Sold my yellow stone camper

          Today I waved goodbye to the old trailer I got right before I started chemo. I had wanted to fix it up and use it but life got in the way. After I had recovered I considered repurposing it as a portable sandwich,  hotdog stand. It could have been cute but the wife and kids told me just sell it and keep my present vending trailer.  So I listed it on Facebook and Craig's list . Vintage trailer shell  7ft X12 no interior, early 50s Camp it or Yellowstone Mfg. Price 1000$

        

    I washed it and moved it out by the road, screwed down that back corner aired the tires made it presentable . I showed it to a dozen or more that seemed interested . I got lowball offers from 100$ to 500 . Even a used lawnmower trailer brings 6 to 800$ and is smaller.

    

       Today a young man drove from Cartersville Ga. I told him my bottom dollar was 800 or don't come it was 160 mile each way. Well he showed and we talked he wanted to do a restore to take his wife camping. They had Mud buggy Jeeps  and had been using a van but now had a baby and he wanted more room.

    This young man went over it top to bottom even took a ladder so he could see the roof. He didn't spew out ever flaw but I knew he saw them . One lady had bitched about everything she could find imperfect about it. To her I said  its a 48 model what year are you? She left a little mad. 

     The fellow got quiet and was thinking hard I could see him running  numbers and what it would take in his head. I gave him a few then asked, think you can fix it so the wife is happy.  He said yea he knew he could. Where you at on price son  he said 600$ I told him make it 700 we both can lie and say we got it for OUR PRICE . He said Deal, I feel good I believe it will get a second life with a young family.

    

I bought a new camper

     OK perhaps it isn't a new Camper as it is a 1950,s Yellowstone. It resembles this one but the rear door on mine is on the back side

https://www.flickr.com/photos/38843792@N08/3564001773

   Sorry blogger isn't letting me upload .

camper

   Maybe this link will work.

The camper I got is striped inside and has nothing original including wood . It is just the aluminum shell, floor , axels and windows of an early 50s Yellowstone, BUT for 250$ who cares!!!

 

    Now I am not a Facebook junky like some but while I have been sick I have been on its yard sales and items for sale. Sometimes good items get posted cheap . This trailer was posted for 3 minutes before I had the lady on the phone arranging to get it. The only draw back was it was in a part of town known as Gates city. This area is like Chicago 1 am on a Friday night. I did see one gentleman getting cuffed and stuff a block from the house. I hooked up and it rode the 20 miles home like a champ. 

       I haven't made up my mind what I am going to do with it . A full restoration is beyond my ability both financially and skill wise. So that is out . I could just redo it as a camper but the wife isn't likely to go (she's spoiled) in it.

   

If you are thinking about a used camper a must read.

     Regardless of the age there are certain things you need to check when buying a used travel trailer and this link sums it up nice.

http://littlevintagetrailer.com/2012/03/10-things-to-look-for-when-buying-a-vintage-trailer/


     Most trailer over 15 years old are going to have some issues. At 15 years age most will only have 10 years use left in them unless you spend a little keeping them in good condition. While a vintage is nice ongoing repairs can make them a costly option to own. I wanted one but opted for a good used one instead that had more room and modern amenities' .

Good deals have bad timing.

      No I didn't get me anything. I got my step granddaughter a camper. She is a single mom and has been living with her mom for a year. Her mom lives in a house that her boyfriend owns and as always happens its been DRAMA every couple of weeks.
   Both daughter and Granddaughter want there own place and they bought an acre lot with utilities in place . It was a lease to own deal they made without talking to me or their mom. 2000 down and 100 a month  for 10 years. I think they over paid but they are happy.

    Our Daughter is looking for a used mobile home or large camper for her and her son (14yo). Dee the granddaughter wanted a camper for her and the great-grandson (3yo).  Last summer I told her she needed a camper so she would never be homeless and she has been saying My next home will have wheels.

     Christmas afternoon we had a flood around here and they spent the night . I got on Craig's list and was looking at campers. I know Dee was hoping to find her a camper when she got her income tax refund but prices on campers are high and go up at income tax time. So I asked Dee do you want a 5000 nice camper or would you be happy with a beat up one for 1500 to 2500 for a year or two then up grade.

     Dee told me she would have 1800 left after she paid off her CAR Title loan she took for the property down payment. So a beater was what she wanted. I told her I didn't know if that would get her one suited for a woman and child but I would try, well I found an 89 Layton 29 foot with rear bedroom and futon couch in living room . We went Saturday and saw it. For its age it was solid but nasty inside the guy that was selling was BAT SHIT CRAZY . We haggled a little and I said I had 1000$ cash and would take it home . He agreed to the price .

     Now Dee has a place to stay even if it is in her moms drive for now . I will haul it to their lot in a few weeks . She is going to repay me when her income tax comes in. This camper in this area would have been 2500 + in the spring if cleaned . So us spending 1000 now saved her 1500 later. When her income tax comes in me and her are going to the bank and set her on a 1 year course to be debt free and money in the bank. Title and payday loans are a sure way to never have anything.

To hot for work .

    No update on the new build when the heat index is almost 110 this old boy ain't working!!!! I am at the lake that's where everyone should be its 20 degrees cooler plus I have water and beer there . I came home for tonight to do the BBQ and make a large sale that was pre ordered . I will set up for a short while Saturday before I head back to the lake.

    My wife and her sister are having a girls weekend. Then me and the wife will take 2 days us time. I think my wife is trying to make up for refusing to take my dream trip . I wanted to be in Mesa Verde Colorado this weekend . Arches and Canyon land next week. then on to Bryce canyon the north rim and a week in las Vegas  before Death valley, Sequoia and Yosemite .

     I had this trip planed for my slow time of the year but it was a desert trip in the summer which is why my wife refused. She didn't want to take the squatty trailer because of the heat and no bathroom in it .

    I wrote this Saturday to post later when I was at the lake but seems while I was home the wifi at the campground got struck by lightning so now I am home.

My standy trailer became a squatty.

       It has been 2 years since I wrote about my standy trailer . It had a very short life after it was built. It wobbled badly going down the road in fact it was never camped in . I tried changing how the weight was distributed ,tires, checked the springs. Nothing worked it was a failure. But it looked great and had a good set up for camping .

          I finnaly had to admit it was just to tall for its length. I couldn't bring myself to just let it go. So I made it a squatty like the old grasshopper teardrops of the 70s.

    As you can see all I did was remove one of the side panels and reshaped the ends . I added a storage box to the nose put in a cem toilet  a fridge and sink . Now it pulls like a dream at any speed . I replaced the cushions with memory foam the bed is a full Queen. last summer my brother used it for 2 weeks in Florida and me and the wife spent 4 days down there in it after him. The air will run you out. But you have to use an easy-up awning and cook out side no big deal .

    I love it ,I get 18 mpg with my jeep and the convertible pulling it. Stable as it can be. The one problem is MY WIFE HATES IT she refuses to camp  in it . Since we got the big camper she wont go in this one . The Fun Finder is nice but my truck gets 9 mpg and it is a pain for short trips of less than a week.

     What she wants to travel

  What I want to travel in.

A look at Big Red my baby.

     OK I have been doing BBQ for 10 years on and off.For the last 3 years it has been all i have done.When I started it was a whim i had a convince store 5 miles from any restaurants so on Friday and Saturday i sold BBQ at the store.Me and my son used drum smokers mounted on an old pop up camper trailer.Back then i was a busy man had a lot of irons in the fire.BBQ became my sons he was making good money for a 14 year old kid then he hit that "that's good enough "stage.Basically he ran it into the ground twice.
      That is a back ground of our start.About 6 years a go i was playing on Ebay just looking and i ran across a Big Red smoker it was in Andalusia AL about 160 miles away.Starting bid was 400$ so i bid a max bid of 450$ Long story short i got it for 405$.It was a 6 hour round trip.The man that i got it from said it cost him 1200$ in 2005.The company that built it is really a fab shop for construction steel they build smokers and trailers when work is slow so they keep their welders and layout men busy

     This is what it looked like when i got it it was a 200 gallon propane tank upright smoker with 3 racks and room to smoke 16 boston butts.Three rounds of wood will last 8 hours when smoking but i needed it to do more for holidays and i wanted to do ribs so i got a second 200 gallon tank and it now looks like this.

    This is BIG RED the front grill can hold 24 pork butts and 12 slabs of ribs.The upright will do 12 butts and 4 racks of ribs.Now i smoke everything in the upright because it gives a deeper smoke the front holds it at temp and adds light smoke.
    Now to cook great Q takes time I cook for 10 hour with gas then smoke it 4 to 6 hours.Anyone can make good smoked meat all it takes is time and a box to hold smoke.I started with barrel smoker made out of a barrel with expanded metal rack on old tent pole rods.A wooden box will work. GOT MEAT START SMOKING!!!!
    The original BBQ trailer has morphed with time it now looks like this.If my son straightens up i may give him a 4th chance

My son is in homestead prison.

     Sorry for the gaps in posting been putting out fires with our kids.I have to go find my youngest in the morning no one has heard from him in 10 days.He is living in the woods in a junk trailer on property he got for taxes.No power water or gas and cell phones don't work unless he walks a mile down the road.I have never been there since he got it 3 months ago.
    Now don't go thinking my son is homesteader he isn't.He can break a steel ball with a rubber hammer.The property is a flood plan for a creek and is labeled no build,no utilities permitted.He got this 3/4 acre for 180$ in back taxes and former owner said he will not reclaim.I will probable wind up with it.But i need to go up add money to his phone make sure he is alive take him to the store for supplies.Will set him up with solar charger for a light and radio.His ass will stay in the woods.Stranded there he hasn't been in any trouble its where he needs to be.If he would try it could be the best thing that has ever happened to him.To him its like jail but if he leave and comes back to town he will wind up in a real jail.

THE RESULTS ARE IN !!!!!!!!

    Well the doctor called the wife doesn't have Cancer it was benign!!! It was pre cancerous but now it is out, they want her to take the lose dose preventative treatment.She doesn't show it but i can tell its a load of her mind .We went yesterday on her kidney pain and was told she may have been passing micro stones and that's why she has had occasional kidney pains.
     It is a warped kinda humor that all this started at the same time as she started her social security.Her first check arrives in march and she started falling apart in December.Now we have her super glued back together and a steady income she wants a new small camper with a bathroom to travel in.Last month me her and her sister and brother in law went to the R.V. show it was a interesting way to spend a Sunday afternoon.We looked at RVs that cost 20 times what i paid for our home,a few that were affordable.The wife fell in love with this one   http://www.riversidervs.net/RETRO-MODEL-177-ISLAND-BED.html to some this would look dinky and impractical but we teardrop so it looks huge and luxurious.The sister fell for a Forrest river Freedom 22 footer and bought it the next week.
     The retro my wife loves is my dream camper to and it is reasonable priced at 13,900 (I cant believe i called that reasonable)I have not had any payments on anything since 2005 and have no real job now so financing is going to take a 3rd party(my mom).Normally I would not even consider this but this scare has made me understand our time on earth is limited and i want to spend it with my wife dong what we enjoy.

A nice toy to show up in.

        This was posted on the tiny yellow teardrop blog.I am a huge Fan of teardrops and the Crimson Tide of Alabama so i had to post this pic!!!!!!!

     I like the little guy teardrop but it is just to much for my pockets. Come to think about it the graphics probable cost more than  my teardrop did to build. I know i have posted i was going to build a 5 wide teardrop and will be this winter. All the work on the lean to and garage has been for a place for my hobbies and projects.

    P.S. Check out Christina,s Tiny yellow teardrop blog or her posts on the Tiny house blog.http://tinyyellowteardrop.blogspot.com/

The 4th of july BBQ and dreams of vacation

   I have survived the 4th of july BBQ  rush barley! The smoker has been in constant use since monday.I smoked 48 boston butts and 45 slabs of ribs and sold out in 5 hours between wensday and thursday.

my red smoker and tank that became my extra smoker

I had to use both pits to handle the butts and ribs but i got it done.The new pit wasnt finished i had to use 2x4s to hold the grate decks up till i get to the weld shop but it did ok for the holiday.
    I think i worked harder this week than i have in a lonnnng time but the payoff was worth it.Me and the wife are planning a trip to the gulf the 14th going to try and get some of the kids to come down too.We will go to big lagoon but i think we will b going to some other areas also.I know i will have to carry the wife to gulfport one day for the casino,s.I dont gamble like i use to.
      We will be taking the teardrop this trip the new standie is still untested and we dont want to be that far away and have problems.Had a man stop by and look at my teardrop he plans on building his own soon .I have known his son for years and i think we will do build at the same time.he wants a 4 wide and i want a 5 wide.

Here is the new standie pop up salvage

   OK here is a pic of what i had to work with.

before any work

striped ready to work on

back quarter panel and upright support



front panel and top radius



almost finished

Well there it is.It is water tight and painted.I still have a little caulking to do and silicon on the seams.I will be taking it on a 50 mile trip on the 8th just to see how it pulls .When i bought it i was going to make a 5 wide teardrop but i couldn't see wasting a salvageable little trailer.All total i have 150 in the trailer + 143 in rebuilding supplies so for 293$ I have a nice tiny trailer or a man cave for the backyard:}

Full house of kids/dogs

    Sorry i haven't posted any more of the trailer build but i have had a full house.My step daughter and her dog have been staying with us my son drifted back home and everyone we know has come by to visit for a day here and there.Today we had 4 of our daughters my son ,my mother and 4 dogs and the grand son here!!
    The trailer is fully blacked in and dry.I have lots of pics to get on here as soon as i have time.It has turned out nice but i have yet to pull it down the road to see if it will pull OK.If it pulls OK it is a camper if it doesn't it will go to the back yard as my man cave/ prepping storage.Last few weeks i have noticed a lot of stuff i had put up scattered around the house.I have to regather up my flashlights DVD player,lanterns and a few other odds and ends the kids have borrowed plus get some batteries to replace the raided ones.
     I guess its my fault for having the stuff handy.I need to put some of it in the basement no one but me goes down there.It,s a shame that i have to hide it to have it when its needed.And no borrowing my flashlight because you cant find yours isn't a good reason CLEAN YOUR ROOMS i have gave you 3 already.
       After the last 2 weeks i still love our kids but i am tired of their company!!! I know prepping is about family but some times it feels like DARWIN is telling me I'm wasting effort.As soon as the 4th of july weekend is done im going to the beach i need it i deserve it and NO kids!!!!

Laying out my new standy camper.

      Ok when i start anything like this i have to sit and stare at what i have to work with and where i want to end up. First is structural strength so it wont fall apart going down the road.Second is utility,It has to work for what we need camping.Third is i want it to be aerodynamic so it pulls good and gets decent gas milage.
     I began the work day with a POT of coffee staring at the stripped pop up running differant layouts and ideas through my mind.The sun was out and hadnt got hot yet so i was moving slow.I decided that the main component was going to be the walls and roof supported by 2x3s as cornner posts.

roof on bent supports

    The frount of the roof will have to be cut off the rods replaced with 2x3s and the windows/walls reattached.The heigth of the roof will be about 3 inches lower but i will be able to stand with ease.



got to save the door and windows

   If i can save the sides and most the roof this is not going to cost 500 total. As the first pic shows i have the sides down  then i took the roof off and cut it off about a foot.
      Ok 2 trips to lowes and six hours of sweat later i had the walls plum to the cornner 2x3s with 1/4 inch bolts in 4 places for strength.My daughter helped me set the roof back on, it was big but lite.It was screwed in with 8 self tapping screws along a strong aluminum seam.