Leaderboard

Looking closer at my rollout battery tray I began to see a couple of things I don't like. BTW, I have the (4) T-105 battery option. First is the catch mechanism. It has about 3/4" of play that allows the batteries to roll out and in just enough to hammer the catch while driving. Second is that the batteries pinch the wires against the back of the battery cabinet. With the wires crossed back there, there will be a short eventually. I fixed this with a 5/8' thick piece of wood dropped in front of the catch to take up the play. It's about 3" X 15 3/4" and fits nicely. Then I slid some split loom over the wires and routed them over the top of the batteries as I pushed the tray back in. This should make the battery box much safer and less likely to break the catch. Check yours out to make sure it's OK.

John, you are correct there will always be some movement between the ball and coupler, it may even wear the chrome plating on the ball, it may develop rust. Grease is just fine to use so you are welcome to do what works best for your situation. The WD Hitch only comes with our plated steel ball but due to the minimal movement between it and the coupler grease is not necessary. Will grease extend the lifespan? Yes, but even without a lubricant the ball and coupler will outlast the tow vehicle, the trailer and most likely the owner's desire to pull a trailer. So let's leave this up to the end user to decide if the messy hands and greasy shin wounds be more of a benefit than an oxidized ball.

As some of you already know, Twist and I have just returned to the mountains of Western North Carolina (home) after a two month trip to Wyoming for some fly fishing. We spent time at Boysen State Park, the town of Meeteetse, west of Cody on the North Fork of the Shoshone River, north of Cody at Dead Indian, Sunlight and Hunter Peak. Then nine days in Yellowstone at Pebble Creek Campground before hitting West Yellowstone to do laundry and restock the pantry and fridge - plus get something actually cooked by someone other than myself. Then it was off to Falls Campground and Brooks Lake off highway 26 west of Dubois. Getting towards our final legs of the trip, we went to Horse Creek and Double Cabin north of Dubois where we actually did see fresh Grizzly tracks at the edge of Horse Creek. Then we ended up at Ring Lake and Torrey Creek where we caught our biggest fish of the trip (an 18 inch brown trout) and found a fair amount of Native American rock drawings right across from camp. A few hundred trout, numerous deer, pine martins, ground squirrels (or pocket pens as the locals call them), buffalo, elk, mountain goats, moose, antelope, wolves, and, hawks and falcons and right at 5,000 miles later we returned home. Twist was a great companion who never let me down, kept me safe, warm and dry and comfortable. I never really believed Anita when she told me that people would actually follow you into gas stations and/or rest stops in order to inquire about the Oliver. But, she was more than right! And, just try getting out of a commercial campground without at least on person wanting to know all about it. I even had two un-related couples waiting for me in the parking lot of the Cody WalMart to return from shopping so they could see the interior. I may have mentioned this before, but, if you are planning a trip west for 2017, be careful. Due to the total eclipse that is scheduled for next summer, I was told that for at least the two weeks either side of the eclipse all hotels and camp grounds for virtually the entire length of highway 26 (think from Jackson through Dubois and down toward Rawlins ) are already booked solid. Here are a few pictures from the trip:

Ran across this page by chance. It is excellent and chock full of great information. Some of the pics are scary because it is focussed on (rusty) boat trailers, but the info is solid and very complete. http://www.leeroysramblings.com/Boat%20Trailer_brakes.htm John Davies Spokane WA

We chose the camper shell. One of the trade offs that comes with the Oliver's size, construction and technology is a bit less storage space for bulky items. These need to go in the truck. A sliding/rolling tonneau cover sat a bit lower than the bed rails and we needed to pack a few items that would have been too tall to close and lock the cover. Our travel plans include combining campgrounds and hotels and we need secure storage. The second influence was grandchildren. Oliver has three beds and we have three grandchildren that are too young to sleep outside on their own-grandpa sleeps outside. A fitted air mattress goes a long way in making this comfortable. Camper shell avoids camper's hell.

Nice job on the pictures. We need to order that kit as soon as we get back from our trip to Florida. We have about 15,000 miles and are getting some creaking, so it's time for the replacement. May have to get it done, since my floor jack is about wore out and not sure it would lift it. Stan