A Better Look At Gator

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Gator Features (lifted from the JD website):

• Powered by a standard 48V system with 8 Trojan T-105 batteries, Gator TE accelerates faster, climbs hills better, and performs evenly until recharge (optional extended range T-145 batteries available)
• Golf-cart-style drivetrain prevents need for engine re-start
• Tight, 24.1-ft. turn clearance circle
• Directional change control feature slows machine to a stop before changing directions to prevent whiplash and stress on the drive train
• 0 - 15-mph forward ground speed, 0 - 9-mph reverse ground speed. Air speed has not yet been determined (testing continues)
  
• Separately excited controller provides over-speed control, dynamic braking, roll-away control, and regeneration
• Wide flotation tires, especially designed for turf applications, minimize ground compaction, provide good traction in mud, and flex over bumps for a smooth ride
• Wide wheel stance and low center of gravity offer passenger and operator superb stability
• Quiet, electric operation ("sneak-up-on")
  
• 16-gauge-steel, 11.2 cu. ft. capacity cargo box hauls up t0 500lb. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  

I looked for work horse style golf carts at first, thinking that a Gator or something in the same class would be out of my price range; and new ones certainly are, with the Gator Pro at over $17,000 without any accessories. Then we found this Chino Hills golf course back-shop sales place on Craigslist where they sell rebuilt (pieced together from good parts), used and new carts of all kinds for really reasonable, very negotiable prices.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/rvs/1152181660.html

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It's a 2003 or 2004 with 681.8 hours on the meter.



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Small Surgery And A New Ranch Toy

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Wednesday a week ago I had a small surgery at Kaiser. It went well and I will be able to return to the ranch in about two weeks.
While I was recovering I started looking for a utility vehicle, mostly on Craigslist, and I found this Gator:


It's a 48 volt John Deere Gator TE, and it just exactly fits in our 10 foot trailer. It will help with the lifting and carrying and maybe I won't get herniated -- again.
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By the way, I have decided to build a pole barn instead of erecting the metal arch building. The metal barn is still sitting complete with all hardware on it's pallets and is for sale. It's 30x60 heavy duty 20 gauge, and has been approved by county engineering (stamped) for the snow load in high country. It cost $13000 and I would consider $9500 to be a reasonable recovery. Pass the word, please.
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Note to Dave Jr.

Q: Still going strong I see. Everything looks like it's coming together. Nice to see. Take care.

Asked by Dave Jr

A: Thanks, Dave

This week will see the fence on the east side finished and the cattle finally excluded from our land. A most destructive bunch of beasts!

I had to come back to California for two or three weeks to get my lower partial plate replaced. It broke after 18 years of hard service.

When we get back out there (Sharon will be going with me this time) we will immediately begin the storage building, and finalize the order for our house. The goal is to have a livable home by Thanksgiving.

Ask David a question.

BEHIND

Q: Dave, I see that you are a few weeks behind schedule with your updates. I hope that this email finds you well and productive enough to meet your personal deadlines! How is your pick up handling the unpaved roads of your new home? Snow in March? As I read this I looked down and saw a flip flop tan line across my bare feet, are you sure your going to miss so cal? I hope everything is going good for you and look forward to your updates.
Bryan

Asked by Bryan

A: Yes, Three weeks to be exact. The fence, the wind and the cold have all taken their share of my full attention. The inside of my trailer looks like the south end of a north bound Gypsy caravan. I have vowed many times that I would take a day off to clean up around the place and sum up my activities on the blog, but something always interferes. I have spent days with the chain saw clearing the East side fence line. Because of soil erosion at the fence line we could not get secure footing for the "T" posts, so we moved the whole line 18 inches to the west. Doesn't sound like much, but lots of small trees and brush and cactus occupied the new line and had to be removed. Then I used the tractor front loader and a log chain the pull all the old fence posts that had been there since the 1930's.

The quality of the fence is important to the security of the infrastructure for our house. The well, the power panel, the excavations for our barn and house foundations, and the stacks of building materials have to be protected against the free grazing range cattle.

The wind and the cold have also slowed down the start of work each day, and the changing precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, hail) sometimes force us to knock off early and seek shelter.

The 1 ton Dodge has proven to be exactly the right truck out here. That's why there are so many of them. I have received many complements and comments of "awesome truck". The sound of power alone causes heads to turn. The suspension is stiff; 2400 pounds of water in the bed hardly causes the springs to depress, so it does ride rougher on the dirt roads, but it handles well and always starts first try. Many other diesels out here have to use starter fluid on very cold mornings.

The best thing is that the trailer stays warm and tight and I sleep like a log.

Ask David a question.

Snow Day

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Last night the temperature at 3:30am outside was 16 degrees. (I have a remote thermometer outside that tells me these things). Inside the trailer, with only one 1000 watt reflective dish heater going at full power, it never got below about 58 degrees, and I was comfortable in a hoodie, sweat pants, and heavy socks.


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Even though the snow was not heavy and did not stick past about 2:00 pm, it made a coating of mud that is some of the stickiest stuff I've ever seen. A mud deck and sheltered entry for the trailer is going to be a necessity if I'm going to keep the inside floor clean.
Today I've been cleaning my work boots with a long-handled stiff bristle brush that I bought at Gustins Hardware in Mountainair yesterday morning. It's better than nothing, but the entry deck will have duck boards and heavy sisal doormats, and a place to sit to remove muddy boots.

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No fence work today. We needed to pour concrete for a heavy corner brace assembly at the South end of our West line, and for gate posts in the West line of Wendy and Tim's 57 acres.
The west end gate is a requirement for the electrical CO-OP easement access. Anyway, no concrete work today either.

The forecast is for sunshine and warmer weather tomorrow.
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Some Progress Pictures

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Pulled in at dawn. And naturally I had to jump right out and take pictures.


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The trailer was easier to position than I thought it would be. I'll be able to use existing structure to add summer time shelter for the trailer. The roof system will add rain water capture capability.
This the first phase position of the trailer. After I build the small deck between the shack and the trailer and set the posts for the shelter-roof ridge beam, I'll move the trailer two feet closer to the shack.


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The Northeast fence gate is up as of today.
The North fence line looking East from the gate at the green shack.

This is the Northwest gate leading to the green shack. The North
gates are both sixteen feet.


Looking North along the West fence from the mid line field brace.


Looking south along the West fence from the Northwest corner.
I'll be adding the stays to this section of fence tomorrow.

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The Trailer power cord would not reach the 30 amp plug I had Frank Sedillo add to the shack.
Not his fault, as my location callout did not accurately consider the length of the cord. So I added a separate 30 amp breaker and another power plug on the Northwest corner.

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I plan to add more text to this posting tomorrow morning, and to severely edit yesterday's posting which is still in draft, 'cause I screwed it up trying to be clever.
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Road Trip

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The rest stop east of Barstow and all is well. The truck pulled Cajon Pass like there was nothing on tow.

The first rest stop in Arizona. By this time I was confident. "Yes, it's quiet. Maybe too quiet."


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Across the Mojave, past Kingman and half way to Seligman. More than 40 miles to town in both directions. Some debris on the road and this, at about 4:00 pm:

Trailer, front left. Well, it looked OK when I started.



I called for Roadside Repair,


and two hours and $380.00 later I was on my way back to Kingman to buy another tire. My trailer spare had gone flat, but they were able to patch it and mount it. The tread from the destroyed tire had wrapped around the axle, but didn't touch the brake wires.

Walmart's tire and lube was about to close, so I spent the night comfortably in the Walmart lot with a dozen other RVers. Not one generator running, thank you very much.

Next morning, business taken care of, and a good breakfast, I was back on the road at 10:00am.

One mile down the road the other tire on the left side destroyed itself, wrapping tread around both the axle and the spring assembly, leaving the still undamaged brake wires sticking out of the mess. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of that.

Another roadside ($97.00) repair, and back to Walmart in Kingman. This time I had to wait a while for the tire to be mounted. They were so busy I had time for lunch and shopping for odds and ends. Then, rather than wait another two or three hours, I changed the tire myself in the parking lot and was again on my way; not much less than 24 hours after the first blowout.

The rest of the trip was uneventful and, after spending the night in the Walmart parking lot in Grants, NM, I drove on down to the ranch, arriving at dawn Sunday morning.

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Hooked Up And Ready To Roll

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At Last
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A Note Of Encouragement From My Stepson

Q: Dave, Again your narratives on this blog are fantastic! I look forward to staying abreast of the details of your progress and/or setbacks with your plans on the new place (typically Mom's details leave more questions). I hope that you have a safe trip to NM, further hope that your new "toys" big ole truck and trailer measure up to your expectations you have in mind.Bryan

Asked by Bryan Griffiths

A: Thanks Bryan, and thanks again for your help in sorting out the trailer systems. I put in the new batteries yesterday and replaced two more fuses. Now everything works as good as new including the front electric jack, and the freezer is actually freezing. I also picked up a new spare wheel and tire at Walt's RV in Fontana for $60.00. They have a mountain of good stuff cheap.

I'm running more than a day behind schedule, so I now expect to leave super-early Friday morning. The weather looks good enough so I will go through Flagstaff on I-40 instead of taking the I-10 all the way out to the south end of I-25, then north to US 60. That will save almost 200 miles of drive time and a little over a half tank of fuel.

I had the Dodge completely serviced yesterday; full lube, radiator flushed, engine, transmission, transfer case, and both differentials oil drained and replaced with full synthetic. Shifting from 2nd to 3rd had been a little scratchy, but the new oil took care of that.

If I have no problems on the road I should sleep Saturday night on the ranch.

Ask David a question.

Returning To The Ranch

An exchange of notes with my friend Master Chief Bobby Mercer, USN (retired):

Hi Dave

Thatr’s one smart DAWG. How did you ever train it to shoot the model 870 and .45 auto.

If’n you was to just teach that thar dawg to shoot the bulls, then you could deny all responsibility for their demise. After all, it would be just one critter taking another, “Law of the wild!”

I heard, once upon a time, that “free range bulls” are purty good eatin, if’n you cook the meat real slow on a smoker (bout 14-16 hours for a good size roast) but then I didn’t see a lot of firewood in the pictures U sent.

Is this Hardin feller a descendant of the infamous John Wesley Hardin? If’n he is maybe you oughta git him to deal with those disreputable fence builders!

Should I ever find my way out to your ranch, I’ll make sure I telephone, write, and email you first. My rig will be lighted up like a Xmas tree. And I’ll be playing DIXIE on the horn, as soon as I leave the highway. Don’t want to get crosswise that thar dawg, or that Hardin feller!

AND HEY, remember that you are retired. I hope that you have a great summer, and that you get all your planned activities done. But, if it gets too hoar, take a deep breath, relax, the you and Brandy get away and do something fun for a couple of days.

That RV trailer is looking mighty nice!

Probably the easiest thing you could do to keep it cool is get one of these large canvas portable garages, or a car port style structure to park it under.

If you do add to the roof insulation, make sure that you provide drainage paths for the roof air conditioners, you don’t want the condensation puddling in the unit(s).

Bobby

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Hi Bobby,

Well, the .45 was easy. I had to put the first round in the chamber, and leave it in "condition one" cocked and locked, and pretty soon he was double tapping like a pro. The 870 was a little tougher, but once he learned to set the butt on the ground and rack it with both front paws it was dog-gone impressive. Only problem is they won't sell him ammo down to the gun store. Some BS about him not being of legal age!

By the time I re-read my blog and saw the syntax error it was too late to change it. But I have gotten back some good humored commentary.

Tim Hardin and I are both related to John Wesley Hardin. He is a direct descendent, and I am related through my father's mother's side, the Hardins and the Hicks. Makes us distant cousins. We discovered that fact within minutes after we met. Nothin' quite like "blood kin" to red-neck good ol' boys like us.

Every one of those Juniper, Cedar, and Pinon Pine trees you see in the pictures comes with it's own supply of firewood. As the trees grow the branches closest to the ground die and dry out to "standing dead wood". A chain saw and tractor-loader is all you need to produce a mountain of it.

I like the car-port structure the best as summer time shade for the trailer. The sun and wind deal very harshly with cloth or canvas. They become temporary at best. By the time it gets warm enough to worry about I'll have some good shade built.

After getting up high enough to see the full layout of the trailer roof I realized I couldn't add enough foam area to do any good. "Bad idea".

Finished my taxes last night so as to be free of the "Dark Cloud" during my first few weeks back out at the ranch. Me not working sure made a difference in our bottom line.

"Being retired" is just like having a different job. I gain weight and start to feel old when I sit around too much. That ranch is going to extend my useful life by twenty years at least.

My best to the boys,
Dave

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I figure to leave Fontana on or about the 18th of March, pulling the trailer, and get to High Boondocks Home around the 20th.

We have enhanced my wife's security this time by getting a new dog (not nearly as friendly as Brandy was), and by teaching her how to use my short-barreled 12 gauge Remington 870, and my tuned-up, laser sighted, .45 auto. Believe me, coupled with the new alarm system, and the dead-bolt locks she will no longer be alone and vulnerable!
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This time at the ranch it will be, "hit the ground running". I've made arrangements with my neighbor to the South, Richard (Hogan) Falk, to finish the fence line on both the North and West boundaries. He will start that even before I arrive. The new fence will enclose Wendy Andersons and Tim Hardins 57 acres with our 40 acres, so we can run horses on the whole place and they can water at a tank near the well on our place. It will also provide safe grazing for some goats and a few weaned calves (NO range bulls allowed).
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If anyone out there in Mountainair reads this, I want everyone to know that I intend to deal fairly with the men who started the fencing job, but never finished it, even though they have had since last summer to do it. They did set a lot of posts and stretch one strand of wire to define the line, but they did not finish the braces or complete setting the posts. Some posts on Wendy and Tims West boundary are out of line and will have to be pulled and reset for the fence to be properly stretched. So I will pay them the going rate for the work they have done. We will work it out. I want no hard feelings to mar the pleasure I feel in anticipation of having our new home in the country. As you all know the secure fence is needed to keep out the cattle and the range bulls that do so much property damage for which the owner, hiding behind the "Free Range" law, refuses to take responsibility. As it is now I can't stack building materials or accumulate piles of top soil (for fill) without the cattle stomping them flat! The cattle have a need to climb on top of anything more than a foot high. Then they fight for the high spot.
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I already had Frank Sedillo (Price Right Electric in Belen, NM) run a 50 amp service 310 feet over to the green shack so I can hook up my self-contained travel trailer, and have power to a shop space.

The most important priority now is to get the metal 30x60 building put up so we can have protected storage for our household goods and my power tools during the transition. Since I have not been able to find a reasonably priced contractor, I will do the grading, foundation forms and pier walls myself, then build and set the forms, and pour and finish the concrete slab myself (probably in 10x10 squares), with locally hired help. As it is to be an "Agricultural" storage building and tractor garage, the finish quality of the slab is not super critical. I am looking forward to accomplishing a great deal more this year than last.

Our goal is to have a modified Karsten model 27 house ready to live in before Thanksgiving 2009, and to complete the transition to the ranch by late spring of 2010. Four years in the making, but well worth the wait. We have made the tentative decision to rent our house (with all that entails) rather than try to sell it in this market.
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On the trailer I have installed and tested the propane bottles and rung out the electrical system. The refrigerator needs servicing as it just barely gets cold, but that's not really a big deal. Heat is important and that works fine, both gas and electric .

Yesterday I installed a new trailer brake controller in the Dodge truck and last Wednesday, just to be on the safe side, I had four new rear tires installed at Sam's Club. I wanted to wait and have them installed by my friends in Mountainair, but I decided it was prudent not to take the chance. The only thing left to do on the truck is to change the oil and coolant, and service the differentials and the transfer case. Oh yes, and put on the wide towing mirrors.

I have complete faith that this truck will pull our trailer with no strain, and serve for many years as our main "Ranch Truck". Next year sometime I'm thinking of converting it to a 10 foot "stake bed" for better materials handling. Discussion is invited if anyone has any ideas about that. Since I have no intention of ever selling it, resale value is of little concern to me.

No pictures for this posting, but expect to see a lot as the fence goes in and the metal building goes up.

See you at the ranch.
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Working Out Ways To Beef Up Trailer Insulation

Q: Not really a question although I'm sure I could frame it as one if needed. Dennis Fulfer has been working out ways to beef up trailer insulation. Maybe you could compare notes.

Asked by Vanessa Vaile

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A: I am very interested in that subject. In the Northern states I've seen many over-roofed and super-insulated fixed mobile homes. They do benefit from the added external insulation. The aesthetics are certainly not improved, however, except where owners have fully enclosed the home.

For a travel trailer like mine I have been thinking of adding a two-inch layer of foil-faced rigid foam in selected areas (foil face down) and over-coating it with three or four coats of HENRY'S white polymeric roof coat. That would not add greatly to the weight, would add about R5, would not be too terribly ugly, and would not interfere with relocating the trailer when required.

I count several engineers and builders among my friends, some of whom may have relevant experience and/or ideas about improving the QoL (quality-of-life) in their travel trailers. Discussion is invited.

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Ask David a question.

Travel Trailer and Truck Work

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This is our newly acquired travel trailer which will add comfort and warmth to my "Boondocks" experience in the coming months, and add to the future guest accommodations at the ranch.



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When we first got the trailer there was a lingering odor of cat urine. The carpet had to be torn out completely to begin the remediation. After all the carpet was out, I gave the bare sub-floor two very heavy coats of white polymeric roof sealer. We decided to replace the carpet with a medium quality laminate.


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I completely removed and rebuilt the support frame for the couch, raising it two inches to improve the storage space under and to better fit my seating height requirements.

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I closed off the outside hatch, (it's the open one in the second picture above), and insulated the wall with 1 inch of foil-faced foam board. Then I coated the area with a polymeric vapor barrier and carpeted it. Afterwards I wainscoted the wall next to where I will sleep for a little more warmth.

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Here the floor is almost all installed and awaiting the newly stained trim.

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The couch/bed back in place ready for use. The empty box under the left end is typical of the boxes that will be used for storage. It's the same size as a Xerox box.

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My wife has been encouraging, and ever so patient throughout this entire mess. She has a very good eye for living space, and I have been grateful for her help and impressed with her suggestions.

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This is a pretty good shot of the fabric we found to reupholster the dinette and couch cushions.

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In this view the slide is all the way out. We were able to get the trim on the slide and the floor to compliment each other very well. With the carpet removed the slide glides silently in and out. It used to groan and hesitate.

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This is the alcove at the rear door. I guess two doors are nice to have, but that 4 square feet might have been added to some more functional space.

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The rear door alcove is a natural hanging locker so I added a clothes rod stained to match the "decor.

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I used a combination of 1/2 inch quarter-round and 1 1/2 inch door casing for the trim. It seemed to blend the floor and the cabinets well.

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After the stain mixture had been tested for color, I wiped down all the cabinet and drawer fronts with it. It covered the wear and oxidation of accumulated years of use and made a nice fresh patina.


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And this is the 2001 Dodge 3500, 4WD 5 speed diesel we bought to pull it with.


Sharon was having difficulty getting in the truck, so I installed these steps on both sides to make it easier. Turns out they make it much better for me too. In the picture they look a little too far forward, but they are exactly where they need to be. They are 20 inches wide and centered at the front of the seat.

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SCHEDULE CHANGE:
My plan now is to pull the trailer out to the ranch about the third week in March. I know I am a glutton for punishment and the weather might not be ideal (windchill), but I am anxious to see my friends and check on things, especially the fence. Hopefully there will be enough mild days to allow some progress to be made.

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