Tent Skills

Recently my lovely wife and I loaned our six person L. L. Bean tent to a church group. There were several tents needed. They had to be set up ahead of the group’s arrival. So far so good. 

With years of tenting practice under our belts we set up our tent in about 15 minutes. We weren’t in a hurry. After that we helped a second group sort out the mess they made with their tent. That took much longer. 

Normally when camping we have the whole camp ready in about a half hour -right down to the bedding, kitchen area, comfy chairs and solar electricity. Plenty of people with RVs take longer than that. 

Actually, one of our fun activities in a campground is to watch the new RV owner try to park and set up their rigs. We’ve seen tree collisions, picnic tables run over, power and water poles smooshed and sewer lines crushed. Could we help them? Maybe, but I’m not going to take the chance. Emotions run high and spouses speak nasty words to each other. One couple made such a spectacle of themselvesb they later went around apologizing to other campers. 

Typically most people upgrade from a tent to some sort of trailer or motorhome. We enjoyed the heck out of camping out of a converted ambulance. When that was no longer reliable we sold it and went back to tents. Why didn’t we upgrade to something else?

Time and money were big reasons. A tow behind trailer needs a vehicle capable of safely pulling it down the highway. Few people are smart enough to get a small trailer that can be pulled by a normal vehicle. Instead they get a heavier trailer with more bells and whistles. That requires a sizable tow vehicle with the added initial cost plus on-going expenses. Motorhomes are horrible on fuel, are high maintenance and costly to insure. 

We don’t want to sell our house to live in an RV full time.

Here’s the thing about tents. Get a good one. While they can be pricey there are often sales. We bought our L. L. Bean tent off season from one of their discount outlets for half price. 

So what do you do if it rains for days on end? Go to a hotel for a few days. With the money saved by tenting a hotel room now and then won’t break the budget. 

-Sixbears

Instruction manuals

Do you ever do something the hard way only to discover much later that there's a much simpler way to do it?

Last winter I had an intermittent problem with one of the van's low beam headlights. It was a light that gave me trouble before. It worked about 95% of the time. Sometimes a bad pothole would kick it out, only to come on again at the next pothole. That suggested a loose connection somewhere. Since I wasn't doing much night driving I didn't worry about it.

Actually, I was dreading the job. Previously, to get at the light, I had to remove the starting battery along with the battery tray. Even then it was a really tight area to work in. Then my other low beam headlight burned out. Something had to be done.

Once I examined what it would take to get to the backside of the other light I figured there had to be a better way. While I couldn't find my exact model in a youtube video there was a similar vehicle. The video showed a guy changing the lights by removing a couple of simple retaining clips. Sure enough, on my van, by lifting up a couple of clips the whole headlight assembly came out. Then it was really easy to work on.

Yeah, I felt like an idiot. The loose wire was easy to find and fix and the new light bulbs popped right in. So much of my ambulance/motor home is a custom conversion that I forget about the parts that are standard and may actually have instructions somewhere.

Like much of life there's usually an easier way to do things if only we knew how.

-Sixbears

Trip to the Keys

My lovely wife and I were supposed to head down the road to the Florida Keys on Friday. My wife woke up feeling a bit under the weather. No appetite, chills, the whole bit. We postponed our departure until Saturday. We also left a bit later than planned and made a few more stops. No big deal. It took all day, but we drove the 350 mile trip without incident and checked into the campground before dark

It's been about 4 years since we last crossed the Everglades on the Tamiami Trail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamiami_Trail Things have changed. It appears a bit more built up since last we crossed the 'glades. Some places that were closed are now open. Then there are the places that were built, failed and are now abandoned. All in a few years. No matter. What I really enjoy about the trip is all the bird life -and the possibility of seeing a panther. How many places in the country have “panther crossing:” signs?

The van's AC blew a high pressure line on our trip down from New Hampshire, so we did without. My New Hampshire friends, in the middle of sub zero Fahrenheit temperatures and a major snowstorm, most likely have little sympathy -not that I'm looking for any.

This campground classifies my van as a “tent.” We are parked in the much less expensive tenting area. What's the difference between a “tent” and a motorhome? If I had a big air conditioner unit on the roof or hanging off the back, it would have to be parked in the regular RV sites. We still have electricity. I'm running my cooler, a fan, this computer, and my cpap. Also brought my electric coffee roaster and grinder. However, my power loads are nothing compared to running a RV air conditioner. (maybe it's best they don't know all the stuff I'm running)

We'll be working our way down the keys, taking it easy. It's good to be on the move again.

-Sixbears

Tow vehicles and boats

My converted ambulance/motorhome makes a pretty good tow vehicle. It's got a big 7.3 powerstroke turbo diesel engine, so towing a small sailboat isn't too hard. My previous tow vehicle was a Ford truck with the older version of the 7.3 diesel. Both of those beasts were converted to run on waste vegetable oil, so that reduced travel expenses.

Now my lovely wife and I are looking at maybe getting a slightly bigger sailboat in a year or two. The van could easily handle a bigger boat. If it can be put on a trailer, the van can pull it.

Of course, the van won't last forever. Do I really want to be locked into needing a big vehicle to tow a boat? I got a fantastic deal on the van, but I can't count on getting a deal like that again. Also, I can see the end of easily available waste veggie oil. Already it's difficulty to impossible to acquire on the road.

So I'm looking at options. It would be nice to have a sailboat at my dad's in Florida. That would save a lot of towing. In fact, I wouldn't need a vehicle capable of towing a boat 1700 miles. It's only about 20 miles from my dad's to a good boat launch. Heck, I could put a good hitch on my dad's vehicle and borrow it for the short trip. We could travel in a small economy car or even take some sort of public transportation.

Do we really need to stick with a boat that can be trailered? Probably, but only because marina fees add up. I've yet to figure out a really good way around that. Well, besides living on the boat full time. We aren't ready for that either. Too many connections to the mountains of New Hampshire.

Right now there's nothing really wrong with the way we are doing things. However, if I've learned anything over the years is that things change -sometimes all of a sudden. The wheels in my head keep turning, looking over my options. Too bad my lovely wife isn't willing to just sail down from New England in the fall and back in the spring. Oh well, maybe that will change in the future too.

-Sixbears

BOV reality check

We do love our bug out vehicles. Nothing like a custom bit of machinery to get you out into the hinterlands, fully equipped for what may come.

Back in the real world, my ambulance to motorhome veggie burning magic bus is in the shop. Never mind how well equipped it is, it isn't going anywhere for at least a week.

I was driving down the road and noticed a bit of smoke behind the van. After pulling into my daughter's place, I noticed the motor oil was rather quickly leaving the engine. Not good.

After some hassle, I got it to my mechanic's. (I've written my last membership check ever to AAA, but that's another story.)

My mechanic found the problem. It's your basic $3 part that takes 4 hours to change. Only takes 1 hour for the same motor in a pickup truck. Vans are nasty to work on. He can't get to it right off as he's book solid. The best mechanics are.

So my wonderful home on wheels that can pull my sailboat is unavailable. Good thing I already live in the woods and don't have to bug out to get here.

I've always been a bit leery about the whole bug out vehicle concept. When is the right time to go? Where the heck do you plan on going anyway? Can you really count on getting there. Travel, especially in times of turmoil, is dicey. Road blocks are easy to set up, as are ambushes. Look at what happens in conflict zones and then reassess your plans.

In a pinch, I could load up basic survival gear into my wife's car and be on the road in 20 minutes. That's how long it took us to pack for a spur of the moment camping vacation once. Ten more minutes and I'd have a canoe on the roof. If you have to go, better the make do vehicle you've got rather than the perfect one in the shop.

Of course, it's better to not have to go anywhere at all.

-Sixbears

Sobriety Check Point

So there it was, 1:30 a. m. and we were just driving into town and roll up to a sobriety checkpoint. I'm driving, accompanied by my lovely wife and a good friend. We'd spent the evening at a bar listening to a great band. Yes, I'd had a couple of drinks, but that was in 3 hours, plus I had a meal at the bar. While I was sure I'd pass the sobriety test, who in their right mind wants to put up with the hassle? All I wanted to do was get home.

They waved me pass and I didn't even have to stop. In the dark, from the front, my motorhome conversion still looks a lot like the ambulance it once was. They looked at me a bit funny as I drove past and they could see the murals on the side of the vehicle, but we'd already been waved through.

Much easier all around.

-Sixbears

The hippification continues

Here’s a photo of my lovely wife painting the ambulance/motorhome conversion.

It’s nice to own a vehicle you don’t mind playing with.

My lovely wife and I have a very simple arrangement. I got to buy the cool vehicle and do neat things to it like turn it into a motorhome and convert it to run on waste veggie oil.

She gets to decorate it.

I get to keep my mouth shut.

Anyway, I don’t mind at all. I guess a guy with a ponytail and beard has no reason to complain about driving a hippy van.

-Sixbears

Truck tribulations

Long time readers of my blog may remember the springtime problems with our old 93 F250 pickup truck. It took a little redneck repair to get it to limp home to NH from FL. Only used it once since to make a load to the dump. Since then it’s sat in the driveway.

Today I decided to move it. A buddy of mine wants it for parts. The engine purrs like a tiger. (7.3 turbo diesels do not purr like kittens) The rest of the truck has advanced body cancer and is falling apart.

The truck hasn’t run all summer, so the batteries were too low to turn the big diesel over. A couple hours on the charger and it fired right up. I locked the hubs and shifted into 4 wheel drive. A roar and a lurch later and the truck climbed up the dirt driveway and onto the pavement.

That’s where it came to horrible stop. There was a long screech of metal things coming apart and the truck was stuck sideways, blocking the road.

Here’s what happened. The non-drive rear wheel on the truck had frozen into place. Even with one wheel not turning, the other drive wheel and the front drive wheel were able to pull it to the pavement. The frozen wheel just dug a trench in the soft dirt. Once it hit the pavement, the stuck wheel had something solid to grab onto. It was too much for the universal join that drove the front axle. That failed noisily and messily.

I had to get the truck out of the road, but it would not move under its own power. The one remaining drive wheel would only spin and smoke. I called my local tow truck guy, but he was out on a call and unavailable for hours.

In an almost desperate move, I hooked a tow strap to my ambulance/motorhome conversion and tried to pull the truck out of the road with that. To my happy surprise, it dragged the truck to the side of the road, stuck wheel and all. The tow strap looked and sounded like a guitar string, but it held.

Now all I have to do is to jack up the truck and see if that wheel can be freed. If it can, the truck could be driven the short distance to my friend’s house. If not, I can always call the tow truck guy.

At least it’s out of the way and I’ve got room for Thursday’s firewood delivery.

-Sixbears

Camp Dreams

When I was a little kid, my dad and a couple of friends built a hunting camp. It was about 9 miles of bad dirt road to the worse dirt road the camp sat on. I loved that place. It had no running water, an outhouse, a woodstove and a couple propane lamps. It was one 16 X 16 foot room. There as a table and chairs, a rocking chair, and a couple bunks.

Outside there was a pretty decent shooting range. Water was from a brook down the hill. The nearest neighbor was another camp about 4 miles down the road. It was packed during deer season, with extra folding bunks taking up all the floor space.

I probably used the camp more than anyone else. Not only was I there during deer season, I used it all year round. It was a base of operations for small game hunting, hiking, fishing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and cross country skiing. Sometimes I’d go up there just for some peace and quiet.

The original partners eventually sold out and I was in no position to buy it. In fact, the deal was done before I even knew it was up for sale. Losing the camp really broke my heart. I used to have dreams about that camp, only to wake up and realize it was gone.

Years later, I can finally say I no longer miss it. Well, maybe just a little. The camp is not as isolated as it used to be. Roads have gotten so good it’s easy to drive there with a regular car. In the past, it wasn’t unheard of to have to hike in the last few miles. A logging company clear cut some of the best hunting areas. The camp is on leased land. Fees used to be nominal, but have gotten pricey -even on a simple deer camp.

Two things have filled the hole left by the loss of the camp. The first is the sailboat. It’s like a tiny camp on the water. The other is my tiny camp on the land, my converted camper van. Mobility and the lack of property taxes are big pluses the camp never had.

-Sixbears

Rigged for living

I’ve been puttering around with my van lately -the ambulance to motor home conversion. It’s been set up for camping for some weeks now, but there’s always refinements. I bolted a microwave into place so it doesn’t move around on rough roads. Just built a nice little step for getting in. The side door sits 22 inches off the ground, so a step is handy and a lot safer.

Driving it all the time has been the best way to discover what’s missing. Keeping a lot of water of water and disposable cups has been wonder on our hot days. The 12 volt cooler works well. It’s been really handy for when I discover a good food deal when we are a ways from home. Keeps those water bottles nice and cool too.

There are some canned foods, dry goods, and energy bars stored away. That’s proven really handy and saved me money that would have gone to restaurants. Every time I do a big grocery order, I look out for good storable, easily prepared travel foods. Slowly building up the supplies.
Yesterday I stocked it with some books and a spare pair of reading glasses. You never know when you’ll be stuck waiting around for something. One day while killing time, it occurred to me that having my little pack guitar, a Washburn Rover, would have been nice. That’s definitely coming along next time I go anywhere.

There’s a fishing pole on board, but I need more tackle. Last winter someone liberated most of my fishing tackle out of my shed by the lake. The shed is hard to get to by land, except in the winter when the lake is frozen. All someone has to do is walk across it. Fishing tackle is too expensive to replace all at once.

Since it was an ambulance, it comes with its very own locking drug locker. That’s where my wife keeps the rum because . . . you know . . . rum!

Of course it has our sleeping bags and all that stuff. I should get into the habit of keeping a change of clothes in the rig.

This is a great rig for camping, but it’s a pretty fine bug out vehicle. There something nice about a bug out vehicle where you just hop in and go. Better yet, if for some reason we can’t make it home, we won’t be homeless.

-Sixbears

Status and the steady decline of income

My lovely wife and I were talking about our income the other day. In real terms, we expect it to go steadily down. Inflation could eat away at it, or the actual amount could be reduced. Either way, it’s less to live on. That’s been the overall trend for us over the last 20 years.

That doesn’t mean we live less. Just the opposite has happened. Ten years ago we could only afford to travel by living in a tent and staying at campgrounds. It came as quite a shock to realize we could not longer afford to spend most of our time in campgrounds. Last winter we spent time with friends, relatives and on the sailboat. Only a handful of days were spent in actual campgrounds.

Strange to think that living on a sailboat was cheaper than in a tent at a campground. We spent more time on beautiful beaches and went places that could only be reached by boat. Quite a few nights we just set the anchor and stayed for free. When we stayed at a marina, the price was pretty reasonable because our boat is short and they charge by the foot. We get the same services and facilities as everyone else, but pay a lot less for it.

Our custom camping van will save us some motel nights. We only would stay at a hotel to sleep. We can do the whole camp at Walmart in the parking lot thing and sleep just as well. At least the bed will be one we are used to.

Eventually, we hope to sell the house to the kids and move into something like a yurt on the land across the street. We could actually live pretty comfortably in a 20 foot yurt. Winters we would live on a sailboat where the water is warm and the sun is hot.

We plan on adjusting to diminishing income. The other way would be to find more work. Sometimes that’s what you have to do. If time is more important, however, you end up finding different ways to live. Some people work crazy hours to support the things in life that give them status: nice car, big hours, expensive vacations, all the physical signs that a person has made it. My status comes from other things. Having free time to do the things I love is one. Finding alternatives to the conventional way of life is another.

Some people look at something like my ambulance to motorhome project and think I’m some kind of crazy hobo. My vehicle is different looking. I’m handling smelly fry oil and lifting heavy jugs to fuel it. I don’t have a sleek RV with all the toys. I’m really not interested in impressing those people.

It is nice when someone checks out what I’m doing and “gets it.” Often it’s people who live lives of nonconformity themselves. I like talking to those people as we can trade tips on what works. Sometimes it’s someone who lives a normal life on the surface, but has an inner rebel struggling to be free.

Diminishing income is in a lot more people’s future. They just don’t know it yet. Keeping up with the Jones is a fools game. Listen to that inner rebel.

-Sixbears

Fall back position

Did you ever think about having to live out of your car? Thousands of people end up doing just that, but how many had a plan to do it successfully?

For quite a few years, my lovely wife and I spent our winters tent camping. Before we headed out, I did a lot of reading up on people who lived in their cars. We had no intention to live in the car; we had a a couple tents with us. Our plan was to stay at campgrounds and that’s pretty much what we did.

However, learning about how people live in their cars was useful. It helped us decide what to pack, how to cook on the road, bathroom breaks, staying clean, doing laundry, and how to save money. On the few occasions that we ended up sleeping in our car, we knew how to do it a bit more comfortably and a bit more safely.

When you don’t have to live in your car is a good time to prepare for the possibility. Space is limited, so having the right gear is important. It’s not a bad idea to have basic camping gear in your car; backpacking stove, sleeping bags, tarps, food, cookware, soap, water filter, clothes for your climate. It’s similar to having a bug out vehicle ready to go. The main difference is a bug out vehicle is outfitted for a few days, or at most a week or two. Car living could stretch on for months or even years. There is no bug out destination.

I’m not going to get into much detail as there are books and other sources of information if a person is truly interested in the subject.

When people think of living in a vehicle, they think of a big RV. Nice, but not necessary. One guy I met was living in Toyota sedan. He was a disabled vet with limited resources. He removed the passenger seat to make room for an inflatable mattress. A sun shade provided privacy. Every inch of space was put to good use. It was the most organized and well equipped small car I’d ever seen. He even found room for a full sized guitar.

Of course, my ambulance to motorhome conversion would make a fine vehicle for long term living. There’s an awful lot of comfort that can be squeezed into a one ton van. I bought it for camping and to pull my sailboat, but I should equip it for bug out/car living possibilities too. Being able to run it on waste vegetable oil doesn’t hurt either.

Strangers living in cars come under suspicion. One hint that really works is having a canoe on your vehicle. It gives you a reason for being out in the country. You aren’t just some random person in a car, you are a sportsman. Often people will check out the boat and talk canoing. Ask them what they fish for in these parts and they’ll open right up.

It’s not a bad idea to actually have some basic fishing gear with you. That canoe can take you to fishing spots the guy on shore can’t reach. It’s also a good platform for gathering edible plants. When you come to the end of the road, you can load your gear into that canoe and head out on the water. It’s a nice option.

-Sixbears

Ambulance to motorhome update

This is a test fit of all the modules I built. They are rough. There’s sanding and painting to be done.





Here’s a shot from the back. That’s set up like a table. Notice it’s the thickness of two 2X4s.





The top table is held in place by pins. There are legs stored inside. Here it is with the legs installed and set next to the first table.





There’s a third table that slides into place. When on in use, it can be tipped on end and slide into that dark area on the left hand side. There are straps to hold it in place.





Here’s what it looks like with the futon mattress in place. The mattress can be rolled out of the way and the table reassembled.

The table is held is place by adapting hardware that once kept stretchers from sliding around. All the table modules can be removed -either for use outside the van or to make room for hauling large items.

It’s rough, but looks like it will do the job. The only materials purchased for this job was about $25 for 2x4s. The table tops are left over scrap plywood. Some of the materials were salvaged from a construction site. The color will be determined by whatever paint I’ve got in my basement.

We might need to sleep in the van this weekend, so I’ve been in a hurry to get it functional.

-Sixbears

Ready for Adventure

The veggie van has roof racks! A chance to go on a canoe trip came up so I hastily put together a set of roof racks. I had a broken set of pipe racks, so I salvaged the feet and used 2X4s for the crossbars. The cross bars have a strip of wood along the bottom for stiffness. Works just fine and cost less than 20 dollars in new materials.

The canoe is an Old Town Discovery. To provide a sense of scale, the canoe is 17 feet 4 inches long. The racks sit around 9 feet up in the air. It’s quite the trick to get the boat up there. I lift up the canoe on my shoulders and carry it to the back. The bow of the boat goes up on the back roof rack. Then it’s slide forward in one smooth motion so that it reaches the front rack. Bow and stern ropes are used to pull it into its final position.

Tying it down was a bit awkward the first time, but it should go faster next time. The important thing is that it stays where it belongs.

The racks are wide enough for two large canoes. Almost all my vehicles have ended up with roof racks. They are just the thing for moving ladders, lumber, and boats, of course. I used to carry a 20 foot cedar strip canoe on top of a Dodge Omni. It looked funny. The canoe was much longer than the car, but it handled just fine.

-Sixbears

Hand me that piano

One of the cool things I got to do over the long weekend was to deliver a piano to my five year old granddaughter. My daughter found one on Freecycle. An 81 year old woman was moving out of her condo and in with her daughter. She had that piano since she was a little girl but had to give it up. I think she felt better that it was going to another little girl just learning to play piano.

My daughter, son-in-law and myself loaded it up in my ambulance to motorhome conversion vehicle. I’d just recently taken out a lot of medical hardware so there was a good solid flat surface to set it on. I’ve some metal loading ramps, plus we took along some 8 foot 2 X 6 lumber. You never know what you’ll have to do to move something.

The piano had to go up one flight of stairs and through a few doors. It fit, but just barely. Years ago I used to move furniture for a living. Some things you don’t forget. We were careful and didn’t ding or scratch anything. Pianos are heavy so you really want to get things right the first time.

Unloading it went well. All we had to do was unload it from the vehicle and bring it down a walkway into the house. No stairs involved at all.

My granddaughter immediately set up her practice book and started playing her very own piano. It was a big step up from a little keyboard. There’s something special about the sound of a real piano.

After the piano was all set up, I took advantage of my daughter’s hot tub. I figured a good long session with the massaging jets would be just the thing for strained muscles. That probably helped as I was only a tiny bit stiff the next day. When you get in your 50s you don’t take your back for granted.

-Sixbears

More veggie fuel stuff

My diesel to veggie conversion on my ambulance to motorhome conversion is finally starting to behave the way it should. A blown coolant hose was a bit of a setback. It has taken a while for all the air to work its way out of the coolant system. I never had to deal with so much air in the coolant system before and wasn’t sure what to do. The best advice I received was to drive up and down the mountains a few times. Since I live in the mountains, it was an easy thing to do. Now that most of air has been purged, the veggie fuel tank is finally getting good and hot.

That’s the key to a waste veggie conversion -hot vegetable oil. It lowers the viscosity and allows the veggie to burn properly in the engine. Some systems have fancy temperature gages and automatic switches that switch from diesel to veggie when conditions are right. My very simple system is a more of a seat of the pants operation. Eventually, I’ll learn from experience when it’s a good time to switch from diesel to veggie. It will be sometime after the engine has reached normal operating temperature. Soon after it does, I’ll flick the transfer switch.

What happens if I guess wrong and it’s too early? The engine won’t sound right and may even sputter. Then I’ll just switch it back to diesel for a few more minutes. No problem. It’s not a precise system, but it’s good enough.

Today I picked up over 100 gallons of free waste vegetable oil from a local restaurant. I’ve a long standing relationship with them and they give me the veggie for free. Of course I do make a point of eating there once in a while. With money saved from not burning diesel at over $4/gallon, I can afford to eat there pretty often.

The restaurant used to have a big oil bin behind their restaurant. It was ugly and messy. The company that was supposed to pick up the oil never showed up when they were supposed to. The bin would fill to overflowing. Bears were attracted to the smelly bin and made a nuisance of themselves.

Now what they do is they pour the veggie back in the 4.5 gallon containers it came in. They put the containers in a garage next to the restaurant and forget about it. All I have to do is go to the garage and load them up. When I’m gone on a long trip a friend of mine picks up the oil so it doesn’t pile up.

This is a totally informal, oral arrangement. No money changes hands. I get free fuel and a busy restaurant owner has one less thing to worry about.

-Sixbears

Some guy is living one of my dreams

Some guy is living one of my dreams, before I have a chance to do it. On a small boat forum I found out about a guy who’s building a small sailboat. Last year the design caught my attention and I bought plans for the exact same boat. Seeing photos of one almost finished caught my attention. The guy’s doing a nice job.

Then I find out the guy’s building it for a trip I’d like to go on with that boat, the Texas 200. He’s beating me to one of my dreams. Dang. He’s months ahead of me. If I do that trip, in the same design of boat, it will look like I’m copying him.

On the bright side, it’s confirmation that my idea of using that design is a good fit for the trip. At least it makes sense to someone else. Now I feel the pressure to do a really good job -not just a strong boat, but a pretty one too.

I’d be working on that boat now, but the ambulance to motorhome project has been taking up my time and money. A buddy of mine is following my work carefully as he too wants to convert an ambulance to a motorhome. He let one slip through his fingers a while back and it’s probably been bugging him every since. No doubt he’d have it in his driveway now if his wife didn’t stop him.

Now I’m not really blaming his wife for stealing his dreams. The guy does a lot of interesting stuff. She’s probably kept him from doing stuff that would have gotten him killed. Come to think of it, I haven’t been shot at since my buddy moved away and got married. We did have some interesting times together.

Maybe if I do a really nice job on the ambulance, she’ll relent and let my buddy get one. Sometimes there are advantages to not being the first one to attempt something. He can learn from my mistakes.

I’ll keep my eye on those small boat forums and see how that boat builder makes out. Maybe I can learn a few things from his mistakes.

-Sixbears

Old Friends

I’ve got to admit I’m lucky to have good friends that go way back to childhood. While a few live nearby, most of us are scattered across the country. There never was much opportunity out here in the woods.

A good friend of mine and his wife live over in Maine. Once in a while we split the difference and meet halfway. Saturday, that’s just what we did. The weather was perfect. We sat outside a coffee shop, sipping our drinks, soaking up the sun and and catching up. It was great.

There’s nothing like friends who’ve been together through ups and downs. If you’ve had any sort of sever setback: injury, job loss, divorce -any one of life’s major trials, you learn who your friends are. Some may turn out to be fair weather friends. Others will take a bullet for you.

Once my motorhome project is finished, I hope to be able to visit some of those more widely scattered friends. Anyone who’s known me that long, and still likes me, is worth a visit.

-Sixbears

Custom Work

The rain let up for a while Friday afternoon. It was a good time to do some exploratory surgery on the diesel to waste veggie oil vehicle project.

Removing a shelf in a compartment allowed enough room for the veggie tank to fit in. That’s a big relief. The location is good because it’s near both coolant lines and fuel lines. Both will have to be tapped into. The coolant will heat a copper coil that’s submerged in the fuel tank. There’s room for the 6 port fuel valve and a veggie fuel filter in the same compartment. Everything will be easily assessable from an outside compartment door.

While under the vehicle checking out the fuel lines, it was a good time to check everything else under there. Most vehicles in snow country have corrosion from road salt. The underside of this this vehicle is in excellent shape. Its heritage as a former ambulance shines through. Those things are well built. The ambulance builders made extensive use of heavy gage aluminum and top quality rustproofing.

While the tools were out, it seem like a good idea to try and find the diesel fuel filter. As soon as the vehicle is running veggie, a lot of gunk will be washed out of the engine. While that’s great in the long run, in the short run it will eat up a few fuel filters. Finding the fuel filter proved to be a chore.

The vehicle is based on a 350 Ford van. That means part of the engine is accessed from a removable dog house in the cab. Removing the dog house works best if the plastic dash covers are taken off first. Once all the covers and clips were removed, it was possible to slide the doghouse back far enough to see the engine. Now I know what’s under there, but it’s not the diesel filter.

The fuel filter sits on top of the engine, behind the air filter assembly. To reach the fuel filter the whole air assembly has to come out: bolts, clips and clamps. Once that’s out there’s enough room to access the fuel filter housing -barely. There’s a whole toolbox that’ll come along for the ride, for when it’s time to change that filter.

Now that I know where everything is, I have some idea where everything will go. I’ll sleep on it to see if any ideas percolate up out of my murky subconscious. Every one of my veggie conversions has been a cobbled together custom job. They’ve all been works in progress, even once they are up and running. I just can’t leave well enough alone as I’m thinking of ways to simplify things or improve performance.

Once I have a working system, I’ll take some photos. Right now I don’t even know where my camera is.

-Sixbears

Tangled mess O’wires and a Pollak

I’m working on converting my motor home project to run on waste vegetable oil. Since it’s raining again, I’m test wiring my 6 port Pollak valve inside. Stop snickering, that’s what it’s called. What it does is allow me to switch from one fuel tank (diesel) to the other tank (veggie.)
The idea is that once the engine, and the WVO reach proper temperature, then the engine is switched from diesel to WVO. Before shutting the vehicle down for a long period of time, the switch is thrown back to diesel to wash the veggie out of the engine. That’s a very important step if you want to be able to easily start the vehicle again.

Rather than bolt the valve under the vehicle and then connect all the wires, I wired it up on the kitchen table first. A 12 volt jumper pack suppled the power to run the valve. After wiring it up just like the diagram indicated, the valve did not work. Bummer. At least I discovered this in my kitchen instead of lying on back under the vehicle with rust and dirt falling in my face.

This is where a multi-tester pays for itself. One by one all the wires and the switch were tested for proper continuity. That eliminated any bad wire connections. The switch, however, wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do. Either the switch was defective or the wrong type of switch was shipped. They are cheap enough so I’ll be picking one up at the auto parts store. With any luck they’ll have one that matches the other switches on my dash.

Bypassing the switch and getting power directly from the battery ran the valve just fine. When the valve switches over, it make an audible click. Blowing through the ports confirmed it was switching over.

There has been some negative talk about Pollak valves on the WVO forums. Some say they can’t stand up to the heat from WVO. Since I had 400,000 trouble free miles from my valve on my Mercedes Benz conversion, that wasn’t a concern of mine. Not only that, the manufacturer warns to use a filter so the oil in the valve is clean. My installation had the filters after the valve. Sometimes my fuel, both veggie and diesel, was pretty dirty. All those trouble free miles speak for themselves.

A more valid comment is that the Pollak valve dumps some veggie into the diesel tank when it switches over. While it’s not a problem in the summer, but the added veggie can cause hard starting in the winter. This is true. My easy solution is to run the diesel tank nearly empty and then fill with fresh fuel. My other solution is to drive to Florida in January. That works pretty good too.

I like to keep my veggie diesel conversions as simple as possible. I’m reusing a lot of parts from previous vehicles. It was tempting to reuse the old Pollak valve from my Benz conversion, but after 400,000 miles of service, that could be asking for trouble.

Sadly, the 19 gallon veggie tank that I pulled from my 240D Benz didn’t fit the place where I want to install it in the motorhome. The condition of the tank was also a bit worse for wear. (those same 400,000 miles.)

Fortunately, the 12 gallon tank I had salvaged from my old 300D Benz conversion could be reconditioned and reused. Only had about 100,000 miles on that one. It’s a bit smaller that what I’d like, but it’s free. Carrying a few extra jugs of veggie in the back is no big deal. Later on I could always install a bigger tank.

Well, if only the rain would let up, then I could install a few things.

-Sixbears