rattle_snake's random shop projects v0.1

[SilverJimmy]

I have solved the soggy cheese in the cooler problem by using frozen bottles of water. Instead of ice I put 6-8 bottles of frozen water in with the food and drinks. Keeps everything nice and cold and as a bonus towards the end of the day I have some ice water to drink. I keep the same number of bottles in the freezer in our camper and just rotate them for any day trip we might take.

 

[ntsqd]

One of the things that Locos Mocos taught me was to only drain enough water out of the cooler to gain enough room for more ice. This is contrary to everything else that I'd ever seen or been told, but it makes some sense when you really think about it.

With a cooler full of water and ice it's all at 32° or colder (in the case of the ice) and it can't get any warmer until almost all of the ice has melted. Water is a massive thermal sink, it takes a huge amount of heat to change 32° ice into 32° water, and quite a bit more heat to raise the water to 33°. In contrast it takes very little heat to raise air's temperature by one degree.
Water & ice is also an excellent suspension media for the beer & eggs. A full-on flogging down a section of the race course won't foam the beer nearly as badly if the cooler is full of water and ice. It will definitely foam it if you've drained all of the water out, and the ice won't last anywhere near as long.

 

[rattle_snake]

I see the price of 12 VDC fridges has come down significantly in the last few years. I have a pair of lifetime small and medium size ice chests that do the job well.
That said I spent some time on the cabover camper 3-way fridge. It will light but not stay burning. Long ago a took it apart and determined that the design of the thermocouple wiring drops to much voltage across the various contacts to work reliably.
Aside from modify/repair an option is to replace the old fridge with a modern 12 VDC compressor type and abandon the gas. Would need a solar setup to run it, which I'm considering anyhow. Or even another 12 VDC portable to use on the ground outside, and for trips without the camper.
Also thinking of long run, the 110 VAC rooftop AC is 20+ years old. My Honda inverter generator struggles to run it, which it didn't before. Setup still works but is loud. A 48 VDC air conditioner, decent battery setup and panels would be a nice upgrade.

 

[zmotorsports]

I have solved the soggy cheese in the cooler problem by using frozen bottles of water. Instead of ice I put 6-8 bottles of frozen water in with the food and drinks. Keeps everything nice and cold and as a bonus towards the end of the day I have some ice water to drink. I keep the same number of bottles in the freezer in our camper and just rotate them for any day trip we might take.

We do the same thing Sterling. Our drinks are in the cooler with the ice, but our lunches go in a smaller soft-sided cooler using frozen water bottles to keep everything cool. Works like a dream and just keep rotating new ones into the freezer so there's always 4-6 frozen and ready for the next day(s).

 

[SilverJimmy]

I just upgraded or Arctic Fox 990 truckbed camper to a Dometic 12 volt compressor fridge. The camper already had a 200 watt solar panel so I also upgraded the batteries to two 105 amp hour lithium batteries at the same time. We just got back from a 3-1/2 week trip to Yellowstone and all points between and the new fridge has been rock solid, fridge at 33 degrees and freezer at -3 degrees always! Best thing I ever did and now the wife is happy, no more fridge failures! We also did a trip to ElMirage last May and the solar kept up perfectly with the fridge power draw.

 

[rattle_snake]

Spent some time on the RV fridge, studied the schematic and determined that the problem is still the selector switch. Obsolete part. It's a multi pole switch (AC/DC/Gas) and the gas aspect is only one contact. It connects the thermocouple to the gas valve. Hack was to extend the two gas related wires and use a simple rocker switch for gas mode, on/off. Downside is the extra switch doesn't prevent multiple power sources. But it works good and has run for a few days. Going to call that a win and move on.

Still not decided on the solar aspect. Don't need solar system and have done without so far. Daytime charging would be a 'nice to have'. Perhaps a portable ground setup would make more sense and be able to be used beyond the cab over camper. Otherwise a single 100W panel would do the job and would remove the need to plug in the camper when stored.

 

[rattle_snake]

Upgraded the 5/8 chuck on my drill press to a keyless type.

 

[rattle_snake]

Spent most of a day doing maintenance on quad. Don't have a log to know when last services were so doing everything and created a log. The lift and oil drain can make the job much easier. Did engine oil/filter, trans, rear end and coolant.


That leaves front e-lock diff and brake fluid. All suspension bushing and CV boots are still good.


Probably didn't need any of the fluids, but now I know it's good and when next time should be. My kids ride it also so I want it to be as reliable as possible with good care.

 

[rattle_snake]

Smoked a brisket and ribs on Sunday. Did yard work most of the day, in small pieces, at 110*. Trying to stay on top of yard work this summer. Last summer I didn't care enough to do so.
Fired up the smoker in the morning and it went into error mode 'SEn'. Main temp sensor was way off. Cycle power and smacked sensor a few times. It settled out and ran for the rest of the day.
BBQ drawers were dirty, greasy and unorganized. Time to do something about that. Removed the drawers and cleaned them up with oven cleaner. Made some simple dividers out of plywood.

 

[rattle_snake]

Chipping away at turd-polishing my camping equipment. Next item is camp table. I avoid multiple or large tables because any horizontal surface get piled with someone else's **** almost immediately. So I have just one small folding table I bought 20 years ago. Simple and light but the material is press wood and has sagged over time. Considered making some type of aluminum frame to support the middle. Decided to try rigid foam to hold proper shape when stored instead. Taped the edges with foil tape to prevent bean going everywhere, and glued down the foam. Made a clamp to shut it tight. Hopefully by next trip the pressboard will be back to flat, and the foam will stay attached. Otherwise the foam can be just for storage.

 

[rattle_snake]

Finished out the maintenance on my 2004 Polaris 600. Changed front diff fluid. All the brake bleeders were clogged. Resolved that and pulled fresh fluid through the system. Made a mess of course. Checked the pads. Also bleed out the secondary rear brake circuit that is on the shift lockout pedal. It has never worked, supposed to stop before changing gears. Resolved but brake doesn't do much. Since three of the fluids are fill up to the hole and leak out, the chassis had residual mess and I gave it another cleaning. So with that my dirt bike and quad are in tip-top shape ready for the next trip.

I decided to pause on the solar setup on cabover camper. I don't have a clear goal or plan. I went ahead and off loaded it from the truck. Still need to fix the cracked window, needs to be on the ground to do so. But it's cleaned up and ready for the next trip.

Still thinking about how to build out the utility trailer to make it easier to use and secure stuff. Storage areas front and rear and a easier way to secure the machines. For the dirt bike, a better front tire chock and a dedicated loop of some sort. New fork saver, and cut down the straps. To secure the quad, there are many ways. I want fast and easy. Considering adding a small winch to the front of the quad to use for the purpose. Make a rear loop and then **** down the winch. Like a tow truck. Another option are tire tie downs.

 

[ntsqd]

Can really get wrapped around the axle over solar. I just want a system the works without me needing to monitor it more than very occasionally.

With the Bronc-up I bought L Track (airline seat track) & QD tie-downs since the loading was expected to vary.
Surface mount: https://www.uscargocontrol.com/products/96-airline-style-angled-track-aluminum
Flush Mount: https://www.uscargocontrol.com/products/96-flanged-airline-style-track-aluminum
And adjustable location anchors like: https://www.uscargocontrol.com/products/double-stud-fitting
For something like a MC front tire trap that won't always be in place I might use several of these: https://www.uscargocontrol.com/products/l-track-double-lug-threaded-stud-fitting

For heavier loads, like on a car hauler trailer I'd go with E-track, but for a utility trailer I like the flush mount for the deck and the surface mount for any rails or permanent sides it might have. If I keep the '73 C10 SBSS I plan to 'hide' the edge of the bed liner under an upper strip of L-Track.

 

[rattle_snake]

Not really looking for a tie down system. More of specifically how to secure the machines. Same machine, same place so mounts can be permanent. Fast and easy but secure enough for 800 lb machine on a nasty rocky back road.

Spent some time last night on my 2004 Cobra. The subwoofer box was never really secured well, and gets banged around in the trunk. Knocks the trim off the front. Awhile ago I had changed the strap orientation to diagonal to try to reduce side-to-side movement, but not successfully. Time for v2.0. To combat the side movement I added some 'wings' on the sides of the box that hook into the back seat opening. Needed some spacers to fit properly. The other fix was to re-do the nylon straps and buckles. Made a short loop on box to hold a backpack style buckle, and a 2nd loop on the outer LATCH points. Now I can really snug the straps down. See how it works after some aggressive driving. Also finished cleaning the car, the inside, jams. I live in a dusty environment and it blankets the interior. Next up is an oil change, it's at 4.4k miles which is about my threshold. Ordered M1 oil and filter.

Trying to catch up on life in general before I tear into the 76 F100 front suspension. Been doing a small amount of yard work each day, but it's over 100 even well after dark.

 

[Mark_17]

I haven't used the retractable ratchet straps yet, but considering how lazy I am with rolling up my regular ones, I really should try them.

They make them so they can be permanently mounted which I thought would be handy for a trailer.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Retractable-Ratchet-10-ft-x-1-7-8-in-1000-lbs-55565/206967356?g_store=939&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl

 

[ntsqd]

Can get single point "L-track" anchors. I'm sure that they're effective, but it seems like the only reason to do that is if you're already heavily invested in other L-track hardware.
Sounds to me like flush mount or surface mount D rings are the go-to.

 

[rattle_snake]

The retractable straps are cool. bolt down.

option b is a small hand winch. The sun will destroy strap material so maybe old school wire rope is the way to go.

Fixed length single strap from quad hitch ball to 2 points rearward on the deck, in a 'V'. Then just cinch up the winch on the front tow hook a few cranks, just like a boat. The existing set of D-rings are only anchored in the wood, so would have to add a pair of dedicated anchors into the frame.

Bought a sheet of #9 3/4 expanded steel and some rem sq tube to build some storage compartments on the deck.

 

[ntsqd]

Do the trig before buying the strap. The loads in a diagonal strap can be deceptively large.