My Redneck Porch

RZRBUG

Everyone knows we Southerners like our porches.  This one cost about $60 in materials, plus a little Redneck engineering.

radren

Looks very comfy!

[Deleted User]

Great color scheme Larry, I quite like the hog spare tire cover!

DurangoTaB

Nice...where'd you get the (get your kicks on...) Rt. 66 decal?

CodeJunkie

Very nice, and that's a great price tag for a shady porch to sit under and enjoy some ice tea!

RZRBUG

Thanks.  I will probably eventually get the "store bought" visor, but I wanted to do this just because the idea came to me and I wanted to see if I could do it.

The Route 66 decal, as well as the service station decals around it, came from gaspumpheaven.com.

twocutes

I love this!  It looks like tarp, rope, tent poles, tent stakes - yes?

RZRBUG

Thanks.  Pretty close.

Tarp:  6X8 from factory direct store.

Rope: Braided nylon from Dollar General.

Stakes:  Spikes from local hardware store.

Poles:  "Painters poles" from Lowe's that I modified the ends of (costliest part of the project).

Justjudy

Excellent porch!

Wanderoo

Larry, you are SOOO clever.  Way to go.  I love your innovative ideas!!!

RZRBUG

Update on the porch:  As you can see above, I had the tarp tied to the handles on the driver's side of the T@B, which meant they stretched across the trailer.  Thanks to Jay at Tearstock, I came up with an idea to use the rail for mounting.  Works really well and actually takes less time to set up.  I used it for the first time at the Mountain Man Rendezvous at Fall River State Park in Fredonia, KS, this past weekend.  Nice state park if you ever need a place to stay while travelling US Hwy 400.

PaulaK

Looks good.

RZRBUG

BTW, the $40 tire cover is somewhere on the plains of Kansas, I think.  I missed it somewhere between Medicine Lodge and Liberal.  Considering how difficult it was to put on and take off, there had to be an extreme gust of wind, or someone helped it off.  I recall some bikers milling around the trailer when I came out of a service station.  I'm trying to believe it was the wind because I can accept that better.

Verna

Yeah, those winds are funny things.  Just like what happened to Sharon's battery a week after she got it in 2013.......terrible winds.

jbug10

Of course your tire cover had to have a Razorback on it.  No self respecting  Arkansan would have anything else!   Wooooooooo, pig!  Sooie!

 

RZRBUG

LOL.  Of course, you'll come to realize that more and more living in the region you moved to.  I have a nephew who lives in Rogers.  Can you believe I haven't been up to see him yet since he moved there, and with all those good camping spots in the area.

BTW, I found a replacement for the tire cover on **** identical to the one I lost for much less money.  I have this one anchored with zip ties.

jbug10

OMG you Razorback fans are hardcore for sure!   I would say 95% of the those AR people that put a decorative license plate on the front of their vehicles have a razorback one.  Mine is a kayak paddle that says Balance Your Life.   I had a park ranger ask me when I was going to get a white razorback decal to put on my red and white T@b.  I told him not anytime soon...no disrespect   

vanderado

Great looking setup! Can you share the provider of the spare tire bracket?

judymac

Love it but should have UK cover. :(|)
Info please on tire mount

RZRBUG

Thanks, Y'all.  This is the spare tire mount that I used.  You will find that the u-bolts supplied to attach it are too long for the width of the tongue.  There are three solutions for this: (1) add enough washers behind the nuts to take up the extra space (my solution), (2) find shorter u-bolts at a hardware store, (3) add a spacer between the bracket and u-bolts.  One of the LG members used solution (3).  Here is a photo she posted of it.  Thanks, Verna.

Jana

I have a similar homemade awning.  I used poles from the hardware store that are meant to hold up the middle of clotheslines.

RZRBUG

Nice, Jana.  I saw a similar one on a post recently, but I can't remember where it was.

radren

Hi Jana,
Did you have to add the part that fit into the keder rail or were you able to find a tarp that would work?

RZRBUG

I've seen a couple of different systems designed to hold a tarp in the keder rail.  When I started my project, I searched for a tarp that could be used without modification, but was unsuccessful.  I plan to do some work on the T@B tomorrow if weather permits (if not, another day) and I will try to take some pictures of the system I designed.  The original tarp did not have enough grommets, so I installed one halfway between the ones that were already there to make it more snug with less gaps.  You'll see what I mean when I take pictures.

Jana

I am assuming the keder rail is the trim piece around the edge?  I bought some silicone tubing and sewed it into the rip-stop material using a zipper foot on my sewing machine.  The only problem is that the tiny screws on the inside of the 'keder rail' rub on the material and wear it out quite quickly.  I cut off a few inches and re-sewed it last year.  Bought some awning hooks from Good Sam and may try to use those for the next update.  I will be looking forward to seeing RZRBUG's system.

RZRBUG

Jana, your setup is the one I originally thought of doing.  I could not find someone to do the sewing, and Heaven knows it was beyond my expertise.  I also bought some awning hooks from Good Sam, but never could figure out a way to make them work.  Time ran out on me today before I had a chance to take pictures of my setup, but I will get them done as promised.

Jana

check out kedersolutions.com
where in michigan do you live?

Michigan_Mike

I like your set-up Larry as it's simple and does the job while providing shade and keeps the rain off your head.  Another way to go would be to contact a local canvas & awning shop and have them sew a piece of cord (and install grommet holes) into lets say some Sunbrella or similar material the length of the T@B Keder rail.  I have a Sunbrella grill cover I have had for about 12 years and it is still solid as a rock, a soft material and has not been affected by sunlight.  I know there is other material made that would be less expensive too.  

Just a thought and have even considered it for my Silver Shadow.  

RZRBUG

Thanks, Mike.  I'm all about simple and easy if it does the job.  There is an upholstery shop close by and I have considered having them do something, but I like the idea of using something I have made when possible.

Jana, I found the keder site when I was trying to figure out what to do with mine, but as I said earlier, my sewing skills are practically non-existent.  I measured my rail's inside dimensions this morning and found the side-side measurement to be 10mm.  Of course, you could not use a 10mm cord because there would be no room to install.  I couldn't get the back-to-front measurement because the gauge wouldn't fit just right, but it appears to be a bit smaller, especially considering the screw heads.  I have considered grinding down the screw heads just a little but leaving enough slot that they could be used to remove the rail if ever needed.  I have not taken this drastic measure yet, however.  When I encounter a screw head that stops the insertion, I just pull forward a little and slide it on by.

Instead of the keder cord, you could consider using rubber hosing that most hardware stores have in stock in various sizes.  These hoses are designed to carry liquids ranging from water to fuel.  Good thing is they can be bought by the foot, so you could buy a foot and try it out to see if it works, then go back and buy the amount you need.

I took pictures of mine this morning (attached).  What I used were some pieces of fiberglass tubing that I had saved from yard stakes that happened to be just the right size and had a center hole I could run a cord through the center for tying.  Since this tubing is not flexible, I used short pieces so they wouldn't need to bend around the curve of the rail.  I used waxed heavy gauge fishing line to tie them to the tarp.  This stuff is designed to get wet, so there should be no rotting.  I tied these very close to the tarp so there wouldn't be a gap between the tarp and the trailer.  As I said earlier, I added extras grommets to make a tighter fit.  A kit for adding grommets can be found at almost any store that handles camping supplies (mine came from Wal-Mart).

Jana

Very good use of things; thanks for sharing.  This is one I will try this summer.