Hedgeman Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Hi all - I'm a noob on the forum but thought I'd post our trip that's in progress. We're driving our '81 Sunrader 18' Rear Dinette to Nicaragua. So far we're about 2800 miles deep from our start point in southern California and we're now in Belize. The rattlevan (as we call her) is doing great although there have been a couple of problems. A leaky blackwater valve has shut down our bathroom and yesterday, we broke a shock absorber clean off (working on that problem soon). You can follow our blog at rattlevan.blogspot.com. I'm currently doing my reading on the suspension problem and also on a smelly gas vapor issue that's driving us crazy. This forum is absolutely incredible folks. The amount of dedication, expertise and general helpfulness is staggering. A big thank you to you all. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 If the gas fumes smell is inside the moterhome the most likly problem. is the gas tank fillerneck hose there have been a lot talks on here about this very common old adge problem . Both of my toyota homes have had thisproblem napa or car quest sells the hose sold by the inch . gas vapers in camper very dangerous. sorry but not fun to change Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 Fun stuff Chuck! Is Nicaragua the end of the line for you two? Moving? Heading back home? Driving back? Selling RV there maybe? Like you said in your blog, you're in good hands as far as getting your shock put back together. Mexicans are pretty damn resourceful especially if they have access to a welder. Get someone to fix your gas filler tube as well as your shock problem. Labor is cheap/er in that part of the world and you'll make good friends. I used to feel the need to do every single one of my repairs myself when traveling.. Obviously when you're in the middle of nowhere, you have no choice, but let those guys fix brakes, mufflers, suspension, flat tires blah blah blah. It's worth it to help support the locals. Definitely not fun having gas fumes inside your camper and you should attend to that soon. It's a lot of labor for sure... which is perfect to let a local do for you. I saw where your overhead range top was falling off? .... Ya couple hundred miles of washboard and bumpy roads will put your camper to the test. Do you use it or feel it's necessary? I say throw it out at the next town before you lose an eye! Those things look like they have sharp corners and are at just the right height. A couple of beers + a Margarita and it's an invitation for disaster. Chuck it! (no pun intended) I've seen many a fellow surfing buddy leave California with old RV's they just bought and end up with about half the "amenities" in them after a few weeks of fulltime off-the-beaten-path camping. It's the natural thing to do! Look forward to seeing more of your fantastic trip. Bien viaje, Steve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgeman Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 5toyota: thanks. Yeah, I've found a lot of useful information on the gas fume problem on the forum. When I pulled the panel, I found a mess of patches and connections put in by the last guy. I guess he didn't have a long enough section of filler hose so he ended up using 3 pieces of flexible hose connected by a couple of scrap pipe sections. This created a 6 points of failure instead of two. Tightening the hose clamps has had no effect so It's time to replace the mess with one piece. Steve: good tips. Funny your comment about the range hood. My girlfriend said let's just throw it out! I chastised her for her discard rather than repair attitude as I'm a fixer. I told her your comment and she's feeling pretty vindicated now and heading back to the rattlevan. If that thing is even a bit loose, I'm sure it'll be sitting outside when I get there! Ha. I've considered tossing the whole damn range out as well - it's the rattlyest thing in the van. Not sure how much baking we're planning on doing - I'd love to toss the whole, heavy loud thing and use a couple of simple burners instead. Hmmmm. Good points on the labor and getting them to fix things. I'm the same way - I like to work on most things myself but these guys are probably faster, cheap and could use the little bit of cash they'll charge me. We're currently wanting to leave Belize and head into Guatemala and I'm trying to figure out the likelihood of finding shocks there instead of here. I've heard that I won't have any trouble and I may bank on that. I know that I may not find the optimal shocks and I'm digging into the forums to see what options I'll have but it may just be a matter of looking around and seeing what I can find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Good i am glad you are able to find that are you coming back north somtime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 ... - I'd love to toss the whole, heavy loud thing and use a couple of simple burners instead. Hmmmm. I've never quite understood the need for 3 sinks while 'camping', either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Wow take a picture of that fuel filler abomination. What's wrong with your toilet btw? And are you mostly camping in remote places or staying in villages/small towns? And are there places to dump sewage? Agree, those 3 burner stove/ovens can definitely rattle! Myself, I have used a simple portable Coleman 2 burner stove in probably as many as 5 different campers. I've lost track. They're nice because you can stow them away in their cardboard box, they don't require much of any gas lines, they are light, and can be easily replaced when they finally do fall apart. Tho the portable stove is actually more suited for someone long term camping rather than those constantly on the go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgeman Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 It's been a while. @bejadulce - I'll grab a shot of the mess next time I have the panel open. I've yet to replace it as it turned out that the fumes were just a result of the overfill one time. It'll surely happen again though as It's all full-service here so I keep having to (try) to explain to the attendants not to over fill the tank. The blackwater tank was off-limits because the dump valve was shot and leaking. I got a new one shipped out and replaced it and all is well now. We're camping everywhere from hotel parking lots (when security demands it), to campgrounds, to boondock locations on side roads and forests. It's tricky finding places sometimes and nobody here seems to know what to do with us but we've never had too much trouble finding a place to rest. We're pretty self-sufficient and can boondock for days without hookups so mostly, we just need a secure place to park. RV parks and dump stations are pretty hard to come by here. Conservation of space in the tank is a must. I like the stove idea. It's nice to get the cooking outside the van anyway huh? I've often thought that it would be cool to have some setup that easily transitions outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Chuck, that house you stayed in for Christmas sounds really amazing. Can't believe you gringos didn't intrude on the Family's Nochebuena after you scoped out their party when they obviously went out and returned from a traditional Christmas mass. Sounds like you got a hold of yourselves the next morning and did the right thing ... Bacalao a la vizcaina and sweet green tamales! And you "got out of there before anyone started opening presents" which would have been awkward I agree. Tho, I've heard that in some places in Mexico, kids don't get to open presents until Jan 6th? But maybe that's just some old tradition. My wife loves your dog and says she's very brave crossing those bridges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Chuck: I saw a link to your blog in another thread and visited it. Looks like you're back home in the good ole USA now. Funny read about Semanna Santa and the beach! Ya that's always an interesting time to be a "camper" in Latin America. I remember many years ago one of my VW van's motor completely blew up and was forced to leave the vehicle at a roadside tire shop for a few months till I could return w/ a new motor. I just happen to pick Easter week to pull this stunt and soon found myself wrenching on other Mexican's cars! In the end prob made $75 bucks for the week I was a Mexican mehanic! (felt like $7K back then!) The world turns upside down during that week for sure! Read your detailed description of what it feels like crossing the border after being away for so long. Agree, that's usually the biggest shock when you've spent more than a few months away. All of a sudden you are on 5 lane highway and engulfed by "everything" that is the U.S. Definitely more of a shock coming "home" I think. I don't think there are too many places in the world that have that much "separation" between borders/countries. N/S Korea maybe. Fun stuff man! I imagine you have plenty NEW ideas on how you'd like to update/modify your camper for the next trip back! Curious as to what ever happened with that overhead stove/range hood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Wow, great reading your Blog Hedgeman, as well as all the comments and replies here in this post. This must be an adventure of a lifetime, and chugging down the road in the easy to drive and fit anywhere Toyhome to boot! I plan my first long distance Toyhome trip next spring, pulling my Harley with a1983 Dolphin from Illinois to Southern California. Nothing as adventurous as your awesome journey mind you, but a 4100 mile round trip is a good haul for a 2 week vacation. I envy you and yours in the ability of experience and for such exciting and memorable moments in your life! Be safe, and happy travels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bajadulce Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 David: 4K miles in 2 weeks seems like a lot of driving! Sounds like a great time. What's in SoCal? Harley Convention/Rally? Do other Harley owners ever give you a hard time about towing your hog with a Toyota rather than a Ford? Would be fun to hear Hedgeman's thoughts on their camper's living arrangements/design now as opposed to before they left on this adventure. I'm sure they fell in love with a lot of things about their toy during their journey. And to be sure they are not so in love with others. Camping for 6 months out of a small rig like theirs, one begins to migrate to the more simpler life to be sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidadro Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 David: 4K miles in 2 weeks seems like a lot of driving! Sounds like a great time. What's in SoCal? Harley Convention/Rally? Do other Harley owners ever give you a hard time about towing your hog with a Toyota rather than a Ford? Would be fun to hear Hedgeman's thoughts on their camper's "living arrangements/design" now as opposed to before they left on this adventure. I'm sure they fell in love with a lot of things about their toy during their journey. And to be sure they are not so in love with others. "Camping" for 6 months out of a small rig like theirs, one begins to migrate to the more simpler and practical approach to RV's to be sure. Yeah Baja, it will be nearly 7 days of just driving there and back, but will leave me a good week to visit old friends and family. I am originally born and raised in Southern California but also lived in the Monterey Bay Area. I went K thru 12 and college in SoCal, left for 4 years during my time in the Air Force, then went back for 3 years, moved to Philadelphia for 3 years, and then back to Sacramento for about a year, then moved away in 1993 to Iowa, Arizona and now Illinois. I have visited California, both north and south many times since; and my best driving time was not in my Toyhome, but in a Ford Escape from Central Illinois to San Jose (2130 miles) in 36 hours of driving straight through. Needless to say, I will never do that again, whew! Actually, the way I have my Dolphin all decked out with Harley-Davidson flair and signage, those on the Hogs usually give big nods and thumbs up when they ride past me, especially when I am pulling mine. It will be awesome riding up PCH, and hitting the old stomping grounds again, and to see my late Mother's Sister, my Auntie Mar. She will be 90 by the time of my visit, and though in really good shape, I don't think there will be many more opportunities to visit her in the years to come. Thanks for the comments and interest Baja. You're right, having a particular traveling plan with a long venture as Hedgeman and Partner are attempting is a far cry from those that barrel down the road in a pusher bus or full sized Class C. I think it makes sense to use the Toyhome if one can by getting by with just what one needs, and being able to squeeze around the narrow conditions there in Mexico. I find their Blog outstanding, and anticipate more updates. Be well and happy travels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Did you make it to Nicaragua? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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