Because you know I can’t do a project without things going sideways.
I decided to dry fit my wheels on the hubs before hanging the hubs on the trailer and……
…..erupted in a cloud of profanity so robust that Old Man Parker* would have been impressed.
Continue reading “Adding brakes to the utility trailer- hardware (days 2&3)”With the Excursion, the barn doors opened above the trailer crank handle. I’ve been worried about getting into the bed of the Ridgeline with the trailer hitched.
Continue reading “A game of inches”It turns out my trailer has been non-compliant with NJ law for the entire time I’ve owned it. Trailers over 3,000 GVWR must have brakes & a breakaway system. My 3,500 pound trailer had neither when I bought it. So, let’s get to work.
Continue reading “Adding brakes to the trailer – hardware (day 1)”Last fall I installed the Tow-Pro into the Ridgeline, now I have to make it so the Tow-Pro can control the trailer brakes.
First off, the brake-less trailer has a four pin plug (Ground, Marker, Left & Right Turns), while a trailer equipped with brakes has a seven pin plug (added Brakes, Reverse lights and Power).
Continue reading “Adding brakes to the utility trailer – electrical (Day 1)”Adding brakes to the utility trailer this spring. I’m going to post little bits as I go, instead of one big post.
I’m moving from a four-wire cable to a seven wire cable to support the brakes & break away safety system. I’m also adding a seven pole junction box.
Continue reading “New trailer wire”I bought this controller years ago but never got around to installing it in the Excursion. Given how much lighter the Ridgeline is, I’m more concerned about being pushed about by the trailer.
I opted for the Liberty (highway) model over the Elite (off-road & highway) for the two obvious reasons – price and the fact that I don’t take a trailer off road. That being said install for the two should be identical.
Continue reading “Trailer Brake Controller”Yet another way that 23 years of technology have made trucks easier to manage. Yesterday morning, I had to move the trailer around the yard.
Normally, I ask my wife or son to direct me as I back up to the coupler.
The downward view on the backup camera makes hitching up a one man operation.
So, I CAN fit our entire camp setup in & on the excursion, but doing so means loading some heavy bits on the roof. I’m starting to see that this is not worth the risk.
It also means squeezing the kids onto the left & center seat and they’re starting to require a bit of space between them. (Teenagers apparently require more personal space than toddlers.)
So I bought the trailer. And now it’s time for the second phase of the modular trailer to be built.
Continue reading “Ladder (Ger) rack for the trailer.”
When I bought this trailer almost three years ago, I was amazed by how few good tie down points there were (just four). After an unfortunate accident on I-295 over a decade ago, I have an obsession with securing my cargo.
Continue reading “Adding tie downs to the utility trailer.”Last year I bought a utility trailer. Mostly because I was tired of putting Yurt bits on the roof of the Excursion. But also because I knew I was going to need to haul things I didn’t want inside my baby.
Today, I needed to hail a cubic yard of gravel, but the open sided utility trailer was just the wrong tool for the job.
Modern Anachronist 