More expenses

Turns out Mitch thought the truck needed a cooler for the transmission.  So he added a cute little radiator that sits in front of the original radiator.  Incidentally, the gear ratio turned out to be the one with a towing capacity of about 5850 pounds, less than I was hoping, but sufficient to pull the trailer without any trouble, he says.  The trouble that he and the Dodge dealer both indicate I'll face is that 18-wheelers will blow me off the road.  I'm having an equalizer installed on the hitch by the RV dealer, and that's supposed to provide sufficient stability to keep us from ending up in a ditch, but we'll have to make sure before we head for the north country.  

Precautions

Today I took the pickup to Mitch Duvall's transmission shop to have him give it a general checkup.  I want to make sure the transmission is up to pulling the trailer for an 8000+ mile trip this summer.  He may decide to put in a an additional cooling system for the transmission, if he doesn't think the radiator is big enough to provide the kind of support the transmission will need.  I've also asked him to ascertain the gear ratio in the transmission, as that determines the size of the load I can pull.  My Dodge Dakota's engine is an 8-cyl., 4.7 liter engine, and it comes in two different gear ratios, neither of which I have been unable to determine up to now.  Both gear ratios indicate a towing capacity greater than the weight of the trailer I'm buying, but obviously, the more weight the truck is capable of pulling, the easier it will be to pull that trailer.

Details of owning a trailer

Since I last updated this blog, I have, two days ago, arranged for storage for the travel trailer here in Tahlequah.  Checked a couple of places and the price for storage varied greatly.  So did the characteristics of the storage facilities.  I settled on one that provides covered storage in a locked yard with cameras and managers on site 24-7.  I felt like $48 a month was not bad.

In addition, I arranged for reservations at Lake Whitney State Park in Texas for the first night after I pick up the trailer.  That is a short distance from the dealer in Cleburne, and should give us an indication as to whether the truck and trailer are working well together.

I've also bought some groceries that can be stored in the trailer, and am beginning to stock the kitchen (a set of unbreakable glasses, so far).  Much of what we use initially will come from my house.

We pick up the trailer a week from today.

Introduction to the adventure!

This will be a journal of our trip to Alaska from Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  We're planning to leave on June 11, 2014, and hope to arrive in Wasilla around July 1.  There is a lot to do before then, including getting the travel trailer I bought from Fun Time RV in Cleburne, Texas.  I'm supposed to pick it up during the first week of March.