Itchin' to go

We now have a proper truck for Topper. We picked it up on Tuesday.  Now, the problem of putting a camper on a pickup is more than just sliding it into the bed and driving away.  For one thing, it has to be tied down so it doesn't blow away at highway speeds or tip over, when driving around a corner.

We were aware that our new truck (pictures to follow, when we can put the camper and truck together) was not set up to haul a camper. So, I called Highway Trailer Sales, where we bought the camper and made an appointment to have camper tie-downs and an electrical connection added to the pickup.

We did get a nice surprise.  The pickup has a plastic bed liner. Unfortunately, when you put a camper in a pickup bed, a plastic liner is so slippery that the camper might be more likely to move around, even with proper tie downs. So, the bed liner had to go (just temporary, you understand). Fortunately, a plastic liner can be relatively easily removed. So, we went about removing the liner, before our appointment for the tie downs.

To my great delight, the truck already had an electrical connection in the bed. That is important because, when the camper is in the truck bed, it covers the taillights  of the truck. Plugging in the cable between the truck and camper provides power for the taillights on the camper. It also provides power to charge the battery in the camper. When we travel, we leave the refrigerator running in the camper, and even though it uses propane to cool itself, there is a 12 volt circuit board that controls the operation. So, we didn't have to have an electrical connection installed.

The pickup work was done on Friday.  I was excited to drive over and get the work done first thing in the morning. I had a date to have coffee with a friend after I delivered the truck to the shop.  I jumped in the driver's seat, turned the key and "click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click, click." The motor wouldn't turn over, let alone start. My heart sank.

I realized that the problem was the battery. I checked the voltage: 10 volts. It should be closer to 12.4. I had asked the previous owner how old the battery was.  He said, "I don't know. I have owned the truck for seven years, and I never put a new battery in it." So, although I was not surprised the battery was gone, I couldn't help thinking, "Couldn't this have happened when I was on my way to the grocery store for another half gallon of ice cream, instead of when I have an appointment for something important?"

I set to work trying to remove the battery. Ordinarily this is a simple task, but in this case (i.e., when I was under the pressure of an impending appointment) the bolt that secures the cable to the negative battery terminal was so corroded that I couldn't get it loose. I tried every tool I could think of. Finally, I called my pal Paul, who is a handyman par excellence. He talked me through a workaround. By the time I got the battery out of the truck, it was almost time for my coffee date.

I called Highway Trailer and explained the situation. Jim, the service manager, was very gracious and told me to get there when I could. With a great deal of relief, I made a dash to Walmart for a new battery and then met my friend for coffee.

When I got home, I quickly installed the new battery and headed for the shop. Cutting to the chase, we now have tie downs AND a new battery. All things considered, I would much rather have the battery die in my garage than in the middle of nowhere, or in a campground, where help was unavailable.

While the truck was in the shop, I came home and removed the dinette window from Topper. On our last outing, we discovered, in the middle of a driving rain storm, that the window leaked like a sieve. It needed recaulking. I have almost finished that project, so we are gettin' itchy to go camping again.