Aluminum Camper Forum

With all the interesting posts about camper mods and complaints about quality, I thought I would post a few pics about our shakedown campout last night.

We took the camper from its storage facility where it had spent the winter, up to Tolland State Park in southwestern Massachussetts. The campground overlooks a nice size lake and we snagged a remote site up high overlooking the lake. The first pic is Joan reading in the shade with Abby our Sheltie snoozing nearby. The next shot is an overview of the site with the lake behind the trees.

The trip was mostly uneventful. We grilled some swordfish for dinner and hung out at the campfire sipping bourbon until Joan and I were nodding off about 9:00. I did run out of water half way through my shower though. I will have to remember that after fully draining the tank for the winter, the first 5 gallons is unusable and the next 5 gallons fills the hot water heater. So I finished with the shower head squirting erratically.

The third pic is of the pair of wheels on the curb side. The aft wheel (left one in the pic) is heavily worn on the outside edge in a scalloped pattern- you might be able to see a spot at 1:00 in the pic. It was replaced about two years ago with the same problem and the one to the right of it is original with maybe 10-15,000 miles on it over four years and is going strong like the ones on the road side. So I obviously have an alignment problem as the aft one is wearing out at 5,000 miles. The bad alignment, if that's what it is, is subtle. You can't see it while looking at the tires and a straightedge laid along both tires shows very little gap.

I replaced the bad tire with a generic one today for $70. Since fixing the alignment problem is either going to require repositioning the axle mounts or maybe a new axle, I figure I can keep replacing the tire every two years cheaper than dealing with the alignment.

Oh and I measured the tongue weight of our 2013 16TBS- 250 lbs fully (well not full of water) loaded. That is surprising as it is less than 10% of the total trailer weight. But it rides beautifully. Maybe the bad alignment is good for something ;-).

David

But the really important question is what's your bourbon of choice?

Good bourbon, now that is an important subject. I spent an enjoyable evening a few years ago tasting all of the bourbons at a nice bar here in Litchfield, Ct. I tried Woodford, Makers Mark, Knob Creek, Angels Envy and a few locals- Litchfield Distillery's Batchers Straight Bourbon and Berkshire Mountain Distillers Bourbon.

Knob Creek was my hands down favorite, but Angels Envy was a close runner up. Interestingly the local specialty distillers didn't make the final four, maybe because they were 86 proof whereas Knob Creek and some of the others were 100 proof. The extra alcohol gives it a nice bite.

Years ago I learned to sip it neat- no ice, no water. It takes me an hour to down a shot that way, but it goes down well!

David

Concerning the unusual wear pattern.
Check to make sure the load in your rig is evenly distributed.
And check the torque on the axle nut, mine was loose and seems to have been the culprit.
Nice looking rig.

Thanks for the update David. We'll have to get together again sometime and taste different bourbons. I enjoyed the Knob Creek in Maine last year. That one, and Angels Envy, are two of my favorites! Have a great camping season.

Neat is the preferred way to enjoy a good 🥃 bourbon. I concur on the Angels Envey too.

Looks Great David!