Power center at least partly works.

I spent most of Saturday trying to hunt down the last set of wires to no avail.  At least I got my truck cleaned out.  

I decided since I was so close, that I even vacuumed it out with my shop vac.  Some noob who shall remain nameless also put the floor mats in backwards last time the truck was cleaned out, so that has been remedied.

Apparently the mice built a nest inside the exhaust port of the shop vac.  I didn't see any mice get blown out when I turned it on, but a bunch of stuff came out when I did.  Fortunately it wasn't pointed at anything I cared about.

I also tore apart inside but didn't have any luck.  

Sunday I decided to move on; I could test everything without the last wire.  I got the tractor pulled out, it hasn't seen much use this year because I don't want to get a bunch of piles of stuff dumped and then have to leave and come back to stuff growing in it which makes it harder to break apart and spread.  I started off with a really bad idea, but it worked.  I half expected the wrench to go flying when I pulled on it and damage the tailgate.  It didn't though, and the ball is now free.

After that I pulled out my hose to give the tractor a bath.  It needed it.  

I apparently don't know how to pick out hose stuff.  I will probably use it for the remainder of the year since I don't use my hose a lot, but this is the second set of hoses that didn't survive.  I tried to get a picture of it spraying, but apparently failed.

The tractor is now all cleaned though.  I didn't thoroughly wash it, but all the sawdust and stuff has been rinsed off.

After that I pulled out the power center.  It now has felt feet on it so I can slide despite some of the nails sticking through on the bottom.  The ability to slide it will be important when I put all the batteries in it.

After getting the heatshrink put on all my cables, I hooked up one of the batteries and tested it.  The heat gun draws a few hundred watts, which it did with aplomb.  The display on the inverter can't be read in direct sunlight, but does work.  

In the end, it looks like it doesn't really matter that I don't have all the cables.  It is not physically possible to hook up a second set of wires to the batteries.  In theory (at least according to the manufacturer) a single 4/0 wire should be adequate.

I also cleaned up the wiring a little bit.  

I will need to come up with a plan for the battery charger.  I was planning on using a leftover cable for it, but it won't fit.  It doesn't use standard posts.  It only puts out 80A, so it really doesn't need to be this beefy, I might just cut the lug into a U and use the cable anyways.

I also wanted to cross something off the list today, so I finished up the trailer.  As soon as the paint dries, I can assemble it and list it for sale.  

The wheels are done too.  I didn't worry about overspray because the tires are dryrotted and need replacing anyways.

When I went and bought the last can of paint for the trailer, I also bought a can of urethane for the table, so I think I might work on that next.  The can I bought last year was the wrong stuff if anyone has an immediate for satin finish urethane.

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Baffle box
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

Enough wires to test the power center.

I wasn't too productive this week, but still managed to get a few things done.  I got most of the trailer painted, though I ran out of paint.  The strip on the left isn't covered  I really thought I had enough left.  I was wrong.  I will have to get another can.  Ugh.  I also forgot to do the rims.  

I also stayed a little late today since it wasn't scorching in the building and got the terminals put on.  Work has a pretty beefy press.  I decided to use a press since I read that they make better crimps than just hammering it.

I apparently misplaced my original template wires, since there were only 5 sets of wires in the box, there should have been 6 (2 per battery, 3 batteries).  I will need to find the last set of wires though I was fairly confident that everything was in the box.  The ends are crimped on the 5 sets though.  I haven't put the heat shrink on them yet, but that is a pretty trivial thing to do.  

Even with just 5 cables I can test the power center this weekend, though I can't push it to the limits without the last wire.  I may have to dodge showers to do it.

The power center is getting close.  I am still a little concerned that the generator I wanted still isn't in stock anywhere.  I might have to revisit the generator if I can't find someone who has it. I can't build the baffle box until I have selected a generator. If I end up going with a Honda for example, I need an extra fuel tank built into it.  

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Baffle box
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

Cap mostly rebuilt.

It has been roasting the last couple of days, but I still got a couple of things done.  I worked remotely for part of the day today.  

The first thing I did was finish installing the new latches on the cap.  I ended up having to drill out the old screws and then cutting them off with the reciprocating saw.  

The new ones are installed though.  

They just barely reach.  And I do mean just barely.  

I also got the new lifters installed.  I don't need to keep the shovel in the back anymore to prop the window open.  I think the ones I got might be too strong, the window bends when closing it.  Oh well.  

One thing that is both concerning and convenient: all the locks are the same key.  Even the rear window ones which were ordered completely separately from the side windows.  That means that they use the same key for millions of handles.  Convenient that it is all one key for me, but concerning that anyone else who bought any of the Bauer kits will be able to open up the back of my truck.  All that is left on the cap is to put a new gasket on it, which hasn't come in yet.  I haven't had any major heat problems with the cap, so at least for now repainting it is not in the cards.

I also put out a new trap.  We shall how this goes.  

The last thing I got done was getting back to the power center.  The top is reinstalled, and all the wires for the inverter reach.  It is reaching the point of testing everything.  

I didn't paint because it was supposed to storm all afternoon and wouldn't dry.  The trailer needed the bee spray washed off anyways.  

The cap wasn't on the project list, so no movement there.  

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

Roasting weekend.

It was hot yesterday.  Really hot.  I got started early trying to beat the heat.  While I failed at that (it was in the 80s by 9AM) I at least got some work done.  The windows on the cap now close and lock.  This was something I wanted to do before I took a long trip with the truck.  

I had to add a couple of washers and a nylon spacer to line it up.  

I also finished cleaning the cot.  It got an alcohol bath and a furniture cleaner round.  I am letting it air out a little in the carport, then I need to figure out how to store it so this doesn't happen again.

After that I took some measurements and think I can just move the bus bars over towards the inverter.  

Once I got some shade in the afternoon, I decided to finish up the push mowing.  I did up around the house with no problem.  

The mower was low on gas at that point, so I let it (and me) cool off for a few minutes and filled it up, and then for reasons unbeknownst to me, it wouldn't restart.  What is annoying is that this is now a recurring problem.  It did the same thing when I was mulching leaves with it last fall.  Something to look into I guess.

While I was angry at the mower I tried to pull the ball off to never seize it.  Either it is too late, or I underestimated just how much torque I was putting on it when I installed the ball (I used the trailer guys 30" crescent wrench to install it).  It will either need a second person or tractor assistance at this point.  Sigh.

After that I was overheating, so I decided to go to the car wash.  I got the cap all cleaned out, inside and out.  

I got most of the truck washed too with what little time was left, but those self service car washes have gotten really expensive.  I dropped around 10 dollars of quarters already and didn't have another few bucks of quarters to finish the job.  The back half of the truck is nice and shiny though.  

The cap didn't clean up as nicely as I hoped on the inside, but this will at least get rid of the spiders, leaves, and loose dirt.

After that, I didn't want to leave the air conditioning so I just removed the board when I got home and brought it inside to finish moving the bus bars around.  

Today is even hotter than yesterday, so I might be lazy and do nothing but absorb air conditioning today.  I did do a little painting on the trailer, but ran into more bees and hosed it down with bee spray.  I might at least try to get it washed tonight when the sun goes behind the trees.

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

Back to work.

The heat in NH is really starting to crank, but I got back to work today.  I went up and took another look at my shed.  At first I thought it was just the flooring bowing, but after getting a better look, I think the problem is a lot more serious.  It looks the floor joists came unattached from the side.  I didn't use metal joist hangers on the shed (nor beefy 16d nails), and it looks like now I am paying the price.  This will be simple but not easy to fix; it means I will have to remove the flooring, find a way to brace it up, and reattach them.  That is easily a two person job.  Time to add it to the list of projects, since this is a pretty serious structural failure and really ought to be fixed ASAP.

You can clearly see the bookshelf is leaning pretty badly. 

After that, I finally got around to stage 2 cleaning of the cot.  Last weekend I pulled it out for a trip on memorial day weekend, and found mice living in it.  A few days ago, I opened it up and did stage one which was drowning it in Lysol.  Today it got Simple Green'd.  

This bottle was almost full when I started.  I sprayed it until it stopped running off disgusting colors.

Next up was mowing.  I hadn't mowed in over two weeks, and it showed.  Parts of the back yard were knee deep.  Despite the fact that the deck has seemingly become unlevel (the right side sits visibly lower) it really doesn't look too bad when it mows.

The Cub Cadet's streak of consecutive mows stays at 1.  I got this far in the back yard before it croaked.  

Fortunately it was an easy fix.  It just threw the spring for the idler pulley.  I did get the rest of the back yard mowed after fixing it.  

After that I moved on to fixing the cap.  The new handles for the windows have arrived, so I had to remove the remains of the old ones.  They were rusted together, but the impact hammer came through in an unconventional manner.  It didn't get the nuts off, but the hammer completely destroyed the plastic innards allowing me to slide them right out.  

Unfortunately the new handles didn't come with a big enough spacer, so I will have to go pick up some nylon spacers and washers at Home Depot tonight.  

I also brushed off and got the trailer all primed and ready for painting tomorrow.  I pissed off some bees, so I am guessing they built a nest in the trailer somewhere.  I hope they like green.

Just the shed floor addition to the project list.  With any luck, I will cross off the little trailer tomorrow so I can get it listed for sale.  

2021 Projects:

• Prepare summer equipment
• Carport repair
• Windows in shed
• Shed supports
• Table
• South wall siding
• Bridge over creek
• Review options for house (mobile home vs stick built vs modular)
• Trailer hub
• Rebuild smaller trailer
• Level back yard
• Level side yard
• Level front yard
• Clear trees to creek
• Remove dead/dying beech trees
• Retaining walls?
• Eliminate pile of crap in back
• Camper Power Center (portable AC power source and generator)
• Clean up/level area down by second parking spot
• Driveway round three
• Fix shed door.
• Fix shed floor.

No progress, just a fat woodchuck.

I have been pretty swamped at work this week, we are starting up a new project and haven't really been motivated to do anything when I got home (the rain every day didn't help either).

When I got up this morning, I had a peeping tom though.  

When I started moving around, he ran away.

Those pictures were taken with the telephoto lens (which I hadn't tried yet) at maximum zoom (the full 300mm).  They look surprisingly nice.  Given that they were taken at shutter speeds slower than 1/30 at 300mm zoom, perhaps I didn't give the IS in the body the credit it deserves either.  I got 4 or 5 usable pictures out of 11 snaps, which isn't bad.