Trailers are a PITA

I don't know how you do it, but I've always tried to make my transportation costs as cheap as possible.  For years that mean working out of a Ford Ranger with a camper shell on the back and stuffing it full of tools.  Time and weight have done their thing and pressed a permanent limp into my little truck.  Still, when you can get a maximum of 24 mpg out of a setup you're less likely to change.

The problem is that it's almost impossible to find people who have their own tools, and I mean all their own tools.  For me it's as natural as breathing: owning your own tools is so much more than controlling the means of production, it's learning to love the boulder you push up the hill every day.  As absurd as that sounds, it's an inescapable fact; your tools are an extension of yourself and your struggle.  If you don't have them, and don't want them, then what good are you to yourself or anyone else?  You've failed the first test of adulthood.

So, with the irksome task of providing a lever for those wanting to move their small part of the world, I had to find a way to move the levers.  They won't fit in the Ranger.  My levers will, but not more than that.  Ford's idea of a spacious small truck leaves a little to be desired, not to mention the permanent charlie horse in my thigh from that damned seat.

A trailer seemed like a good idea.  Extra space traded for gas mileage.  But, wow, a big loss in gas mileage.  I found one that was cheap enough that even came with a title (that's rare here in Oklahoma as the state doesn't require registration of trailers).  With an empty trailer I'm now getting a maximum of 18mpg.  Efficiency dropped through the floor, and speed has as well.  Ever try pulling a trailer in rush hour traffic surrounded by dicks under the impression that they belong in a NASCAR race?  I sure do hope you like that solid steel rear sill on that trailer, fella.  It'll mate real well with that plastic Hundai.

Is it worth it?  Almost.  I can actually see everything I own inside that trailer!  And, for the most part, I can pull out what I need and only what I need.  It doesn't pay for itself in on site efficiency, but it's pretty close.  I still detest the big white whale that follows me everywhere, and makes it impossible to go through a fast food drive through, but I no longer want to kill it.  The boulder that I'm forever pushing up the hill just got a little bit bigger is all.  In fact, with my F250 in place of my Ranger I almost enjoy it.  Damned convenience factor.