May 23- June 3 Working on the Born Free

Upon returning to Leaburg, Oregon I found my home on wheels completely torn apart on the inside.....a  very good thing! Joel had been hard at work repairing the water damage to the J couch frame and reconfiguring the entertainment center over the cab area.

Below, is the original couch frame and end cap that was water damaged.  You can see the water stains adjacent to the inverter. The damage also affected the end cap on the kitchen counter.   The inverter was located on the floor and previously I had two AGM batteries installed next to the inverter as well as two batteries in the exterior battery compartment.  The batteries were relocated to Joel's rig last year for our trip back East. There was also water damage on the opposite end cap due to water leakage coming in from the storage bay.  The remote controls were located on the sink end panel, which was also water damaged. Joel determined the water damage was not repairable and made a new couch frame and end panel for the kitchen cabinet.
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The new couch frame is more sturdy and the end caps are angled for a more modern look. (Below)

 Joel added a center support which made the frame much more structurally sound.

 Joel attached the inverter to the couch frame rather than the floor.  He relocated the existing AGM batteries next to the inverter.  Now the old exterior battery compartment can hold cords and hoses and other items that don't need to be stored  in enclosed compartments.

A lot of thought went into figuring out where to put the inverter and batteries.

The entertainment center frame over the cab was reworked and a new TV installed on a new, large door.

 Now, I have all kinds of storage space.  Future plans include a shelf to make the space more efficient. Before I had a hard time putting things away.  Now its easy with the larger opening. The opening is even large enough to fit my VuQube when not in use. The two side door are still usable, but they are so narrow only small items will fit through the openings.

 This is an overview of the new entertainment frame and below is the new TV.

 The majority of the hinges on the overhead cabinet doors kept breaking.  I had replaced some, but as soon as I replaced one, another one would break, so Joel took all the old hinges off and replaced them with new ones...a different brand and type.

 This was a pretty scary site seeing everything stacked up on my bed.

 The remote control for the inverter and the solar panels were relocated next to the entryway.  The door opening was changed to open to the side rather than up, although the location of the handle wasn't changed. It makes it easier to get into the cabinet. It is a big cabinet and future plans call for some roll out shelving.

The new end panel on the sink cabinet is flush.  The old one looked like a door.  This is much cleaner looking and now with the remote control panels relocated, I don't have to worry about accidentally turning on/off the inverter.

 The couch fit perfectly on the new frame. Joel was able to reuse the doors to the storage area under the couch.

The new TV, a Samsung, is much larger than the old one and can be viewed from different areas with no distortion.  I can even watch it from the bed way in the back.

I  have solar panels again! We decided to "down size" to 250 watts vs 450 watts I had before.  I've found that I really didn't need 450 watts with two batteries and 1000 watt inverter.  Plus, if necessary I can put a spare tire on the roof in the luggage carrier or other items in a dry bag to make use of the additional "real estate".

Well, the "Little House" is pretty much put back together. I'm so lucky to have such a talented guy as my partner.  Thanks Joel!! There are few more minor things to do to it, (shelving and a better TV antenna), but we are going to take the Born Free  for a "shake down" trip beginning Monday (June 4).  I spent two days cleaning and thinning out stuff so there would be room for the two of us.  (Joel has tools after all !!) and  hasn't spent any time in the little house, so this will be a practice run.  There are many campgrounds that are too small for his rig to fit  into, so we plan on using the Born Free for shorter trip and smaller campgrounds..."a vacation home on wheels"??. Our first short trip will be to Bend, Oregon to the Thousand Trails Campground near Sun River, so check back and see how we do.

Joel's rig is now torn apart....big time The radiator has been pulled off and he is in the process of repairing it and some other damage, so any trips in the immediate future will be in the little house.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention,  after I returned to Oregon and during the restoration, we had a visit from  our WIN friends Wanda and Ernie.  They had just gotten back from an Alaskan cruise and were having some work done on their Monaco in Colburg.  What a nice surprise and it was so good to see old friends! We had a Bar B Que on the river and explored the Monaco service center.