eatSleepWoof gets a Winnie

[eatSleepWoof]

Wind deflectors for the solar panels are done.

Started with a 6"-wide strip of sheet metal for each, bent it 90 degrees at the 2" mark, placed each piece against each panel and scribed the cut line even with the top of the panel. Cut the pieces, screwed the vertical to the frame of the solar panels, and put 4" eternabond tape over the horizontal. Added a little dicor sealant in a few spots for good measure.

Next up is a drawer for the driver's side of the pass-through storage.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Boom!

Drawer is made from 3/4" pine plywood, sprayed with Varathane Diamond finish. Exterior dimensions are 44" x 22". Mounted to 500lb-rated slides.

This was a royal pain in the butt to make due to very, very tight clearances and drawer slides that do not come apart. I had to assemble half of the frame inside the pass-through, and at one point I was pretty sure I was not going to climb out of it without someone pulling me out by my legs.

In any case, this should greatly simplify access to a whole bunch of gear that I keep on this side.

I'm also working on a custom garden hose spool that'll fit inside this drawer, and should hold a 150ft roll of garden hose in a very compact form factor. "Should" being the operative word. Will know in a few days!

 

[Kingsize24]

Now I REALLY like that. Will the slots allow you to add dividers in the drawer if wanted?

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Now I REALLY like that. Will the slots allow you to add dividers in the drawer if wanted?

Yes, exactly. They're ever so slightly larger than 1/4", so I'll be using 1/4" plywood as dividers. Exactly the same setup as I'm using inside in a few cubbies I made.

 

[Kingsize24]

Yes, exactly. They're ever so slightly larger than 1/4", so I'll be using 1/4" plywood as dividers. Exactly the same setup as I'm using inside in a few cubbies I made.

That's perfect 👌. Very very useful upgrade right there.

 

[Tex68w]

Love seeing this project continue.

 

[watrboy]

Boom!

Drawer is made from 3/4" pine plywood, sprayed with Varathane Diamond finish. Exterior dimensions are 44" x 22". Mounted to 500lb-rated slides.

This was a royal pain in the butt to make due to very, very tight clearances and drawer slides that do not come apart. I had to assemble half of the frame inside the pass-through, and at one point I was pretty sure I was not going to climb out of it without someone pulling me out by my legs.

In any case, this should greatly simplify access to a whole bunch of gear that I keep on this side.

I'm also working on a custom garden hose spool that'll fit inside this drawer, and should hold a 150ft roll of garden hose in a very compact form factor. "Should" being the operative word. Will know in a few days!

You are such a craftsman, I have the same trailer and have incorporated some of your ideas into the build. Just got back from a couple of days off grid with new batteries and inverter. I decided to install in the tunnel.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

You are such a craftsman, I have the same trailer and have incorporated some of your ideas into the build. Just got back from a couple of days off grid with new batteries and inverter. I decided to install in the tunnel.

Nicely done.

I love seeing L-track and those GRK torx screws!

A whole-trailer inverter may be in my future, too.

 

[watrboy]

Nicely done.

I love seeing L-track and those GRK torx screws!

A whole-trailer inverter may be in my future, too.

2000 xantrax. Works well, I am go to research running the oven/microwave on it soon. Did no need A/C or oven this trip.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

I love it when a plan comes together and the math maths.

Spool is done, and it does fit 150ft of stainless steel hose quite easily. I think I could have made the (round) side pieces of the spool about an inch larger in diameter, and fit 200ft of hose here. Fits in my drawer with literally zero room to spare.

Made more mistakes on this little project than I can count. Holy moly there are countless little details that go into a reel. Far from perfect, but it does work beautifully. Might eventually re-make it down the line.

I'll soon make little plywood "brackets" that will hang over the edge of the drawer, and clip on the base of this spool, allowing me to temporarily hang it off the drawer. That'll be convenient for actually unrolling/winding up this thing.

 

[Spencer for Hire]

Yes, exactly. They're ever so slightly larger than 1/4", so I'll be using 1/4" plywood as dividers. Exactly the same setup as I'm using inside in a few cubbies I made.

Nice. They look like the Sidio Crates

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Some minor stuff:

- Applied silicone to the bottom inside edges of the drawer, then added a rubber mat.
- Removed the drawer, added 1/2" plywood under its frame, and re-installed it. This gives much better clearance between drawer slides and door gaskets.
- Added drawer dividers and organized all my stuff. Everything fits beautifully. The remaining "empty" space is for the blocks that are under the tongue jack.
- Mounted a piece of 4" PVC pipe on the other side of the pass-through. Using it for some camping poles and the axe. The front of the pipe is cut at a 45-degree angle to make it easier to slide things in/out.

Still have a good amount of room on the passenger side of the pass-through. I usually have two plastic bins here: one with spare drinking water, another with random odds & ends. Liking how it's all coming together.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Had a great 5 nights at a beachfront provincial park.

The campsite was surrounded by 40ft pines on all sides, so the trailer's solar panels got literally zero sunshine the entire camping trip. That was a bummer, but I suppose it did keep the trailer a bit cooler.

Ice cold water this time of year, but still beautiful.

This is day 2, and the second fire. All this firewood came off the roof basket on the LX, and easily lasted us the 5 nights. I actually had to put effort into burning all that was left on the last night. Didn't even open the firewood I stacked on the trailer's hitch tray.

When we got home towards the end of last week I did a little experiment: unplugged the trailer (at 100% charge) from the home charger at 10:30am, turned on the MaxxAir fan at max speed and ensured the fridge was on and cooling; checked in on it periodically throughout the day to see how much the solar panels actually do in reasonably full sun. Happy to find that the batteries stayed at 100% charge right up until 7pm when the sun got considerably lower, at which point I saw 99%. This tells me that the panels are producing more than the two "biggest consumers" use up during the day, and should be a big help in situations where we get proper sunshine during the day. We've got another trip coming up in two weeks where that should be the case!

 

[Spencer for Hire]

Had a great 5 nights at a beachfront provincial park.

The campsite was surrounded by 40ft pines on all sides, so the trailer's solar panels got literally zero sunshine the entire camping trip. That was a bummer, but I suppose it did keep the trailer a bit cooler.

Ice cold water this time of year, but still beautiful.

This is day 2, and the second fire. All this firewood came off the roof basket on the LX, and easily lasted us the 5 nights. I actually had to put effort into burning all that was left on the last night. Didn't even open the firewood I stacked on the trailer's hitch tray.

When we got home towards the end of last week I did a little experiment: unplugged the trailer (at 100% charge) from the home charger at 10:30am, turned on the MaxxAir fan at max speed and ensured the fridge was on and cooling; checked in on it periodically throughout the day to see how much the solar panels actually do in reasonably full sun. Happy to find that the batteries stayed at 100% charge right up until 7pm when the sun got considerably lower, at which point I saw 99%. This tells me that the panels are producing more than the two "biggest consumers" use up during the day, and should be a big help in situations where we get proper sunshine during the day. We've got another trip coming up in two weeks where that should be the case!

Where is this park? Kootenay?

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Where is this park? Kootenay?

McDonald Creek Provincial Park