front tire got hung up in one of the wells of the rack. There was enough of a lip between the floor of the rack and the rail (3") to pinch the front and back tire, causing them to wedge.
My goal was to get the scooter up onto the rack, and down from the rack, independent of any assistance.
Black & Decker SDC850 Thermal Coffee Maker.
This model has a thermal carafe. We found it at an awesome price through Amazon.com. It was cheaper through them than the glass carafe model at Sears.
We secured it to the underside of the one cabinet we have that has an underside. It wasn't overly easy. But, we got it done.
I am bothering writing about this fantastic piece of plastic and metal because I was impressed with one thing...well, two things.
First, I love the blue lights of the buttons. Very purty at night.
Second, and most impressive, is the fact that when I made coffee at 10pm, it was still steaming in the carafe when I poured a cup at 10am the next day. Not hot, but warm. Steve's favorite temp.
(I like it hot.)
Worth it if you are looking for such an appliance.
And like to keep your coffee hot.
And like more space
And like blue lights.
LED Bulbs
In the past two years, I have had to replace more than half of my halogen ceiling lamps inside my Eagle. The GY6.35 bulbs were blowing out at a rate of one every 3 months; so, I finally bit-the-bullet and ordered 14 LED lamps to replace the halogens. I opted for the “warm white” effect. Initially, I ordered two @ $14.95 and paid an additional $3.90 for shipping. Although the web-store I purchased thru provided dimensions/specifications for the LED lamp I was purchasing, I figured I would just get two at first to make sure they fit with my OEM glass ceiling fixtures. Well the first two arrived today; and they fit and light just like the halogens. The immediate difference I noticed, is the lack of heat that the LED emits. As most of you know, halogens cast off enough heat to badly hurt you if you touch a bulb while lit (or even after a few minutes once it is off – they retain enough heat to fry an egg it seems). So, after successfully installing the first batch of LEDs, I just ordered 12 more to complete the switch-over. Since I spent more than $99.00 on this second order, I received free shipping. The overall cost will be saved in longevity and energy consumption. I highly recommend this “modification”…
http://www.lalightingstore.com/proled-3-6-watt-gy6-35-led-12v-ac-dc/
After testing the old bulb’s temp (158˚) and the new bulb’s temp (70˚), I know we made the right decision.
Let's Hope For No Rain
Less than a month to go...we are completing small projects and purchases necessary to hit the road, for real this time. All in all, everything is going smoothly and with minimal expense. Climbed into the truck Saturday afternoon to head north to visit family for the weekend, and dear hubby sees the awning was still out. He wanted to put it in. Now, if we could go back in time, he'd never have exited the truck.
As I sat waiting with the kids, I hear BANG! Hoping fervently that this noise's origin was anywhere but our campsite, I was quickly disappointed. A rapid knock on the window from a surprisingly calm Steve solidified my fears.
The awning arm had just snapped.
As I sat waiting with the kids, I hear BANG! Hoping fervently that this noise's origin was anywhere but our campsite, I was quickly disappointed. A rapid knock on the window from a surprisingly calm Steve solidified my fears.
The awning arm had just snapped.
Technically, the piston malfunctioned, and the force of trying to close against the stuck rod caused the support arm to crease and eventually, break apart. This rendered the awning unable to close, causing the weight of the now unsupported awning to hang. Luckily, it didn't rip from Eagle crashing to the ground in a tangled mess.
Steve smashed it up against the camper as best as possible, and we tucked away the scenario for the next 2 days.
This morning, upon examination, and several different thought processes, Steve decided that the best thing to do would be to remove the piston completely, which he did, and crank the arm back into place. Not completely back, mind you, as the arm that holds the whole shebang in place is now in two pieces. Fearful that the awning's secure placement could be compromised once we hit the road, Steve zipped over to the Depot to purchase some zip-ties (somehow we had none left of the 1000s we had last November).
The awning company is Carefree of Colorado.
So, now, we wait a bit to see how we will proceed. On the way through Pennsylvania, we'll look to get it fixed. Not a thought I am pleased with...hoping the cost won't be too ridiculous.
**Update. We traveled from this October 6th, 2012 break until we arrived in Virginia and had it repaired on Nov. 5th. We pulled into a repair shop in Staunton, VA, and 30 minutes later pulled away with a brand new arm, professionally installed, for free. All hail Jayco...for this anyway.
Filling in the Gaps
We have had this space behind our couch between that and the window. A good space for items to fall down into. So after talking about it for several months, Steve finally created a little table/shelf for the space. The whole project cost about $4.20. He used scrap wood from Home Depot and 2 dowels to create a very narrow table which slides in behind the couch and sort of wedges into the space between the window valances. He may paint it. It is just short of touching the couch so we'll keep our eyes open for a slightly wider piece. The quick, cheap project is working out quite nicely.
 |
| space |
 |
| construction |
 |
| very simple |
 |
| fits nicely |
 |
| add a plant and weather system, and done |
Custom Scooter Carrier for Jayco Fifth Wheel
Project One of Many
In March of 2012, Steve bought a new Yamaha Zuma 125. This was to save on diesel fuel costs as he traveled to and from Mohegan Sun for work. (At the time of this purchase, diesel was at $4.29/gallon...peaking at $4.49/gallon)
When we left Connecticut in October, 2012, Zuma was coming with us, so we needed to give it a seat.
We had limited space on our 2011 Jayco Eagle BHS; however, we had an Original Equipment Manufactured storage rack.
This is the basic OEM storage rack that came with our Eagle, and is rated for 250 pounds.
The Zuma dry weight is 248 pounds.
A perfect match.
Measure twice, cut once.
I used two 4x4 pvc fence posts which acted as a guide for the tires. I chose these posts because they cleared the front brake disc (the distance between the front brake disc caliper and the center kick stand). {Originally I had chosen pressure treated 6x6 pieces of wood, but when I dry fit the Zuma to the wood, on the ground, I could see they would not clear.}
It should be noted, when the bike is compressed on its suspension system (using tie-down straps), the center kick stand/frame will make contact with the pvc posts.
Since living on the road, we only have hand tools. So I used a hacksaw and a piece of sandpaper.
My goal was to get the scooter up onto the rack, and down from the rack, independent of any assistance.
To correct the above problems, I installed a 2" thick board (dark wood) with a 1 1/4" board allowing the scooter to sit at an angle and making it easier to back the scooter off of the rack and onto the ramp easily.
The pvc cylinders in the photo (left-over piping from our winter septic design), and the smaller pvc posts (left-overs from larger post cuttings) were used as spacers. I left these in the final design to take up any slack that may occur from shifting/vibration from traveling. To prevent these from bouncing out while traveling, I screwed these in from underneath using regular wood screws.
Here, I drilled 8" lag bolts into the posts, to minimize lateral movement of the scooter tires. These were drilled straight through the rack.
Here you can see the exhaust with the heat shield. I was concerned this would not clear the bumper.
The bike is free-standing at this point. No kick stand, no straps. Just friction of the 2 pvc posts.
To attach the ramp, I removed the center, vertical, metal, oem guide post from the rack; once removed, the gap created, fit one side of the hinged ramp, perfectly. A few bungy cords; to keep it in place.
Ratchet straps pull down and compresses the center kick stand onto the pvc. The white spacers have been painted black.
Finished product.
So far, we've traveled from Connecticut, to Ohio, to West Virginia, to Virginia, to Florida, and to Louisiana; approximately 5000 miles, and no issues.
To keep en eye on this custom Zuma rack while we travel, we installed a dual color camera system with sound.
Come back to see this install.
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