Wheel Lug upgrade

I make maintenance on my rig a priority and in doing so I remove the wheels often to clean and inspect tires, brakes, bearings, and suspension.

The factory wheel lugs have a thin covering on them that moves on the lug and frequently gets stuck in the lug wrench forcing them to be punched out of the socket, it slows me down, a distraction and damages the cover.

So I replaced them with solid stainless steel lug nuts.

I needed to know the specs of the lugs so I could order them, the dealers in my area acted like I was asking for a controlled substance when I explained what I was looking for.  After my upgrade, the lugs went from 19mm to 13/16 socket size.

So this is what I determined I needed -

1/2"-20 thread x 7/8" diameter cone x 1-5/8" height

and I found these:
Product type:	Trailer Wheel Lug Nut Package
Quantity Included In Our Package:	A Package Contains 20 Lug Nuts
Composition Type:	100% Solid Stainless Steel
Are These Stainless Caps?:	No - They are SOLID Stainless Steel
Nut Type:	Acorn Style
Thread Pattern:	1/2-20 Right Hand
Nut Length:	1-3/8" Long
Socket/Wrench Size:	Standard 13/16" Size

20 pack SOLID Stainless Steel Acorn Style Trailer Wheel 1/2" Lug Nuts Rust Proof

Comparison  - Stainless Steel replacement on left, Factory original on right.

Comparison  - Stainless Steel replacement on left, Factory original on right.

Factory Lugs

Stainless Steel Lugs

Front Power Inlet Mod

I added a front power inlet to give me another option to supply power to my rig. This has been very useful when using generators, parking door to door, etc.

I had already done the 30 amp detachable cord mod and I used the same kit to add the front inlet. This made a safe and easily compatible mod.



I used 10-2 UF Wire, I purchased 35' at Lowes, ran it from front to rear in conduit terminating into the input of the Electrical Management System. This required dropping parts of the underbelly cover.

Using Southwire (Common: 3/4-in; Actual: 0.75-In) Non-Metallic Liquid-Tight 50-ft Conduit made is easy to install and protect the wire.

New Grill Addition

This was the first outing with the new grill mod. Works perfectly.

Camping on St. Patrick Day Weekend

For the St. Patrick Day Weekend we decided to go Camping/Glamping. Is it good to test your cool weather skills?  We have plenty of resources to survive the weekend in comfort.

We have had Snow, Rain, Hail, Thunder, and Lighting today. We are not alone, there are others here in campers and tents. Do you have a strong camping circle of friends with skills and capabilities?

Morning and Afternoon Weather Radar

The Afternoon radar at the peak with hail.

2nd Outing of 2017

Us and another couple are our for the weekend. Cool weather skills test.

Grill Upgrade - Original Factory grill to Weber Q 1000

Our 2016 Jayco White Hawk came with grill model DDR-BBQ-BLK. Also known as a Side Kick.
I loved the bumper mount and that it was configured to use the low-pressure propane connection in the rear.

Without getting into too many issues, the grill did not cook even and at the end of the second season the burner tube support had rusted and began to fail. The grill had been stored in the front compartment whenever not in use.

Jayco may have offered to replace it however, lets be honest, she went to Weber. My coupon Queen wife found a great deal on the Weber Q1000. All I had to do was find a way to plumb it to the low-pressure propane line, use the existing bumper mount that we love and find room to store in the front compartment. Ask her, that was a fair trade in her mind.

Factory Grill on top, Weber Q 1000 on Bottom

This idea works well, Setup, Takedown are easy and it stores well.




I used a cutting board for the base. I wanted a .5" or .75" inch thick plastic or composite cutting board but did not find one in the size I wanted. I needed 21" long and wanted at least 12" wide. For $21.00 at Walmart, we settled for a bamboo board, at least for now.

Farberware Bamboo Cutting Board, 15" x 21"

By: Farberware - Walmart #: 001481211

I removed the regulator in the Weber Grill and connected to the low-pressure fitting using the original hose and the quick connector from the original grill. The quick connect screwed onto the Weber gas valve in place of the regulator. I did not purchase the kit from the 2nd video listed, I used it to show me how to remove the regulator.

After I removed the quick connect fitting from the original grill and put it on the Weber gas valve, tested for leaks I was done.

I used these links as guides:
LP Quick Connect Conversion - Stoves & Grills

Weber Q Quick Connect Conversion


I added a small C-Clamp to the end of the board farthest away from the bumper to add stability to the board. I already have improvements to this in the work, More on that soon.

Remote Controls

In our 2016 White Hawk we have Furrion TV and Sound System with two remotes that are difficult to see in low light. The sound system remote color scheme makes it difficult to use anytime. So we have added a universal remote that work perfectly with the Furrion devices as well as the Direct TV. One remote replacing three and all feature available. Make switching from DirectTV to over the air a one-button selection.

Touch the remote and it lights up.

Shop around we got ours for less than $50.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-remote-650?crid=60