The vintage trailers came equipped with various heating units. Ours has a Duo-Therm diesel (yes, you read that correctly) heater. I had taken ours apart when we first got the trailer home due to severe mouse infestation. I cleaned it and reassembled it and since I have the original paperwork, stating that I have a LIFETIME WARRANTY for the unit, I got online and sure enough, Duo Therm is still in business. I really could not figure out how to operate it, and in talking to Dick, the original owner when we first saw the trailer, he said he had used it and it worked great. I just didn't ask him HOW to operate it. So, when I called Duo Therm and stated I owned one of their units, ahem, from the 50's, and I had a lifetime warranty, I needed some information. There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. I'm sure the 20-something receptionist hadn't fielded a call like that before. So, discouraged that there was no help from the company (I'm sure if I pressed it, someone with grey hair there must have known about an archive for old manuals) I just played around with the unit in my shop before putting it back in the trailer. Sure enough, a piece of paper, a match and some diesel in the tank and voila….heat. But, I had not tried it out in the trailer once it was back in.
So, down south here, it is cold at night….in the 40's actually. Brrr. Our little electric space heater was okay, but you can't keep it on all night, nor can you operate it with the water heater on or the microwave (too much juice for the old wiring and breaker box) So, I got some diesel, and fired it up. Wow, what a great heater. It has high, medium and low settings and a fan that circulates the heat in different directions near the floor. It is the cat's meow. So, now we are warm at night and no, the vent from the roof does NOT belch black smoke (thank goodness). If anyone has one of these heaters and needs some instructions, just let me know.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
100 square feet, 2 people, 15 pairs of shoes
Now you would think that would be a recipe for divorce, but thanks to the fellas that designed this great trailer back in '55, I'm not going to file. My wife's shoe collection, which she absolutely, positively must have along, is safely out of sight and yet handy to get to. We are amazed at the amount of storage in this aluminum box. Here are some rules for living small over an extended time:
1. Close every single door as soon as you are done getting out what you need (saves a crack to the head)
2. Put each and every thing back in its spot immediately after use.
3. Only replace an item when it is totally run out (paper towels, milk, soap, etc)
4. Spend as much time outside as possible.
5. Move much slower and more deliberately in a small space. The trailer shakes too much otherwise.
6. Have patience. Enjoy.
1. Close every single door as soon as you are done getting out what you need (saves a crack to the head)
2. Put each and every thing back in its spot immediately after use.
3. Only replace an item when it is totally run out (paper towels, milk, soap, etc)
4. Spend as much time outside as possible.
5. Move much slower and more deliberately in a small space. The trailer shakes too much otherwise.
6. Have patience. Enjoy.
Monday, January 13, 2014
We are living in the Boles
It has been a while since I posted anything. We have had it at the Pismo rally and the Lodi Towerfest rally last August and had a blast. We took it down to the Ride the Wild Surf Vintage Trailer rally in Newport Dunes on October 11th, 2013 and then found indoor storage in Mission Viejo for the winter so we would not have to trailer it home. We plan to pull it back to Newport Dunes for a few weeks then head to Palm Springs and stay in for the month of February and be in P.S for all the mid century events planned. There are home tours of some of the finest 50's and early 60's homes, car shows, vintage clothing shows, and a trailer show downtown. We had to get permission from the management of the RV resort in Cathedral City to bring our 59 year old trailer in, as no "rigs" over 15 years old are allowed. We sent in pictures of the exterior and interior and after a high level meeting, we got the okay.
It will be interesting to see what the snow birds who are there all winter think of us in our 24 ft. aluminum "rig". We look like a teardrop trailer next to the huge motorhomes. The other unknown is can the two of us live in such close quarters for 6 weeks? I guess it is the same as living aboard a boat or trawler, folks do it all the time. Our expectations are high, we will post about our adventures down south.
It will be interesting to see what the snow birds who are there all winter think of us in our 24 ft. aluminum "rig". We look like a teardrop trailer next to the huge motorhomes. The other unknown is can the two of us live in such close quarters for 6 weeks? I guess it is the same as living aboard a boat or trawler, folks do it all the time. Our expectations are high, we will post about our adventures down south.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Aluminum addiction
Is there a 12 step program for folks like us, who can't stop at one, two or even three vintage trailers? If you scroll down to my post of Aug. 19, 2011, you will see a 1947 Aero Flite 19 ft. trailer. It is now in my possession. That makes 3 vintage trailers.
Unlike the Boles, it was stripped inside (although all the original parts are stacked up in there) and the stainless steel kitchen is all intact, including an electric fridge. But, the very, very best part of this cool trailer is that NOT ONE MOUSE ever made its home in it. And, I do not have to break my back (just my bank account) restoring this baby, because I will have one of the great trailer restorers do the heavy lifting for me. Look for this trailer at next year's Pismo rally.
Unlike the Boles, it was stripped inside (although all the original parts are stacked up in there) and the stainless steel kitchen is all intact, including an electric fridge. But, the very, very best part of this cool trailer is that NOT ONE MOUSE ever made its home in it. And, I do not have to break my back (just my bank account) restoring this baby, because I will have one of the great trailer restorers do the heavy lifting for me. Look for this trailer at next year's Pismo rally.
The Mousemobile delivers again
After sinking lower and lower on our 2 settees, which are still upholstered in the original fabric, we decided to call in an expert. I had gone underneath and pulled out what was left of the original cotton batting, whacked the upholstery with an antique rug beater, blown out with a air compressor every nook and corner, used upholstery cleaner on the fabric and restuffed them with poly batting, but that is what a rookie does. Obviously, I couldn't do what needed to be done. I had been reluctant to pull off the 57 yr. old fabric and do it right, but necessity dictated this approach. I called Guy Bowen, owner of Don's Upholstery in Sonora, CA. This man knows vintage fabric, and vintage construction. He rebuilt the settees and, of course, took pix of the ridiculous amount of mouse poop and junk that all my cleaning out and vacuuming couldn't get to. This man went over and above for us, and the settees are now firm, comfy and best of all, mouse poop free. The fabric held up nicely, and with care, he put them all back together. Way to go, Guy. You are my man!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Can we charge admission?
We are recovered from our rally in Pismo Beach (the 5th annual Trail Along to Pismo) and as usual, it was loads of fun....except we couldn't get around to see many trailers due the constant stream of folks wanting to see our trailer.
Ok, so I know our trailer is unique due to the fact it is all original, inside and out, and in perfect, unrestored condition. This is why so many folks want to see it. So, taking a cue from museums and other historical sites, we have decided to get one of those headphone sets that you put on when you come in and the taped narrative will walk the visitors through the whole tour, while I sit outside, on my vintage Eames chair and enjoy a martini. All I will have to do is ask folks to sign the guest book. I then can wander around and look at other folks' trailers and look cool in my Chi Chi Rodriquez straw hat.
We had no problems with towing, flats, tires, axles, or any other issues, so that was a plus. I talked to a few guys in the know, and have decided to try to find a 10 ply (or higher) tire for the trailer. They aren't easy to find, but I think I'd feel better knowing I had the beefiest tire I can get, especially since I have a single axle. I did put skid plates under the new leaf springs, so if I have a repeat of the tow, blow, go fiasco, at least it won't shear off anything.
We are signed up for the South Lake Tahoe rally in Sept., so hope to see our aluminati friends there.
Ok, so I know our trailer is unique due to the fact it is all original, inside and out, and in perfect, unrestored condition. This is why so many folks want to see it. So, taking a cue from museums and other historical sites, we have decided to get one of those headphone sets that you put on when you come in and the taped narrative will walk the visitors through the whole tour, while I sit outside, on my vintage Eames chair and enjoy a martini. All I will have to do is ask folks to sign the guest book. I then can wander around and look at other folks' trailers and look cool in my Chi Chi Rodriquez straw hat.
We had no problems with towing, flats, tires, axles, or any other issues, so that was a plus. I talked to a few guys in the know, and have decided to try to find a 10 ply (or higher) tire for the trailer. They aren't easy to find, but I think I'd feel better knowing I had the beefiest tire I can get, especially since I have a single axle. I did put skid plates under the new leaf springs, so if I have a repeat of the tow, blow, go fiasco, at least it won't shear off anything.
We are signed up for the South Lake Tahoe rally in Sept., so hope to see our aluminati friends there.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Tow, blow & go
Ok, so the tire/axle/rim saga plot thickens. This chapter opens with us towing the Boles home, over the grapevine (I-5). We had just stopped in Visalia, at Camping World, to pick up a few things. Checked the tires, all looked good. Within 10 miles, on the pass, we felt the right trailer tire blow out and the trailer immediately go onto the rim. Fortunately, there was NO sway, thanks the original stabilizer bars and the new anti-sway attachment I put on. We skidded along to a stop, and again, thankfully there was a full pull off lane. I got the blown tire right against the asphalt curb and we had about a foot clearance to the slow lane line on the left. Huge semi's are hauling down the hill and we are shaking as each one blew past. I got out and saw that the tire had literally exploded, the rim was shot and while dragging on the rim, it had kicked the axle out of alignment. Your worst nightmare. Now, I needed the trailer to be put up on a tow vehicle, not just a tire change. This was Saturday at 11:15 a.m. We started making calls to AAA (sorry, you don't have trailer coverage in your roadside assistance plan) and our GMAC trailer insurer. With our I-Pad, we found a Camping World 48 miles north in Bakersfield, which, when towed to, would get us over the grapevine and closer to home.
Now, just as a refresher, I had brand new 8 ply tires, brand new rims (the defective rim with the hole in the metal that led to the flat going down had been replaced). So, why did this tire explode? And, why, with my new axle and shackles, did we skid along on the rim?
I won't bore you with the details of how we got a tow vehicle to come to us (2 hours later), but they showed up and it took one and a half hours & $475 (yes, you read that correctly) to load the trailer as to avoid scrapping the aluminum rear end, which hangs low anyway.
We got to Bakersfield, unloaded (which took an hour) before they closed, and the service dept. determined that the 10 leaf-springs (original) was some of the problem with the new axle and the how low that hangs in relationship to the rim. So, over the course of the next week, they replaced the 10 leaves with new metal 5 leaves, put our spare on (which it turns out the replacement rim we had purchased down south didn't fit the axle, so they had to put on a cheesy new rim (another $75) with our tire). Mike was about to pull out of the service area when he noticed the axle still looked cattywampus. Sure enough, it was an inch out of square. So, they had to take all of it apart and start over again. By this time, we realized why Boles Aero categorized our trailer a "Park Model". Ha Ha
After getting it home, we still realized that all is not fool-proof underneath. So, it will go into the welder this week for an additional skid plate..we think.
Anyway, note to self: never, ever tow without a spare and your tool kit. Have trailer tow insurance up to date and card handy. Invest in some sturdy caution lights or something to warn cars and have some blocks of wood handy.
She still attracted folks over to her like a chicken to a june bug. All during our week in Newport, we had a steady stream of people wanting to see it, and while it was being worked on at Camping World, folks were looking in the windows. She is a beauty.
Now, just as a refresher, I had brand new 8 ply tires, brand new rims (the defective rim with the hole in the metal that led to the flat going down had been replaced). So, why did this tire explode? And, why, with my new axle and shackles, did we skid along on the rim?
I won't bore you with the details of how we got a tow vehicle to come to us (2 hours later), but they showed up and it took one and a half hours & $475 (yes, you read that correctly) to load the trailer as to avoid scrapping the aluminum rear end, which hangs low anyway.
We got to Bakersfield, unloaded (which took an hour) before they closed, and the service dept. determined that the 10 leaf-springs (original) was some of the problem with the new axle and the how low that hangs in relationship to the rim. So, over the course of the next week, they replaced the 10 leaves with new metal 5 leaves, put our spare on (which it turns out the replacement rim we had purchased down south didn't fit the axle, so they had to put on a cheesy new rim (another $75) with our tire). Mike was about to pull out of the service area when he noticed the axle still looked cattywampus. Sure enough, it was an inch out of square. So, they had to take all of it apart and start over again. By this time, we realized why Boles Aero categorized our trailer a "Park Model". Ha Ha
After getting it home, we still realized that all is not fool-proof underneath. So, it will go into the welder this week for an additional skid plate..we think.
Anyway, note to self: never, ever tow without a spare and your tool kit. Have trailer tow insurance up to date and card handy. Invest in some sturdy caution lights or something to warn cars and have some blocks of wood handy.
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