I had every intention of not doing much yesterday; Monday's are sometimes like that. It was a public holiday here and I thought a sleep-in would be nice - Didn't happen. I'd thought a hike in the conservation park next my house would be nice - Didn't happen. Turn on the TV and watch some documentaries then fall asleep - Didn't happen. Hmm...So...What did happen?
The roof that happened
I decided I'd better get some work done around the house and something I've been avoiding is cleaning out the gutters which is way easier to do in dry conditions. So many wait until there's water-flow issues, when it's actually raining, and there they are trying to rectify issues in the rain. It's mucky and not fun.
I had good intentions of getting some cool G-dog on the roof photos for you, shirt off and all [not really] but when I got up there I found a few issues that needed my attention and so I just knuckled down and worked.
I've just had new 90mm round downpipes installed to replace the inadequate 50mm x 100mm rectangle ones which are too restrictive; The job was done reasonably well but I'm not really pleased to be honest. I realised today that the guy used Tek-screws to retain the downpipe to the outlet in the gutter - They are too long and encroach well into the actual outlet. This will catch leaves and possibly cause blockages. Leshit, not legit.
I broke out my cordless reciprocating saw, [just saying that gives me a hard-on because tools you know] fastened in a metal-blade and set to work cutting them off but - Didn't happen. I couldn't get the saw far enough down in between the gutter and roof tiles. So, bare hacksaw blade in hand, I spent a couple hours sawing away by hand making up new swear words for the gutter guy and his leshit workmanship. Flabby-assed-cock-knocker was one.
After toiling away, and fucking up my hand in the process, I got down to cleaning the gutters.
Because it's so dry I used my cordless garden blower which blasts the dust, dirt, leaves and dried up moss out of the gutter and all over the place. Then I went down and used the blower to gather it and swept it up. Job done. Trust me, dry weather and a cordless garden blower is legit. [Hard-on again - Tools again.]
Once everything was clean, tools packed away I decided it was time to look into a job I've been avoiding for some unknown (lazy) reason.
The trailer
I've just put H-frame load racks on my trailer which are for long-load-carrying of course. Timber, steel, my kayaks and other long stuff will go up there and I can still load beneath it. I know, smart right?
That's my trailer below. The frame is made from fencing posts welded together in an 'H' shape. The vertical lengths extend above the horizontal for load-retention. I have bolted them into the trailer so that, if required, I can remove them. It's unlikely I will though.
The other benefit to the frame is that I can now see the trailer behind my Landcruiser when driving and backing up; It's a big vehicle so totally obscured my trailer. Ever tried backing a trailer you can't see? It's not the easiest thing to do. I make it work but now it's a breeze! I'm really happy with how it came out.
The wheely bad wheel
The little additional job I mentioned above is what I was looking at yesterday. You see, I hate the jockey wheel; It's the wheel that holds the draw-bar section of the trailer up when not connected to a vehicle. It also makes the trailer easy to manoeuvre as I need not take the weight of it on my old bones and muscles; The jockey wheel holds it up.
I hate the one that's on there though; I fitted it a couple years ago and have regretted it ever since. Today I took steps to change it. I didn't do the job, just got the new wheel.
The problem with the current one is that to remove it before driving away one must totally take it off and store it in the trailer or truck. It's annoying. Also, it's flimsy and cheap. I don't know why I bought it to be honest; Let's go with stupidity on that count.
The new one will need new drill holes and I'm going to mount it on the right side of the draw-bar frame, opposite to the existing then remove the old one. The cool thing is that the new jockey wheel swings up and out the way, but stays on the trailer! It's not a big DIY job but I'll do a post on it when I get it done. Oh, the wheel is bigger too so will be easier to roll on rough terrain.
The tool box
Below is the draw-bar; That A-frame part. See it's got no box on it? That's the problem.
I got bought a waterproof tool box from the same place I got the jockey wheel from, after measuring up of course, and you can see in the images below how it's going to work. I'll have to fabricate a base for it to sit on though as the bolt-holes in the bottom of the box aren't wide enough to span the rear section of the draw-bar. It's all good though, I'll MacGyver something up...With tools.
In the box I'll keep ratchet-straps, box-corners, rope and a few required tools, padlocked of course. I plan also to add some closed-cell foam tape for extra water-proofing measures.
I'm not sure when I'll get these jobs done but I'd say on the coming weekend. It's not really difficult work and won't stretch me too far, although sometimes it's good to get a few little easy jobs under one's belt - They come with the same satisfaction as the more technical ones; Just without the stress.
So...My Monday public holiday didn't work out quite to my early plan although it was productive and I felt satisfied with what I achieved. I even helped one of my neighbours remove some screws on which he'd damaged the head. I used my screw-extractor set. If you're a man and don't have one of these go get one. You'll feel better about yourself.