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I've had 3 tire failures on my '08 Elite. The first one occurred at 65 mph and I have no idea if it was a blowout or a gradual deflation. My first indication of trouble was strong vibration. Damage was limited to cosmetic in the wheel well and the wheel rim (the tire was completely shredded, of course). The next two were after installing a TPMS made by TST (Truck System Technologies). One was caused by a leaking valve stem. The tire dealer didn't have rigid stems that are needed with the monitor and the flexible stem that was on the wheel eventually gave out. The other was merely a puncture in the tire. In both cases I got plenty of warning to avoid running until the tire was completely flat and causing damage. The valve stem failure happened on a busy interstate and rather than having to change the tire there I was able to quickly add some air and drive another mile or so to an exit, all the while reading the pressure displayed in the cab so I didn't run it flat. Note that when I first got on the road in all three cases the tire pressures were just fine. Only the TPMS will help when trouble occurs while rolling. I tell new RVers that I'd put a TPMS very high on my list of aftermarket upgrades. There is great peace of mind in being able to know exactly what the tire pressure is at all times, especially when it's cold and rainy outside and you just want to get going.

The spare tire cover protects the tire from UV. It is also good for art work, mounting a rear view camera, and just overall appearance enhancement.

Hey Gang! I just completed two small... very small ... mods on the Flying Sea Turtle. I added a second Ruggid RV Rug to the steps and installed EZE Gutters. EZE Gutters - These have been very extensively posted about and Thanks to all who shared their wisdom. I can add that I chose to run the gutters all the way down the sides for each of the three big windows. I ordered two 10' pieces and cut the needed length from each to do the windows above the bunks with a single piece. For the window over the dinette, I used two pieces with a splice in the middle top of the window. Not enough left over to do the bathroom window and that was just fine for me... Bathroom gets wet anyway. Alcohol to clean before putting the gutters on, and now they are on tight! We all know what they look like so i wont post pics on this. Ruggids RV Step Rugs - We bought one of these on the road and liked it so much that I sent away to Camping World for another. They install easy with the provided LARGE Zip Ties. We all know how easy the steps on Ollie get dirty and how hard they are to clean. These look nice, help keep dirt in the trailer down and even reduce the noise of folding the steps a bit. Pictures attached. They are about $19 each from CW. Safe travels everyone! Scotty .... and Donna who is napping on the couch... and the FST... and the Blue Whale. Later!

I was bothered by the movement of the bike rack on my Oliver and decided to make some alterations. I changed the configuration of the rack so I could use my Thule Critierum rack with it. Just installed it and have not yet tried it out but expect it to be more stable. Stability was my concern, the other one moved around a lot and was damaging the bikes. Grayson Hull#112

Long discussion here. IMHO a Stone Stomper from Australia will work great, and I would recommend them over the Rock Tamers which are marginal. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/gravel-roads-protecting-the-front-of-the-oliver/ I emailed Oliver asking for the three critical dimensions required for ordering and I never got an answer. So you would need to do some measuring. You will need to figure out a solid way to anchor the two rear corners of the fabric guard. I think a long piece of thick wall square aluminum tubing bolted across the top of the A frame, just forward of the cabin, would work, but this is conjecture from photos. You would have to make slots in the back of the propane bottle blister for clearance. You can't just screw the supplied steel brackets into the fiberglass of the cabin. That would be asking for major problems. Depending on what tires you are using on your TV, you can _dramatically_ reduce the number of thrown stones by switching to an aggressive offroad tire with large voids, like a BFG Mud Terrain or Cooper Discoverer STT. They do not grip and toss gravel nearly as much as do All-Terrains and street tires. Plus they offer much more secure and predictable handling and braking on those pesky pea gravel forest roads. This is very important when you are pulling three tons of trailer.... Your Ollie needs mudflaps also, to protect the glass, jacks and water valves behind the rear wheels. If you haven't upgraded your suspension, you really should do so, soon! The regular Dexter suspension bushings and shackles are minimal at best. They will deteriorate very quickly when subjected to the dust and washboard of a typical forest or ranch road. Also, travel trailer leaf spring suspensions are notoriously unreliable when beaten on by potholes and severe sideways loading during maneuvering on uneven terrain. You should consider carrying a spare leaf spring and hardware at the very least, and the tools to change it in the boonies. I hope to install a Timbren tandem suspension on my future Oliver.... If we complain enough to Oliver they might eventually respond with an upgraded "severe duty" suspension option for those of us in the arid western states. I don't think they really understand how different the road conditions can be here from those in Tennessee. BTW, three to four hours of gravel per day is not at all uncommon on my vacation trips. This kind of travel will absolutely eat up unprotected trailers. This is SW Montana somewhere near Bannack ghost town .... Lovely and very, very remote. Please keep us informed if you do get a Stone Stomper, and give us some pics! John Davies Spokane WA