~DJ~ wrote:
Hey Eric & Lisa!!
Been a while. How are the cats? Glad everything worked out OK. I think you made a good choice on the tires.
Just wondering if there is any way to pick up a 2nd winch handle and modify/shorten it to use with the camper on. Maybe to use with a ratchet wrench?
Thanks for posting this. Should be a wake up call to anyone who has not "gone through the motions" of using their jacks and lowering the spare!!!
Howdy DJ! Good to hear from you!
Great question. For our setup, the tanks come down directly behind the bumper. So there is no way to get the unwind handle in to the hole. I had to lift up the camper off the bed of the truck, and then another 6 inches to allow access to the hole. Part of the emergency tools is a ratcheting handle which fits over the end of the rod. I was laying on the pavement using the ratchet to crank down the spare tire. There is a 2nd extension rod which would have gotten to the edge of the camper, but I found it more expeditious to just lay down and do it. Besides, I would have had to crawl underneath to retrieve the tire any way - no way around getting dirty. I tossed the bad tire in the camper and got off the freeway before trying to crank it up under the bed.
Yeah, you hit part of my purpose for posting this adventure - give someone else the hint to check their gear. I thought I was good to go and found out the hard (and expensive) way.
Thanks for asking about the cats! We are down to one now, and he is my little pal - Archie. We started taking him camping with us last fall and he does really well. He just sleeps in the back seat while we are traveling and runs the camper as his domicile when we are stopped. I took this picture five minutes ago while he is patiently waiting for his breakfast:
Greetings to K. Is Gracie still your traveling companion?
Thanks,
-Eric
