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Yes they certainly are, thanks for watching!

😂 It was a bit shocking

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching. Yes, he really does! And yes, lots of sun screen 😎

@@irongodzilla1 We’ve actually had more issues with sketchy characters in the US than in Mexico. We spent about 9 months in Mexico and Guatemala and had 0 issues!

@@twocatsandacamper Perhaps its because all the scum has moved north across into the US illegally ? LOL.

We purchased the CM Flatbed new from a distributor and used their installer. CM doesn't make their own install kits and the installation manual just says to use adequate materials. I argued with the owner for about a week straight after inspecting the first install and they replaced 4 of the 6 mounting points with thicker angle but refused to replace the rear 2 (originally they only had 4 mounting points installed). The installer told me he did several hundred flatbeds a year like this. Liberty Trailers in KY, never use them. The install cost over 1k too and the location was a 3 hour drive one way from where we were at, so it was a huge hassle to have to drive back there to have them try to install it again. They said they have many people pulling 30k lbs goose neck trailers with their installs, how terrifying! Sadly enough, the second round install still failed as you can see in the video, I'm just glad the whole bed didn't fall off.

@@twocatsandacamper I can see where a deck manufacturer has no control over how the unit gets installed on a truck as the mounts have to be tailor made/welded to the deck to fit the truck in question. At the time you were questioning their "minimalist" approach to their attachment methods and I can surely see why. I am certainly no engineer but working with farm equipment/highway tractors etc and what bit of fabrication work I have done, their mount material thickness along with its width was just not up to the task without being gusseted. I am only guessing that you told them the deck would become the mounting attachment points for your intended camper ... I guess as long as you made it off their property without the deck/camper falling off, it was a pass in their books !. It gives me a sick feeling to think of such scum bag places that can look legit but churn out pathetic/unsafe work but know all too well how to take a customers money !. On another topic, I am curious if your pickups front suspension torsion bars could use a little adjustment ( not a jacked up "leveling kit" theme though ) as I suspect they will have settled with use and now may have less up travel then is desirable as well as the bump stops having taken some beating by now as well and could be up for replacement. It seems to be a theme with the GM HD front end that it settles and can benefit from the torsion bar keys turned up just a bit to get back to new factory ride height and yes probably an alignment done at the same time ( with the camper on as that is how its mostly being driven ) as changing the ride height changes the tow with the GM system. Cranking the keys all the way to jack the front end up is definitely not what I mean as the factory top ball joints are not made to run at that severe an angle and it puts more stress on the tie rods ( all the steering components really ) from what I understand and why the aftermarket has lovely expensive components they like to sell to create the "levelling effect" on an empty pickup mall crawler.

@@charlesb4267 Yes I did inform them I'd be putting a truck camper on it and attaching the tie downs to the rail. I think you're right, that once I got off of the lot it wasn't their problem anymore. Thanks for the maintenance suggestions, I haven't adjust torsion bars before so it wasn't even on my radar. I have been trying to get an alignment done recently - we just got a new set of tires (we got a bubble on the inside of the left rear KO2) , luckily we didn't have any uneven wear or cupping. The front bump stocks look pretty good still, no cracking or anything that I can see, there are 4 up front. Probably not a bad idea to replace them all anyway though. I'm also going to be changing all the differential oil out and giving the transmission a flush while we are back in the states before we head south again.

@@twocatsandacamper Hindsight is 20/20 as per the outfit you bought the deck through and their idea of a great installation, its amazing how some companies that operate that way can get away with that crap for years. The reason I mentioned the bump stops is because of some of the roads and trails you have been on which may have stressed them more than usual for the miles you have on the truck and from what I understand GM intends on at least the lower arm contacting its bump stops as part of the normal operation of the suspension which is different from what a traditional bump stops function is. On forums of owners talking about their trucks, some say their truck has settled onto those lower bump stops as the truck sits static due to the torsion bars having sagged some since new and causes a harsher ride as its now relying too much on the bump stops. Definitely something to talk to a good alignment shop about that is very familiar with the GM HD suspension to assess how your truck is sitting and if adjusting them slightly would be prudent or not at this time ( before the alignment is performed ). I also am guessing given your heavier camper that you may have wished you had bought a single wheel one ton, not to say that would have given you exactly what you were looking for rear suspension wise but the theory of it being able to carry more. At least you never bought a half ton pickup back when you bought the popup !

@@charlesb4267 Yes it is what it is with the original install unfortunately. I feel much more comfortable with it now after the repairs. You are right our front bump stops are always touching and I have wondered if that was correct or not but didn't know what I could change. From what I've read GM uses a progressive bump stop that is supposed to act more like a spring. I'll tell ya though, it is not great. I'll definitely look into it, those are some good ideas. We have had the 1 ton single wheel discussion several times, luckily with GM the frame and most things are the same on the 3/4, I think 1 tons get an extra leaf spring in the rear. But yes we have also talked about how glad we are we didn't get a 1/2 ton, we would have had to change trucks when we changed campers!

Thanks for the advice! Peru sounds awesome. We're hoping to start making our way south again soon :) The weight was less of an issue this time- we've been able to get around that in 2023. We were denied because of the flatbed- I guess it's considered a commercial vehicle which you can't temporarily import. We're hoping that registering as an RV will let us get around both issues though. Fingers crossed. Happy travels!

Thanks! It was a bumpy restart to the journey, but that's how things go sometimes. We try to roll with it. And thanks for the feedback! We'll keep adding those in :)

Haha yes definitely lots of adventures, hopefully it never comes to that!! 😁

So the process is odd entering Mexico, when you come through customs they are only inspecting your vehicle and checking to make sure you're not brining anything illegal into the country. After the inspection you go to a different building, the banjercito, to get your TIP permit. No one on the Mexico side makes you get the permit but if you get pulled over and don't have one, they can take your vehicle. The flatbed rule is relatively new (as of May 2023) for Mexico, we haven't heard of any other countries having this restriction. The work around is re-registering the truck as an RV which we are planning to do. But yes you are right each country has their own import laws that we will have to navigate as we go south.

We will be sure to add some more in, thanks for the feedback!

😂 It was definitely harder to sleep after that!!

That's so very sad. Our hearts go out to that community.

We felt it in Petersburg as this whole area is kind of like a big town separated by water.

Thanks!! Haha and yes, hopefully!

🫶🏻

Thank you!! We really loved our time in Guatemala. Lake Atitlán is such a special place 🇬🇹🫶🏻 And thank you! We call them our 2 little jungle cats 🐈

Yes! It was a lovely place to stay, and each town had its charm ❤️

So much fun!! That Indian food was SO good!

Hey there! We saved a nest egg over 3-4 years before we took off, at that time, thinking that we would only be gone for 2 years. We're about 2 years in now & not ready to turn back, so we're getting creative 😂 I'm doing some remote work for my previous company & David does some trading.

We didn't try them right off of the tree, but we've bought them from the store. Pretty tasty! They remind me of a mix between a cinnamon pear and a sweet potato. Thankfully the cats are all good, despite the tense few days ❤

it was intense! 😂 Part 2 is coming soon

That's a good name for it 😳😂

Yes, you're so right! We had the same experience.

Absolutely fascinating! Your detailed breakdown of the system is incredibly insightful, showcasing its robustness. The 400v input into your solar charger is mind-blowing! The Sungold all-in-one package sounds like an absolute steal. We recently upgraded to version 2.0 last fall, boosting our solar power to 1800 watts and integrating a mini-split with a heat pump - the efficiency upgrade from the rooftop unit is astonishing! Transitioning from a 12v to a 24v system has been a game-changer for us. Stay tuned for our upcoming video in the coming months where we'll dive deeper into our setup. While it may be smaller in scale on our truck camper compared to yours, the journey is just as exciting! 😄

@@twocatsandacamper Absolutely. 24 volts makes more sense on a smaller system. We only went with 48 volts because our motorhome is bigger with more roof area for more panels. If you're getting by with 1/2 the wattage you only need 1/2 the voltage to maintain the same current and wire size. I look forward to seeing your evolving system.

Thanks for watching! Yeah I didn't really want to cram it all in the little compartment but that was the only spot I could make it all work. Thankfully there were no leaks in the year of travel but that was definitely something I kept a close eye on. We have since sold the camper and built out a different camper on a flatbed - I had much more room to plan the layouts. Stay tuned for version 2.0 build videos in the coming months!

Thanks! It's easy to get creative when space is so limited haha The next camper video will have all of that info in there and is coming soon! 😎

It looks like YT removed all of the links from the description. Sorry about that! I just added them into a comment, which seemed to work.

The cabinet was definitely a great addition. Unfortunately, I can't give you the exact model because we just walked in and bought it in store. It was untreated when we bought it and we just bought a small can of stain to treat it, the cabinet was similar to this. www.lowes.com/pd/Project-Source-Omaha-Unfinished-36-in-W-x-12-in-H-x-12-5-in-D-Unfinished-Poplar-Door-Wall-Ready-To-Assemble-Cabinet-Recessed-Panel-Shaker-Door-Style/5013901529 A couple tips for installation are make sure to use a stud finder in the roof to make sure you hit good studs in the roof, (a good portion of the roof is styrofoam filled). Also leave 3-4" gap from the wall to accommodate the canvas when you lower the top down. I think we did 3" and it was a bit tight when dropping the top down. If you notice on the bottom rack of our cabinet where we had the towels, the edges were rounded and there was carpet stapled on them. This was to keep the canvas from snagging on the corners of the cabinet.

@@twocatsandacamper Thank you., I bought the cabinet. But Im told that I dont have any roof support outside the 4" wood on the outside edge. How di you mount your cabinet? pics? Thank you

@@jdstrd Nice! We just used a stud finder, there is also support framing that runs out around the air conditioning location to give you an idea of where to look. They pre-frame for air conditioners even if yours doesn't have one in it. Here is the info I got from Northstar on that location if you don't have an AC. The center of the AC hole should be 41" from the inside of the roof rafters and 81" from the inside or the rear roof rafter. Tie into the edge of the 4" around the edge on the back side of the cabinet, and then try to hit the runners that go out to the AC framing. If you want it 4" away from the wall just use a piece of plywood and tie it into firmly into the edge but have it extend out so you can tie the back side of the cabinet to the plywood. But get a stud finder if you don't have one.

Thanks for watching! We thought it was interesting too! Yes, that area was really lovely- and SO green! That's a good question. We've met at least one cat that likes water (even the ocean) but I'd guess the majority don't.

Thanks Mark!! We'll definitely reach out when we're passing through 😎

Thanks for watching! So glad to have another wanderer following our Pan-American journey. Ocean hot springs are so cool. We haven't been to the one in Bahía Concepción but it sounds like something to add to our Baja list. Definitely! Here's a link to the video where we take the ferry from La Paz to mainland México. There are plenty more overland adventures after that one as well. ruclips.net/video/WnYYrenHPbg/видео.html Gracias amigo!

Yes, for sure! It was such a fun day! Especially since we didn't expect to find any of these adventures when we first arrived 🤩 But the unexpected adventures are almost always the best.

Yes, surprisingly, I don't think we encountered many accidents at all in Mainland México or Guatemala, especially considering the driving in some places 😂 Organized chaos, I suppose? Haha

Such an interesting place. And yes, I'm sure!! Those steps were challenging 😅

Thanks so much for the kind words!! It was an amazing experience! 🤩 As for following along, we usually leave some clues in the video (road/attraction signs) if we don't name a place. Sometimes there's more info in the description (check the #;s at the bottom) as well. Many of the spots we stay/visit are on the App Ioverlander- it's a great resource! But these are fantastic ideas for vids in the future. Thanks! 😊

Welcome to the journey!! Thanks for following along. We actually have 2! They are both Bengals.

Aww Thanks Kathleen! We're so happy to hear that you're following along with the journey! The camper sure has a lot of stories to tell 🫶

Yes!! 🤩

Thanks Jesse, I definitely wouldn't trade the experiences we've had over the past year and a half for anything. Thanks for following along, I hope mining and flying are going well!

Thanks so much Lorrie 🥹 You're the sweetest to say that ❤

Haha 💯!!

We think so too 😻

Thanks so much!! Glad you enjoyed it.

So glad you enjoyed it!!