Trailer Tongue Additions

Since we bought the 2016 550 Special in April it's seen sizeable portions of WA, ID and OR. I've made a couple of changes that we've found convenient for this model and the type of camping we do and I thought I'd share here. Although I tow with a long bed Chevy Colorado, I typically carry a couple of fly rods in cases, waders, boots, flotation vest, an outdoor carpet, etc. and don't have loads of room, especially given the small backseat in the truck.

I have a swing-out case in the bed which holds some tools in a space that would probably otherwise be unutilized, but I wanted to have things related to the camper all together. To this end I bought a tongue box from Harbor Freight and mounted it to the tongue on the 550 Special. No drilling of the tongue was required for mounting. I had seen some forum posts with cautions about that and was able to avoid it so I simply positioned the box above holes already present in the tongue and drilled through the box.

In the tongue box I store the drive handle for the rear jacks, rubber jack pads, the chocks, a jar of hitch ball lube, a propane gas line and an electric cord. So, quite a bit of stuff while not being very much mass. It comes with a latching lock which is nice.

I've found that there aren't very many options for mounting a small propane tank and carrying a bunch of small cannisters wasn't attractive to me. One solution that seems popular with competitor teardrop companies is mounting a 5lb tank right to the wheel well or the side body of the camper. I didn't want to do anything permanent and regrettable with the CampInn and decided to try a plastic milk crate as my propane tank mount at least for this season. Again, there was no drilling. I used some steel strips from Home Depot, eyebolts with nuts and washers and some bungees to secure the milk crate and the propane tank to the tongue.

I'm sure all of this is probably anathema to the intended design aesthetics, but it's been doing the job and I get to again utilize space otherwise unutilized. All feedback is welcome.

 

Sounds good to me!
What I like about this forum is how many different ideas CI owners try out, that work. Theres no "one way my way" here.

I cant see the pics btw.

 

They are on iCloud. Right-click on them and select "open image in new tab" and they should show up.

 

Is there a better way to include or link to images?

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Put them on a site like Flickr and link to that.

 

I would talk with Cary before implementing any homemade design changes. It's more than just about impacting aesthetics.

 

Sorry for the radio silence. Back to connectivity again and trying to post photos again.


https://photos.app.goo.gl/W8GwGYm8MVcs535M7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kcWfDLGv7CGJKKaE6
https://photos.app.goo.gl/F5n6rs1rSnDUG3dH9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KfAPADg78ymnyhVGA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RWcJQfSBbzmk8PZY9

 

Nice pics!

 

Thanks. I'm very happy with what I've put together. Plenty of propane for my needs in a convenient location. Added a lot of storage for necessary camper accoutrement.

 

Nice job John, remember form follows function. Functionality is the most important thing. You look like you have had great trips in a short period of time.

 

Thanks.
Definitely have put the camper to good use - Puget Sound, Mt Rainier, Grand Coolee Dam, Lake Roosevelt, St. Joe River Idaho, Mt St Helens, Metolious River OR, Paulina Lake OR, Deschutes River OR, Olympic National Park, Pacific Coast WA, Deception Pass WA.

I need to count them up but probably around 20 nights sleeping soundly in this great teardrop. I have lots of photos.