Monday, November 22, 2010

TRAILER LIFE: Learning to Tow


An abrupt lesson cut short my nervous procrastination. My teacher, a fellow camper named Ben who wanted me to move out from under those four willow trees because a storm was forecast and he prophesied falling branches thrashing my trailer. He promised to help me move.  I had already bought the equipment: Perry Motors had installed the Toyota hitch and a helpful clerk at Kragen chose the correct ball mount combination for me. Now Ben walked over with a huge wrench to screw the parts together.  He rolled around in the dirt showing me how to hook it all up, supplied some small missing doo-dads, and turned me loose on my own for the lurch into the lanes. 

You drop the hitch on the ball (after several backing-up-the-truck-and-checking re-positioning trials), fiddle on the safety chains, plug in the vehicle-to-trailer electrical connection, remove the wheel blocks, get back in the cab, crank the ignition key and step on the gas. Easy!


Some nice guys at the Firestone Store got the directional lights blinking again, greased the bearings, and salvaged a propane tank mount for me off an old trailer bed ("It rolled," he said, "I am going to fix it up to transport cars, so it won't need the propane mount."  --- It what!???) 

So I towed it out of the meadow at Pleasant Valley, to Baker Creek county campground in the gray trees, and then to the bleak, stony "Pit," a BLM campground, where it snowed this pastv weekend, lightly.   Fortunately, I got the separate Mr. Heater array in good order, and am warm inside. Frustradedly, I am still working on the propane lines in the trailer itself, for stove and lamp -- needs professional (safe) help. (coming soon)

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