Winter In Cali...

Yup, Its winter and my progress has slowed down a great deal. I have done a few things but as the cold crept in, my interest in staying busy has faded a bit.

California at 4500 feet of elevation gets very cold in the winter. Throughout November, December, and January the days have been in the 40's mostly and some of the overnights have gotten down to 12 degrees... brrr

I am thankful that my friend Craig has let me have access to 120volt power because I use a heating blanket and a ceramic heater at night to stay toasty warm.

I pay a small rent to stay on my friend Craig's land because I know that my use of his electricity costs him money and I don't want to be a financial burden to him or his family, plus it's the right thing to do! :)

Even though I have slowed down in my progress, I have still accomplished a great deal over the past three months. Today, I finished the slide show that I had intended to create when I got started but never got around to.. I also created singular slide shows to make the photos in each entry in this blog easier to see. I'm going to try and get those slide shows implemented today.

Click HERE to see a slide show of the photos from all of the posts. [approximately 200 photos]

Creating the Recessed Battery Box...

Jerry and I dragged the two 8D Lifeline AGM batteries over to the basic area where they would be mounted.

After some quick measurements we determined that we needed a 21" x 22" rectangular hole in the floor.

As you can see, Jerry cut out the hole in the 3/4 plywood floor with a Milwaukee Sawzall.

Jerry welded some steel bars across from one floor beam to the other and then added some sidewall steel to finish the box.

The two AGM batteries are inset in the floor now and are secured from damage when driving.

I took lots of pictures because most of the work on this part was done by Jerry...

Click HERE to see a slide show of the photos from this post.

Metallized Burner Area..

The propane burner that my friend Jerry gave me was still sitting in the wooden area that I made for it. 

The wooden surface underneath the burner was unacceptable to me because I felt it could be dangerous.

I attached aluminum sheeting to all of the wooden surfaces that might come in contact with flames to protect them from catching fire. Safety is my primary concern.

I wanted to make sure that the propane hose going to the burner was moved from the heat area as efficiently as possible.

The propane gas delivery system is not even designed yet.


The picture in the lower right corner shows the finished burner area with all surfaces covered in sheet metal.

I can't wait to start cooking with this burner instead of the butane camping stove that I have been using.

Butane canisters are very expensive.

Click HERE to see a slide show of the photos from this post.

Mounting the Center Channel Speaker..

I decided that I better get the center channel speaker mounted.

I ran two 2x2's up the center of the wall with a 3 inch separation between them. The purpose of the separation is so that the wiring for the center channel will flow down the center column.

I also wanted to provide a sturdy surface to mount the two 19' LCD monitors that go with my desktop computer system.

We'll see down the road if that center channel location works with the finished console area.
Only time will tell...

Click HERE to see a slide show of the photos from this post.

LED Rope Lighting...

I ordered $100 worth of LED rope lighting from eBay a long time ago when I first got the trailer. At first I was going to wire the whole trailer with one big long rope but then I decided that smaller and more dedicated lengths would be a better choice.

LED Rope lighting is dim compared to CFL or Incandescent lighting but it saves lots of energy and money, especially when the electrical system is provided by a battery bank.

I didn't bother ordering the dojiggers that they say you need to put the pieces of LED lighting ropes together. One of my skills is soldering in the Sound Electrician trade of the Motion Picture industry so I felt quite confident that I could skip those expensive items.

It looks like I'm going to have to order some more LED Rope Lights because I'm out and I'm nowhere near being done.

I have already used 50 feet in various lengths all over this trailer.

The Console area has LED rope lighting above it and below it. The Kitchenette area has LED rope lighting in the upper cabinet and over the work surface area & the new Battery Bank / Kitchenette Extension / Storage Shelves area has LED rope lighting in some of the storage areas. [coming in a future post]

You'd think I'd be getting sick of creating this living monstrosity but I'm not! I'm having a lot of fun building out this cargo trailer on a daily basis!

Click HERE to see a slide show of the photos from this post.