Doing it on the ground outdoors.

Today it came to me as I struggled to kneel or lumpy gravel that a camping bedroll would make lying on the ground under the bus so much more comfortable. As it so happens, I bought one some 5 years ago to cut up to pad things in my drawers but never used it... Until today. Keeping that saved me the trouble of having to go to the store to get one and it kept me comfortable.

Before getting into what went on under the bus today, a public service announcement. Do not buy this HyperTough cordless drill from Walmart. The battery has no staying power so unless you're planning to do very little then this is just going to end up as an expensive paperweight. Better to buy the cordless Harbor Freight drill. I already have two batteries for that. I bought this because I picked up the wrong drill in Harbor Freight one time and didn't feel like going back since it is a long way. I guess my next trip to Harbor Freight will include their cordless drill.

One of the problems with the new battery is that the screw terminals are very small. I bought some new connectors for my 8 gauge wires as the connectors on the old wires were way too big. Well, these new, smaller connectors were also too big. Not only was the hole too big but the connector was thicker than the screw was long. In the end I did manage to crap 8 gauge wire into yellow wire connectors. It was quite a challenge, I can tell you. I did it though and then crimped as hard as I could.

Yesterday's flame shield got installed. That didn't take too long once I'd switched to the mains powered drill. The battery drill from Walmart wasn't so hyper or so tough. It was kind of wimpy and ran away with its tail between its legs. Not perhaps one of Walmart's best offerings.

Once the hanger had the flame guard installed, the battery was inserted. That was so easy. I could do it with one hand. Now compare that with the 20lb lead-acid battery. I had to use both hands and wiggle it to get it in place. I was always so nervous that it would tip and spill acid over me. Now I have a small lightweight battery of the same capacity. 

Although I've already been using the battery for a week, it was so nice to be able to go inside the bus and to use power without fearing I'd run the battery down. I do suspect that a second battery would be a good idea. I have to build a slightly different flame shield and I have to modify the battery clamp. Other than that it's all pretty much the same. 

The brakes still need work but at least the power is sorted out. My thread gauge from eBay is still on the way from Georgia. Stupidly I bought it from eBay and didn't notice Lowes (hiss, spit) also sells them for less money. Nobody bar Harbor Freight has a micrometer and I couldn't find it in the store. 

As usual, the list of things to do is still long even though I checked this off.