Category: Excursion

I’ve been given a deadline

This morning we’re discussing next year’s vacation budget, and the wife tells me she wants to go to Disney in Oct 2021.

And she wants to tow the travel trailer (that we don’t yet own) and stay at Fort Wilderness.

That gives me three years to turn the Excursion into a tow monster while saving enough cash to purchase a trailer and fund a two week stay at the Magic Kingdom.

Realistically, I want to buy and be able to tow the trailer in two years so we can do some local shakedown trips.

Luckily, the Excursion left the factory with a 10,000 pound towing capacity.

Let the shopping begin!

Legal jibber-jabber

  • As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn commission if you purchase something linked from this page.
  • Product reviews – unless stated otherwise, I have purchased all reviewed products with my own money.
  • “Manufacturers claims” are exactly that. Their claims. If my text says “manufacturer claims” it means I haven’t checked it and I probably don’t have a way to check it. Hydrostatic ratings, R-values, Temperature ratings, etc.
  • Follow these instructions at your own risk. I’m not a professional anything. I’m just some random human you encountered on the internet. I may or may not have any idea what I’m doing. I certainly have no idea what you’re doing. I accept no liability for injury, property damage or any other direct or indirect damages you may incur from anything on this page or any other pages I may or may not have authored.
  • Copyright Reserved Creative Commons – Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike . If I’ve inspired you, link back to this page. Don’t steal my text or photos. Feel free to modify my designs in any way you see fit. Don’t try to make yourself money from my ideas.
  • Comments will be moderated. Those that add to the discussion will be allowed. Those that add nothing will be deleted. If you don’t agree with my decisions, get your own website.
  • DON’T PANIC

Maintenance

So the first thing I do when I get a new vehicle is run through the maintenance.

  • Oil and filter change
  • Fuel filter change
  • Air filter change

This way I know when the last oil change was done and it gives me a chance to find any sketchy repairs that were done by the PO. I did find some work that was not quite sketchy, but not exactly right either.

Continue reading “Maintenance”

Two small accessories, huge improvements

When I bought Fessick, he had 220,000 miles on him. The steering wheel looked like the previous owner never washed his hands. It was black & crusty, with only a small area of gray visible on the lower portion of the wheel.

Also, when he rolled off the assembly line, cars weren’t equipped with solar tinted glass. When I get into the truck after work, it’s about 130 degrees in the cabin

Continue reading “Two small accessories, huge improvements”

The Ex Swallows

Update June 2019

A lawnmower in the box fits behind the third row.

Lawnmower in cargo hold. 8 seats still available.
I did have to open the barn doors all the way.

Update May 2019 – according to the fine folks at the Excursion Cult Club on Facebook, an Excursion can carry 21 bales of hay or 220 dozen Krispy Kreme.

It’s insane how large Fessick is.

One evening while returning from dinner at the in-laws’ house, we saw a dresser on the side of the road about a half-mile from our place.

Dropped off the wife & kids. Tossed the car seats in the minivan and returned for the dresser.

I folded the middle row flat and slid the dresser in the back door. So yeah, a dresser, upside down on top of the folded second row.

Our primary tent is a yurt. When it’s packed up, it’s eight feet long. (Our camping set-up is ridiculous, it will be detailed next summer.) The Excursion is big enough that both kids fit, in car seats, on the big side of the middle row. I built a Z-shaped bulkhead that goes from behind the wife’s seat to behind the kids’ all the way to the ceiling.

From bottom- EZ-up, yurt side walls, shelf for roof rafters

Legal jibber-jabber

  • As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn commission if you purchase something linked from this page.
  • Product reviews – unless stated otherwise, I have purchased all reviewed products with my own money.
  • “Manufacturers claims” are exactly that. Their claims. If my text says “manufacturer claims” it means I haven’t checked it and I probably don’t have a way to check it. Hydrostatic ratings, R-values, Temperature ratings, etc.
  • Follow these instructions at your own risk. I’m not a professional anything. I’m just some random human you encountered on the internet. I may or may not have any idea what I’m doing. I certainly have no idea what you’re doing. I accept no liability for injury, property damage or any other direct or indirect damages you may incur from anything on this page or any other pages I may or may not have authored.
  • Copyright Reserved Creative Commons – Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share Alike . If I’ve inspired you, link back to this page. Don’t steal my text or photos. Feel free to modify my designs in any way you see fit. Don’t try to make yourself money from my ideas.
  • Comments will be moderated. Those that add to the discussion will be allowed. Those that add nothing will be deleted. If you don’t agree with my decisions, get your own website.
  • DON’T PANIC

Phone install

Earlier I mentioned that the Excursion is far from a modern vehicle.

I, however, am “the very model of a modern major-general”

Not really, I’ve never served. But I do like my modern communications devices. Two things had to be installed, USB ports for charging and a mount to keep my iPhone visible and stable while driving.

Continue reading “Phone install”