Leaderboard

I just bought one. ?

Tom, Have a habit of taking photos of stuff like that, from the job I retired from!!!! :)

I have used Meguiars Marine wax for over 10 years on Casita's, Escape's, and now the Oliver. I have tried several other products but have always gone back to the Meguiars. https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-M6332-Flagship-Premium-Marine/dp/B0000AY60S?th=1

Don, Sorry to hear about the woes of your travel experience up this way. I feel your pain! FWIW, this is not a new situation with fires in just the last couple of years. I've lived in Montana for over 40 years and yes there were always threats of fires and a few cropped up from time to time, probably the most famous being the Yellowstone fires of 1988 but even that was unusual in those days. I used to live here for the summers, certainly not the winters, having frost bitten my feet a couple of times with long cross country ski trips. Anymore summers are a season of dread, I'm dead serious about this. Air quality here in SW Montana is awful now although our fire season started considerably later than all of our neighboring states, mostly due to the extreme winter we had with heavy snow. But we get smoke from fires in other states as far away as CA, NV, OR and or WA and others. What I am getting to is we have been experiencing wide spread western fire seasons such as this for what has to be a decade ± a year or so by now, and doubt there will be much of an end to it anytime soon if ever. I can understand those who want to come earlier (May & June), and you can certainly do that but understand there will still be lots of snow in the mountains meaning hiking becomes very difficult if not impossible unless you're an extremist. For active people you might end up with a windshield tour of the area rather than a true outdoor adventure unfortunately. Weather can also be highly unpredictable during these months too. Its not at all uncommon to experience 1-3 foot blizzards and snowstorms during April and May, (they are a given in Mar-Apr) here in Bozeman at just under a mile high. I have photographs to prove it too. But on a good year May and early June can be downright gorgeous with snow capped peaks and green grass and fields that defy the imagination. Just don't expect to bag too many peaks during this time. Lower elevation cycling is generally good however during this period, albeit a bit brisk and chilly at times. Come prepared. Feel free to contact me directly for any future trips, be glad to provide an on the ground report. Hope this helps, but probably not too encouraging.

Agreed, my last two summers have been pretty much ruined by the beginning of August. Visibility has been horrible. I have smoke and dust allergies too, so I cannot stay outdoors very long when the particle count is above 75. Thank goodness for room HEPA filters. Another thing to be VERY conscious of when rough camping is to never stay in a dead end campground. Pick one with at least two ways out, preferaby in different directions. They need to be routes that you can tow your Ollie over. It would really ruin your vacation to be incinerated, or to be helicoptered out and leave your truck and trailer behind to burn up..... I am not kidding, this is important around the West when you are in dry and brushy timberlands and desert. A SPOT or preferably an inReach should be part of your emergency gear, and keep it turned on and in a handy location, not buried in some storage compartment. Within easy grasp of the driver is best, in case you are trapped in the front seat. I keep a small hydropack with my inReach hanging behind the driver seat, it seems to keep a good satellite lock in that location, and I keep the inReach running when I grab the pack for a short hike. Speaking of packs, you should have a sizeable, well equipped bugout bag with water pouches, purifier, food bars, bear spray and/ or big-bore firearm, first aid kit, firestarter, space blanket and the minimum gear you need to survive outdoors for at least a couple of nights. My big “carry” BO pack is in the back of the truck, along with extra emergency stuff in a bright red duffle, and an extensive med kit.... Stay aware, prepared and safe. John Davies Spokane WA

Many silicone adhesive sealants are for compression gasket applications. After I removed what I believed to be 3M 4000 two times on the rear exterior Oliver LED lens above the rear window, did not want to remove it again since it's very tough stuff. Both times water leaked down from the LED housing, between the inner and outer camper shells around the rear window dripping from the bottom of the rear window onto the curbside mattress. Ended up using a flexible Marine silicone sealant to mount/seal the lens. This silicone is a multi purpose marine sealant/adhesive for above and below water applications (compression gasket) and it also bonds to fiberglass, plastic, wood, glass, metal, and ceramic tiles. No leaks for over a year since using marine silicone to seal/secure the exterior LED lens.

My ‘17 Tundra tailgate would hit the Bulldog latch. The truck would sag under load but the trailer was level using the Anderson in it’s highest position. I installed the Firestone air bags to level the truck and was able to lower the hitch one hole so that the trailer is still level. The tailgat now clears by a couple inches. I didn’t have to make much if any change to the Anderson adjustment due to the fact that the relative position between the hitch and trailer remains the same. The air bags require about 15 pounds for a level truck/trailer. I fabricated a manifold so that I can add air to either side or both air bags and have a built in gauge to check the pressure. I also mounted an old Coleman air compressor next to the manifold for adding air, and plug the compressor in the trailer connector as needed.

John, I hope you are not referring to me as an older gentleman; anyone regardless of age could slip and fall if not careful. Also I keep our trailer washed and polished it still looks like the day I picked up the trailer, without going on the roof! Currently the only reason for going on the roof is to replace the defective MaxxAir cover.

An exended “rack” for your Anderson would be much more cost effective. Would an extra 3 inches get it to clear? It did on my 200. It also gives you more maneuvering clearance when backing. https://andersenhitches.com/Products/33734-custom-4-wdez-hd-rack-with-3-extra-shank-length--2-shank.aspx It says there that made to order custom racks are available, this is no longer true, as per a phone call with them. If you need more than 3 inches a good welding shop could modify yours for less than $100. Don’t let your handyman brother in law mess with it, it needs to be very high quality work. Airbags would work but you must inflate them, then rig the correct tension on the chains. If you use the old thread count with the bumper sittiing higher than before, the weight distribution geometry and tension will be off. It is wrong to rig your system, then lift it up afterwards. That slackens the chains. A big plus for the airbags is for levelling when your bed is fully loaded, for when you need a ton of bark for the yard. It does NOT increase your payload at all. You must keep a minimum of 5 psi in the bags to prevent damage to the material, so expect a slightly stiffer ride and a taller bumper height when not towing. http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1607-air-suspension-basics-for-towing/ I use airbags on my 200, in addition to the Anderson, and really like them. In addition to leveling they firm up the ride enough in back to make the entire rig feel a little more stable and planted on choppy roads. I only use 12 psi towing (max is 30). I use a bike pump to adjust pressure, it takes a couple of minutes to add air, and much less to remove air. An onboard compressor would be very handy, but a $15 pump and $7 20-psi stick air gauge work fine. John Davies Spokane WA

The ladder by the spare tire was just for watching him. He came up on the driver side. That Tech knows what he is doing, he has done more than a few of these. He works for EasyStart and did around 25 installs at this years rally. :-)

Well, “Mouse” does get very dusty there, without a doubt! - however, a completely unsealed white cover won’t keep out much dust. If you never drive off pavement at all, then yours may look much better, but I guarantee that eventually there wll be some chafing and gelcoat damage. It is unavoidable due the design which clamps a flexible sidewall against a fixed cosmetic surface. I check the pressure bimonthly, and use the spare in the tire rotation, so I see underneath more than an owner who might never remove it. ? I do think it is worth checking your pressure, cleaning the area, and taking a look, even if you run a TPMS sensor. If you see white staining on your good sidewall, you have a problem. If your tire pressure gets very low, the damage will likely be greater since the sidewall will move much more. Keep the clamp cranked down as hard as possible by hand! It’s an absolutely beautiful piece of craftsmanship but I think the design of the mount could be greatly improved. I would be a happier if the tire could be carried good side out, clamped hard by lug nuts to a flat plate.... at the very least it would make routine access to the valve stem simple, because the factory way is frankly stupid in this regard. Future project, but way down on my Honey Do list! John Davies Spokane WA