Getting Hitched Again

Adventure Location: Junction and Comfort, TX

While the Team was getting ready to launch on our move to Comfort Texas, a sendoff committee had formed down the street.  That bunch of turkeys thought we would hold off launch while they gobbled around.

We made the long hour and a half drive with no mishap.  The Castle pulled very well with the modifications made to the hitch.  The Team was assigned site 12 in the new campground.  This is RV Park USA in Comfort Texas.  It is very centrally located to several places we need to be to take care of some tasks that have been on hold for a few weeks.  Our week here should be busy to say the least.

When the Castle was purchased, it replaced a MUCH larger Arctic Fox model 30U that had a rolling weight of around 12,000 pounds.  The weight distribution hitch on that trailer was moved over to the Castle which has a rolling weight of less than 6000 pounds.  This was in July of 2007.  It was known at that time that the hitch was massive overkill for the Castle and Truck.  However it was not yet a guarantee that the OFM would not quickly decide to get a larger trailer for his new lifestyle.  Therefore the overkill hitch was kept and used. This is what the assembly looked like.

Equalizer brand hitches are still my choice as the best on the market over all the others.  The Truck does not need a weight distribution hitch to tow the Castle.  So for the last four years coupling up has required assembling all that stuff.  The total hitch assembly must weigh more than a hundred pounds.  The hitch head alone weighs enough that it usually gets left in the receiver rather than risk a back attack to take it out for long stays.

Today we towed without the apparatus except for the hitch head.  The lack of apparatus did not make any noticeable difference in the performance of the Team while on the Interstate or on the roly poly roads in the country side.

A new draw bar and hitch ball of the right strength to match the Castle was purchased today.  About thirty minutes were put into removing and disassembling the old hitch head.  Then the new drawbar and hitch ball were assembled in about fifteen minutes.  The old hitch head was so heavy that it was a serious strain to lift and carry it.  Now the new hitch assembly can be picked up with my left hand with ease.  That is nice.

 The question in my mind is why did I keep using that heavy hitch head for years after it was known that the Castle would not be getting traded on a new larger trailer.

Please keep in mind that the Truck outweighs the Castle by over 1000 pounds and has a towing capacity of 15,700 pounds. This gives the Team a large advantage over the normal rigs you see on the road.  Most of them are nearly maxed out and many are overloaded but they are getting by.

Meanwhile some good rest is needed tonight after all that hard work.  Tomorrow is a trip into San Antonio to hit up an Academy store for some new 10EEEE shoes so my adventures can continue.  Barefooting in the thorns of the desert is flat WRONG.  That would get in the way of trying to have tooooo much fun. The OFM.