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Kirk, It is actually about Red Squirrels storing Pine cones all over my Big Truck. The above is the top of my transmission. Will have to crawl under the truck to get them out. Will not be fun. Rod

Finally here is the photo I took of the switch for the gas portion of the heater. Haven't dug out the multi meter yet to check the voltage, but am feeling it's 12 volt. Other activities have prevented me from shopping for a simple timer. It will be the simple mechanical one I hope. Rod

The above story got worse yesterday. I started a new topic post in the HDT section if you are interested in it. Rod

https://wildfiretoday.com/2012/09/26/squirrel-causes-vehicle-fire/ Found the above news article of 2012. Glad I found them before starting out and early enough get them all cleaned out before moving next month. Rod

red squirrels If you see a pile of pine cones in the woods, all chewed up and discarded, or left in piles or neat rows for future use, then you'll know red squirrels are about. You may hear the squirrels and not see them, but they're keeping a watchful eye. my internet search this morning came up different. Packrats are more Southern US and I'm about an hour from the Canadian border. I also spoke with the park office person last night and she is going to check on what her " Grandfather" may know about how to discourage the activity. I certainly heard one on Sunday when I was working on my tool box, but had yet to find the stash. Will keep a more watchful eye out. Rod

I posted a little bit about my most recent issue in a topic regarding "Mouse Infestation", but today I found the real issue. I have a battery minder on my batteries and move it from battery to battery every few days to weeks. Last week after using my winch I decided to hook up to the battery I use for it. I found a couple "Pine Cones" on the batteries and thought it strange. No way for them to "Fall" on that area. I took them off and hung a "Drier Sheet" in the area to discourage the storing of food in that area by what I assumed was a Squirrel or three. Today I checked the batteries again with a light and found a whole pile of pine cones in the battery box, didn't seem to be any new ones but decided I best pop the hood and see if the engine compartment was affected too and it sure was. I will attempt to post some photos of what I found. After the initial find I cleaned my cat's litter box and put a few of the "Urine" balls under the truck. Today I actually put a couple areas of cleanings from the litter box to hopefully discourage what ever animal it is that is using my truck as a food storage area. Little does it know that in less than a month the food will be moving several hundred miles away and won't do it any good. Top photo is the top of the radiator and second photo is the top of the transmission. I reached as many as I could in all the areas I have found them. Will check every couple days to see if they start coming back. Maybe I should have gathered them all and put them in a bag and in the garbage, but I just tossed them back under the trees. Rod

Tossed some cat litter urine balls under the truck this morning. Maybe as good as "Ammonia". Hope I don't regret. Rod

Mine is a Suburban and has what I believe is a 12 volt line to it for both the gas and electric switches. Will check voltage before making any changes. Didn't have time today with other more important jobs to do. Thanks for your reply and suggestions. Rod

Could it have been an "Ultra Gauge"? I had one for my Isuzu Vehicross and was very happy with it. Many times I thought about plugging it into the port, but the truck wasn't there or something else side tracked me. Now the Isuzu is in Iowa and I'm not. Not even sure if the ports are the same. Rod

I searched and found another unit called the Marcell https://www.meetmarcell.com/who-we-help/ it's a similar item and according to one reviewer may be less expensive over the long run for full time RV'ers. I do not have and am not planning to purchase either at this time. Rod

Thanks to all for the replies. There are two separate switches for the heater. One turns on and off the gas portion and it has a nice red light that indicates when the gas is running or it's trying to light and the tank is empty. The other one is in a really bad place and is no longer working, and part of the reason I am currently using gas. I replaced that switch once and it worked for while but now I think the electric side of the thermostat that turns on the heat when the water temperature falls to a certain level has burnt out. The heater still works well on the gas side. Depending on which park I am able to get into at my next location will determine if I wish to fix the electric side yet or not. One park charges a little more and has no meters for electric the other one only charges if the meter goes above $50. I'm hoping to get into that park, but there seems to be a waiting list even for the winter months. My current park charges monthly for electric and my highest bill has been a little over $40 with temperatures in the 90's for most of the month. I have not tested my electric when I'm heating instead of cooling yet. The charge last month when the temps were more to my liking was a little over $20. Rod

There are multiple "Mail Forwarding" companies that do the same thing. I had a bad experience with one and am no longer affiliated nor would recommend. Rod

So to drag it more off topic, but in my mind still on topic, I found some "Pine Cone's" today on top of my truck batteries. They cannot fall there from the tree, so some thing carried them up. I put a Drier sheet in that spot in hopes it will discourage the "Squirrels" from coming back. Next step will be to turn my feline loose. She spent many hours under my truck before I decided to bring her inside instead of potentially causing her damage or an early end of life before I left my last location. She might also discourage any mice, (back on topic). Rod

My current location has metered electric and using my water heater I have kept it on the LP Gas mode for a couple of reasons. I don't require a lot of hot water and it's almost faster to heat a pan of water on the induction hot plate than it is to wait for the water heater to heat the 10 gallons for a quick pan of dishes or a wash up, so that's what I usually do. I will turn on the water heater for the dishwasher and the shower and always plan to turn it back off when finished, but yesterday after work walking by the water heater side of the trailer I heard the water heater heating and I had not been home all day. Such a waste keeping water hot when you don't need it. Light bulb moment. How about putting one of those bathroom timers you see in most hotel/motels for the "infrared" heating bulb. Has anyone done this? I'm sure setting it for an hour in the morning would be more than enough for me to run the dishwasher and take a shower. Getting ready to look at the wiring under the switch might post a photo later of what I find. Rod

Maybe true, but they usually have very small tires and wheels. My friend had a couple Vespa's first the smaller one and then the larger one for "Highway" use. He stopped riding the bigger one when he converted and purchased all of his 4 wheelers to Hybrid models. The mopeds/scooters still require oil changes and changing that size tire is a real pain. Now renting one in San Francisco for sight seeing was a great thing to do in the 80's and again in Hawaii in the 90's. Will be interesting to see how much they will price the Elio "Electric". I've been told for about $1000 I can add electric to my recumbent trike and may do that before spending any money on a Sondor's or more money on the Elio. A coworker has a small scooter he rides every day to work (about 2 blocks) and loves the 80mpg. Found out yesterday it was over 15 years old and was ridden by his daughter first, when she was 14 or so and all through her high school and college years. She is now a CRNA like her Dad. (found out yesterday they were related after working at the facility for over 3 months). Rod

All living creatures have the ability to carry diseases and sometimes spread them. Is your logic to kill all? What about their ability to fight them off? It may someday assist you. If a creature is large enough to cause you harm and is stalking you for food, I agree it's a you verses them and hopefully you will survive. If you are encroaching on their domain and are killing them for pleasure or just because you don't like them then I must disagree with who is the actual bad one. Rod

Believe it or not I received an email from my Elio Reservation that said the build is back on . Believe it when I see the first one actually on the road where I happen to be at the time. Photos and emails will not do. I will have to see it in person and maybe even touch it, just to make sure I'm not dreaming. Rod

Congrats, happy motoring. Rod

Agree with SWarton, but haven't been doing it for 50 years. I would avoid Ferrell Gas locations though. They are everywhere, but customer service has declined greatly over the years. IMHO Rod

I think of Ace as a Hardware store for sure. I do use it for those items, but have a True Value close to where I grew up that always seemed to have at least one of the things I was looking for where many others would have to say 'We can order that in for you'. So True Value Hardware is on the list too. They don't have a full selection of lumber, but do have project lumber I think. If you are ever in S.E. Iowa check out McGriffs in Fremont or New Sharon Iowa or O'Hare Hardware in Ottumwa. Rod

What is your choice for the big box material stores? Home Depot Lowe's Mennard's I like to try and find the local places but they are getting harder and harder to find. Poll? yea or nay Rod

Looks great , where did you find? I think I have enough room behind my box to mount one. Could you share info and measurements? Thanks, Rod

You are seeing one one the road? or a place that sells? Rod

Kirk, Thanks for your reply and thoughts. I usually don't pay attention to the rates much except when I'm looking for a spot. I do check out the advertised rates and call the less expensive ones first, but when I'm looking I already have a job offer and it's important for me to find a place to stay quickly so I can either accept or decline the offer. So far I have not had to decline an offer due to no place to park. (My next spot may test me.) I also only ask for the "Long Term Rate" when I inquire and ask if that includes electric or not. With my Mini split HVAC system, I'm thinking it's best to stay at the less expensive places with metered electric, at least in the Summer. Haven't spent a winter anywhere where it's been cold and I have had to use the heat. Was hoping to her in North Dakota, but it seems to stay warm longer than I expected (and MUCH WARMER). The two ladies working the desk are a Mother/Daughter pair and I'm pretty sure family of the owner. It was the Mom I renewed my final month with and I haven't been to the office again. I will one day towards the end of my stay and mention it to the younger of the two. Just yesterday at work we were commenting on some things that have happened to each of us. I didn't bring up my current issue, but there was talk about a "Landscaper" who covered up a "Sprinkler Head" causing a basement Flood and so far has not admitted fault or offered any assistance with the repair of the damage caused. The Victim like me think it should not take a "Law Suit" to have people accept fault when they obviously did something that caused another to question if it was "RIGHT". Folks should admit when they are wrong and do what they can to make it right. Now another story about stepping up is my Nephew. He was Golfing at a course that is very close to where his "Grandmother" lives. She can see the course, but is not close enough to worry about errant drives. One of her neighbors was though and my Nephew either sliced or hooked a drive right into a window of the person who lives "ON the Course". When the owner came out to look at the window my nephew identified himself as the golfer and apologized. The home owner said who is going to pay for the damage? My thought is if you know you live on a golf course, you should at least have insurance on the windows that face said course for the inevitable replacement or repair. The owner had insurance with a $500 deductible the repair was $600. My nephew covered the deductible. Now is that FAIR? Thank you to all others who have commented. I will let you know in a month or so how it all turns out. Rod

Switch to liability only and invest the money you would spend on the comprehensive and collision insurance. With luck you could save and earn enough to replace the truck or fix it in case of an accident. You will have to dedicate the amount every month or ever year, but that's what the insurance companies do. Take your money invest it and hope you don't need it for anything. Nothings ever free except advice and for free advice you get what you paid for it. Rod ps Good luck and I hope you never need your insurance, what ever you choose to do. rl