Coyote Howls?

[highdesertranger]

that site says over 600 square feet. that's 600 square feet of south facing roof. any north facing roof does no good and east, west only make power for a limited amount of time. your confusing square feet of the house/shack with south facing roof square feet. highdesertranger

 

[bigskybob]

There is a dirt road just south of Ajo (the name escapes me at the moment)with thousands of beautiful boondocking spots.Pretty good VFW in Ajo.

 

[Jeffrey Lee]

Perhaps you're thinking of a gable-type roof. When the previous poster proposed installing a solar system on the roof of a shed, I imagined what is known as a shed-style roof, as seen here, in which case the entire roof surface could be utilized for the solar array:

http://www.irfanview.us/wp-content/...sic-trackbox-co-contemporary-ideas-design.jpg

Beyond that, I know very little about solar systems except that they typically produce their rated output only under optimal conditions, so going bigger is better.

 

[jimindenver]

I design off grid systems and what it would take to create a 10000 watt system is mind boggling. The room needed and expense would be prohibitive.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I was just thinking of a solar panel setup with a 12,000+ watt output . . . Enough panel-energy output would generate revenue to pay off the panels and/or power the other rigs along the power line

If you are planning on solar for more than personal use there are added requirements you will have to meet:  
If you are going to sell to the power company you will need a licensed electrician to sign off on your setup and connect you to the grid.
If you are going to sell power to others you need a business license with more requirements.

. . . I was told that you could add a storage shed.  At that time, that was the only option . . . 

In most jurisdictions there is a limit on the size of a storage shed, usually 80 or 100 sq. ft. that you can build without a building permit.  Most mobile home parks use that requirement to limit shed size.
There are not many places in the US that one can build a structure and live in it without a certificate of occupancy; which mean meeting all building codes.

 

[bigskybob]

I have 35 100 watt panels on my small shop.These supply my 14 205 amp crown batteries.I have plenty of power but after 2 days of rain my batteries are down to about 60%.I use a lot of power.When it comes time for new batteries,i'm going with 16 instead of 14.For me,I'd rather have plenty of power instead of sweating every amp I use.On my camper,I only have 3 panels supplying 2 wally world rv batteries.When I'm camping I have to be more cognizant of my power usage.Of course everybody has different needs.

 

[maki2]

Seems like some people want to over-improve a true bit of independent, range riding cowboy. western culture and turn it into a dude ranch culture.

You need solar power then get your own and be a self sufficient cowboy who can carry what he needs on his own pack mule.

 

[wanderin.pat]

Having spent a whole 2 or 3 hours in Why, AZ and both of the Coyote Howls campground, I can say with virtually no certainty that it seems that the people who stay there are pretty content with the situation as it is.  I am certainly no expert on the socio/political/economic demographics of the area and may be completely wrong.  

That being said, I will continue to spout my observations.  I believe that if anyone wanted the comfort of shore power in their living situation, it would be easy enough to remedy.  Like, move across the street to the full-hookup CG.  Or , rent a house or apartment.   It didn't strike me as a place that charged a lot for rent.  Maybe I'm wrong. 

Also, the people in "town" are extremely friendly.  I was sitting under the shade of the tree, and a local just came up and started a conversation.  She invited me to lunch with herself and husband.  I was apparently parked in front of their mailbox!  DUH!  What that has to do with the situation is unclear.  

That was a long way around to saying , I don't think the residents would be much interested in someone "selling" solar power.  I most certainly could be wrong.  It happened once.  

Regards, 

WP

 

[wayne49]

@wanderin.pat
Thank you.

People who live in places such as Ajo/Why, typically are not into the cutting edge of society.
More likely they want to be left alone by the powers that be.

East CG is an alternative for boondocking without the ranger checking on how long you have been parked. Boondocking with shower facilities, grocery store, library, etc. And I would think a modicum of security for anything you leave behind while you day trip to Organ Pipe.

Parked in front of their mailbox and they invite one to lunch. Back East they would have either, called the police to move you or they would have passive aggressively dealt with you. Back in Union, KY there was a guy who thought that he owned the parking space on the public street in front of his house. His side was the parking is legal side. The side I was on had no parking signs. Reason was lost on him.

You don't want to block rural mailboxes as a rule.

 

[wanderin.pat]

Parked in front of their mailbox and they invite one to lunch. Back East they would have either, called the police to move you or they would have passive aggressively dealt with you. 

You don't want to block rural mailboxes as a rule.

@wayne49... I agree.. in fact most anyplace would have been less-than-friendly.  

I was parked off of the road , under the shade of a tree.  I didn't realize I was in front of a row of mailboxes.  
You're right, as a rule, blocking those rows of rural mailboxes is not a good idea.  

She was very gracious.  I still may rent an annual space at the campground, just to have a place to "crash" if I need to.  And possibly to establish a domicile.  AZ is one of my favorite places. 

Regards,

WP

 

[Kathleen]

I called Coyote Howls East several weeks ago. Was told by employee their rules recently changed. Only trailers or rvs fully self contained can rent now on annual basis. And either type of rig must be built by the manufacturer, not DIY build. Major disappointment.

So in my minivan I would be required to stay up near the front with short term visitors. And you can only stay in that area 90 days then you have to leave. Bummer. I wanted to rent annually, stay in a more remote quiet area of the campground.

 

[Elbear1]

Wow if i didnt know any better the rv industry is pushing this kind of discrimination.

Idk why the more successful youtube stars making a pretty damn good income havent gone into a land trust. Especially with blm and now apparently coyote howls hostility towards us.

 

[bullfrog]

It is very hot and dusty during the summer there. There is BLM land within sight of Coyote Howls as well as a Reservation Casino and Organ Pipe National Monument nearby. There are several older reasonable RV parks in Ajo and on the outskirts of Tucson. Most people get there in November and leave no later than May. If you are really serious about renting annually just buy an old cheap travel trailer and leave it on the lot year round. I don't think they would care if you live in your van or not. I would highly recommend you visit and stay there before committing to a yearly lease. Believe me there is little or no organization in places like Coyote Howls dealing with big industry, they are most likely trying to clean up their image to bring in more paying customers. Coyote Howls is a good deal for residency but you don't get much more than you are paying for in my opinion.

 

[maki2]

I would suspect that in order to get insurance they had to make some changes. But there might well be some background push on the insurance companies by the RVIA group which is of course involves the major manufacturing of RVs. Trying to convince the insurance industry that they have the only truly safe RVs. They have done this very same thing to the Tiny House movement.

It gets tougher every year to live a simple life.

 

[maki2]

I wish it was not headed in that direction for Coyote Howls, I liked very much that things were more loosely held previously. I guess I will never get to experience what that place was originally meant to be.

I don't know that Coyote Howls owners have any actual hostility towards nomadic van dwellers as I have never had direct contact with them.

 

[highdesertranger]

jeez straight to a conspiracy theory. highdesertranger

 

[Kathleen]

I lived in So. AZ earlier in life. Wanted to rent annually for the small fee, live on the same spot four months out of the year. Had hoped to find an empty old trailer cheap with no roof leaks or mold. Something I could stand up in, move everything from the minivan inside.

Jus a 14 footer would have done it for me. Cheap was the key word. But now trailers must have shower, toilet, stove, grey and black tanks installed by manufacturer which means higher cost. I already have a bed, chairs, table, stove, Porta potty, shower system.

When I read this thread last night someone mentioned a similar place for 800 annual. Please let me know the name if you see it. I want to look into that location. Thanks!

 

[bullfrog]

Right now on Craigslist Tucson is a private owner southwest of town offering lots with water for $200 a month. Storage was cheap out in Benson near the Escapees park less than $20 a month when I checked. If you do get a full hookup trailer I believe you can find a trailer park in Benson with full hook ups for $350 to $450 a month and many have a 6 months occupancy where the trailer stays year round stay deal. These a popular with older snowbirds as it is way hot in the summer. Caballo Loco out past Three Points is where I winter and was $880 a year for a primitive lot last year but it is at almost 4,000 feet so we did get some snow and cooler temps last year. It is dirt road for a little over 8 miles in with washes so it would be hard on a minivan and close to the border. Seems there are more border patrol vehicles than any other on the road. I believe YouTube has some old videos of the road in. If you only stay 4 months you might choose the monthly fee and a storage space which I believe was $25 a month for storage. Once you are there you will probably want an off road capable vehicle as most use them to get around and out to the mailbox. There are occasional water shortages and electric power is only 12 hours one day a week during the summer and last year was 9AM till 9PM almost everyday in the winter.

 

[wayne49]

I would suspect it is more likely that Coyote Howls' insurance carrier made the RV certification restriction a requirement for liability insurance.
Just business, nothing personal.

 

[maki2]

There are aluminum metal registration plaques with build dates and serial numbers on them. Sometimes the name of the company is pretty worn away and hard to read. Mine is of course original to my vehicle but there is no way to go on the internet and verify anything it says. Maybe there is a matching paper record somewhere in some box in a warehouse but it is not as if the trailer park is going to take the time to find it much less any local inspector. There are also plastic RVIA certification plates that go back a lot of years. Head to the junk yard with a drill motor and screw driver.

Fortunately my vintage 1971 travel trailer is one that I can document as having been made by a known professional RV company even though they are no longer in business and were only in business for a couple of years. Of course the company records are long gone and their serial numbers make no sense to anyone, lol.