Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Day 3, morning.

I'm delinquent in my crew introductions. From the pix you've already figured out I'm sure, that Trish is the shapely female that fills the position of navigator/copilot - and main squeeze of pilot/engineer. Ranger (PR manager/security chief) is that red miniature poodle in the pix, affectionately know as Furball - and main squeeze of navigator/copilot.

2010 is the first model year for the EDGE and many smart buyers avoid buying vehicles in the first model year. Obviously that description does not include us. Overall it's a great rig, state of the art in super light weight compact trailers with full electrical/plumbing amenities. It weighs in about 500 pounds less than anything comparable. But - and I realize there's always a but cuz no vehicle is perfect - there are several design flaws and weaknesses, things that looked good on the drawing board but didn't get adequate field testing. We've already rebuilt, upgraded, replaced or enhanced most of the stuff we didn't like and it's a fairly long list.

The next rebuild item is the latch that holds the door open. Due to the location of the awning support, the door can't be opened so it's flat against the side of the trailer, which is the ideal. Instead, the latch holds the door open at a 35 degree angle to the exterior sidewall, and thus is subject to being buffeted by wind, any wind. Long story short, the buffeting is causing the latch screws to pull loose from the door. Gotta anchor the darn thing by drilling right through the door and attaching a metal backing plate to the inside of the door with bolts and locknuts. That will be a challenge given the limited tools we have along. But I'm gonna 'git r done.'

"Half Broke Horses" by Jeanette Walls is my current read. It's what they call a 'true life novel' about a woman who lived in the NW corner of AZ in the early/mid 1900's. The main character lived near Seligman when they were first paving Route 66. It's a true story and includes pictures of the main characters. It's a good read in itself but more enjoyable since we just traveled through the subject territory. Add it to your reading list if you have an interest in southwest US history.

3 comments:

  1. About time you post some pix of the two most handsome parts of the Three Amigos. BTW, you're still invited to camp out here at Island Lake anytime in June. That includes you and Ranger, Trish, while us 'boys' are up at Detroit Lakes. Gin's all for that, and Delaney, you could leave your truck for Trish and ride up in my Sienna. Give it some serious thought. Gin would love some company. We discussed that again tonight over dinner and merlot.
    Al&Gin

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  2. Uncle,
    I look forward to liviing vicariously through you. Have a great time, and be safe.
    MD

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  3. Are you sending Design Improvement notes to the company? Maybe you could write off the trip...

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