New Wildwood 260rt Platinum

[agpopp]

Originally Posted by atkbike

Did you buy wheels also?

Me? No I didn't

[vdelgadillo]

Originally Posted by atkbike

Did you buy wheels also?

I did, at Discount Tires.

Same size 14"

[agpopp]

Hey guys!
Happy almost spring!
Was a cold long winter up here and got 2x the snow we usually do. I caught 4 mice in the 260, under the sinks in both kitchen and bath. It seems they couldn't get past the closed doors, so that's a plus.

I'm definitely ready for our FLA run at the end of the month.
So, that got me to thinking about some upgrades for the 260 and one I've settled on is adding an upper "deck" over the Harley for the kayaks.

I'm thinking about some short angle aluminum mounted to the walls to allow 2 2x4s to sit on with eye bolts that allow them to go over top over the hog. I've included a quick sketch about my musings and can't think of anything that would really prevent this from working. The only thing in my mind is the huge window on the curb side.
Anyway, I think I'll take a walk down to the camper tomorrow and scope this out. [emoji2957]

[Stryker Guy]

Originally Posted by agpopp

I have an f150, and will put the yaks in the back of the 260. Even with a rack like you have, I doubt the ability to clear the tips of the kayaks in turns with such a short tongue like the 260 has.

My kayaks are 14ft and I have a 3 ft tongue. No issues with tight turns and the trailer. They sit up high enough. I have a 251SSXL toy hauler.

[Homebrew]

I put my kayaks on the top bunk with a small tarp under them. I installed two eye bolts to the ceiling to keep them from sliding side to side.
We normally load the motorcycles first then lower the bunk as low as possible to load the kayaks.

[agpopp]

Originally Posted by Stryker Guy

My kayaks are 14ft and I have a 3 ft tongue. No issues with tight turns and the trailer. They sit up high enough. I have a 251SSXL toy hauler.

I don't want to buy a rack, can't fit in my garage with it. Mine are only 9.5 so glad to hear they would be ok if I do go that route.

[agpopp]

Originally Posted by Homebrew

I put my kayaks on the top bunk with a small tarp under them. I installed two eye bolts to the ceiling to keep them from sliding side to side.
We normally load the motorcycles first then lower the bunk as low as possible to load the kayaks.

No happi jacks in the 260. My rear couches simply fold up against the wall, so my intentions are to make a makeshift version of what you have.

[agpopp]

Did some thinking and came up with a solution I think will work well. I decided to use load locks, these are the bars that retain a cargo load like inside a box trailer. A quick search on Facebook marketplace and I had a set of 2 for 30 bucks. Brought them home and snugged gently to the walls, and I think I'm in business!
I plan to put a small aluminum angle on the wall in case they ever do slip down while on the road. That way they would catch the lip of the aluminum and stay up instead of hitting my bike.
So these will go on the wall, I'll slide the yaks on top of these and bungee together. Quick, light and easy to store under the camper when parked at a campground.
I'll see what happens when I load up at the end of the month.

[agpopp]

Did some more work to the 260 tonight. I was able to hook up an LED cargo lamp on each side of the pass through storage (none included on this model). I ran a wire from the curb side to the street side then drilled a hole down to the underside of the rig and hooked up to existing 12v. I also had to replace my sink as some soap or something got on it and ate into a large portion of the plastic. Forest River was kind enough to send me one free of charge.
The wife did some general checks on supplies for our upcoming trip.
Didn't de-winterize yet....too soon.

[ACLazer]

Your going to love having those lights in there.
Have fun on your trip.

[agpopp]

Originally Posted by ACLazer

Your going to love having those lights in there.
Have fun on your trip.

Thanks. They already made a huge difference.

[atkbike]

What kind of lights did you put in there?

[agpopp]

I took the suggestion from ACLazer and added on one each side near the compartment doors. I used these:

https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Lighting...s/RVILL33.html

[ACLazer]

I put one on each side of my pass through compartment.
I also put an Amber Porch light on mine too, they all have switches on them.
I found them on Ebay, they were cheap, like $12 each and free shipping.
I ran the wiring down the wall from the Bedroom from the USB outlets there for the pass through lights, and I ran the wire from the bathroom ceiling light for the Porch Light.

[atkbike]

Looks good, Thanks!!

[agpopp]

Did a few projects today on the 260.
First, I unwinterized and checked to see if everything survived the winter...so afar so good!
Second, I worked on tinting the skylights...they are nice, but with the amount of summer camping we do in the south, these are going to allow too much solar gain for my liking. I took down the inner liner and used some lens tint spray I had and gave it 2 coats. Looks good so far, hopefully it works.

Then I worked on the kayak supports. I got some angle aluminum and beveled it on the ends. At 58 inches off the floor, I located the material and screwed it into the studs where possible. I figure the angle will stop the load bars from sliding down and the load bar ends will keep the screws pushed tight to the wall. I am going to add one anchor point to the ceiling to keep the front bar from bouncing as my Harley will be under this and I obviously don't want it to fall. The boats are 38 pounds each, so it's about 20lbs on each wall mount....not exactly heavy but I'm a little worried about bouncing and shear.
I'm either a genius or this is going to be a disaster!

[agpopp]

Wrapping up the spring work on the 260 today, and figured put how to support the kayaks so they don't bounce. I got a simple hook anchor and attached it to a roof truss with 1/4 inch lags. I wrapped a strap around it while giving it a little preload. I think it will be very secure at this point.

I then opened the pots and pan drawer and realized the mice had a time in there as well over the winter. I decided to pull the drawer to check for more nests, but instead found a huge gaping hole under there. Please check your floor for a similar miss by the factory for sealing up the underbelly. I mean, seriously, how you could ship this with no sealant foam? No wonder it was so cold in there during our trip in the fall! Guess I know what I'll fix after work tomorrow.

[agpopp]

Another day, another discovery gang. Turns out these little guys are plumbed with a winterizing kit! There is a hose with a tee and valve near the water pump, and a length of hose to rach the antifreeze jug. Would have been nice to know in the fall!
Here's a pic of the line and the valve if you can see it. Both are available under the pots and pans drawer.

[ACLazer]

Yup, mine had one too, it worked well

[agpopp]

Just posting to report a few items found on my recent trip to Florida.
First, my kayak rack setup worked perfectly. Nothing moved at all and the wall brackets I made up are hardly noticeable. An added bonus was that the height I mounted them allowed me to put up the kayaks and secure, then ride the bike in with plenty of headroom.

My wife dropped her comb off the sink so I had to take the shower access panel of the front to retrieve it. You gotta see the new hole I need to fill! When they cut the floor for the trap, they must have used an 8 inch hole saw. Not to mention the rickety way they support the shower pan...definitely some reworking in my future.

Finally I added a Waggle pet monitor to keep an eye on the pups temp. Its a Verizon cellular based product and worked well. My wife was sent updates based on the settings we chose and also when the power was disconnected. If anyone is interested, here's a link to use;

http://waggle.refr.cc/andrewp

I did have some issues with my 17k mile 2019 2.7 F150 occasionally stalling when coming off the highway or after refueling. I've dreaded this after reading elsewhere about it, but it looks like I'll have to address it. Its not overheating and has plenty of power, so I'm not sure what they'll do besides reflash the computer.

Overall a good trip and the the little 260 got us where we needed to go.