Monday, June 29, 2009

Pilot's 'new' Jeep and Make-Do Trailer

My son loves his trucks and trailers. However no one builds trailers like he wants or needs, so he has to make his own trailers. So here is another one of his 'builds', it really tows nicely too.

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Here is a make-do my son just did. He is 14 and still likes his remote controls. He bought this jeep (for $2.00 at the Thrift Store) and it was missing the battery holder door, so he made one out of stiff cardboard and duct tape.

We had a learning moment with finding the correct way to use the cardboard to make it strong and non-bendable. We looked at the way cardboard is made and I had him tell me what made the board strong. (the ribs) He then took two pieces of cardboard and bent them, and he found out that the cardboard ribs were very strong and difficult to bend in half (crosswise). But they would bend quite easily between the ribs (lengthwise).


Then he made a trailer hitch from a hook off a lanyard. And he made a trailer from Popsicle sticks, an old trailer ($.25 from the Thrift store) he took apart to get parts from , and lots of hot glue.

His unit runs awesome!

However, he has yet to put the boat on it to make sure the jeep can pull the weight. But it's OK because he is still learning and experiencing.



Way to go Pilot! Another successful Build!!



(Please do NOT notice the crumbs on my floor that we have now captured for eternity! The shoe is for scale purposes. yeah right......)



Jump back to Ann's Make-Do Mondays for more Ideas

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2 comments:

  1. My kids have gotten pretty good at Pilot-style make-do creations. Sometimes it's maddening when they take the pieces from one game to merge with another (then we pull out the original game and can't play because we're missing half the pieces they forgot to replace). But, overall, I prefer the inventiveness and make-do mindset that has them working with what they have (or can get cheap at a garage sale).

    I love your photos documenting the invention, too. Always something new in your practically perfect life!

    p.s. thanks for your fountain grass encouragement over at my blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ryan,
    what a neat trailer
    it looks great
    love ya,
    grandpa Anderson

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