Thursday, June 18, 2015

A wrap up of what I've been doing since May 13th when my classes ended


Warning: this is a brain dump, a months worth of events, thoughts, etc that have happened to me, kind of a wrap up to get you caught up to today June 18th.

I wrote more here, but it was deleted by accident, not going back to recreate it:
I worked on my truck for days, and days, fixed many things, I'm very proud of myself, I just stuck it out, did the research, figured out what needed to be done and did it. 
I replaced many parts on the front suspension to try and fix a problem where when you turn the wheel, it would not come back to center, it just kept going in whatever direction you turned it, right or left.
Ultimately I replaced the inner/outer tie rod ends, upper and lower ball joints (passenger) side, and the steering gear box.

The RV
After a LOT of research and craiglist/other sources shopping for a RV, I decided to go with a 5th wheel, I wanted a 22-25 foot RV. I ended up finding one on ksl.com, a Utah specific craigslist like site:
https://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=231&cat=434&category=142

Because I decided on a 5th wheel trailer, I now needed to mount a 5th wheel hitch in the bed of my truck. I found one on craigslist for $250, offered $200, got it. I thought it had all the mounting hardware I would need, but it didn't, I ended up paying $40 for a set of universal frame mounts. I spent almost two days trying to get this right and installed, drilling holes in the bed and the frame, I think it came out great, it is a Pull Rite 16k, tilts in both directions, locks every time, seems like I did well on that, just a TON of manual work to get it installed.

 Back to my RV buying story:
The selection of RVs on ksl.com was fantastic, i could not find any place with as many in my price range, ($3500).
Two weeks ago I picked the best 12 ads, called the one I most wanted and set up a time to go see the 5th wheel RV, this was in Salt Lake City Utah, 425 miles from Vegas. I felt like my truck was up to the task after all the work I had done to it, and I had an uneventful drive up there. Over the course of the trip I told the RV owners that I would meet them in the morning as early as they would let me, they said no way, just come over and stay in the 5th wheel they were selling. I got to the Salt Lake City area, went to the owners house, they let me in and I slept in the 5th wheel I was looking to buy. The next morning we went over everything, AC, heating, hot water heater, burners, stove, water pump, water tanks, plumbing system, electrical system, solar panel system, and I couldn't find anything wrong except that only one of the two legs that hold the front up when not attached to the truck works, you use one to lift the trailer, then manually lower the other leg and pin it into place, something I need to fix. 
They posted the 5th wheel RV at $3600, I told them on the phone before I came that I was offering $3000, when we got down to "brass tax" they said, they needed $3300, I accepted and have been very happy so far. The 5th wheel RV is a 1993 Sierra by Cobra, 24 or 25 feet, the title says one thing, but I think it's a 25 foot trailer. 

I have to say it was a very emotional moment when I was attached to the trailer, they were showing me how the Colorado Awning works, checking lights, tires, trailer brakes (came with the truck, and the trailer has 4 wheel electric brakes)
Everything worked, so I was off, I drove a couple blocks, found a big open parking lot and just sat there in shock that I had done this in just a few weeks, a goal I have been dreaming about for a long time and working to save money for the last 6 months to accomplish.
It was very overwhelming, I'm still a little in shock as I sit here in San Bernardino California looking at my truck and RV in the parking lot, crossing over to Mexico later today. I'm so excited.
They may be old vehicles, but at the moment they both work as they need to.




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