Tires, Jacks, and Steps

Tires, Jacks, and Steps

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It all started innocently enough. Take the RV about 50 for M to stay in while volunteering in Jerome. Simple enough. Ready to leave and the jacks down alarm won't stop. OK, pull the fuse for now and check it out when we bring it home. 

Found the right front jack is leaking, so after I get it home crawling under it why not check out the step that has been spongy for a while, the same one I broke a few years ago, lowering the way off level rig, with the door open and a block acting as a step that was way too close to the steps. Anyway, the step came down the block and broke a pivot bold, and I fixed it, kind of. 

Found out that the long bolt holding the step frame to the RV frame had pulled through. Easy fix, found some old shock bushing washer in the odd parts pile and bought a longer bolt and that took care of that.

The leveling jack, not that easy. Read, searched and researched the fix or replace options on the RV forum that I follow and other places. Seems that I have the pre 2004 Power Gears Jacks that were no longer supported. Newer jack kits have the same numbers, but it now states that pre 2004 had a finer threads and no longer supported, even though I had an old copy with the same kit number. I think the kit was above $200 but not sure, I quit looking and forgot about it. I found a local shop in Chino Valley, AZ. Called them and they said sure, bring it in. $110 later and I have it resealed. 

In the mean time I have ordered a 20V impact wrench for the RV tires and used it to reinstall the jack. It was so much better than the air wrench that I fell in love with a few years ago.

While moving the wheel/tire around I let it fall on the ground... just at the wrong place. I had left the tire extension on the valve stem and it hit a rock and broke the valve stem off.

So I take the wheel in to have a new valve stem installed. They told me the tire was bad, broken cord and tread separation. The tire was ten years old so replacing it was not a bad deal, except I might as well do both as they are the same age. I ordered a couple of Hercules tires and came home to remove the other one and get it in the truck to take in the next day. 

So $500 later I'm back home, front tires back on the rig with new impact wrench and everything is looking good and in working order.

Except for the the hydraulic fluid tank. It's been eight years since I changed the fluid so this would be a good time. I drained just over a gallon from the resuivor and put nearly two gallons in. It had leaked more than I thought.

All of this started with just a little little drip...

H

So I had this 'not booting from SSD' problem. A few months ago I installed a couple of SSD to boot and run the new computer much faster than the Disk Drive that it came with. A few weeks ago Windowz updated and reverted back to booting via the Disk Drive. For whatever reason I could not re-sign the boot sequence. Aaron should know, but all I got from him was the take it to the Geek Squad at Best Buy! I know I have mentioned that I hate Windows, but have I mentioned that I don't like Best buy either! It's a long story, but they made me mad.

Yesterday I had all but given up and was ready to take it to local computer shop, but before unplugging it, thought I would try swapping cables on drives, (it use to work years ago). Well that doesn't work now. Then later I thought 'unplug just the Disk Drive to see if the SSD would boot... it did. Re-plugged the disk drive. At power up, it booted to the SSD, like it should have all along. I don't know why or how, but it works properly now. It wasn't my fault. Did I mention that I hate Windows, and Best Buy?

Then it would not connect to the internet! After saying a few chose words about Windows, I remembered I had net problems a couple of weeks ago. The ISP installed a new antenna. We also discovered that the router was acting up and it too had to be replaced. No problem, I had an extra one from trouble shooting the last net problem we had. So, after entering the password for the new router, things worked out fine.

By this time my brain is starting to hurt so I decide to go out and gather up all the used oil and head off to recycle it. Truck tire rotate and balance, which is due, and a hair cut will be later in the week.

H

Feb 3 Got the FL Condo sold and closed, and the check is in the mail.  Have had it forever and glad to see it go.

Feb 14  third anniversary for Pace Maker!  Still ticking!

Feb 18  Replaced the water pump on the Truck, may help with the small water/anti-freeze leak.

Not much going on this month.

H

January, 2017

Last month, Dec. 2016, I put my Florida Condo on the market after my long term tenet indicated that she was moving.  The value had more than doubled after the recession of a few years before so now is just a good time. Then on Christmas Eve I received a call with an all cash, full price offer, which I accepted.  Just waiting for closing now.

Just after Christmas I bought myself a new 4K monitor for the computer.  Took some fiddling but got everything working and it looks great.

Took less than a week, but I decided I needed a new computer with more speed to drive the new monitor so I ordered a Dell XPS 8910, with 16GB of memory.  That should do it.

H

Year End update, 2016

Year end update, seems like I don't update as often as I should!  Keeping things up and running keeps me pretty busy and that is what makes up most of my list of things!

In January we took a day trip to Grand Canyon National Park, the south rim, while it was covered with snow.

In February, we took a wonderful trip over to Death Valley for the early flowers.

On the way home I kept hearing a brake grinding noise,  I examined the brakes on the RV and soon after began the process of a complete brake job for the rear axle.  I had a lot to learn about doing brakes on a large chassis and it was a lot of hard and heavy work.  Got some basic pointers from my neighbor, but did all the work by myself.

It was hard work and the hub/disc combo weighed in at nearly eighty pounds.  I had the concrete pads to work on, so it was not to hard to rig up a furniture dolly, wooden blocks, and floor jacks to do the heavy lifting and moving.  Having to remove the axle shaft was a first for me, and I had to buy a special $36, 3-1/2 inch socket to get the big nut (see photo) off. I probably used it for a grand total of five minutes and most of that was figuring out what I was doing.

It took me about two weeks to do the whole job and it actually went pretty smooth until I jacked up one side to fill the hub with gear oil from the rear end.  Using the leveling jacks, which I have done for fifteen year, I raised it too high on one side and broke the windshield in the process.  Insurance did cover it but it should not have happened.  After a test drive with the hub temperatures within spec we made another trip to Death Valley.

Around the end of February we took a day trip to Sedona to enjoy all the red rocks.  This is the view from Red Rock Crossing.  The Wheel of Fortune fans may recognize this scene.

In May we made an RV trip through Grand Staircase-Escalate National Monument ending up in Moab and taking in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.




Later, still in May, I had to replace the belts and battery on the Suzuki with 200,000 miles on it! Another Suzuki tire warrantied for an impact break, $102. Lots of back roads driving.

I fixed M's old monitor with three small resistors.  It dies quite some time ago and I just kept it just in case I wanted to investigate the problem.  Finally got around to reading up on the problem and watching YouTube and decided to order some resistors.  It was not easy to remove the shroud and get to the main board, but I did and replaced the resistors. And it worked.  Then she found a bug, a literal bug, behind the glass of her replacement monitor.  I used the her old one to see if I could get between the glass and the active screen and remove the bug.  I could not, but in the process I pretty much screwed it up.  After putting it back together and turning the power on, there was a bright white strip down the middle of the screen about a quarter inch wide.  That pretty made it unusable.

During the summer I upgraded the electric to the shed from just a circuit extension from the garage to a dedicated 30A/240V feed with two 20A and two 15A 120V circuits and can add a 240v circuit later if needed. I also rewired the RV plug on the side of the garage while I was at it.

I had to installed a new water pump controller on the water wagon pump.  The pump would no longer shut down, and running dry is not a good idea.  I couldn't find the kind pump I wanted for a replacement, but I did find a controller assembly for the one I have.  Good  ol'  Ebay and the slow boat from China!  And it was about twenty percent the cost of a new pump if I could have found one.

In October, while M was over the mountain for  Kaleidoscope Days, taking classes and helping with a benefit auction, I replace the kitchen sink!

So, it was out with the old, and in with the new!









This fall, I built an extension/shed on the back of the garage in order to move the compressor there. I call it the compressor shed. Worked on it a little at a time, so it took a while. It is large enough to store a lot of the stuff that should have been thrown away! This made more room in the garage so I relocated the lawn tractor from my stand alone shed into the garage. This made for lots more shed room, so I turned it into a man cave/work space. I reworked the work bench and then added a new home built miter saw station and a drill press. Removed and tossed a lot of stuff so I now have room to do a lot of things, other that automotive of course, which will still be done in the garage.

Got word that the tenant in my Florida condo will be moving at end of lease in January, so I have put it on the market. Prices seem to be up a little now and thirty plus years is long enough to own it! Don't know if I have made any money from it over the years or not!

Finally, I got around to putting new tires on the truck. If they last ten years, the truck will be twenty seven years old and I might upgrade then!

Editor's note:  Just found that I had not posted this little item, so here it is, and just a few months late.  Will work on a new update!

Band saw mobility base

Been watching Youtube Vids about moving heavy shop tools around on wheels but then having them stable when using them so I added castors to my band saw.  works really great!

Removed  sun screen from the skylight to allow more light and heat in the kitchen for winter.  Makes a really big difference on both counts.

TV working again   ...   not

I flew to Florida for a few days to visit a brother, Jim.  JT made the trip from KY at the same time.  So, three brothers sat around and hashed out all of the political issues for the country and solve a great many world problems while we were at it.

Suzuki Axle replaced, above my pay grade so I had it done by professionals!

New to me Ipad.  I bought M's iPad II so she could get the latest one.

Suzuki, installed new front brake pads and had the rotors turned. (DIY)

11/4 Just got a letter from AZ Dept of Rev. The ongoing audit has been closed! But they didn't send me a check!

Been hauling water for five years now saving $3,700 after paying capital and operating expenses. That is about half way toward paying for the truck!  

Much needed and ongoing (never ending) maintenance!

Not a lot going on in the last couple of months, but here is a run down.

I did end up ordering the Multimeter from Home Depot.  I get their daily email with the daily special and one day that meter showed up at about 35% off so I ordered it.  It been a couple of months and I really haven't used it for anything yet.  The Radio Shack one is working better after I worked on it a little bit.  Now  I will have one to keep in the RV.

I was working in the garage one day and M came in and told me the shower door had broken.  Being tempered glass, it just kinda of crinkled all over.  I accused her of braking it because she has wanted a new one for some time now.  I finished braking it out and removing it  and installing the curtains from the other bath until we find a door that works.  This being a manufactured home, a lot of things are sized a little different and that's what happened with the shower doors.  No one has this size in stock so a special order is needed.  We did find a suitable door at Lowes and got it ordered.  Takes about a week to get it and I managed to get it installed the next day.  It's called Rain Forest or something like that, with it looking like rain water is running down the glass.  It works, and we even got the special coating to help prevent, or at least reduce, the hard water etching.

Other routine maintenance included ordering and replacing the outside hose bibb,  ordered and replace the broken auger in the refrigerator ice dispenser, and replace the washers in the toilet supply valves that was somehow causing a very slow tank refill.  Put sealer on the front deck after a year, maybe it will help it last longer.  I replaced the cabin air filter in the truck, I think it made a difference,  after all, it is 15 years old!  

M went to Florida to visit and help out her sister recovering from a busted up shoulder and the resulting surgery.  This gave me an opportunity to get more maintenance done!  So I built and installed more garage shelving, and replace the rollers on the sliding screen door which is working properly for the first time in ten years.  I also decided to acid wash and paint the shed floor.  That was fun.  I decided the vacuum the floors and naturally, the vacuum is not working properly.  It is the belt, seem they tend to stretch over time and need replacing, so I get a couple of the ordered, replace one and get the floor cleaned up!

This week has been Kaleidoscope Days in Jerome, so I took the RV to the top of Mingus Mountain for M to stay so she doesn't have get a room or drive 100 miles round trip each day.  She takes a couple of Kaleidoscope classes and helps out with all the goings on for the week culminating in an auction to benefit the humane society of Jerome.  She may come home on Sunday, and drive back up of a class on Monday.  She has yet to decide what she will do.

I also took the home alone time to acid wash and paint the garage floor.  Got it finished before the rain system moved in.  It has been cloudy and raining for the last couple of days.  I hope the paint works on the shed and garage floors, concrete is so fickle when it come to painting it.

Somewhere in there I had time to get my pace maker checked out and it is working just fine!

Do I need a new Multimeter? Yes I do!

A few days ago...

I have had this Radio Shack 22-166B digital multimeter for about 30 years and it has served me well in that time...  until now!  A few days I turned it on and got no response.  Using a freebie Harbor Freight meter, the batteries and fuse tested good.  So I took it apart and acted like I knew what I was doing and all looked well so I put it back together and started searching the net for a new one.

I went back to look at it and noticed the batteries (2xAA, side by side) had both (+) on one end and (-) on the other and that just did not look right.  Only one of the battery positions was marked and I had recently replaced the batteries.  I reversed the one in the unmarked side  and the meter started to work and I even uses it for a while.  

Next morning I was checking something and got very weird readings, so I turned it off, checked the batteries , which were OK, and the fuse showed 3 ohms with my HF meter.  From that point  I could not get it to turn on, or at least no indications on the readout.  I have new fuses on the way.

Did it just die, or, did I kill it?  And, can it be revived?

If it's dead, I need a new one, Under $100 .  Looking at this one at Home Depot online

http://www.homedepot.com/p/General-T...M550/205748236


Any one know this one, is it a good one.  I seldom use one and then only use it for gereral household and auto type maintenance.  Any other suggestions?  The HF one just wont cut it, even for me!

Fast forward to present...

This morning I took the RS unit apart once more just to see what I could see.  Seems the LCD screen unit connection is a press fit type.  I have never seen this before.   The PCB and LCD just press together.  

 So I put it back together trying to fit it correctly and the LCD did come on, readings are still wacky.  Then I banged it with my hand a few time and the wackiness changed each time until it went blank, never to show a number again.  Guess I really screwed it up this time, and a new meter is in my near future.

And, just to keep the irony gods happy, my new fuses came in today!!

Pretty boring week!

Not much going on in the last week or so.   I did get a few miscellaneous  RV repairs done.  The bottom drawer on my side of the table/desk was moving out during travel and I found a loose catch so I fixed and tightened it up a to hold better on the road.  We used to keep the main area rugs there and that held it in I guess.  Now that we no longer have them is when the problem showed itself!

The table/desk top was bouncing up and down so a couple of screws from the bottom took care of that, and a couple of pieces of Velcro took care of M's keyboard tray sliding out while on the road.

One of the storage bins/drawers of the table has always had problems with the slide latch.  I had put in a stopper behind it to reduce the wiggle room and it was too tight.  I replaced it with a thinner one and changed the latching hole to a latching plate with a small piece of angle aluminum.

I replace the waterproof  LEDs in one of the light fixtures to non-waterproof.  The double stick tape had dropped loose causing a heat sink failure and a discoloration of the waterproof coating.  The sticky stuff on the non waterproof seems to be working better.  While I was at that, I install a second switch on two other fixture allowing half of the LEDs to be off or on, depending on the need, and extending the battery life just  a little which help when out in the wood boondocking.

The Suzuki was due an oil change and other routine  maintenance and I got that all taken care of, including replacing the air filter with one I have had on hand for a few years.  While rotating the tire I noticed an air pocket on the side wall of one of them.  Something to call about for warranty.

I have been wanting to add memory to my laptop and this week I remembered that it used to have 4GB and the two 2GB DIMMs were removed and placed in out two net books and their 1GB DIMMs were placed in my laptop.  So this week I switched the back.  Did not help with photo transfers speed, but maybe it will help with other things.

All things considered, it has been quite boring, not much going on!

That was easy!

The plastic plug came out of the RV water heater without any issues!  I found a steel 1/2" NPT plug and used that to clean up the threads in the Aluminum tank.  It worked great.  Then I bought a plumbers round steel wire brush and cleaned it up a little more and inserted a new brass plug using liquid "pipe dope".  It worked great and I hope the dope works better than the tape, at least there wont be little bits and pieces of it down stream.  It looks like it has had a steady minor thread leak for a long time from the looks of the mineral buildup around the plug.   Everything work out very well and the RV is now ready for another road trip!

Got that all taken care of and then concentrated on the mower.  It lost a clip that held the level control lever link on and one side started digging into the dirt.  I didn't thank a lot about it until something else broke.  Had to stop mowing.  Fixed the link but the broken part may need some welding.  Talked to welder owning neighbor and will take it over this weekend for welding.  In the mean time I drilled and bolted the parts together so I could finish mowing.  

Now to get back to the regularly scheduled chores and maintenance! 

Colorado Mountain Hi and all the back roads!

Since the last post we took a little trip up into Colorado, hitting areas like Durango, Silverton, Crested Butte, Taylor Reservoir, and Leadville.  Right off, let me say the trip was wonderful, in every way.  The flowers were out of this world.

I have to say that the Columbine is on my short list of favorite flowers, they are beautiful!

 Paintbrush has always been a favorite and I always thought they grew in a haphazard, here and there fashion.

I have always been wrong.  This year we saw acres and acres of paintbrush, and they were various shades of red, yellow, orange, and even white.





We did back roads at all the places mentioned above and the rain cooperated with us almost all of the time and we used the wipers very little while we were deep in the woods exploring and stopping for the flowers and out of this world views.  Most of the time the clouds were scattered and light enough that combined with the blue sky they only enhanced the views.

 One place we wanted to go was to Clear Lake, a little alpine lake up high on S. Mineral Creek road where we were boon-docking near Silverton.  We made it up to a water falls that we love, and there is always a marmot or two.  A marmot was there and we got some good photos.  M loaned me here big lens and I got some pretty decent shots.  Just above the falls snow a major snow drift completely covered one of the switchbacks and we could go no further.  We did get a few rain sprinkles while we were there and on the way back down the mountain.

 The carpet tiles that I installed just prior to departure worked far beyond all exceptions.  We did not need rugs to protect the rugs that protected the floors, which made for a much less cluttered area.  We just ran the little vac as part of the departure routine and setup went went much faster at our evening destination.  We both loved the carpet tiles and I would recommend them for anyone wanting to upgrade the flooring system in an RV.




The steps that I worked on before going also worked like a charm.  Not only did they work like they should but not once on this trip did they hesitate when opening the door.  For a couple of years they would not extend when the door was opened and we would have to close the door and reopen it, sometime two or three times.  The only problem was after and long day traveling over a dirt/gravel road they did not want to close up all the way.  I may try to come up with a type of mud flap to go in front of the steps and that may help a little.  Colorado roads have Magnesium Chloride liquid  compound, or something like that,  on the dirt roads to bind the dirt and gravel together.  It is great when it is dry.  It packs like a hard surface and helps to keep the dust under control.  Not so much when it is wet.  It is very sticky and it clogs up the steps.  I had to bang on them with a hammer and they oil up all  pivoting points to get them fully operational.  Will need to get out the pressure washer and clean and oil the really good this week.

The only real problem the RV gave up this trip was with the water heater.  I replaced the drain plug back in '05 while working at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  Well, I used a plastic plug, and it must not have been rated for the hot water system.  On our very last day it ruptured after the water heated for out morning shower.  I told M she could shower, if she hurried.  I did not get to shower!  When she finished, I turned the Water Heater Bypass valve to take the heater out of the loop.  All other plumbing worked fine.  Something to do next week!

The furnace also has a recurring problem that showed up on the trip.  I will shut off before heating the interior, and not come back on.  We have to turn it off and back on after a 3-5 wait.  Something is causing it not to automatically reset.  Something else to look at when I have time and get rested up a little.

Working Steps

The RV steps are back in working order finally and I didn't have to buy a new controller, or a set of new steps.  I ordered the parts needed and manufactured a pigtail test connector for the steps just so I could go through the steps (pun intended) of testing out the controller.  I got enough parts to assemble two complete male and female ends of the connector for about half the cost of a one sided OEM connector.  Now I can put them in my stash, just in case! While testing, I even wired the door operated reed switch in series with it so I could test it at the same time.  In the process, I reran the reed switch signal wire back through the connector like it should be.  That also made the wiring nest look a little neater!  It have been bypassed  at the factory.  A few years ago I had to rewire everything because things were just not working as they should and one of the results was a ratty looking wiring nest.

Anyway, went through all of the procedures to test and made sure everything was working properly.  In the end it was most likely a case of corroded wiring and/or grounding connections.

It was near noon and pretty hot at he RV and I thought I would wait until the sun moved some more so I could work in the shade.  Then I though, I just fixed the awning a few months ago and it is just where I will need the shade, I'll just use that, and it worked great!

I had also ordered a DPDT 30 amp switch, just in case, as we are leaving for higher elevations in a few days.  Won't be needing that, hopefully not this time out anyway!

Something always breaks!

Seems like every time I fix something, something else breaks!

The other day I reworked the sun screens I had made for the RV windows.  They work great at keeping the inside temperatures down on hot sunny days.   When I made them I used the the "snap" type fasteners and they were coming apart.  Just not heavy duty enough, or my tools didn't do a good job.  I had ordered the "twist lock" type and had replaced a couple of them before.  The other day I just decided to replace all of them and get the screens installed for the hot weather we are having.  They worked very well and the inside stays several degrees cooler with them on.

This week I had a few project planned an Monday was going well.  M mentioned that her bathroom sink faucet was leaking and could I check it out.  No problem, I found the cartridge in the cold water side was the problem.  Could I fix it?  Probably not, besides, I had an extra one that was sent by the factory for the same problem in the kitchen.  So I replace it and everything was fine.

The RV screen door screen has been in pretty bad shape for a while, but it got worse the last time out.  I did a little research and that the Home Depot had the new Phifer "pet resistant" screen so I had picked some up, along with the tools needed to install it.  It installed without much trouble and it looks great, much heavier and darker han before and I think it will work out very well.

It would have been way too much trouble to remove the door for the installation so I installed it with  the door in place.  I needed to get the ladder in front of the door, with the steps retracted, so I just blocked the steps from extending when I opened the door.  Seemed like a good plan, that is how steps the steps work, they stop if they are blocked during the extension process.  All went as planned until I finished the screen and closed and opened the door  to let the steps extend... nothing!  OK, they do that sometimes, but this time they will not move.  I try a few more things with no luck.  I hot wired the motor and it worked... once!   OK, I have an old motor from working on the steps before, I'll just try it.  It didn't work either.  Then I think of the fuse and sure enough it had blown when testing the motor the first time.  I replaced the 15A fuse with a 20A one an the motor is working fine now.  Next, I test the door switch with no results.  I think I burned out the step controller...  $175! 

So, I have a test connector on order for further test, also a 30A DPDT momentary switch that will operate the steps in manual mode just in case.  We are planning a trip in the next week or so and the switch will get us on our way and I can work on the steps when we return.

The fun never stops!

H

Mower is back together!

I finally got the mower parts and put it back together couple of days ago.  The bearings on one of the spindles were both shot, one of them actually torn apart and the balls missing.  The second only had a couple of missing balls, and was in pretty bad shape.  I waited for the new ones before doing  very much destructive testing and examinations.  Both were completely dry, and I am sure it was from the factory that way, and there was no means by which to inject grease into them.  The new ones have zerk fittings and I shoot about fifteen shots of grease form the grease gun into each one.

OK, it's, ready for a test run and it is quieter than It has ever been since I have had it, about four years now and I bought it used.  But wait, what is that smell...  hot rubber?  Take it back into the shed/shop and find that the belt is routed to the wrong side of two of the "U" shaped guides that keep it in place when the deck is in idle mode.  Reroute and retest and all is well.  Yesterday I decided to add grease until I see it seep out around the edges, just to make sure it has enough. Some twenty some shot of grease total in each one, that should do it.  I will also check and add more if needed at the beginning of each mowing season.

I have also been in the techie mode for a week or two.  The laptop WiFi has been acting up for quite a while and not working at all lately.  I ordered a little USB WiFi adapter and got it installed.  Now I don't have to unplug my printer and plug the Cat-5 cable into my laptop.  I just love modern technology... when it works!

Another thing was my desktop.  It has been bogging down a lot lately.  Switching between application was taking forever, and Google Chrome would take five to ten minutes to really get up to speed.  First, I suspected Windows figuring it was a natural choice for blaming.  Have I mentioned lately  how much I hate Windows!  But I digress!  Then I blamed Google Chrome, and then Adobe Lightroom.  Or maybe it was a virus!  Then I got to thinking, the way it's acting, maybe it needs more memory.  So I ordered four GBs of ram and upgraded from three GBs to six GBs,  leaving one GB on the floor for the trouble.  Wow, I did not know this thing would run this fast!  Now I am looking at Solid State Drive!  Maybe one of these days!

Mary's typewriter is back together with a new belt.  A major job with fat fingers, bifocals, and no special tools, but I did strip a screw in motor mount while adjusting it.  Maybe I can find one at Lowes.  And I'm still waiting for an adapter to test Susan's hard drive. 

It has been hot here this week, and looks the same in the ten day forecast.  Just glad I got the RV carpet in while it was still cool.

Monsoon is on the way, hope its good.  We have more grass this year than I have seen before and need some rain before we lose it!

First, you have to fix something!

Vent cover breaking apart.

Continuing to work on the RV.

The last time I was on the roof I noticed that the refrigerator vent cover was in pretty bad shape so last week I ordered a replacement cover.  I got it installed Yesterday morning but didn't really need a new vent screen so I set it aside.   Look like I was not too early on the job as the old one came off in multiple pieces.  The new one looks like it may last another fifteen years,

Break it more just to get it off.

Most of the pieces.

New one installed.

Looks better.

Mower deck in shed/work shop.

I hit a rock the last time I mowed and bent one of the blades pretty bad.  I finished mowing with the bent blade not knowing that I actually had a replacement in the garage.  Today I got finally got around to replacing it.  I was going to mow over the septic tank, to only place that is really green around here.  After changing the blade and heading for the area to mow, I engaged the mower deck  and promptly killed the engine.  After trying it once more with the same results I discovered that one of the mower deck spindles locking up, likely due to a bad bearing. Removing the mower deck and examining it confirm my fears. The second spindle is a little wobbly, so I ordered two replacements. Got to keep Amazon and Ebay going.  The spindles are held in place with four 1/4" screws each and I broke off seven out of eight bolts heads.  I don't know it it's just me, or bad engineering!  Will have to see if I can find a torque spec for them!

Later, taking the spindles apart I found that they were completely dry.  How long, I don't know, but it looked like it had always been dry.  The outer bearing race was completely gone, not to mention the ball bearing inside.

Now trying to find something else with out having to fix something first!  Maybe I should get back to the Selectric Typewriter I have had for months to fix for a friend!

Wrapping up the RV Projects

Around seats in living area.

I  have finally gotten the job completed.  Finally got the seats back in and  finished up all of the little things you have to do at the end of any project like touch up the paint and adjust this and that.  I have put the old floor in the trash a little bit at a time so it's not to heavy to drag to road and most of it is gone. I got everything wrapped up on Saturday morning by reinstalling the wheels on the front and now the place doesn't look so Redneck, not that there is anything wrong with that!

Trim around the bed and wardrobe.

Entry Steps

 You can find more photos of this project on my Flicker page:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/97815506@N06/

Now to get back on the road!

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The RV has a new floor!

For the last month or so I have been pretty busy working on the RV!  I know, what else is new.

It all started when I found water damage under the vinyl plank that I installed a few years ago. The co-pilot side window was broken and replaced a couple of year ago and we get rain so seldom that the leak went undetected for a while before I finally found and repaired it, but the damage to the floor went undetected for a much longer and the end result was rotten plywood under the vinyl plank.  Fortunately it was 1/4 plywood that I had installed over the real floor, which suffered much less damage. 

So at the very end of April, I started the floor demo project, removing all of the vinyl plank and the damaged plywood.  Of course, one of the first things I had to do was to remove the driver and co-pilot seats, and the recliner chair.  These were all bolted to the floor and are heavy and took some work to remove.  I removed everything I could from the RV but these were just too big and bulky.  Just stacked them in the slideout to worry about.

While all of this was going on, M and I decided to go with carpet tiles for a new floor.  The vinyl was just not working out.  Too much temperature variance and that was causing shrinkage!  We shopped a little bit locally and that got us nowhere but we did find an online site that had a lot of choices and good prices.  Having gotten our short list down to two choices I contacted the vendor.  Turns out that they do a deal on short lots, less than 500 square feet, and we had to take all of them, but for $0.99 per square foot and one tile on our short list had  272'  left.  My plan was to order 250' so 272' @ 0.99 was better that 250' @$1.29.  Shipping from GA came to $170,   It cost $1.63/ft, all said and done, delivered to my door.  Still a good price.

While waiting for the tiles to arrive I was working on all the prep work, mainly the underlayment.  I use 1/8" hard board for that and I think it worked out pretty good.

I took a couple of days off when Carl and Brenda came for a couple of days.





The carpet tiles arrived while they were here and I got started laying them a day or so after they left.  I don't know how much time I spent on the computer, with a lay out program, working with the layout of the tiles to minimize the waste with and make sure the tile seams are in just the right places, not matching the underlayment seam,  using a 24" x 24" tile.  My guess is that it is impossible but I got pretty close.  It took me just over a week to get the tiles down, with lots of time off, of course!


I had taken everything out of the RV that I could get out, including all loose furniture, bath room door and frame, and the toilet.  Then I decided to remove the mattress and bed platform  to allow for much more room to work.  While the bed was apart I took this as an opportunity to adjust the slide.  Naturally it had no adjustment so I ordered a 1-1/4" round stock nylon and manufactured and engineering fix.  It worked out rather well I think. The slide fits into the coach much better now.

Now that the floor was done, something had to be done about the doghouse, technically referred to as  the engine cover.  It was still covered with the original carpet and was in really bad shape. 

 So shopping for carpet, Part Two, begins.  No carpet guy wants to do RVs, mainly, I think because of the doghouse.  Takes very little carpet but lots of time to do it.  After a lot of consideration, I decide to tackle it myself.  After all, the worst I could do would be to screw it up, then find and play someone to do it right!  


The contact cement used fifteen years ago would not give up easily on its own.  In removing it, I had to separate the carpet for the backing,  then using a multi-tool with a scraper blade to remove the backing with most of the contact cement.
















This reminded me sheep shearing back on the farm, another life time ago! And in the end, if you use a lot of imagination, it almost looks like a sheep shin!

We looked at the big box stores and found nothing.  M was flying out to visit her sister and after dropping her at the airport I looked around Phoenix for remnants that would work for the doghouse.  I found nothing that would work but did find a $10 piece that I use for practice. The color was pretty bad I could still use the practice.  What I learned was that everyone in the desert area used some shade of brown for carpeting.  No shades of green or red was to be found.  I ended up with a 5'x12' piece of walnut colored carpet that I found in Prescott Valley.  Enough for three attempts.  My first practice cut, using the "practice" piece came up a little short, as did my first attempt with the real thing.   

It took me four days, with breaks and cement set time, to finish the job.  I had to do a lot of clamping in tight inside corners  and let that setup for a while before I could continue.

 

I don't know what everyone gets so worked up about!  I think this is was my first real carpet job and I think i did a pretty good job!

Would I want to do this again?  As my Dad would say, "That wouldn't be my first choice!"  It was some trail and error and a lot of patience for the floor and the doghouse, but, in the end it came out looking pretty good,   Maybe in a few years, when this wears out, I'll give it another go.

I know, it's been a while, and lots of stuff going on.  I will try to get updated if I can!  I will look over my emails, calendar, Facebook and other sources for the last year or so and try to do an update for each month.  We will see have that goes!  That was the way I updated when returning from my 300 mile hike of the Appalachian Trail and that seem to have worked pretty good! Will start off with March or April of last year!

As for now, I'm working on an RV remodel.  New floor and doghouse cover.  I will make more entries on that, with photos as time goes on.

Just has a swarm of bees near the house for a couple of days and the likelihood of them being Africanized made kinda interesting!


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Pace Maker

Last month I had a case of Atrial Fibrillation that generated a small cluster of clots and caused a mini stroke.  I recovered completely within a few days.  

While in the hospital, an EKG found my heart was also stopping for a few seconds every now and then.  So.. am on meds now (anti clotting) for the rest of my life in case of Afib to prevent strokes, and had a pace maker installed for the stopping.  (both conditions together called Tachy Brady syndrome).  

How it started:

02/11

Start of Medical Crisis

Time for dinner.  I have steaks on the grill, starting to feel funny, a little clumsy, but I stop and it passed.  Go out and turn the steak, come back in and the dizzies hit.  Sit on the couch, world starts flipping.  M finished the steak and I lay down, no supper tonight.  Stay on the couch all night, dizzy and vomiting.  

02/12

OK, lets get to the Hospital, make it to the car, M drives me there.  I am in Atrial fibrillation.   Over night in the PCU (Progressive Care Unit).

02/13

 After a number of test, c-scan, MRI, etc.,  Looks like a cluster of small clots have formed in the upper chambers of my heart and made it to the cerebellum portion of my brain, so get started on stroke prevention meds. 

 Prognosis, meds rest of my life, some phy. Therapy for now. Pretty lucky over all. Could have been much worst.

Got my iPad! 

02/14

Good morning, world!

Stroke systems subsiding, now looking more at heart problems! Maybe a pace maker.

Just learned from the monitors I have been hooked up to that I had multiple episode with heart stopping for seconds and that is why they pushed the pace maker so hard. EKG showed heart was stopping for 3-4 seconds at a time. Hospitalist and cardiologist both consulted with Lee (my son the doctor) and he was in agreement with them. That made it three to one.  They were ganging up on me.   One more day hosp care!

About 5:00 PM give or take......

Pace Maker installed

February 14 at Prescott, Arizona

02/15

Changing to xarelto  On the way home! (Not)

02/16

Now I'm going home.  Picked up meds at Walgreens.

02/17

Learned this week 

1. Don't like being sick, 

2. Don't like being dependent, and 

3. Man, my office chair feels goods!

OK, already knew that, but was reminded of them this week!

02/19-22

Aaron came to visit.  Still recovering a little, but up and around and going places (Aaron drove).

02/23-27

Carl came out for a few days.  Feeling much better, and going more places with Carl driving.

02/28

Back to Dr. office for insission check, all OK.  Change from Xarelto to Pradaxa.  About the same thing but Ins. covers one and not the other.  Go fighre.

03/13

Dr. office.  Pace Make check with tech form manufacture.  All good.  Asked about lower the fixed lower heart rate for 60 BPM to 50.  Doc said no problem so the tech took care of that.  60 was just too fast for me!

03/14

Not my heart, my dryer.  It stopped getting hot and took forever to dry.  Read up about it on the net and decided to replace two coils that controlled the gas valves.  Got them today, installed, and test out OK.  (Couple of days later, M did laundry and all was good)  Cost to fix dryer...   $8.55  Being good for something..  Priceless!