Most liked posts in thread: Running rich when towing a trailer

Yep. Once it settled, it came down a bit farther than they expected. Personally, I like it riding low in the back.

I'm thinking of a set of coilovers once my payments are done in a few months. I'll probably bring the back end up just a bit to give me a touch more clearance on the arches and over larger bumps.

 

I'm waiting for a check to come in from a bit of consulting work before pulling the trigger on the generator. I'm going to get the Yamaha 2000 IS (1600 watt suitcase type generator). It's pricy (like the Honda in the same power range), but it's very quiet and has an incredible reputation for 1-pull starts and reliability. Honeywell makes one for less than 1/2 the price, but I've read horror stories about the quality of their equipment and repair network (plus it's a bit louder). The Yamaha will run my AC unit (I sized the AC so it would start w/ 1600 watts) and just about anything else that I would want to take camping... it would also provide a backup power source for my fridge at home, should we lose power for any length of time. It will run for 10 hours on the 1.2 gallon tank (1/4 peak power).

 

The trailer is almost fully loaded now... have it at home to work on the awning. My bathroom scale says the tongue weight is now at 225 lbs... it's a bit more than I was hoping for as the MINI Do More hitch is rated for a max tongue weight of #200... I think I've got a heavy rubbermaid tote of kitchen gear that I can move to the far back side to offset a bit of that weight. My big problem is the AC unit that is fairly close to the front. Unfortunately, that isn't easy to move around.

Perhaps I'll have to rethink that tongue mounted cooler bracket and just keep the cooler inside the car and look for a place to mount the gas can I'm planning on for the generator to the rear of the trailer (I'll get a single 3 gal fuel container, but this pic gives you a good idea).

 

Keep a close eye on the watts of any AC unit you buy. It takes 2.5-3 times the number of Watts to START an AC compressor than to keep it running, so if you have a 1000 Watt AC, the Honda/Yamaha won't cut it. Amazon is rife with people complaining in generator reviews that their 2000 Watt generator won't power their 2000 Watt AC unit... well DUH! I found that the 6000 BTU window units were right at the limits of the 2000-series Yamaha/Honda generators.

If you just want to charge batteries off-grid, there are 1000 Watt generators out there, but for the flexibility of the extra size, the 2000 Watt units are well worth the extra $150 or so, IMHO.

The Yamaha explained and running so you can hear how quiet it is: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qftZ0XhFyg4[/ame]

 

I found the Yamaha 2000is generator on eBay (from an auth. reseller) for $45 cheaper than anywhere else. I also found a 10% off coupon code at Rotopax (ADVRIDER), so both orders are in!

 

Generator arrived today. I put in 1/2 quart of oil, 1 gallon of high octane gas (I always buy premium in case I ever need to put it in the MINI) and started recording.

The new 3 gal rotopax fuel tank with locking mount and backing plate will be here in a day or two.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yeIJGYEwV0]YouTube - Yamaha 2000is Generator - First Start[/ame]

BTW: The new iPhone 4 video feature and push to YouTube is amazingly easy. Next time, I'll turn the camera 90 degrees...

 

The Rotopax 3 gal fuel tank arrived late last week. This thing is so well built, I can't bring myself to call it a 'gas can'. I got a locking mount that attaches through the center hole and a backing plate to help make mounting a bit easier. Hopefully I'll do the install this weekend, but I've got a larger trailer project in the works that has higher priority. Pics of the mounted tanks to come soon, I hope.

The first outing with the trailer (a track weekend) is in 2.5 weeks. It's gonna be close, but I think I can do it! The MINI passed the track inspection yesterday, so now I've only got to bleed the brakes, swap the brakes/tires and head to the track. Our local track (MSR Cresson, TX) lets you camp in the paddock, so I'm looking forward to relaxing evenings taking it easy and getting the car ready for sessions at a comfortable pace instead of getting up at 5am to dash to the track and scramble to get everything buttoned up for the first track session.

 

I just got the 3 gallon Rotopax fuel tank mounted and finished all of the bits and pieces needed to get the trailer ready for a track weekend in a week or so!