Utah to New York, 2019

[ClydesdaleKevin]

[size=78%]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHPXGd0rcMU[/size]

LOL!  Not gonna happen.  I'm just going to take it out, load it in the Jeep...and get someone to properly weld in the bracket that actually knows what they are doing. 

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So I got the generator out safely, all wires removed and propane lines removed and safety tied out of the way...and thanks to a young couple at the truck stop this morning, we managed to get it into the Jeep no problem!  It doesn't look like anything was damaged, except the tiny spot welds...and the frame bent downward under the weight of the generator.  I tied the frame that holds the generator mounts up in place with paracord (I always have some in the tool box)...and we were on the road by noon!

We are safely at a Love's Travel Stop, in Oakdale, Wisconsin for the night.
The following pictures show what we found when we pulled into the Minnesota truck stop...to it all loaded up in the Jeep...to the frame that holds it tied in place with paracord.  Note the TINY little tack welds in the photos!   Someone at Winnebago back in 1994 skipped a step or two!  This COULD have been tragic!

























Kev

[HandyDan]

Been across that stretch of I-90 many times and you are right, it sucks!
Dan

[Froggy1936]

Had that snagged the pavement Your plans would be a lot different . It would have caused major damage ! Good luck on future repairs Safety chains are an option ! Till you are confident of the repair !  Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We made it safely through Wisconsin and Illinois, and stayed at a rest stop on I-80/I-90, about 60 miles away from Elkhart, Indiana.  So guess where we are going today?

You guessed it!  The RV Hall of Fame!!!  We are going to visit the museum and take lots of pictures (of course), and then stay the night in their dry camping area (you can stay there free for 2 nights, but we are only staying one).

And then we should be on our way tomorrow morning, making it most of the way through Ohio.

Kev

[Rickf1985]

Go in the truck stop and look on the board where all the business cards are and you are sure to find a mobile welder that will come out and weld it up good as new. Truckers depend on these guys for their livelihood. Those roads are brutal on trucks that drive all day every day on them and they do not have the luxury of finding a welding a fab shop.

[tmsnyder]

I have a friend at a machine shop / fab shop on NY104 outside of lockport ny, Empro-niagara,  Give Nick a call, he might be willing to help you on your way through to the Ren fair.  They have a forklift to make things easier .He's just down the road from my distillery and he works weekends with me. Depending on the day I might be able to lend a hand too. When are you coming through buffalo?

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I have a friend at a machine shop / fab shop on NY104 outside of lockport ny, Empro-niagara,  Give Nick a call, he might be willing to help you on your way through to the Ren fair.  They have a forklift to make things easier .He's just down the road from my distillery and he works weekends with me. Depending on the day I might be able to lend a hand too. When are you coming through buffalo?

Thanks!  And thanks Rick!  My buddy that I am visiting in Ohio for a few days is a top notch welder and has all the tools to do the repair, so we're all set.  We were going to visit him for a few days anyway, and when he found out what happened with the genny, he offered to weld it up for me and help me reinstall the genny.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The RV Hall of Fame was pretty awesome!  May West's House Car was there, as well as Lindburgh's personal travel trailer...and a whole lot more!  SO COOL!  They even had my dream car there, with a 1930s tear drop trailer in tow (A Ford Model A  ). 

We have to get on the road shortly, but I'll post the pics when I get a chance.

Speaking of which...are there any FREE picture hosting websites out there?  I'm thinking about paying for storage on Photobucket...but they want 8 bucks a month, and my "free" storage there is full.  It would be a lot easier to just upload ALL my pictures from this trip to a host, and put up a link so anyone that wants to see them can just click on the link.

Kev

[Elandan2]

Yes, but tmsnyder has a DISTILLERY 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yes, but tmsnyder has a DISTILLERY 

LOL!  I sure do love a good whiskey!

Kev

[Rickf1985]

T
Speaking of which...are there any FREE picture hosting websites out there?  I'm thinking about paying for storage on Photobucket...but they want 8 bucks a month, and my "free" storage there is full.  It would be a lot easier to just upload ALL my pictures from this trip to a host, and put up a link so anyone that wants to see them can just click on the link.

Kev

I use postimage. They are fantastic for transferring pics over also. click and paste.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

I use postimage. They are fantastic for transferring pics over also. click and paste.

Thanks Rick!  I'll check them out!  Stupid Photobucket not only changed their limits on how much you can store, but also how much "bandwidth" images you currently have on the web hosted by them can use.  They just informed me that I am "over limit" and locked my account!  I have to pay them for at least one month, 8 bucks, to unlock my account, just so I can download my images to my own gosh-darn computer!  They are holding my images hostage, so after I give them the 8 bucks ransom and download all my images, I'll never do business with them again.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The high tolls in Indiana are HIGHWAY ROBBERY!!!  I-80/I-90 is only around 150 miles through Indiana...and by the time we got to Ohio, it was over 40 bucks!  For CRAPPY roads!  Roads ALMOST as bad as Minnesota, but at least Minnesota didn't charge a toll!  Tolls are taxation without representation!  And taxation is theft!    .

We had another 28.00 in tolls in Ohio for nearly 200 miles...but at least the roads were smooth, even in the construction areas.  STILL way too high though!  Highway robbery!

Okay...rant over.



Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Except for the extremely crappy roads in Indiana, and the extortionist HIGHWAY ROBBERY of over 70.00 in tolls on I-80/I-90 going through Indiana and part of Ohio...the trip is still going well so far.

We made it safely to a Flying J in Ashtabula, Ohio for the night, where we dumped our holding tanks, filled the fresh water tank, and topped off the diesel.  We got 12mpg on this last leg of the journey!

We are going to visit a friend nearby as we planned for a few days (and fix the genny issue while there)...and then off we'll go to Niagra Falls on the way to our next Renfaire in Sterling, NY!

Door to door from our friend's house to Sterling, NY is only 289 miles...so most of the driving is done for a while.

Kev

[BamBam]

You should've taken Hwy 20 through IN. and saved some coin, slower but still.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

You should've taken Hwy 20 through IN. and saved some coin, slower but still.

Next year we will.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

We are safely arrived at our friend's property in Ohio, and enjoyed our visit today...and will no doubt enjoy the next couple of days as well.  Tomorrow we will be welding the genny mount in property, and reinstalling the generator.  Sure is a lot quieter here than the truck stops we have been staying at the last 2400 miles!

Kev

[tmsnyder]

If you think the roads were bad and tolls were high in Ohio and Indiana, just wait until you hit NY!   Especially that section down near Irving NY where I90 crosses native american land.  You'll be wishing you were back in Ohio 


But they do have good prices on fuel at Irving btw


Beep at me when you drive by Exit 5 for Millersport on the I290 b/c that's real close to my house.

Have fun in Niagara Falls, you are heading to the Sterling Ren Fest?


As for whiskey    we make ours from scratch, using local corn and locally grown and malted barley.  We make corn whiskey (white lightning) and bourbon and also a whiskey which is aged in our barrels after the bourbon finishes.  I just ran a batch of cherry and peat smoked whiskey yesterday which will be aged in our bourbon barrels but the one we have on hand now is a whiskey made from distilling beer from a local brewery that had almonds and cherrys in it.  After aging it we blended it with some of our bourbon and the result is some really tasty whiskey, I just bottled it yesterday actually. If you're in the Niagara region next weekend stop by and check it out:  www.niagaracraftspirits.com  We're open Sat 12-6 & Sun 12-5 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

If you think the roads were bad and tolls were high in Ohio and Indiana, just wait until you hit NY!   Especially that section down near Irving NY where I90 crosses native american land.  You'll be wishing you were back in Ohio 


But they do have good prices on fuel at Irving btw


Beep at me when you drive by Exit 5 for Millersport on the I290 b/c that's real close to my house.

Have fun in Niagara Falls, you are heading to the Sterling Ren Fest?


As for whiskey    we make ours from scratch, using local corn and locally grown and malted barley.  We make corn whiskey (white lightning) and bourbon and also a whiskey which is aged in our barrels after the bourbon finishes.  I just ran a batch of cherry and peat smoked whiskey yesterday which will be aged in our bourbon barrels but the one we have on hand now is a whiskey made from distilling beer from a local brewery that had almonds and cherrys in it.  After aging it we blended it with some of our bourbon and the result is some really tasty whiskey, I just bottled it yesterday actually. If you're in the Niagara region next weekend stop by and check it out:  www.niagaracraftspirits.com  We're open Sat 12-6 & Sun 12-5 

Yep!  After visiting the Falls, we'll be heading up to an RV park near the Sterling Renaissance Faire.  It is our best money show of the entire year.

One of these days I'll have to try a bottle of your whiskey!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The generator mounts are re-welded back in place...WAY better than the factory setup, thanks to my buddy who is an expert welder.

And we got the generator back up in place and bolted in no problem...and after hooking up the propane lines and checking them for leaks, and hooking up all the wires, it starts and runs perfect!  And it sure as heck isn't going to fall out again!



It still doesn't put out AC voltage because of the bad control board...but I'll replace the control board when we get up to Sterling Renfaire and start making some money again. 

Pictures coming eventually...lol!  Just gotta set up a Postimage account and get all my pictures over there!

Another day or two visiting in this quiet idyllic paradise...and then we'll be back on the road to Niagra Falls, and then Sterling, NY!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So here are some pics to keep you going of the genny frame repair and install.

Here is me, inside the compartment cleaning the sealant away from areas that need to be welded. 



And me inside the compartment, still doing more prep work...with the genny on a dolly ready to install:





Here are the perfect welds laid by my friend.  Outstanding job, and WAY stronger than the horrible factory setup.





Up up it goes!  Slowly but surely!!!  Little by little with jack stands...safety first!



And its in!  This is me tightening the last bolts!



I checked the propane lines for leaks, and its all good!  I rewired it all in, and it started right up.  Still doesn't put out AC voltage, but that is because of a bad control board, which will be replaced soon when we get to Sterling Renfaire and have an income coming in again.

That's it for now!

Kev

[Froggy1936]

Hi Kev , Congratulation,s on a repair well done, On your no AC output , There is a possability of a kaput voltage regulator , Make double sure of your diagnosis , The R/V hall of Fame is a really neat place. Did you register as a member ? Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Hi Kev , Congratulation,s on a repair well done, On your no AC output , There is a possability of a kaput voltage regulator , Make double sure of your diagnosis , The R/V hall of Fame is a really neat place. Did you register as a member ? Frank

Thanks Frank!  I did the troubleshooting per the book, and it seems to be the control board, which field flashes the genny to produce AC voltage.  I will double check of course before shelling out 300 bucks for an aftermarket control board. 

And the museum WAS awesome!  I didn't realize I could sign up as a member at the museum.  And they had my dream car, a Ford Model A!  Didn't you say you used to have one?  I LOVE those things!

Kev

[Froggy1936]

Yep i bought a 1930 Flat bed Pu Truck w No bed and a locked up engine , @ age 11 For $1.00  Hah Ha started me down the road to where i am today, (That and rebuilding coaster brakes on many bicycles )  When i took it apart it had a bad piston w lots of rust on the cly walls so i took the piston and rtod out went to the junk yard (this was approx 1949) The guy said that from a model A  I said yea He said good day today i have an engine sitting by the shop door, To which he took a sledge to get the piston out with out removing the pan the head was already off . I installed the piston and rod no checking clearances etc sande all the clys till it would turn over smoothly , Changed the oil and put it back together  I had i set of 1/2 in sockets my uncle gave me a 10 in crescent wrench .  Fired it up Varoom ! Used to race the earthmovers building the Parkway  Got scary at times some of those guys were evil !  Eventually the police confiscated it as i was stating to wander around the streets No Drivers lic and no plates/state Inspection !