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Old 07-09-2020, 12:04 AM   #1
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Taking a break

Trailer is sitting in my driveway at home. I've booked it in for a fridge fix when we get back from family getaway.
Currently sitting in front of a gas fireplace on a timer and watching MSNBC ( don't have that channel at home ).

I have the heat turned up for my cold, old bones. To my right is a wide expanse of sandy beach and a receding tide.

Wife crashed in the king bed, but that's OK, I have four dozen beer and a fridge that works.
My guess is that this suite is larger than my house, but I'm secure in the knowledge that I don't have to vacuum the floors.

I'm going to have to sit down with a calculator and figure out how many weekends like this I could afford if I sold the trailer and left repairs and maintenance behind.
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Old 07-09-2020, 06:58 AM   #2
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Where?

So where are you at? It's sweltering, nasty hot where I'm at.
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Old 07-09-2020, 08:33 AM   #3
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How much beer are you down to now?
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:37 AM   #4
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So where are you at?

Beach Club Resort in Parksville on Vancouver Island. High today around 64 f.
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Old 07-09-2020, 10:52 AM   #5
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Sounds great — Enjoy yourself
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Old 07-09-2020, 03:40 PM   #6
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So where are you at? It's sweltering, nasty hot where I'm at.
We are doing our best to break an all time record. Syracuse, 30 miles south of us has had its 13th 90°F plus day - the average for the year is 8.

We are a little cooler here on the shore of Lake Ontario, but it is 91°F outside right now. Of course, living on a large cool (68°F today) lake there has been no need for whole house AC (at least there wasn't up until the last 5 - 10 years), and since I have baseboard hot water heat, no easy way to install it.

While a couple of mini splits would do the job, I'm looking at the Fall until anyone wants to deal with it. The window unit is going full force.

We have a 14' pipe 2 miles out in Lake Ontario as a water intake. They just announced a save water order for the area. Seems we are hitting the water treatment plant harder than it can produce.
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Old 07-09-2020, 04:29 PM   #7
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Heat is on

I gave up and sold my sailboat in 2013 after the summer of 2012, where in Madison, WI we had 40 days of 90F & above. Day sailing on inland lakes was just too hot to handle. This looks to be another hot summer here, again, & I have my window rattler AC turned up to 11.


Tropical humidity outside today.....75 F dew point. sounds good.
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Old 07-09-2020, 06:06 PM   #8
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Talking

And at "Q" right now it's 110*f.
The weather guessers are predicting for Sunday a high of 118* and a low of 92*

The only people boondocking around "Q" right now are there to escape their parole officer.

Stay cool:

Sam
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Old 07-09-2020, 06:10 PM   #9
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Q

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And at "Q" right now it's 110*f.
The weather guessers are predicting for Sunday a high of 118* and a low of 92*

The only people boondocking around "Q" right now are there to escape their parole officer.

Stay cool:

Sam
Are you there?
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Old 07-09-2020, 07:41 PM   #10
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I'm going to have to sit down with a calculator and figure out how many weekends like this I could afford if I sold the trailer and left repairs and maintenance behind.
You have a point, Glenn! Reading the many threads on this forum, I can't help but wonder the same, (though I suspect you're just kidding.) COVID and my own ignorance are taking such a big bite out of my finances, as well as the two-year warranty - this before I've done much of anything! I traveled to Chilliwack and back, then spent the winter getting everything needed together for three-season trip to Quebec and back- which will have to wait until next Spring, if then. A generous friend made useful modifications, the trailer mattress is now more comfortable than the one in my bedroom is, and the kitchen's more organized than the one in my house ever hoped to be . ) THEN, about three weeks ago, I lost my newly replaced, tow/spring bar somewhere along the highway to New Braunfels, where my daughter and I went tubing. We heard it fall, drove to a safe shoulder, then drove up and down that portion of the highway looking - once and then back again through heavy traffic - to no avail. Someone else evidently saw it in the road and thought it was a safety hazard. Lovely trip otherwise, but what a cost!

Lots of larger tow/spring bars out there, yes, but none for Husky Centerline 400-600 lbs. Yes, on back-order, and yes, I'm on the wait list, but with no indication as to if/when they'll ever come in due to COVID. I may have to purchase a whole new WDH unit in order to procure the one tow little bar!

MORAL TO THE STORY TO ALL: SECURE YOUR TOW BAR.
When I finally get mine, I'm gonna do as most helpful friend tdf-Texas suggested. I'll measure to make sure both bars are ALL the way in, then wrap electrical tape around each bar so I'll know exactly how far in each must go before locking them in. That should do it, hmmm?

Rant and pity-party over. Shall we compare calculations?

Enjoy the gloriously chill weather. It's hot as the blazes here in Texas!
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Old 07-09-2020, 08:24 PM   #11
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Ava,
Not sure what your tow vehicle but you can always try towing without a w/d if it is not needed. Try a local cg, the E17 tongue weight should not be more than 400-450 lbs. depending on your packing. I suggest a Sherline scale to measure that way you know exactly what is going on or in your Escape. Water in the fresh tank can lower or raise your tongue weight. My point is do not let a missing part keep you from using your new Escape if you can. https://www.amazon.com/Sherline-LM-1...4344250&sr=8-2
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Old 07-09-2020, 08:59 PM   #12
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Ava,

17b should tow fine with most tow vehicles without a wdh. I lost a trunnion bar like you and tow a 19 with a Frontier. I spent the money on beefing up the rear suspension and got rid of the wdh. When I had my 17b I didn’t use a wdh.
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Old 07-09-2020, 09:44 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
Trailer is sitting in my driveway at home. I've booked it in for a fridge fix when we get back from family getaway....... I'm going to have to sit down with a calculator and figure out how many weekends like this I could afford if I sold the trailer and left repairs and maintenance behind.
Glenn, It looks like you’ve got some pondering to do. Enjoy your time at that very fine looking resort. Parksville is a nice place to be.

Whatever your decision regarding your Escape, I’d like to thank you for all your advice and your unique sense of humour I’ve enjoyed since I’ve been on this Forum.

Larry
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Old 07-10-2020, 08:41 PM   #14
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Things change. We change. What worked in the past for us may not work as well in the future. If you think you've had enough of trailer camping and won't miss it much, maybe it's time to do something else for a while. At least you have options.
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Old 07-10-2020, 09:24 PM   #15
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Son-in-law wanted me to bring the Napoleon BBQ ( best portable he's ever used, he said ). My daughter nixed that and I declined. If I wanted to go camping, I'd go camping.

Last night we ( the boys ) had prime rib on the restaurant patio, along with copious beers. Tonight I had the best prawns and chips from a nearby restaurant and Leslie had creamed scallops and pasta ( excellent ).

Grand kids are having a ball, leaving a trail of crumbs in three suites.

Gas fireplace is on again tonight. Rain tomorrow.
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Old 07-11-2020, 07:55 AM   #16
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Last year we rented a lake front house for a month when we went away for the winter, worked out very well, would have gone bonkers in the trailer with all the rain we had. It was also real nice having the trailer with us at the house as we had all the stuff with us that one finds lacking in a rental, like knives that cut.
Hoping to do the same this winter.
It does run about double the cost of our style of camping.
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Old 07-11-2020, 08:41 AM   #17
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Last year we rented a lake front house for a month when we went away for the winter, worked out very well, would have gone bonkers in the trailer with all the rain we had. It was also real nice having the trailer with us at the house as we had all the stuff with us that one finds lacking in a rental, like knives that cut.
Hoping to do the same this winter.
It does run about double the cost of our style of camping.
True, but at least you know who your neighbors are......
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Old 07-11-2020, 10:12 AM   #18
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Our neighbor was a minister and his wife.
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Old 07-11-2020, 06:25 PM   #19
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Ava, Not sure what your tow vehicle but you can always try towing with a w/d if it is not needed. Try a local cg, the E17 tongue weight should not be more than 400-450 lbs. depending on your packing. I suggest a Sherline scale to measure that way you know exactly what is going on or in your Escape. Water in the fresh tank can lower or raise your tongue weight. My point is do not let a missing part keep you from using your new Escape if you can.
Quote:
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Ava, 17b should tow fine with most tow vehicles without a wdh. I lost a trunnion bar like you and tow a 19 with a Frontier. I spent the money on beefing up the rear suspension and got rid of the wdh. When I had my 17b I didn’t use a wdh.
Jim and Greg: Thanks for your kindness in offering possible solutions -and in most cases, you’d be right! My tow vehicle is a 2003 Toyota Sienna van that came from the manufacturer with a tow package. Page 246 of the manual states, "If towing a trailer and cargo weighing over 907 kg (2000 lb.), it is necessary to use a sway control device with sufficient capacity." The Sienna clearly needs the WDH and sway bars to pull the 17B, and most RV’ers warned against my towing even with them. All I can say is that my van took the mountains and everything else between Chilliwack and Houston and back again without the slightest hint of strain. Indeed, the only issues I encountered were the cold, wet weather in Washington and Oregon that chilled my bones, seasonal brush fires in wine country California, and my own ridiculous fear of heights at every mountain range.

When the Sienna begins to show signs of strain, I’ll likely purchase a TV that doesn’t require a WDH, but I’m not prepared to consider doing that now - even if I end up buying an entire system just to have the one tow bar - as the van serves me so well in every other respect. Having removed the heavy middle and back seats, it provides all of the storage needed to supply the three-season trip I had planned for this year - northeast from Houston into Quebec and back down again in November. COVID-19 scuttled the plan for this year, (hoping for next), but I was still planning to drive straight through to NC to spend the rest of this (HOT) summer with my sister and her husband or, at least, to take short trips near Houston. Now? Like most everyone else on this forum, I’m waiting – and grateful for an air-conditioned home in which to wait!

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo View Post
Son-in-law wanted me to bring the Napoleon BBQ ( best portable he's ever used, he said ). My daughter nixed that and I declined. If I wanted to go camping, I'd go camping. Last night we ( the boys ) had prime rib on the restaurant patio, along with copious beers. Tonight I had the best prawns and chips from a nearby restaurant and Leslie had creamed scallops and pasta ( excellent ). Grand kids are having a ball, leaving a trail of crumbs in three suites. Gas fireplace is on again tonight. Rain tomorrow.
Glenn, sounds like you just needed a vacation from the responsibility and/or worry that every RV sometimes demands, and it’s grand that you’re getting a relaxing, fun-filled time away with your grands! Don’t know about you, but my own experience has been that, eventually, one needs a vacation from the vacation. In the meantime, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! The 17B will be there when you're ready for "roughing it" again.
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Old 07-11-2020, 08:35 PM   #20
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It won't be long!
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