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Gary Hage

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About Gary Hage

  • Birthday 10/23/1956

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    On the Cross Florida Greenway in Dunnellon, FL
  • Interests
    Author [Fallen Angel Of The Highway, and the soon to be released A Young Boy's Stories about Dixie... AKA: The Walter E. Peele Dixie Water Treatment Plant, and The Father...The Son...and the Harley Ghost, Native American Flutes, Boston Terriers, Harley Sportsters and HDT's

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    HarleySportsterman58@yahoo.com

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  1. You and I are possibly on the same mission. As mentioned in an earlier thread, I too have been considering adding a drom box to our Volvo VNL 420 for a motorcycle garage. I did find a nice looking pre-built unit at Joplin Trailer Sales in Joplin, MO. It is fully lined with five rails of E-tracks that are installed on each side. it also has a full swing door at each end. When mounted directly to the frame on a hard rubber cushioning strip, it appears the outside height of the drom box should closely lineup with the roof of most Volvos that have the lower (flat) roof line like mine, and would be well below the height of the condo cabs. Thus cutting down on the level of wind drag and be more appealing to the eye Forklift tubes have been permanently welded into the floor framing of the drom box, which should make for easy mounting and un-mounting of the box to and from the truck's frame. The unit can be wired to the customer's spec's during installation or aftermarket bt the customer. I do not know yet if it comes in multiple sizes, or only the one shown on their website. Although this box appears interesting to me as an option, I've not yet priced it or called my friends in Joplin to have them go by JTS to check it out for me. I know that the ultimate setup for me would be to go ahead and have Henry install the drop hitch assembly on my ET Hitch to pull my utility trailer with when needed, and to install the drom box to carry all of my accessories for the 5er (like my 6" x 6" x 18" blocking, etc.) in rather than loading it in the basement and overloading the RV. To date, we have always carried it separately inside a smaller tool box on the Volvo, and in the utility trailer since we are always traveling with both vehicles. Then after much thought, I have decided rather than going with the more expensive automatic rail system for loading motorcycles in/out of the drom box, I'm going to stick with a less expensive folding aluminum ramp system with a permanently mounted winch in the front to pull my 58 Harley Sportster into the box using a cable and short tow bar assembly attached to the front forks of the bike. Offloading would simply be achieved by connecting the bike to the cable and tow bar, then while walking the bike out of the box and onto the ramp until the break point in gravity is meet. For safety and control, the winch will be slowly let out to help control the bike's descent down the ramp and onto flat ground. Obviously the ramp system would be wide enough for there to be enough foot room on either side of the bike walk it up and down the ramp.
  2. Like Kirk, we took an early retirement {so to speak) when we sold our specialized trucking business the beginning of 2015. We already had our 5er and the HDT, so we were all set to begin our travels as fulltime RVers workkamping along the way. But we quickly learned that 95% of the workkamping positions out there for us (the inexperienced ones getting into the workforce) were in no way going to help sustain us financially, even though we both draw meager government retirements. No sooner had we disposed of the stick and bricks, a wonderful job offer right in the city where our house was came my wife's way. One that a person would be an absolute fool to turn down. OK, 1-great job for the wife, no permanent house in the area, great fulltime RV to live in at a resort/campground. That will will work! So that's exactly what we did. I found a part time job doing data entry for the same company my wife was working for that I could do at home in the RV. GREAT! Now we're better set financially, and if need be, I could take the data entry job with me anywhere we chose to move. Then it came, the offer for my current fulltime job with the state managing one of their state trailheads and campground. April of 2015 is when it came and I I would have been a fool to turn down simply because we originally planned to travel as fulltime RVers. Once excepting that job, the deal was pretty much sealed that we had just made ourselves "Stationary RVers". So what do we do for the state and do we love it? I'm gonna answer the second part first by saying, "Heck yes, couldn't be much happier!" Like any job, this too has its few inherent issues, but overall it is the most fun and relaxing one I've ever had in my life! I work four 10-hr days and have 3-consecutive days off and I'm paid for a forty hour work week every week. There is no sweat equity for a campsite plus utilities in this arrangement, even though both are provided at no cost to us. In return, I simply check our guest in/out of their campsites, clean the campsites between guest, guide them to the entrances of our trailheads, and answer any questions they have regarding our property, etc. As far as cleaning restrooms and mowing, that is contracted out, so we simply monitor our restroom and shower house on a regular basis and pick up as needed. Although we have to open the front gate at 7:00am every morning without fail, and close it again at 7:00pm, our work day does not feel like we are working a 9-5 job, as I can work and rest any time of the day that I choose because there is no set time (other than the gate) that something has to be done by in the list of our daily chores.
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