More MINI MATE Renovations Part 1 2019 Ep 24

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Now that I have spent around 20 nights in the Mini Mate, I've got a few upgrades to do. I have put on a longer tongue and increased my solar battery capacity.
Music credits:
"Breakdown" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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"Dream Catcher" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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Опубликовано:

15 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 69

@patrickdavis7815 5 лет назад

very nice setup...after watching your solar setup I'm going to do same ...thanks so much...keep em coming...

@OldGuyonaBike 5 лет назад

Thank you! The videos will keep coming.

@RCCranger001 4 года назад

I own a Mini Mate as well and have enjoyed your videos and especially some of your mods. I plan to steal a few. I'm about the same vintage as you so can appreciate your perspective. I found it interesting when you removed the tongue. The second bolt holding it on is someone's modification. I know this because my first run with mine 3 years ago (I'm the second owner) I stopped at my second campground, disconnected the trailer and set it down on the two front stabilizers and when I let go of the tongue it dropped to the ground dangling from the wire harness. I discovered that only one bolt held it in place and the nut had worked loose and fallen off and only the weight of the trailer and shear force on the bolt had saved me from disaster while towing. I have since added a second bolt and put lock washers on both and checking them is part of my daily routine. I also noticed that you remove the canopy when you pack up. I have found that just folding it back over the tent before you collapse it works well and there's no issues folding up the trailer. It just saves a minute or so during set up having it already zipped on. I do not have the add a room but may spring for one, it looks like a very useful addition. They are a bit pricey though and I'm on Vancouver Island so shipping adds up as well. Safe travels.

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

Steal away. I think have borrowed and modified a few things I have seen others do too. It's great to be able to make the MM a little more comfortable for oneself. Few more ideas waiting for warmer weather here to start on.

@baltsosser 4 года назад

Having sailed in a small boat before I think I will add a larger backing plate to the tongue assembly holding it on. If it works for holding up a 15 HP long shaft motor, it should work as well for the tongue.

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

@@baltsosser I think this was my longest tongue. The one that got bent up in my little mishap. I'm now running a 6' tongue and quite happy with it.

@dbest1aVlogs 5 лет назад

Some nice changes. I'm impressed, I can only imagine the frustration of organizing everything, but once its done n working .... it's good to go.

@OldGuyonaBike 5 лет назад

Yes, a few more bugs to work out and a few more things to make it all efficient. Camping again this weekend while working that all out.

@MrEddebus 4 года назад

Thanks. Trailer looks great

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

The |Mini Mate is a great camper. I wish I had gotten out more this summer. Covid restrictions and a project sucked up all my time.

@motorcyclecafe Год назад

Crikey! I didn't know where to start with all the videos you have but I like trailer stuff so I decided on this one 1st. Good Job Buddy!

@OldGuyonaBike Год назад

I find I am always tweaking the trailer and my camping gear/packing. I'm having fun doing all the videos. Thanks for watching.

@k5abuser 5 лет назад

The Ozark trail ( rotomolded) 28qt is a great cooker ND it should hold ice for 4-5 days. Putting your solar panel over it with a hinge would keep the sun off the cooler and make it more efficient. .I have the 52 qt cooler and only put ice in 4 times in 21 days

@OldGuyonaBike 5 лет назад

I would love to get a small rotomolded cooler in the future. Going to have to deal with what I have in the basement for now. I may have time to make an insulated cover for the one I have now before I go out for a month on the road. Every solution has it's own problems. The bigger, more insulated the cooler, the heavier it is and my 56 Qt one, the red one above is great and when filled with ice lasts 3 days. But it is far tooooooo heavy. The 26 qt. one I'll use this year is right for weight and not enough capacity. I am adding a 2nd soft cooler inside the trailer. Food and food storage will be an issue I will still be dealing with over this winter I am sure.

@dragonUSNr 4 года назад

Thanks for the videos. I'm considering building something similar. Would like to see what type of hinge is used to attach the lid. Love the mods you've done. Given me some ideas

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

Thanks for finding the channel. The lid is held on with heavy duty piano hinge. You might be able to see it in one of my last videos where I replaced some of the bolts.

@LorisRVLife 4 года назад

Wow, that's a bunch of wire.. I think I got confused and lost about 11 minutes into it. Still loving the videos and going thru your playlist. Thanks for sharing, Lo :)

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

I sometimes get lost with the wiring too! Good notes and I always make drawings.

@LorisRVLife 4 года назад

@@OldGuyonaBike Hmmmm, drawings.. Maybe you should bring them if you ever come to CA. I'll just wait and have you wire up my Kwik Kamper. LOL :)

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

@@LorisRVLife You don't want to wait until June or July. Your VW should be 5 wire, similar to my bike and I do think your Kwik Kamp is 5 wire too. You can email me at jimgcg@gmail.com if you want and I may be able to help you with a schematic for wiring.

@Knuckledragnation 8 месяцев назад

Fabulous sir. You’ve inspired me to get out into the garage this weekend and fiddle around on my small cargo trailer I built for my motorcycle. Do you know approximately how much the trailer weighs either unladen or fully loaded? I’m digging the longer tongue mod. ✌🏽

@OldGuyonaBike 8 месяцев назад

This tongue really was too long. Invited too much stuff on the tongue and I was up to 75 lb.+ for tongue weight which contributed to my hitch breaking. Rough roads did not help. That full cooler and the 5 lb. propane tank just added too much weight. I had an accident later that summer and replaced that tongue with one a little shorter. So, original tongue 5' - 3 feet in front of tub, that long tongue 7' - 5 feet sticking out from tongue, ended up with 6' - 4 in front of tub and moved the cooler to on top over the axle.

@l89tvu 5 лет назад

Very interesting video. I'm in the process of looking for a mini mate for my own camping fun. One caution though. It looks as if the volt meter is always on. You might consider a “Master Power” switch which would disconnect the batteries from ALL loads including the volt meter. even the small load of the volt meter will drain the battery when the camper is being stored. You might consider a push button momentary switch to check the battery voltage at will.

@OldGuyonaBike 5 лет назад

You've hit that nail on the head. The on/off switch on the panel does not do what I want... going to reconfigure the panel and may add another power switch. I forgot to add that I do have a 15 amp fuse in the circuit.

@l89tvu 5 лет назад

Something like this would work well as a master switch... www.amazon.com/Battery-Disconnect-Isolator-Removable-Waterproof/dp/B07MTYX5Z5

@OldGuyonaBike 5 лет назад

@@l89tvu Neat looking product.

@l89tvu 5 лет назад

Any marine supply shop should have something like it. It's a pretty standard marine shutoff.

@OldGuyonaBike 5 лет назад

@@l89tvu I do love a lot of the marine 12 volt products. In this case, I have now thrown an off/on switch into the line that I had in one of my parts bins. No more drain until I want it.

@michaelsplawn1915 3 года назад

good job Dude,! 👍

@OldGuyonaBike 3 года назад

Thank you... still tweaking. Hope to get 30 nights of real world testing done this summer.

@alandean9323 2 года назад

There's an old design maxim. 'Add lightness'

@OldGuyonaBike 2 года назад

I have gone a little lighter since that video. I am always looking for function and utility.

@motorcyclewild5873 3 года назад

Great videos

@OldGuyonaBike 3 года назад

Thank you. Glad you found the channel.

@brianfromnh2596 5 лет назад

Nicely done Jim. You mentioned that you had taken the padding out of the tub along with the carpet. Mine MM does not have any padding, does it make a difference or is it just a moisture collector?

@OldGuyonaBike 5 лет назад

Thanks. I believe it is just a fibre carpet underlay actually. Have never had that much moisture in the tub... guess, although I have traveled in snow, I really have not dealt with a lot of rain...yet.

@northerniltree 7 месяцев назад

My wife watched this video and suggested that I needed a longer tongue. But, don't I need a trailer first? I'm also new to motorcycles.

@OldGuyonaBike 7 месяцев назад

Your wife might appreciate a longer tongue. I do believe in this video I had the 7' tongue (2' under the trailer) and it just invited me to carry too much equipment on the tongue, increased tongue weight too much and made manuvering sluggish which your wife might not appreciate so much. The original tongue was 5' and it really was just too short. I've been traveling with 6' tongue the past 3 seasons and have found it to be quite satisfactory. Your wife probably would too. If you start doing any amount of long distance riding and motorcycle camping, at some point a trailer will become a viable option. Get comfortable with biking first and get out and explore the world.

@harrynewton6437 4 года назад

i am curious have you scaled empty and then when loaded ready to go . I am very impressed at your organizing skills have watched your reno videos and like what I have seen the only part I would have trouble with is the whole solar system will have to get help have you ever considered changing the jacks to scissor jacks to maybe avoid having to pick up the tonge

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

I'm going to try to do an up to date reno video over the winter. I will probably raise the tub off the axle by an inch to make these jacks that much easier to get down. They are much faster than scissor jacks in the long run. The trailer with the tongue on it now weighs about 290 - 300 lb. I have individually weighed each tote etc. and with a full tank of propane and a full cooler I am hitting 450-500 lb. total. I did move the cooler back and on top since this video. I am running about 60 lb. on the tongue and have run this setup for over 10,000 km. this fall. Was quite happy with it.

@harrynewton6437 4 года назад

@@OldGuyonaBike that's not bad it is at the limit of my can-am spyder but I like all the stuff you can carry with this set up am going to try and put some of your ideas on my trailer thanks

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

@@harrynewton6437 Borrow any ideas you can... feel free to ask me anything on the renos as well. There are a few more little things coming up in videos later this winter.

@harrynewton6437 4 года назад

@@OldGuyonaBike cool I think I have watched all your videos by now but the renos I had no idea of the things that could be done again thanks

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

@@harrynewton6437 So glad you found the channel.

@texaslonestarrider 3 года назад

👍🏼

@russferron7375 4 года назад

Hello I am new to channel and would like to thank you for the video’s. But I was wondering what the brackets look like that hold the box to the tongue?

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

In that video, I had the really long tongue, i.e. 7' on the trailer. After my accident, I went to a 6' tongue and moved the cooler to the top of the MM right over the axle. Much better weight distribution. That triangular box was a good steal off someone else's photos. I made brackets from 3" x 3" aluminum angle under the the front of the box and the back of the box. I centered a square U-bolt on each of the brackets and came up through the floor of the box. I drilled out a 2" x 18"? flatbar to go over the bolts on the inside to distribute the load and also added a bolt through the box at the end of each of the flat bars. I cut the bolts flush to the nuts once mounted so they would not get caught on anything in the box. Liberal amount of silicone caulking. It's pretty darn solid. The front box was a great addition. I pack my outrigger table there, a tote with my Little Buddy propane heater with 1 lb. propane tank. The 10' propane hose for the stove. Small bow saw, hatchet, folding shovel, extra toilet paper/paper towels, a pint of MC oil, a couple of oil filters, spare brake pads etc.. All the stuff I don't use every day. With the exception of the propane hose and the hatchet. Thanks for finding and watching the channel.

@russferron7375 4 года назад

Old Guy on a Bike Thank you for the quick response I’m sorry if I wasn’t clear I was talking about the bracket that you used to hold the plastic tub on The Toung that is right in front of MM. I am thinking of buying one of those black boxes.

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

@@russferron7375 Sometimes I'm not as clear as I think I am lol. I had to go out and take a look and it's pretty well what I wrote. Just 2 pieces of 3" aluminum angle. One in front and one in the back attached to the tongue with square U-bolts. I used shorter piece of flat metal inside than I remembered. I wish I could attach photos in the comments/reply section. If you email me at jimgcg@gmail.com I will send you photos of the setup.

@russferron7375 4 года назад

Old Guy on a Bike thank you I will send you an email in a little thank you so much you videos are help full I am working on my MM

@maj.d.sasterhikes9884 3 года назад

When you fold up the camper, does it fill the interior of the trailer or is there still cargo space in the trailer to pack stuff?

@OldGuyonaBike 3 года назад

There is lots of room... about 15 cubic ft. I've also gained space for some stuff by taking the foam mattresses out. I converted to a 38" wide standard single size bed in order to have a 22" space to always stand up in. Although there have been more modifications since this particular video, the basic packing has stayed the same. I'll do a new pack video in May (still winter here). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qJn2v10kh2I.html

@OldGuyonaBike 3 года назад

The actual packing starts around the 10 min. mark.

@maj.d.sasterhikes9884 3 года назад

@@OldGuyonaBike Thanx!

@gordonsteel55 4 года назад

Really liking this channel! You keep it real and I appreciate that! I've spent the last few days watching your videos. The mods on your mini mate are brilliant! I moto camp, just not with a camper trailer. I pull a minitrailerusa.com Shadow pull behind trailer behind my 09 1700 Vulcan Nomad. I still tent camp but want to bring along a camp stove. What size propane tank do you have on the tongue? And how did you mount it. Did you fabricate the base yourself?

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

Thank you for finding the channel and watching. It's a 5 lb. propane tank (weighs 10-12 lb, when full) It has already paid for itself in savings over the 1 lb. disposables which I am against anyway. I love having 2 burners to cook with. I got a metal shop to take a 5" wide piece of aluminum and bend a small lip for the bottom of the tank and then a bend so the rest of the aluminum came up the back of the tank. I've got the tank ratchet strapped to that and 2 U - bolts holding that to the tongue. I will be doing another video bringing mods up to date in March.

@gordonsteel55 4 года назад

@@OldGuyonaBike actually the channel found me! I was doing some searches for moto camping and yours popped up. Thank you for the tips on the propane tank and size info. Looking forward to your next video

@michaelsplawn1915 3 года назад

mmm? did you make the toughen longer by any chance ?

@OldGuyonaBike 3 года назад

A couple of the old timers I've corresponded with had gone to a 7' tongue (22" i under the box) from the 5' that the MM comes with. I thought I would try that. Handles well but the extra length just begs to have too much on the tongue. As she was set up in this configuration, the thumbnail for this video) I had a tongue weight of 90 lb. with the full cooler. Tooooooo much. Only did one weekend like this and that's the weekend I did not seat my hitch right and lost the trailer into the ditch. That tongue got bent up and I replaced it with a 6' tongue and started strapping my cooler on the top over the axle. Tongue weight down to 60 lb (I can live with that) and the whole thing pulls and handles really well.

@MrEddebus 4 года назад

Where did you get the propane tank holder?

@OldGuyonaBike 4 года назад

I did some measurements and had my local metal shop bend the aluminum to my specs. I think it was 6" wide... can't remember the length and I'm not home this week (and without trailer) . There are 2 square U-bolts holding it to the tongue. i can lock it on but usually just relie on the ratchet straps to deter anyone from messing with it. The 5 lb. tank is a godsend.I can get at least 30 meals out of a tank and it costs less to fill than buying a 1 lb. disposable tank.

@michaelsplawn1915 3 года назад

mmmm? are they waterless Batteries by the way ? mmm?

@OldGuyonaBike 3 года назад

They are SLA (Sealed Lead Acid) batteries intended for emergency lights, remote locations, mobility carts etc. They could be mounted top up, on their sides or on end. I picked these ones for their size. Knew I wanted to use the space behind my wheel wells. This also helped put some weight at the back to offset the box and propane tank on the tongue.