Mammoth gets some upgrades

October 2015

Well, it's November, and time just seems to fly. We haven't been on any trips with the Mammoth, but we have done a few things to her to make living in the RV a little easier. 

Here's a few things we've done:

We decided to get a universal RV stove cover, and now use that surface to place our new NuWave induction cooktop. The cooktop is great! We had to get new cookware to use it, however the cookware is much better than out old stuff and can be used on gas if we want to. The cooktop is just one "burner" so you have to plan accordingly. It heats via the magnetic field through the pan, and digitally controls the temperature to be exact. That's great for me, no more guessing if it's too hot or not enough. 

Stovetop cover and new induction cooktop. We've since turned the cooktop 90* so the cord isn't at a strange angle.

 Another upgrade, not to Mammoth but to the truck, was to finally add running boards! We asked Tony's coworker to do it, as well as new Hawk brake pads. Both definitely help the truck do its job!!

Another addition to the Mammoth was a metal sign. We saw this vendor at the State Fair of Texas last year, but we were not prepared to buy and they only sell in person --they are strictly a traveling vendor -- no online sales. So, I was prepared for what I wanted, this year! It's entirely custom, they design it while you watch, then it's cut out of colored vinyl and applied to a white metal shape. It looks great over the door. 

Another project was to replace the motor for the fireplace. We had a replacement part sent under warranty last spring, but had not got around to installing it. It takes removing the fireplace and disassembling the top to get to the innards. It's not hard but it takes two people to do it. We did the work in about an hour, and we have supplemental heat again!  The fireplace is great for chilly mornings that eventually warm up, so you don't have to run the big ol' furnace. 

One more project was to upgrade our shoe racks. We have a place to keep shoes in racks on the peninsula, this helps keep them up off the floor and out of the way. Well, we end up with more shoes than we had rack, so I found some new longer racks. Have to add pic later. 

{well, as requested, here's a pic. Right now the shoes are not in the rack and the rack is relocated due to the Combo w/d sitting where they are until it's installed, but here's a pic I was able to crop so you can see the racks. They are held onto the front of the wall with command hooks. And yes, these are the new ones and we still have too many shoes!!!}

Another couple I forgot! Our propane detector was "out of date". According to the date stamped on it, it needed replacement in June of 2015. We haven't had issues with it, but they say they lose effectiveness over time. We replaced it with the same brand, a Safe-t-alert, but the new one detects propane and Carbon monoxide. We have dedicated CO detectors, but it never hurts to have another one. The model: MTI 35-742-WT White LP and Carbon Monoxide Flush Mount Detector.

  

Tony installing the propane detector

We also replaced the smoke detector with one recommended by Mac The Fire Guy: a Kidde Pi9010 Battery Dual Photoelectric and Ionization Sensor Smoke Alarm, which senses slow smoldering fires as well as fast burning ones. The grea part is it has a HUSH button, to shut it off quickly when the toaster slightly burns the toast!

The month of October we enjoyed a pretty mum hanging on a Shepard's hook at the edge of our site. Here's a few pics as it bloomed:

Our next project will be to install our new Pinnacle combo washer/dryer. Look for that in an upcoming post!  

By the way, we did take a few trips that could have been trailer trips if we wanted:

Trip to San Antonio to watch UIL State Marching Competition. Trip to Terrell to visit, and Dallas to see the Musical, The Sound of Music. 

We had to miss a few Rallies this fall, and we've been sad about that. But it kind of helped us decide to become the West Texas Chapter Leaders of the Heartland Owners Club! We will be hosting our inaugural Rally in Quanah, TX in March. 

So long for now!