The Birth Of Robert

[gmanako]

Well, after a bit of driving around. I am going to replace the springs (coils in front and leafs in back) because the Taco is hitting the bump stops (?). I had put the super springs on hoping that would be good enough, but with all the extras I had put on the camper, it weighs over 800 lbs. I think Jeff said 840. It rides alright and is the slightest tippy around turns and in the wind, but going over rough roads it is bottoming out.
There is a guy in town who does springs (Central Coast 4 wheel drive) and he said he can make me up some. I think he said (when I opted for the super springs) it would be around $1,200 bucks. We'll see. Meanwhile we are still going down to Morro bay this weekend to stay at the strand and will shake out the camping then. We always go there and have the trip down pat. 101 south and 1 north (there and back). The strand is right in town so we can always pick up supplies there.
We aren't going to bring my porta potti, it's too big. I think we will eventually get the pett system, but we wont need it in camp grounds anyway. I am going to replace the two closing latches on the propane tank and refrigerator, and the locking latch on the water fill with 3 keyed alike ones.
As far as the bed, as long as she makes it, I am fine with it. If I have to do it, it will be the bags..... unless I end up in the dog house for that .
I have a credit card that has "reward points" on it. I used them for a new camera. After that gets here I will be able to take more and hopefully better pics. I will also use Picasso to help resize them. I hear that program works well. ???
Rich, the way ATC works, your rig will be better than new when you get it back. Those boys do a great job.
Craig, Corelle is very dignified, and I cant break them. plus they are lite weight. set of 4 is $26.00 and has plates bowls and cups that will stack somewhat deciently and not scratch or crack. easy cleanning too.
Thanks for all the congrats!!!

Hi there,

you mentioned replacing the latch on your fridge (i'm assuming it's the dometic fridge you can pick as an option with your ATC). What kind of latch did you get?

thanks much,

gene (also in Santa Cruz)

 

[Kodachrome]

I did the key lock on the refg and propane tha same as the water and worked well over the years. But it is not leagal as I remembered.

I am debating on putting a lock on the fridge as it could be a target for tampering but the propane I am not so keen on. The main reason is safety in super cold weather. I have had locks bind up on me and I would hate to have that happen if I needed to get to it fast. Besides that, Marty told me it is illegal for obvious reasons.

But the fridge side, that seems like a good move to me, where does one find the locks?

I just got done with a week long trip, 3 days and nights in one spot to test out the solar / battery operation. Even on overcast days, that 85 watt panel just keeps it topped off. I never ran the engine and did run the fan, heater, lights, water pump and charge my phone / GPS throughout each day...the battery stayed fully charged, awesome!
Propane use was a tad higher due to cold snowy weather, as low as 14 F. So while on the road, I insulated the propane compartment, under the sink and behind the drawer above the water tank. Then I made really slick custom window inserts for the front slider and side windows. The latter has a slot for the vent knob and velcro open and close door for the louvered vents.

The Arctic Pack material for the upper has not even arrived yet and I am seeing some good gains in heat retention from my insulation mods.

 

[Kodachrome]

Another thing I have noticed is that the majority of the highest levels of heat come from the lower rear vent on the heater pointing towards the lower door jam. So I simply take the table bottom and wedge it in a diagonal to re-direct the heat and it works *much* better, see photo. I insulated both the outside and inside of the propane compartment since it is really just a sheet metal box within the galley area structure, I think it will help both in the Summer and Winter to keep things within temps.

I have also installed a proper digital thermostat in place of the stock Atwood one. It has an option for cooling so I am going to talk to one of my HVAC buddies and see what it would take to wire it to turn on the Fantastic Fan if the temp in the cabin gets too high. If it is too much bother, I will pass, but it would be great if it could work simply without being a pain.

 

[The Saints]

I live in Santa Cruz, California. Cold here is a rare 30 degrees, and that is rare. I don't usually go to cold places other than along the coast line and usually the cold there is because of fog, rain/mist or wind. So, I am not worried about my locks freezing up. Call it paranoid, but I don't want to take the chance of leaving my truck somewhere and coming back to an empty propane storage box.
As for where am I getting the locks? Since they are all three different sizes, I took them to the local lock smith and they measured them and have them on order. When they get in, they will call me and have them all keyed alike.

 

[craig333]

Never known anyone who had a tank stolen. If you have those type of people around I"d worry more about the whole truck still being there.

 

[Kodachrome]

Never known anyone who had a tank stolen. If you have those type of people around I"d worry more about the whole truck still being there.


I can see why he wants to lock it, but I am wondering about what the laws actually are state to state, can anyone chime in?

The Meth-heads like to poach propane tanks for making their drugs. Most of the stealing I have heard of is from the external tanks on trailers parked. As for the whole rig getting taken, I am having one of these installed very soon:

http://www.ravelco.com/

Unless it goes on a flat bed to a chop-shop South of the border, it's not going anywhere without that plug.

 

[The Saints]

if any of you grew up with my dad, you would be as paranoid as me, too. he taught me to lock it up and keep the innocent innocent. I dont live in a bad area, and to my knowledge there are no meth heads around. as for the law??? I will keep my old latch and fix it if i get a ticket.

 

[Kodachrome]

if any of you grew up with my dad, you would be as paranoid as me, too. he taught me to lock it up and keep the innocent innocent. I dont live in a bad area, and to my knowledge there are no meth heads around. as for the law??? I will keep my old latch and fix it if i get a ticket.


One of the main things that drove me from So. Cal besides pollution and crowds was getting equipment stolen from me twice. Once to the tune of $3,500 and the next for over 15K. I am truly as paranoid as it gets. Lots of my friends say I should get "Kodachrome Project" badging for my truck, I tell them hell no, I don't need to tell thieves where tens of thousands in gear is..

 

[marty]

You are not breaking a law by putting a lock on your refer compartment or your gas box. A manufacturer can not put a lock on those spots without opening thier self up for a big fine. I hope this helps. I call the guideline book the ansi if you are interested just ask and I will post the correct name of this booklet. Marty

 

[SunMan]

The previous owner of my Hawk put a lock on the tank clamp inside the tank compartment. I'm assuming all ATC/FWC campers are the same??

 

[Phird05]

kodachrome,

I have also thought about replacing my Atwood with a digital thermostat. Does everyone think the digital will be a little more consistent, and regulate the temps at a more even ambient temp? Is there anything particular about doing it, such as different wiring etc. or is it a simple change out. I haven't looked at the existing wiring yet.

Thanks for your comments.

Paul

 

[Kodachrome]

Thanks Marty,

Now that we all have our ducks in a row, I am on the lookout for locks, I would love to use these ACE cam locks on all three but like "The Saints" said, they are different sizes..

http://www.rvwholesalers.com/catalog/ace-key-cam-lock-ace-key-cam-lock.html

 

[The Saints]

I just got all three of the locks yesterday. They are all keyed alike, and installed for $24.00. Not a bad price for a small bit of security.