Year two at the family garage was much less work. Our major customizations took place last year and we have been thrilled with the results. But a few problems in need of a solution have come up over the winter and we took advantage of the long weekend to knock some things out.

Our biggest complaint in the past year of trailering has been the lack of storage for all of our toys. Last year we built the kayak rack, but this cuts down on truck bed storage space. Our trailer came with a ladder rack for our bikes, but we never felt it was a particularly secure option. By the time we adequately bungeed the bikes, they tended to rub on each other and parts of the trailer.

In the meanwhile, we owned a perfectly serviceable bike rack from our car camping days. We would love to be able to attach that to the FRAME of our trailer. Fortunately, we have an amateur engineer and fabricator in the family who designed a trailer hitch to be welded to the frame of our trailer.

** I want to make a note that we did not attach this to our rear bumper. There are many people who have been using bumper racks for years and claim no problems. But I have ridden behind those people, watched the bikes bounce, and don’t feel comfortable that the welds on the bumper are adequate to withstand those forces. To each their own.

Next up was a way to secure the panels that protect the water pump on our 2109s. When winterizing, we had to remove the screws that attach the laminate to the balsa wood frame. This may work for those who winterize once a year, but we accessed that compartment about a half dozen times this winter. After a couple years, that balsa wood will be sawdust. So we rigged a wing nut system for this.

One quick fix was sawing the sink cover in half. There is only about three inches of countertop right inside the door. We have frequently set something inside only to have it tip into the sink or (once) spill coffee all over the floor. Being able to cover half the sink will allow us to dry dishes in half the sink with more counter space where we need it.

We also drilled holes in the outside storage doors. Our intention is to install thumb locks so we can close them without a key. Unfortunately, we ordered the wrong size locks. Final product is forthcoming.

Finally, we checked off some maintenance. An inspection of the roof and greasing of the bearings were a good head start.

As soon as we get our body damage and warranty work completed, we will be ready to hit the road again!