Preparation and Plans

 

Adventure Location: Decatur, Al

Adventure Date: 01-06-2023

We needed something to do today that was productive or at least seemed that way. So we got to messing around with the Castle's rolling weight and proper tire pressure. But first we checked the tires for age. The imprint on the tires were for Nov20 so we have two more years on the tires design life span. ST tires are rated for five year minimum life span. These tires are Goodyear Endurance tires.

Next we dug around and found the factory weights etc, and got some ballpark weights on the things we carry now. When we had lots of toys like bikes, kayaks, hiking gear and every other toy we could find storage for in the Castle we were still several hundred pounds lighter than the approximately 2620 pound carrying capacity allowed. When it was all tallied today we are carrying just under 785 pounds total when full wet and 380 pounds of that is onboard water. That leaves us with room for another 1800 pounds of toys. So the best we can figure out we are well within the weight abilities of the Castle design and that gives the OFM a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

One thing that seems right several years ago during a wheel bearing repack at a trailer place in Del Rio, Texas, the tech made a point to mention that the Dexter axle on the Castle had the ability to use higher capacity wheel bearings than were on the axles. The axles are rated at 3500 pounds each and a heavier duty bearing was available to replace the original equipment. The heavier duty bearing would cost us (as best we can recall) $8 each to replace the original rated bearings. The tech impressed me when he very carefully reminded me it would not increase the capacity of the axle system only the longevity of the bearings. We jumped on it since that was early during our several years of off road towing in West Texas and New Mexico.

Now as to plans. As has been mentioned before we are headed to Goose Island State Park for a minimum of a week of visiting old friends. Then we will head west to the Rio Grande River at Falcon Lake with the free boondock camping for the rest of your life and follow the river upstream to San Pedro Campground at Amistad NRA where it cost $3 a day for the campsite. From that point we will roam who knows where. The current plan is to be back at Point Mallard no later than mid June for all the summer festivities in GRANDKID LAND. And that is a great place and time for trying to have tooooo much fun.