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Old 08-28-2012, 10:58 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Name: Tyler&Laura
Trailer: 1975 Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 5
New '75 Boler, lots of questions!

Hey forum,
first time post here!

Just bought a 1975 Boler sort of on a whim for a spontaneous 2 month American roadtrip that is starting next Monday. It's in pretty good shape and we're really excited, but we have a few questions...hoping you guys can help us out!

1. The Fridge: it doesn't seem to work on shore power or battery power. Got the propane fired up and that seemed to be working slowly, but of course took it for a drive around the block and the pilot light blew out...How do you guys keep your food cold when you're driving? Is there a way to hook the fridge up to the car's battery power? Also, if it turns out the fridge doesn't work, what would you recommend in terms of new ones? We don't even care if the propane works...if we could get battery and shore power working, that would be fine with us.

2. Security: we did some work on the door as soon as we got it so now it's feeling pretty sturdy (the bottom of the door isn't flush with the body of the trailer, but I hear thats fairly common), but I still feel like it would be VERY easy to break into a boler. Does anyone have any examples of secondary locks they've installed on the door? What about lock-boxes inside the trailer for more valuable items? Is anyone paranoid enough to use a GPS tracker when they leave their trailer unattended?

3. Front loading the trailer: I've towed a utility trailer behind my band van for several years now, and we learned the hard way not to pack it stern-heavy. It's pretty terrifying once it gets wobbly on the highway. How do you guys avoid a stern-heavy boler? It seems like most of the storage is under the bed at the rear, and our spare tire will soon be mounted on the rear aswell, so I'm just not sure how to get the front-heavy pack that would be the safest on the road...

4. Painting the body: We may or may not attempt to paint the thing before we head out next week. I've been recommended to use a Urethane paint - any opposed? Any tips or tricks I should know? I've painted wood my whole life but somehow never managed to paint on fiberglass before!

Thanks so much for the help everyone, hope to hear from you soon!
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Old 08-28-2012, 04:29 PM   #2
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Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
Hi Tyler&Laura welcome to FiberglassRV. I'm not going to attempt to answer all your questions... have to leave some stuff for others

So... rather than rush a paint job... and the expense... after all you want to do it right.. right? How about reading most of this looooong thread: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ell-43004.html

Concentrate on this post: Check this out... page 18

Be aware Red Max Pro is now called Zep Wet Look Floor Finish. I think you'll like the price difference between wax and paint and won't be embarrassed by the way your trailer looks either
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Old 08-28-2012, 05:35 PM   #3
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Name: Neil
Trailer: Boler
California
Posts: 54
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We always pre-charge our fridge before we head out. Basically this means that I plug it in and run it for a few hours before we head out. Although that's not possible if your fridge doesn't work when plugged in.

Before you say yours is broken, make sure that your trailer is level when you run the fridge. If it's too far off kilter the fridge simply won't work. I found this out one day when I tried to pre-charge it. Thought my fridge was toast. It started working as soon as I leveled the Boler.

I've never run my fridge on propane when driving. It seems kind of dangerous.
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Old 08-28-2012, 06:54 PM   #4
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Trailer: 2007 Casita
Posts: 3,428
Welcome! Glad you joined us........... Congrat's on your purchase! Would love to see pic's!

I think link to the not polyglow post, Donna D provided is a great suggestion!


I would recommend one thing, pack your bearings before you embark on a journey!



So as far as the fridge, have you checked the fuses? Running on propane going down the road isn't recommened. If you were in an accident, it just creates more fuel for blowing up!


You don't mention the brand name of the fridge, that might help with suggestions. Can you throw a
amp meter on it, to see if your getting any power to it?

Again, Congrats!
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Old 08-28-2012, 07:36 PM   #5
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Name: Tyler&Laura
Trailer: 1975 Boler
British Columbia
Posts: 5
Thanks for the replies and the congrats!
Will read up on all that info on painting asap, thanks.

The fridge is our primary concern at the moment. We're pretty sure its broken.
My ideal situation would be to have the fridge running off the battery, and somehow set up the battery so it's in parallel with our car battery and charges while we're driving. Is that something that you guys have seen done before? It probably means getting a new fridge though...will need to find a 12v fridge that fits the size specs.

Here's a pic of our new boler!
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Old 08-28-2012, 07:40 PM   #6
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Name: Derek
Trailer: 1973 boler 13', Earlton On
Ontario
Posts: 396
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Front loading: I have a box mounted on my trailer. You can put whatever you want up here to add weight. Also consider mounting a 12V battery and/or a pair of propane tanks up here too.

In my case, I'm towing with a Subaru Forester. It has a rather low hitch tongue weight capacity, so in my case I am looking to shift the weight back rather than forward.

---------------------

Locks: Sadly, I do think these trailers are easy to break in to. One of the most secure methods to prevent theft is to unbolt and remove your wheels every time you plan to leave your trailer in any one location for an extended period of time. Without wheels, a thief isn't going to get very far.

You can also loop a piece of chain around the axle and around the nearest tree. This will slow down a thief (so long as they don't have a cutting torch handy).

The best bet is probably to believe in the basic goodness of most in our society. If someone is to work evil, they will overcome any barriers you put up for them.
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Old 08-28-2012, 08:09 PM   #7
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Name: Neil
Trailer: Boler
California
Posts: 54
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Nice looking Boler! You guys are going to have Blast!
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Old 08-28-2012, 08:58 PM   #8
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Name: Ron
Trailer: 2008 13' Scamp
British Columbia
Posts: 325
Hi and welcome to the forum. The BC contingent grows even larger

Re: fridge There are several threads about using the car battery to run the fridge while underway. Some methods are more high tech than others. I do it the simple way. Basically a wire from my car battery to the trailer battery with an on-off switch.

I don't know what fridge you have but in general these fridges work off a heat source. The heat from the propane is obvious but when operating on 12V and 110V a heater element provides the heating. A quick test to start to pin down if you have a problem would be to turn it on to operate on 110V, leave it for an hour, and touch the area just above where the propane pilot flame would be. If the area is stone cold then trouble shoot the power switch etc. to see if it's getting power.

Good luck

Ron
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Old 08-28-2012, 10:15 PM   #9
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Name: Sheryl
Trailer: '99 Casita 17'LD
Montana
Posts: 114
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I use a lock on the hitch when I leave my Boler unattended. One of those that fit into the ball socket.

As Donna said, don't rush into a paint job! Your trailer looks mighty nice to me! (Look at mine--the blue is the way I got it. I wish my Boler looked as nice as yours.)

I have a deadbolt that sorta makes me feel more secure when I'm inside the trailer, and a padlock and hasp on the outside when I'm not inside. Like Derek said, it wouldn't take much effort to get into one but look how many people stay in tents!

Enjoy your new trailer!
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Old 08-30-2012, 10:35 AM   #10
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Name: Lethbridge
Trailer: 13' Boler
Alberta
Posts: 21
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post

Re: fridge There are several threads about using the car battery to run the fridge while underway. Some methods are more high tech than others. I do it the simple way. Basically a wire from my car battery to the trailer battery with an on-off switch.

Ron
My Boler already had seperate wires running direct from fridge to the hitch. It had a 120V plug in at the hitch but was connected to 12V at the fridge
Since the wires were already the (not sure if that is factory. All I did was I splice into the 12V park/ signal lights and added spade connectors.

So when I am driving (lights have to be on) the 12V is also powering the fridge. When I unplug the trailer wiring, it is disconnected. The reason I added a spade connector is when I am parked I hook up a deep cycle battery to the fridge connector and voila was easier than messing with propane. The battery also runs my interior 12V lights.

I am not sure how long the deep cycle will last, but I had a spare and that is what they are meant for (to be completely drained and re-charged) Worst case scenario is the battery dies and I recharge it.

My post is wordy, but this is VERY easy.
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