bugeyedriver

Greetings from Grand Prairie, Alberta! This is my third year up in Canada and I have found it to be a breeze (except for the Quebec Province where all of the signs are in French and some store personnel look at you like you're from Mars) Border crossing with a passport or border card is easy . . . bring NO firearms or ammo!! ATMs are all over, just like the states and will gladly give you Canadian dollars for a nominal fee, just like the states. The exchange rate is close to 1CND = .74USD. You'll quickly get used to the colorful paper denominations and coins that are similar in size to their US counterparts. Cell phone service is widespread. Check with your provider about coverage. I have a Version plan that includes Canada. Although my data plan is unlimited, after a lot of use, to may "throttle down" for the rest of the day. No biggie. All town libraries have great, high speed data flow, as do many fast food restaurants. Best of all . . . it's not as hot up here.

ENJOY!

Never Lube Bearings? Not....So....Fast....Moosebreath. I spoke to the Dexter Axle guru at the Ollie rally and inquired about the newfangled "Never Lube" bearing products on the market. He stated the "Never Lube" concept is for those folks with trailers who may take them out several times a year to a campground relatively close home. In this case, their need for maintenance would be very minimal, virtually making it a never-lube proposition. After asking him how that would apply to a guy like me, who takes his trailer out for 10,000 to 15,000 miles a year, he said that, in all honesty, the never lube bearings still need inspections and might need a major repair/replacement somewhere around 40,000 miles. So I figure I'll stick with my ten year old protocol of getting them inspected and repacked or replaced annually before I head out on a big wander. How about you?

I just received an email notification about a PM. Yippeeeee

Many years ago, my A/C drain problem was fixed by giving a firm tug to the tube as it exited the trailer. It straightened out a kink in the line and everything flowed nicely after that.

I did it just like that for years until a fellow traveller told me of a simpler method. Now, I simply pour the clorox directly into the water hose prior to hooking it up to the water bib at home. I find this to be easier and it cleans some bugs out of the water hose at the same time.

You'd smack the ground just as hard falling from 80 feet as 250 feet but the woohooo should be better up higher! Count me in - level 2 Anytime would be fine.

From John's customer service contact: My two monitors arrived today and shall travel with me this summer. I plan to use the small snack Zip-Lock baggies as an extra moisture / dirt barrier. I get so many good ideas from the forum. Thanks, ya'll!

My 2008 Tacoma Prerunner with a 4.0L V6 faithfully towed my Elite 18.5 over 112,000 miles. Because it currently has 236,000 miles on it and I go to some far away locations, I've recently purchased a new TV as an insurance policy. I've chosen a 2018 F150 FX4 with the 5.0L V8 and a six and a half food bed for more cargo space. The Tacoma is a proven performer but I wasn't sure about the newer, smaller 3.5L engine going the distance towing as much as I do. The extra cargo space will also come in handy. So far, the F150 gets the same or better mpg, not towing, as the Taco. Haven't tested it yet on a long trip pulling the trailer, but am hopeful on its performance under load.

The other lady does rather well, being one legged and in a high heel.

The Duo Mini Instant Pot is perfect for one or two people and you won't be stuck with a pile of leftovers. Leave your crockpot at home and bring this instead so you will also have a pressure cooker! It is versatile and easy to use. Very well made components. You can go exploring all day and come back to an aromatic crockpot delight or bring home freshly purchased ingredients and whip up a meal quickly in your safe, programable pressure cooker. I love mine.

Pete & Bosker are wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year. May all your camping dreams come true.

If you have retired your Ollie for the winter season and it is plugged in and you don't plan on using it until Spring, I would tend to let it stay and melt away when the temperature rises. If you want to use the panels for electrical production for your batteries or intend to do some winter camping, that's something else. The panels should be strong enough to withstand the snow. After all, they are installed on rooftops all over the country. Although they are silicone there is a bit of elasticity in them that aids in resilience against inclement weather conditions. Snow also cleans your panels. I have 43 panels on my roof and after a recent 2' snowfall melted away the panels were sparkling clean. Here's a good read on the subject https://energy.gov/eere/articles/let-it-snow-how-solar-panels-can-thrive-winter-weather

MY Tacoma has produced flawlessly for 235,ooo miles and still runs like a Swiss watch after towing The Wonder Egg for 112,000 miles. Since I tend to travel to far away places, I did not want to roll the dice much longer and potentially be stranded in the wilderness, so I though I'd retire my good steed and purchase a newer one. I chose the 5.0L V8 F150 for its potential longevity. I was not too sure about the F150 turbo boosted engines for extended mileage or the 3.5L engines found int the newer Tacos.

Sure looked pretty at my place the morning after the dusting.

It turns the water pump on or off, like the switch in the galley. Note - if you flip the outside water pump switch and do not return it to the original position, your inside galley water pump switch operation will be reversed. To use either of these switches, the water pump must be enabled on the master panel, just inside the door.

"We live in a rain forest" Ever consider moving? Just Kidding!!!! OK, your weep holes are clear, that's good. When was the last time (when it wasn't raining buckets outside) you slid your windows open wide and used compressed air and tweezers to blow out / pick out the seeds, pine needles, dirt, etc from your rubberized channel the window slides on? I neglected this many years ago and was confounded as to why the water would slide over the bottom railing. Well, the water did not have a clear pathway to get to the weepholes outside that I had already cleared with compressed air ... Duh! No problems since. On the other hand - I have no answer to the water coming in from the top. Hmmmmmmmmmmm . . . . . . ..

In my 2008 Ollie . . . pre super-de-duper latest technology insulation type, I added two 110 outlets between the shells and plugged in a couple of low wattage bilge heaters. When the air temp between the shells dips below 40 they come on until the intra-shell space reaches 50 degrees. Of course, this requires hookups to accomplish. We first leearned of this vulnerability when Mountainborn and Technomadia were caught in a tundra like blizzard and they both experienced problems near the outside shower area. Initally, I only had one bilge heater. But after getting stuck in a minus 6 degree wind chill for three days and having my water pump freeze (pre super-de-duper insulation) I added another heater between the shells on the curb side. Now I can tough it through the deep freeze as I plan which direction th roll outta there to a warmer place.

If you landed your helicopter longitudinally on your RV, with the tail boom hanging out the back, and then tied down the blades so they would not rotate, you could drive to your next destination and then go exploring with your own private air surveillance toy. Sweeeeeeeet

When my original vent cap became brittle from UV exposure, I replaced it with a cool looking one I saw on an Escape. It's the "360 Siphon RV Vent Cap" from Camping World. It uses the Bernoulli Principle, from fluid physics that says "a region of fast flowing fluid exerts lower pressure on its surroundings than a region of slow flowing fluid." This cap has no moving parts to develop noise issues. It works regardless of the direction the wind is blowing due to the convex shape on the underside of the top piece which causes the low pressure to develop. Before having it put on, I sprayed it with Krylon plastic paint for protection from UV damage. It required a bit of sculpting with the sealant due to the curvature of the Elite's roof on the curbside near the cap.

On my trip to Newfoundland this summer, I found the portable induction stove very handy to help with quick breakfasts outside and searing steaks in the evening after they rested in the sous-vide bath for an hour and a half to a perfect temperature of 129 degrees. It comes with a convenient canvas carrying bag and hides unobtrusively in the closet when not in use. If you must have consistent low temps for your recipes, Christmas is right around the corner, and a Vollrath would fit nicely down the chimney. Just saying . . .

The Wonder Egg, Ollie #14, single axle with a spring over axle high lift is set up as follows: 16" wheels tire outer diameter 28" Trailer level to ground, the distance from the ground to the top INSIDE of the Bulldog (Where the ball touches) is 21.5" Loaded tongue weight 360 lbs Taco for TV with Roadmaster Suspension Assist springs attached results in about a 3" drop when trailer is attached. Hitch has a 3" rise, resulting in the top of the ball being at 24.5" With my spring-over-axle setup, my hitch height might vary from a newer single axle Elite. Getting 360 lbs worth of friends to hop on the end of your TV is a good idea to see how much you might settle. Thanks for your pictures, Dave. Any more recent Elite I owners out there with a tape measure care to chime in? ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Although my Taco has 233,000 miles on it, the leaf springs are newly replaced due to a Toyota TSB. I replaced the shocks at the same time. It has always had a "soft" rear end that liked to sag under weight. The Roadmaster Suspension Assist springs have greatly enhanced the ride while towing (and not towing) and the sag has been reduced from its original drop. Whatever your TV, check the anticipated drop under load and buy your hitch accordingly.

As an owner of one of the early "Stripper Pole" (woohoo!) high lift Ollies and someone who flew jets and helicopters for a living, I am very familiar with issues regarding center of gravity and dynamic rollover. With The Wonder Egg sitting high, the reason I always travel with a full fresh water tank is to keep the center of gravity as low as possible in order to improve stability during angular acceleration under windy conditions. I also moderate my speed under those conditions whenever possible. This has worked well for 112,000 miles (knock on wood). Given the extra 5 feet of length and additional height of fiberglass in the Elite II, combined with additional storage space at higher levels you will be catching more wind and can raise your center of gravity higher. I realize your stance is slightly wider but would want to know, engineering wise, what the implications of any lift would be. Perhaps you would be encroaching on an unsafe condition with an extreme lift to your trailers. While it might enhance off road travel, you need to consider all ramifications of such a modification. Be safe out there and have FUN.

I can also vouch for Boerne RV. They are located about 20 miles north of San Antonio, TX which is also a nice place to visit and see the sites. Over the last 9 years, they have helped me with The Wonder Egg (Elite I) and the work has been done professionally. They have experience with both the Elite I and Elite II. The owners, Ron & Debbie, are very personable and easy to work with. They can be reached at: 830-816-3883.

Early Oliver owners knew Robert well. His smile and personable approach helped us greatly as we went through the process of selecting and building our Olivers. Robert was more than a super salesman, he was a friend, and he shall be fondly remembered and missed. Godspeed, dear friend. Pete