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3..2..1....TOW!

Started by RRocket, Apr 12, 2026, 08:39 PM

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Bridgecity

^ Everyone else is just more mature than us, haha.
2026 Tundra, 2022 MDX

dkazzed

Quote from: GreatBigAbyss on Apr 15, 2026, 12:41 PM
Quote from: Bridgecity on Apr 15, 2026, 10:55 AM
Quote from: dkazzed on Apr 14, 2026, 02:32 PMMy brother used to grease his trailer ball which I thought was a terrible idea, but I'm tempted to do the same with how loud it is compared to the vehicle lol. Maybe try graphite lubricant first so it's not as greasy?

I used to grease the balls all the time also, but just got tired of dealing with greasy balls. 

Maybe we should have a poll; greasy balls or dry balls

And ya, nice setup Ron.

Am I the only one who caught the true meaning of this?

Or have I just been hanging around degnerates for too long?

You better grease your degenerates just hanging around.  ;D

RRocket

Quote from: Tortoise on Apr 15, 2026, 11:36 AMIf you drive on gravel roads wouldn't great just collect a bunch of dirt and cause it to wear out?

Ron, how much is your range impacted by towing? I know it's not a big deal for you, just curious.


I dunno yet.

Give me a few outings.

RRocket

Quote from: Firm on Apr 15, 2026, 12:35 PMI grease the inside of the coupler on the trailer, not the ball itself. I also don't leave the ball in place when I am not towing...dangerous for the shins, looks ugly, and causes wear/rust on the ball & mount.

It doesn't look like there's much tongue weight at all, which could contribute to the rattling and bumping around. Might try adding a little weight on the front end of the trailer to smooth things out. I have a little single axle utility trailer than felt absolutely terrible, especially when empty, ratchet strapped a bag of pea gravel on the front end of the trailer and it improved it dramatically.

Most people have the wrong rise or drop of the ball receiver.

I haven't had a vehicle yet where I didn't have to buy a new ball receiver for the correct Rise or Drop.

So bust out the level, tape measure and see.

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/820358888408901008/

GreatBigAbyss

Quote from: RRocket on Apr 15, 2026, 02:11 PM
Quote from: Firm on Apr 15, 2026, 12:35 PMI grease the inside of the coupler on the trailer, not the ball itself. I also don't leave the ball in place when I am not towing...dangerous for the shins, looks ugly, and causes wear/rust on the ball & mount.

It doesn't look like there's much tongue weight at all, which could contribute to the rattling and bumping around. Might try adding a little weight on the front end of the trailer to smooth things out. I have a little single axle utility trailer than felt absolutely terrible, especially when empty, ratchet strapped a bag of pea gravel on the front end of the trailer and it improved it dramatically.

Most people have the wrong rise or drop of the ball receiver.

I haven't had a vehicle yet where I didn't have to buy a new ball receiver for the correct Rise or Drop.

So bust out the level, tape measure and see.

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/820358888408901008/

My balls always used to be up higher, especially when I had trucks.  Lately though, my balls seem to be a lot closer to the ground.  I dunno, must be because I'm getting older driving cars

dkazzed


Seafoam

 Nice and level. New purchase ?
Current cars , 23 Civic, 24 MX-5,16 Tacoma

RRocket

Quote from: dkazzed on Apr 30, 2026, 01:46 PMMy turn!



You probably don't even know it's back there....

dkazzed

The only time I notice it is when I'm in one pedal driving mode and trying to stop, but I infrequently use one pedal driving anyway like in heavy city traffic and at car washes when I'm maximizing the pre rinse and drying time. Also observed 28.5 kWh/100km at 105 km/h but I'm going to verify it on our first mini trip this weekend.

It's our third summer with this popup actually. With the insurance payout of the original Mazda 5 I bought in 2024, I was able to buy another Mazda 5 and this camper. Definitely felt the camper behind the 5 lol but it wasn't terrible. Refreshed the interior, added solar, lithium, USB chargers, and LED lights, it's been a good setup so far. A hard side camper is planned in 3-5 years, we're going to rent a camper on RVEzy or Outdoorsy just to try some layouts out, and see what the range hit is. 









Firm

The little popup is in great shape for an older unit, nice find!
Current Fleet: 78 MGB, 81 380SL, 84 Camaro, 85 Trans Am, 96 Firebird, 96 Firebird Formula, 00 GMC Sonoma, 03 SLK320, 04 Maserati Spyder, 06 Escalade, 07 DTS, 10 XKR

dkazzed

Thanks! I think it was barely used, although was definitely smoked in and that took a long time just to minimize and never completely eliminate despite washing all fabrics (except the canvas), ozone treatment, carbon odour neutralizers, etc. We also refreshed the interior and added a solar system. The solar was great, the fridge/freezer was turned on at the beginning of the season and stayed on until the end of the season which reduced fridge stink. I think we slept a total of 36 nights in it across 8 camping trips.





But it's way too tiny for our family of 7, so we sold it.

Firm

36 nights in one season is pretty good! Would you be looking to find a bigger option next season?
Current Fleet: 78 MGB, 81 380SL, 84 Camaro, 85 Trans Am, 96 Firebird, 96 Firebird Formula, 00 GMC Sonoma, 03 SLK320, 04 Maserati Spyder, 06 Escalade, 07 DTS, 10 XKR

Blueprint

That Lionel is very much a twin to the one we had when I was a kid! My Dad would not even feel the thing behind the XJ Cherokee with its 360.
Current rides: 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV GS-L, 2022 Subaru Crosstrek Limited, 1975 Triumph TR6 Teabagger Express

dkazzed

Quote from: Firm on Sep 29, 2026, 10:03 PM36 nights in one season is pretty good! Would you be looking to find a bigger option next season?

Over 2.5 seasons! We already found a bigger option, structurally in great condition, but one of the springs snapped on the way home so we are completely overhauling the bottom end -- all new springs, axles with hubs and brakes, equalizers, U-bolts.

Quote from: Blueprint on Today at 08:06 AMThat Lionel is very much a twin to the one we had when I was a kid! My Dad would not even feel the thing behind the XJ Cherokee with its 360.

Really good quality units. I sold it for what I paid for it, albeit with some of those upgrades.