Modifications to Eggscape

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

Do you have a link of the report to this incident?

https://apnews.com/article/crime-st-...909c8bccf92b27

[WillyB]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

https://apnews.com/article/crime-st-...909c8bccf92b27

The 49 year old man that died and the person shot in the head but still alive were innocent bystanders.

Shootings happen daily here in St. Louis. Last night it was on the North Side, tonight I'm guessing it will be on one of the State streets in the South Side.

It's a real problem that needs "real" solutions.

[Eggscape]

The short story: I made my own personal license plate to install on our trailer during the off season.

The details: Why make it easy for a thief to drive down the road with a real license plate on your trailer?

Our trailer sits idle beside our house backed up to a fence for 6 months of the year…like our neighbour’s trailer was when it was stolen. There is no need for that 6 month winter period to have my license plate on it for the thief to use while towing my trailer away. Like draining the water out of the tanks, I have also started this year to remove the license plate and replace it with my own custom one. It reads “Call 911…I am Stolen”.

Of course you don’t have to make a plate you can just leave it off to arouse suspicion. I actually ordered a Call 911 sticker that I was going to put behind my license plate(s) in case it was ripped off. However the sticker was too large to hide behind my plate so I will have to source out a smaller one.

Just so we don’t drive away with the wrong plate we keep the keys locked away and wrapped around the legal one.

[Eggscape]

The Short Story…I wanted to be able to attach a hose to empty unwanted water from the fresh water tank without making the campsite wet.

The Details…On occasion we end up with way too much water in the fresh water tank on our last day that I really don’t not want to carry home. All we require is an inch in the tank to use the toilet on route.

The question has been how to drain the extra water in a discreet way and not get the campsite wet for the next person. In the past I would try and find a quiet spot in a mall lot that was sloped in such a way that it disappeared. Of course, there is always the chance people could think I was draining the grey water.

There was another problem in draining it on route home other than trying to find a suitable spot and that is the speed in which the valve allowed the water to drain. Way too slow for my liking when we are trying to get home. If it could be done at my leisure in the campsite, time would not be a problem.

My first thought was how to attach a hose to the factory valve so everybody could do the same mod if they wanted. I soon realized I wanted a real tap and this would allow the use of a standard water hose that most people already carry.

What is needed to screw into the tank is a “1/2 inch swing joint elbow” fitting which I had in my lawn sprinkler part’s drawer. Once that was done I screwed in a tap I had laying around. I like a tap that is designed to give the best ground clearance so I included a few pictures of suitable units.

Once everything was dry fit together I removed the two parts and painted them black, then reinstalled with Teflon tape on the threads. It looks a bit more like an RV part that would cost twice as much and is not so shiny to attract small kids to play with.

The 90 degree lawn sprinkler fitting is well built but hopefully would be the weak point or fuse one might say and blow if an object were to hit that area. I would rather the fitting break off than loose the corner of the tank if a stronger brass fitting was used.

I can now hook up my fresh water hose to drain any excess fresh water out of my tank to an appropriate location at the campsite. All doing it at my leisure before we drive home.

The original value is a light weight backup that now rides with us in the box of just-in-case stuff.

Sometimes it’s the small mods that make a big difference.

[Ron in BC]

I like that. Never liked the existing valve and yours may survive a bit of a bump better.


Also when I drain my tank at home the water runs down the driveway and out onto the road. A short hose would allow me to rectify that.


Ron

[land’SCAPE]

Yea, I’m liking that too.

[rubicon327]

Nice mod. Did something similar but our drain is low on side of tank so ground clearance is not an issue. You may appreciate the quarter turn valve in lieu of that basic valve where you will be laying there turning it many revolutions to open and close.

[bdornbush]

I made the same mod when the existing valve broke so I could not operate the valve. It was a mess when it happened on a trip but now I have two of the replacement valves with me so I won't get stuck again not being able to close the valve all the way.

[Eggscape]

Yes Ron it great for people to think about doing this mod for when they are rinsing out the tank and the water can go to a tree or grass.

I do like the quarter turn valves Dave, but it is not what I had on hand at the time. Easy enough to switch over to.

The first two valves pictured in the original post are quarter turn valves Dave is referring to. Like he mentioned they only takes a quick quarter turn of the handle to open. They are made with a ball valve inside that can last longer than the typical valve with rubber washers.

[Eggscape]

The Short Story…I installed two ammunition type plastic containers under each side of the rear of the trailer.

The Details…For years now I have been thinking of under trailer storage for our 19. There are many designs rolling around in my head but the problem was we never needed the extra space…until now. There is an upcoming project where the passenger side box will house some interesting equipment.

The plastic type ammunition boxes are U.S. made by Plano and are model number #1312 as printed on the inside bottom. To fit theses in, you need over 10 inches of space between the water tank cross rail and the forward screw of the jack. That along with 4 stainless steel nuts, bolts, lock washers, large fender washers and one angle bracket.

The box is aprox. 9.5 x 4 x 6 inches deep inside which I am sure many of you are going to think is hardly worth the effort. On the other hand you may need just that space to hold some sewer pipe accessories or that dirty dog line. Some might be saving that space to put in a storage pipe to hold some awning or antenna pipes or a folding rake. Well you are in luck! Between the two box bottoms you can fit one or two, 3 inch diameter pipes as pictured. Just drill the appropriate size hole(s) in the bottom and slip in the pipe(s). Great storage for that fly rod as well.

I painted my boxes black just because I think they are less obvious and of course this helps against UVs. If you open the lid all the way you can remove it from the box with care. This aids in painting and planning. Just make sure to reinstall before final installation. Shown are the two holes I drilled into the water tank support as wide as possible for the best attachment. The holes were also painted.

I also trimmed a bit off the outside ribs so the box fits better to the frame and removed the handle with a screwdriver. Like the paint, this is optional.

As much as l would have liked the lid hinged at the front in case the latch is not locked, there is no room for the latch to work at the rear. The lid has a locking hole in which you can use a carabiner as a safety to keep it secure.

[cpaharley2008]

Nice modification.....

[Ron in BC]

Yup, nice to see an actual mod not posting more peanut butter stories.

Ron

[Ops]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Yup, nice to an actual mod not posting more peanut butter stories.

Ron

Great idea on those boxes. They would work well storing extra peanut butter

Sorry Ron ...

[peter]

Or poutine.....really sorry

[mfschu]

Another nice mod Ed! Would you mind posting additional pictures to show how it looks when standing back from the trailer? Thanks!

[Eggscape]

Thanks everyone.

With only 8 pictures allowed per post and poor light in the area at the time, further back pics were not included.

Light is not bad this morning and with the aid of a big white foam reflector this is what I got.

Anytime someone wants a different angle of anything in any post…just ask.

[mfschu]

Thanks Ed for the additional pictures! Another great modification! Can't wait to see what's next.
You can never have too much storage.

[Walkabout]

Is there a Mod so I don't scalp myself, getting through the door? I keep hitting my head.

[Chasing Trials]

Someone just did post something on it. I don't know who or where.......too short!

[hugh]

Originally Posted by Walkabout

Is there a Mod so I don't scalp myself, getting through the door? I keep hitting my head.

Seriously. I hit my head so hard last year, I had a dent on the top of my head for about a month! I guess I didn't really need those extra brain cells.