Hitch installed in spite of some rainy weather. My son and I did manage to get two cars hauled out of the yard and now I just need to pare down the pile of tires that seems to have built up beside the garage. I still have some other tasks for the truck while it's still not snowing. I need to install a trailer connector inside of the bed teeing off the connector already installed on the rear bumper. Install a toolbox at the front of the bed. And then I can make the wooden frame to hold the bags of gravel in the rear of the bed that I use for ballast when the snow plow is attached. Due to the weight of the diesel engine and the plow on the front of the truck, the plow manufacturer recommends at least 600# of ballast. The wooden frame will hold the bags of gravel against the tailgate. Last year, we tied the together using rope. The wooden frame would be braced against the front of the bed or the tool box.
But no more playing around with the truck as I'm in Barrow again for the week. I know that I have at least two trips out on the BEO. One to the Control Shed and one to a new instrument tower that was constructed over the last couple of months. This is the Fairbanks airport this morning. After the flight to Deadhorse, and a 4 hour wait, I arrived in Barrow at 6:00pm.
I tried the son tofu at Osaka's. It was very similar to the spicy breakfast soup that I had at the Korean restaurant in Los Angeles last December. A slightly spicy flavor including the addition of a raw egg cracked into soup that was still boiling when brought to the table. This version wasn't anywhere near as spicy but was very tasty and served with a bowl of rice. Unfortunately, no banchan.
I'm not sure how many more trips to Barrow after this one. I don't think that I have any scheduled but did leave enough budget in case another trip is needed.
I vaguely remember your truck from when you and Kyle drove it to come rescue my rig not so many years ago. I remember thinking how skilled you were in backing the thing down your steep driveway. 600 lbs is a lot of weight.
ReplyDeleteI've picked up a lot of experience with a variety of trailers over the years and backing up with them seems to always be a requirement. Last year, I used 6 bags of gravel for ballast. This year I'll add a couple of more. I've found several drawings on the Internet of frames to hold the ballast in place. One of the plow manufacturers suggests getting a gravel spreader (from them, of course) to use as ballast.
DeleteThe hitch looks like serious business. When are you going to reveal what's going to be towed, Richard? I am curious.
ReplyDeleteWe are looking at an older 5th wheel travel trailer. The owner wants to make some additional repairs as well as having it inspected before we agree to purchase it. I will be going down around the end of October to take a look at it but there are some tasks that I need to get done before it starts to snow.
DeleteIt looks pretty bleak at the Fairbanks airport.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried giving away old tires as "free tomato planters?" It seems to work for us. People stack them and fill them with dirt and the rubber absorbs the heat.
I should've taken a picture at the Deadhorse airport. There it felt really bleak. As in windy, blowing snow, mud everywhere and cold.
DeleteMost people grow their tomatoes in containers or in a greenhouse. With containers, you can move them into a warmer location near the end of the growing season.
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