We were lucky it happened where it did, rather than in a pothole on the highway. We were blocking a gas pump for quite some time before a tow truck was able to get there. Once he arrived, that whole end of the gas station was blocked, and it took at least an hour and a half to get the trailer loaded onto the flatbed. He had to get pretty creative to get it up there with a wheel missing, all while in the middle of a downpour. After a few attempts, he did manage to get it loaded without damaging the trailer.
He towed it to a nearby shop, where we left it overnight. We went back in the morning and had the shop order the parts. None of the local suppliers had the axle in stock, so it would have to be ordered from the factory, and would take a few days to get there. We had camping reservations already made with Adam, Jacqui and Kaden, so we continued north without the trailer.
We got situated at Lake Durant in the Adirondacks, where Adam and Jacqui graciously let us borrow their tent and giant inflatable mattress. They didn’t need their tent anymore, as they had also purchased a camper the previous summer! We spent the next few days relaxing, taking in the sights, and canoeing.
There was a loon family out on the lake, and the baby would dive under, seemingly with encouragement from his mother. We were careful not to crowd them, and got to observe them for quite some time.
Following Jacqui’s suggestion, we all watched the sunset from out on the water almost every night. You can see all our pictures from Lake Durant here.
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| No bears allowed! |
When we picked up the camper on our way home, the mechanic showed us the problem with the axle. When the springs were mounted on top, the RV dealer we bought it from cut the original spring brackets off the bottom of the axle instead of leaving them and putting new brackets on top. This weakened the metal, and the cut was where it broke.
We called the dealer when we got home, and after some back and forth conversations with them and the manufacturer, the dealer agreed to make it right. We also still needed top mounted springs on the new axle, so the credit they gave us went toward that. In the end, they were very apologetic and accommodating.
September brought us back up north with the camper intact, for an uneventful and relaxing trip. We spent a few days at Lake Eaton with Adam, Jacqui and Kaden, where our campsite was basically on a hill. We had to dig a depression for one tire and place the other on a leveling block. So much for reserving campsites unseen! We also spent a few more days at Cranberry Lake.
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| It took a little rigging to get level. |
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| Ken relaxing by the water |
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| Don't touch! (I didn't.) They hurt! |
Check out the rest of our photos from Lake Eaton here, and from Cranberry Lake here!
I should also mention that our drive home coincided with what was referred to as the October 2015 North American storm complex. There was major flooding in South Carolina, which was so extreme that part of I95 was closed, with major damage occurring statewide.
After the fall trip, we decided to add solar panels to the camper and Ken did the entire installation. This allows the batteries to top off throughout the day after running the lights, laptops and TV the night before. It is a huge help, since most of the camping we do is primitive without hookups, and reduces the need to run the generator. We still have to use the generator to make a pot of coffee, and to run the air conditioner if needed.
The complete list of components we needed for this project is as follows:
Two 100 watt solar panels
Charge Controller with LCD Display and USB Port
Two 6 volt batteries to replace the 12 volt battery
Cable entry plate
Renogy Branch Connectors
Renogy Solar Panel Mounting Z Bracket 4 Units
50' Solar Cable with MC4 connectors
Additional MC4 Solar Cable Connectors
Two Powerhouse A/t Battery Boxes
An additional 12 volt dual socket
Here's a look at the finished project.
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| Hard to see the panels, but they're there. |
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