It's time for springtime preparation

If I didn’t know better, I’d be tempted to think spring has arrived! While we never really had winter, at least locally, this year, I suspect it might still be a touch early to declare “springtime” just yet. There’s always the chance of a snowstorm involving a big dump before the pussy willow buds turn into leaves – this is Alaska you know!

Now, having sounded like the skeptic that I often am, I’ll go on to say the warmer than usual weather has melted all the snow around my house and the soft ground is beginning to dry out and harden up. That’s good because I’ve managed to tear up some spots along the two-wheel “road” to the back side of my lot where I store the RV, boat, and ATVs.

I wrote about getting one’s boat and trailer ready for the open water season a few weeks ago. I haven’t started on my boat yet, but I don’t anticipate much, if any needed work this year. Last year, I had a major tune-up performed on the jetboat inboard and I went over the trailer thoroughly and only ended up replacing a couple of lights. Other than “dewinterizing” the boat, I don’t plan to have to fix anything (knock on wood!). The only possible upgrade would be installing an electric trailer winch for pulling the boat back onto the trailer. I’m getting a little old to hand crank that heavy boat uphill!

I have several other projects to address before the boat winch upgrade, however. I bought a wireless back-up camera for our small RV a year or so ago and figure it’s time to have it professionally installed. I’ve had several things done over the years by Safe and Sound in Wasilla and they have always done a very professional job. I’ll probably be in to see them before this month is over.

The next project on the RV, beyond getting it “dewinterized” and the camera installed, involves one ceiling light fixture. I discovered LED bulbs for 12-volt RV lights last summer and was able to convert every light fixture, save one, over. The LED bulbs are as bright as the incandescent bulbs I previously used and they draw only a fraction of the electrical current, making the drain on the house batteries minimal. That really helps when the campsite has no AC “shoreline” power hook-up and generators are too noisy.

I learned that the polarity of the light fixture influences whether the LED light bulb will light or not. Sometime just reversing the bulb will correct the failure and other times, the wiring to the fixture needs to be reversed. I thought I could handle the one obstinate fixture myself, but I’m not an electrician and this one needs wires cut, etc. I might just buy a new fixture specifically designed for LED bulbs and have it professionally installed.

With a couple of wiring projects on my truck done by Safe and Sound a few months ago, I’m basically finished with the “big” projects I wanted done to that vehicle. Other than what I mentioned above, the same applies to the RV and boat and trailer. That brings us to the ATVs.

I took my “little” 4-wheeler up to Hatcher Pass Polaris a couple of weeks ago to have them go through it and make sure it’s running properly. It needed some brake work and a “realignment” of one front hub, but now my little 1988 Trail Boss is good to go. The folks even told me that for its age, the machine is still in pretty good shape! I like hearing that!

You’ve read here about my new “big boy toy,” the Polaris Ranger 6x6 that I bought last fall. It received its first full service after the recommended engine break-in period. I’ve installed a gun rack overhead in the cab and it’s getting a rack for the dump bed built as I write this. That customized rack will allow me to carry a Handy-Man jack and a spare tire, all readily available but out of the way. Once I get a heavy duty skid plate installed, the big stuff will be finished on that unit. I’m planning to install a built-in battery charger and mounts for both GPS and the SPOT rescue device I already have.

I still have some upgrades to make to the 6x6 trailer, like installing a tool box on the tongue to carry straps, wheel chocks, etc., but that is something I can actually do myself!