Eccracer104’s not totally stock 16’ CM 4x4

Definite must have. If we didn’t carry one, my truck would still be on a mountain.

 

Got some goodies for an upcoming major change to life

Trail Ridge tow mirrors and Husky Centerline TS WD hitch.

Got the mirrors on, hitch will be assembled in the coming days.

 

Did you figure out where you’ll put it?!!

 

Just gonna nestle in right next to Hulk, you won’t even know we’re there!

 

Pool party!!

 

Well, heart skipped a beat for a few minutes on this one.



Got back to my truck to find a puddle under my fuel tank - which was recently replaced at the dealer. So obviously head went to fuel leak.
Did the ol’ touch n sniff and it was water. So I’m thinking maybe a vent line? But it’s a lot of water. So off to google I go. No search results from tundras.com aside from the typical AC vent line water. Continue on google and it’s all fuel leaking or sugar in the gas tank. Yikes!

Get my camera under there and record a video and notice the water is dripping from above the lines. Curious. And then it hits me. I have my dogs water jug in the bed. It tipped over

Phew!

Hope y’all get a chuckle from my brief panic. Haha.

 

Had something similar happen to me on Monday. Put the truck in reverse and started turning the steering wheel to back out my driveway and I start hearing this vibrating sound and immediately thought "oh fuck, I fucked up the steering rack when I hit that dip hard in the desert taking a shortcut out of Vegas." I get out of the truck to inspect to find out it's my TC skid plate rattling like a mofo. My wallet sank there for a hot second.

 

Hahaha oh man that would get me good

 

So I have some news to share

My fiancée and I are making a big change to better ourselves for our future. It’s damn hard to pay bills and save enough for a house down payment. We’re currently “house hacking” but rent is high and living with roommates was good at first but has proven to be a strain we’ve grown tired of. Finding a decent small place for the two of us puts us in the same position financially or just doesn’t save enough to make it worth the hassle. So our solution…

Get a travel trailer!


We spent months researching brands, models, and floorplans. We decided on a forest River 274wk black label. She’s a big one! We won’t be towing it often as we’ll be living out of it and keeping our regular jobs. Got it to it’s temporary storage location over the weekend and am genuinely surprised at how well the Tundra handled 33’ and 7,000 pounds of trailer.

Front view doesn’t look wild, but here’s a better shot to show just how big it looks compare to the truck haha.


Using a Husky Centerline TS weight distribution hitch and while I don’t have anything to compare it to, it worked really well and wasn’t difficult to set up.

On the ~100 mile drive it was honestly easy to tow. Really surprised how well the Tundra handled it. Flat to slight grades was a non issue. Climbing the 67 to Ramona just took it easy and she motored right up. The only place it had to work was the tail end of Poway rd which is narrow, steep and twisty. Was hunting between 2nd and 3rd more than I liked for this stretch so I really had to work at it to keep it from hunting and heating the trans.

Anyways - to the trailer - renting our house to the end of the month to take time to set up the trailer, get a few practice weekends in it and work out any bugs that need to be fixed. Then September (assuming no big problems arise) going to be “moving in”.

Really nervous but also so excited to give this a go! Going to be a couple tough years in a small space, borrowing friends places to wrench, and close proximity to neighbors - but in the end it will be worth it.

 

Excellent, best of luck! Rent the lower lot from SpeedFreak and you've got a shop and a helper right there...

 

lol, he does have a big lot.

 

that's a nice trailer !

 

Thanks Bob!

Haha I’m sure he’d love a neighbor so close by. But also I’m gonna text him just to see, that’s a great idea. Definitely wouldn’t be stoked for the commute though.

 

Congratulations, Mike! Post interior pics (before you move in, if you want) so we can picture you in your new digs.

 

Haha that he does! And Moose and Anza could play all day and chase whatever wanders into the yard.

Thank you!
We may have gone a little overboard on the trailer, but since it’ll be home for awhile a requirement was to be comfortable. Then when we can buy a house we’re shooting for enough land to rent out some trailer spots to cover a good chunk of the mortgage.

 

So funny story… I had the intention to take interior pics, take some measurements, and all this stuff. Then got side tracked and excited and totally forgot.

I did snap this with the slides in, so you’ll just need to picture it with more space. It has dual opposing slides. So the table and two recliners slide out and the fridge, TV, and oven slide out so there’s plenty of space to move and live and such.

 

dang ! legit pad.
how were the pricing ? seeing how covid messed up everything.

 

Bre is a master negotiator and worked $8,500 off their price which made it competitive with some of the out of state pricing. I’m thinking that also had to do with it being on the lot for a couple weeks and them trying to move inventory. It had arrived a week prior to the same rig just the lower model so it was somehow less expensive than the lower model which baffles me but not complaining one bit.

 

Nice trailer Mike. If you don't have one already, you should get a really good surge protector and water pressure regulator. Read some horror stories when researching for our trailer. Oh and never leave the awning out when you are not going to be under it for awhile. A friend of mine lost theirs when they left to go to the store.

 

Woah! Good call on the awning. Hadn’t thought of that. Thank you.

Yup, we have a pressure regulator, surge protector and water filter - along with the sewage stuffs, wheel chocks, a friend donated some tire covers (still need to check if they fit), and some other odds and ends.
Bre’s already so hyped to decorate it haha.

 

carlsbad state beach overlooking the ocean sounds like a good location for the trailer imo..lol

 

Haha we actually talked about that on the drive back as we drove right passed it

 

Let us know how your faces look when you get the inevitable black water spray lmao.

I'm sure you've done tons of research on trailer life already but nothing prepares you for that.

Unless you have kids

 

I stay there for a week at least once year. You can book up to 15 days straight before having to exit and come back.
They have hook ups too. It takes time to book though but winter has more availability. I would do it for sure if I had big trailer like you.

 

Oh god that’ll be a nightmare I hope never occurs! Haha.
Yep, done a lot of reading but without a doubt there will be way more leaning on the fly.

Awesome! Looks like they’re all full up now, but we’ll definitely need to plan a stay there at some point.

 

So excited for you guys! Our dream is to live in a RV and be able to travel the country. Again congratulations!!

 

Thank you! We’re so nervously excited haha. Traveling the country would be a blast! We’ve driven across a few states for a wedding and it was unbelievably fun

 

That is dope! I used to have a boss live out of his RV at the work parking lot - no rent, free electricity, free Internet.

 

Thanks man! Funny enough I was just researching internet options. Wish we could post up in a work lot for free, then we’d be saving so fast! Haha.

 

Upgrading to the trailer life? Dang you're getting old Mike.

Where does Moose get to sleep in it?