4/4/2014

We got to do a test drive pulling the trailer around the area, to check out the truck and trailer towing performance. The first place we went was to a truck scale a few blocks from the trailer manufacturer. Total weight of both the truck and trailer was 31,480 pounds. Total weight on the rear axle of the truck was 10,320 pounds. The truck Has a maximum gross weight of 37,000 pounds. It pulled and stopped the trailer nicely but the truck is only rated to have 9,750 pounds on the rear axle, so we have to shift the weight around to remove 1500 pounds from the rear axle of the truck.

We spent the afternoon going through all our stuff in the living room and kitchen and seeing if there wasn't some stuff that we really don't need. We will be taking three bags of stuff to the goodwill tomorrow. I will also go through the toolbox in the back of the truck to remove some weight. I really don't need all the wood working tools, nor any of the plumbing tools, since all the plumbing in the trailer is PEX tubing and there's really nowhere to install any woodwork (or do carpentry if there was someplace to put the finished product). So there ought to be quite a bit of weight I can take out of the bed of the truck. I'll also go through the basement storage again to see if I can get rid of something. Unfortunately, there isn't much space behind the trailer axles to store stuff, so it forces the weight to be on the trailer hitch. Penny has mentioned a couple of times that "[she] doesn't like getting rid of [her] stuff", but she's doing ok with it.

The trailer weighs 18,400 pounds empty with a maximum gross weight of 24,500 pounds, so the trailer capability isn't an issue.

It looks like plans have changed and we won't be going to Pennsylvania this summer, so we have offered our services to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. If neither of those pans out, a county park near Don's mom in Oregon is looking for a camp host. We've stayed at that park and it is nice, so we might see about camp hosting there.