When Loretta and I started traveling together we had a problem to solve. Between motorhome, camper, car, truck and motorcycle we had 18 wheels! LOL
Sharing the more accommodating 25' motorhome was a no brainer. So I parked the 19' Scamp and stored the motorcycle, which helped. But added to our fleet was a 13' Scamp. Still, 16 wheels. (shrug)
The car couldn't be towed by the motorhome so we rented a car hauler. We trailered the car behind the truck and hitched the little Scamp to the motorhome.
That worked well except for two things. The rental costs started adding up, especially by the third move. Moreover, a short term (max 5 day) lease created schedule pressure getting from Point A to B. Some folks would simply lose more wheels. Not us.
While shopping for car haulers I wasn't impressed. Most were heavier than I wanted. They squandered all the GCWR headroom of the truck. So I decided to build my own trailer. U-Haul dimensions provided a starting point. My version was primarily designed for her Audi. But also capable of hauling my Tundra. Just in case. Built smarter, not heavier.
The build was fun. I enjoy welding. And the project justified a nicer welder: one that's even RVer friendly. The initial build was two years ago. Progress pix were shared on Facebook real time, so I'll gloss over the gory details here. Summing up, after using it for six moves since then I can honestly say this trailer has the best road manners of the many that I've towed over the decades. I couldn't be more satisfied.
The schedule flexibility has been wonderful. In 2016 while moving from NM to CO for summer we dropped anchor a couple times. First for a nice break at Roberts Lake before leaving the Gila NF.
Helicopters were battling a nearby wildfire. I'd never seen them dip water from a lake before so that was interesting to watch.
Then before the Memorial Day weekend began we sat out the holiday traffic at Elephant Butte Lake SP. The idle time during sunny days motivated a project to replace all screen wire in doors and windows with Sunbrella fabric. That's paid great dividends since!
It was also cool to explore the funky towns of EB and Truth or Consequences. Plus, every evening we enjoyed a parade of surplus military vehicles that enterprising locals used to get campers on/off the beach. The SP had 90+ thousand visitors that weekend! What a carnival that was to see. And! Since NM state parks offered beach camping I parked the little Scamp down on a knoll by the water.
Could you see it in that pic? How about now?
We camped another week on Lake Granby before Rocky Mt NP opened their volunteer village for the summer season. Grand Lake is deep and fed by snow melt so it's always cold. Whereas Shadow Mt Lake is shallow so warm but too shallow in places. It was a warm spring that year so boaters got an early summer start. Lake Granby was hopping. Previously being tucked up inside the park has its own charms. But it was also interesting to watch the comings and goings on non-park visitors, and just chillax for a spell.
Meanwhile, the car hauler went into service without a proper paint job. The steel yard I bought material from had their stock metal oiled to prevent rust. For paint adhesion its underside was prepped and painted while still upside down during the initial build.
Once upright I only primed the lanes, and completely neglected the ramps and fenders, initially. I let Mother Nature naturally pickle those surfaces for two years from MS to NM, CO, TX and NV. Before leaving Ash Meadows NWR earlier this month, however, enough surface rust and scale had formed to finish the painting. Alas, it doesn't look so homemade anymore.
Before hitting the road this trip I also mounted the spare tire on the tongue. One less thing in the back of the truck!
Plus some mounting brackets in front of the fenders for additional lights. They look like markers (because they were) just wired to the stop/turn circuit on each side. I like the visual confirmation in my side mirrors while driving that those circuits are functioning properly.
Thus, with the car hauler mostly done we migrated north for summer. Once again we enjoyed some schedule flexibility. In northern NV we stayed two nights at the Virgin Valley campground in Sheldon NWR. Some attractions weren't yet open for the season in early May. But the warm spring fed shower was refreshing. And the landscape was pretty, and fun to explore.
Then in southern OR we stayed a week at Camp Hart Mt near Plush. Some storms blew through for several days. It was great to be off the road. Just enjoy the weather show with a front row seat at the foot of the mountain. Both refuges offered free, primitive camping. Zero cell reception and no hookups felt truly off the grid. Downright pioneery.
Then in northern OR we stayed three nights at Little Crater CG on Lake Paulina in Newberry Volcanic NM. After dragging the whole entourage up to 6,300' elevation we made it worth the haul. Each morning we burned propane to warm up the RV. But talk about snuggly cold nights and sleeping like a rock!
I said the trailer was mostly done earlier. One more finishing touch was needed. For the tongue jack I found a neat telescoping model at TSC in MS during the initial build. Since then it's worked quite well. Especially with a 8x8 wood block. At the time I couldn't decide between adding a sand foot or caster wheel on bottom. It only took me two years but I finally decided on the latter. So when we happened by the right store in (sales tax free!) OR that mod got checked off the list.
One detail about the car hauler's design bears mentioning. The wheels and axles were borrowed from a 1975 Airstream "project" I picked up in AL back in 2015. Once built the car hauler went back under the Airstream, which is just a gutted, empty shell. The trailer still served as a subframe to move the Airstream shell first from MS to AR.
Then on to CO where it now sits on blocks in a storage yard. The 28' shell makes a nice storage locker until I decide whether to eventually restore it as a travel trailer, or plant it on a foundation to live out its days as a vintage aluminum cabin. Decisions.
Meanwhile, the Airstream's running gear plays an integral role in our full-time RV travels and seasonal resident volunteering at national parks, forests and refuges. As problems go, moving 20 wheels for seasonal migration is a good one to have.
May your journeys be as rewarding.
