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Yes, I have been absent from the Blog scene

Posted 04-23-2019 at 04:45 AM by michealwhela
Updated 04-23-2019 at 04:49 AM by michealwhela
Tags tiffin, travel

For those that have been following my musings and rantings I thank you and I apologize for my absence. It started innocent enough. One of our winter snowbird trips had very poor internet connection. After a month of connections so poor I could not get email except for going to Mcdonalds or the library I got out of the habit. My regular blog Whelans on the road | Blog | RV Travel | Snowbirds | Motorhome had an off line ability and I focused on that. My bad... Anyway I am back and hope to stay...
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Spring, sun and no snow. Time to get out the RV

Posted 04-30-2015 at 09:07 AM by michealwhela
Updated 05-05-2015 at 02:42 PM by michealwhela (Up date)
Tags mainenance

It has been a long winter. Winnie, our motorhome has been stored in a heated warehouse for months now. Each month I would visit, drop off a few items, check batteries, run the generator and heat pump and dream of warmer days. Yesterday I repeated the same routine and to check when I could get her out for the season. As the owner was going to be out of town for the next few weeks he said let's do it tomorrow. I agreed to a time and he would get a clear path to back her out.
Today...
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Yes you can weld plastic! Repair of the Rock Guard.

Posted 03-17-2015 at 04:24 AM by michealwhela
Updated 03-17-2015 at 04:29 AM by michealwhela

The outdoor temps fell below zero....again. With the wind there was no way I was going to spend any time hiking the hills so off to the garage to tackle a welding project. Yes, fixing the cracked plastic shield of the Blue Ox Rock Guard should be an interesting experiment. I have done some welding of broken plastic parts before. But those projects were small pieces not a large smooth surface.

I started with a good surface cleaning of both sides. My careful inspection of the...
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Tow bars and fancy fireplaces

Posted 03-02-2015 at 05:44 PM by michealwhela

When I purchased my used Blue Ox tow bar I presumed I would have to do some work on it. The tow bar was in beautiful shape. The base plate that cam with it was also in great shape. The rock guard, well it needs some help. As I had just installed the base plate of my choice I decided to E-Bay it out. I sold it to a gentleman in Florida for a fair price. I will apply those dollars toward a supplement brake system for the toad. As for tuning up the tow bar a quick call to the fine people at...
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Blood, bruises and base plates, mission accomplished.

Posted 02-08-2015 at 03:29 PM by michealwhela
Updated 02-08-2015 at 03:50 PM by michealwhela

Working on vehicles is an adventure. One that is not entirely without a few injuries and a little blood being drawn. Saturday afternoon provided the time to start installing the Rock Jock base plate on our Wrangler Toad. The adventure started with the removal of the plastic valance that Jeep puts on the truck to make it pretty I guess. That was the easy part. As I laid the somewhat bulky steel base plate on my stomach and rolled under the front of the Jeep to check for fit I discovered the frame...
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Success on the tow bar.

Posted 01-30-2015 at 05:51 PM by michealwhela
Updated 02-06-2015 at 04:55 PM by michealwhela (add information)

Craigslist is a pretty good resource. My search produced just what I was looking for. The couple were advertising a Blue Ox Aventa (10,000 pound capacity) tow bar and baseplate for a 2013 Jeep. They are switching from a motorhome to a Fiver and no longer have use for the Aventa. Problem was we are three hours apart and both short on time. They offered to drive half way for a meet. This was worth the trip this afternoon. I purchased a very good looking and well cared for Aventa tow bar, the base...
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Old

TOAD time

Posted 01-28-2015 at 05:30 PM by michealwhela
Updated 01-29-2015 at 10:38 AM by michealwhela

Yup, we bit the bullet and bought a Toad. I ran across a 2013 2 door Wrangler with a lot of warranty left as it only had 8200 miles on it. The rig is a beauty and works great in our northern winter snow. The next step is finding a base plate and tow bar. After that I will need to address a breaking system. As I researched the tow bars it looks like any good quality one will do the job. New ones are expensive. $800-$900 for a bar, $300 plus for a base plate, a grand for braking and a few...
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Time for some winter maintenance.

Posted 01-17-2015 at 05:38 PM by michealwhela

The weather finally broke today so I figure it was time to climb out of my cave and head over to the warehouse to see how Winnie handled our sub zero weather. I just received my new Xtreme battery smart charger and wanted to get that installed and pull out the chassis battery to test it and find out if it really is shot or just needed a good deep charge.

It was good to climb through the warehouse and work my way back to the coach. It was time for the usual checks. After walk around...
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To toad or not to toad

Posted 12-16-2014 at 05:45 PM by michealwhela
Tags toad

Without insulting Mr. Shakespeare with my lack of prose ability I wanted to borrow on his famous lines I saw the paraphrase as appropriate. I know, long line to say I am getting cabin fever. I worked on the spring road trips and have two of them half completed. During the planning my mind turned to the subject of the toad. No, not the wart covered little hoppy thing that eats bugs, but the one I would tow behind Whinnie. This last summers trips did convince us to consider the purchase of one....
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Winter Blues or Winter Do's??

Posted 12-05-2014 at 06:01 PM by michealwhela
Tags plans, travel, trips

I find myself sitting in front of the fireplace, feet up and considering the status of my favorite adult beverage. We recently experience a warm up. The outside temperature went all the way to 29 degrees and is supposed to hit 35 by this weekend. First thought, go get Winnie out for the weekend! Reality hits this is temporary, very temporary by Monday the snow is supposed to return and temperatures are supposed to head for the basement again. Getting Winnie out is a bad idea.

...
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November Storms and a warm warehouse

Posted 11-22-2014 at 06:09 PM by michealwhela

Today was going to be a trip to the cabin to do a bit of hunting. The past week has had a bit of snow but not as much as predicted. I figured it would be a good hunting weekend. Wrong again. Now it is freezing rain, ice and rain. So much for the hunt. The good news Winnie is tucked away in a warm dry spot. I had a little maintenance plus the monthly checks so this was a perfect time to take an hour and visit her.

The list is short. Check the batteries as they have not been on a charger...
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Winter Arrived

Posted 11-16-2014 at 05:21 AM by michealwhela

So much for the deer hunting plan. A snow and ice storm hit the area 3 days before it was time to leave making roads treacherous. The good news Winnie has a warm home and I had access to a cabin. Bad news was the storm left so much ice we had to postpose the trip.

Well, she is put away and I can get to her to do some winter projects. I did notice the solar battery charger on the roof was starting to delaminate. I had been wanting to upgrade to a larger panel anyway so now I have an...
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Change of plans, giving winter camping a try.

Posted 10-29-2014 at 12:43 PM by michealwhela

Now that I have found a warm dry place to keep Winnie, have it all washed and ready to store for a few months it occured to me that deer hunting season is only a few weeks away. Now is the time to prep it for the winter adventure. Clean and recoat the rubber seals, purchase a three sensor remote temperature monitor (one for freshwater compartment, one for black and gray water compartment and one for the pump bay) and install a 60 watt fixture in the water service bay. Next is to fill the propane...
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Winter is near

Posted 10-22-2014 at 05:07 AM by michealwhela
Tags storage, winter

Sooner or later we must fact the simple fact that winter will soon be visiting the neighborhood. For us that will mean the end of our short motor home travels. As we are not yet retired and the snow gets deep, really fast I went on the search to put Winnie in a snow free if not warm environment.

The search started with purchasing a piece of property and constructing a shelter. After 3 months of searching and pricing the total cost it became apparent we could not find what we...
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On the road again!

Posted 10-09-2014 at 05:56 PM by michealwhela
Updated 10-12-2014 at 06:11 PM by michealwhela (additional information)
Tags road trip

At last, work cooperated, the weather cooperated and the RV gods are with us. We loaded Whinnie this morning and pointed her North. Temperatures in the 40's and winds from the Northwest at about 15. Inland the temps were warmer but the winds higher so we decided to follow the Western shore of Grand Traverse Bay from Traverse City to Mackinaw City. This is only a two and a half hour jaunt so we managed to make it last four hours. We hit Charlevoix at about coffee time ( a tradition when traveling)...
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