bugeyedriver

John, thanks for the correction. Sorry about that. I was working on information of how it was back 7 years ago when only the single axle Elite was in production. My apologies to all for the misinformation. Pete

Count the number of lugs on your wheels. If you have 5 lugs, you have the 3500 lb axle. A 5200 lb axle will have 6 lugs. (CORRECTION: ERROR.....see Raspy's reply to this at his 11:29 posting later today)

They are welcome to it. No dogbones requred. Ya listening, Anita? Use it as you wish . . .

I camped near the giant General Sherman tree, at Lodgepole campground. The picture was taken during my descent to the southern exit. It is very very very winding road with many miles of hairpin curves. You folks in the Ollie II should call ahead to make sure they'll allow you on that route. Here is a comment from the park's information: Generals Highway The section of the Generals Highway leading from the Sequoia park entrance to the Giant Forest sequoia grove was built in the early 1920s and connot accommodate longer vehicles. Vehicles longer than 22 feet (6.7 m) are not advised between Potwisha Campground and the Giant Forest Museum in Sequoia National Park. Good luck . . . (sometimes being short comes in handy)

Sequoia National Park, 2008

Heres a listing of approved lubricants from the Dexter company: Approved Grease Sources Chem Arrow- Arrow 2282 Chevron Texaco- Chevron Ulti-Plex Grease EP #2 Texaco Starplex Moly MPGM #2 Citgo- Lithoplex MP #2 Lithoplex CM #2 Mystik JT-6 Hi-Temp Grease #2 ConocoPhillips/ 76 Lubricants/Kendall - Multiplex RED #2 L427 Super Blu Grease Dexter Company- Lithoplex Red MP #2 Exxon/Mobil Company- Ronex, MP Mobilith AW 2 Mobil I Synthetic Grease Fuchs- Renolit Uniwrl 2 Great Plains Lubricants- Lithium Complex EP #2 Oil Center Research of Oklahoma - Liquid-O-Ring No, 167L Pennzoil-Quaker State Company - Synthetic Red Grease Royal Mfg. Company- Royal 98 Lithium Complex EP #2 Shell - Gadus S3 V220C Gadus S5 V220 Rotella Heavy Duty Lithium Complex #2 Valvoline - Valvoline Multi-Purpose GM Valvoline Durablend I buy the Mystik JT-6 Hi-Temp Grease #2 (red stuff) from my local Napa store.

Buzzy, so sorry for your loss. I totally understand where you are, as my 13 1/2 yr old buddy, Oscar, passed two weeks ago of congestive heart failure. May your healing be easy. Pete

Highest point in NC, Mt Mitchell - 6684' Highest point in TX - Guadalupe Peak - 8751' ! Welcome to the Ollie clan, TexasMarshall! When you are not out wandering across the country, you will find that Texas has a well maintained and diverse State Park system as well as an active fiberglass trailer community. I live in Mike & Carol's neighborhood. If you both head up this way, I'd enjoy meeting you both. After all, we're gonna be "kin". ps Everything is bigger in Texas.

John, I've been in that workshop and Steve has the tools and gizmos to create just about anything. A master craftsman, he is. Now if he can only turn that rig into a giant smoker, he'd really be in demand at all the rallies. Well, Steve, how about it?

Bwahahahahaaaaa, no doubt! Great comprehensive report, Overland. Looking forward to "the other stuff" report. It is nice to have a company that is mindful of continuous product improvement and to get a glimpse into the future of the Ollie.

I recently told someone that although I have a 4 season camper, I'm a 3 1/2 season sort of camper. When the temp gets too low for too long, if I have an option I use some critical components of the trailer ... the wheels. I roll them south. If you break camp after breakfast, your camper will have residual heat that would last several hours before anything might get critical, temp-wise. Then you could pull over for a liesurely lunch and use the furnace for a while which would put more BTUs into the rig for your afternoon leg of the trip. No problem . . .

Hi Linda, The USPS has a mail forwarding option that comes with a fee and may not work at some locations. If you know your neighbors very well, you might try my system. I'm great friends with my backdoor neighbor and side neighbors. As I head out for an extended time, I ask one of them (on a rotating basis) if they could collect my mail, trash the "buy me" flyers and anything marked as pre-sorted mail where the stamp should be. All my bills and financial issues are automated and do not involve the mail. On the very rare instance that I may need something that arrived at my mailbox, I hunker down at someplace for a spell, go the local Post Office, and sign up for a "General Delivery" box. Then my friends will place the item(s) in an envelope or box and mail it to me under my name at the local P.O. General Delivery. Hint: It helps to smooth the situation with the occasional box of chocolate covered strawberries sent to the Mrs. of the house if you are out for months on end. Good luck and happy camping!

Over the last 8 1/2 years, I've never really worried about this much because The Wonder Egg was on the road so often. Down here in Texas, the camping season is pretty much year round. This year, however, my trailer has stayed still waaaaay too long as I tended to other things. (I plan to remedy that next year - woohoo!) I used to think having quality Michelin tires would preclude flat spots because they were not old fashioned designed or ST tires. It turns out that is a myth. Even Michelins may develop a flat spot if they happen to sit too long, especially if the pressure lowers due to a slow leak or huge temperature change. Looking around the web this evening I came across something that may solve our problems. These "flatstoppers" cradle the tire and distribute the weight over a greater area, greatly reducing the likelihood of flat spots when your rig stays still for too long. https://www.amazon.com/Race-Ramps-RR-FS-10-Wide-Flatstopper/dp/B00H5PTQGC/ref=pd_sim_263_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=QEKYKVK07WMMPN9PWTQ3 This way, their won't be too much concentrated stress on our aluminum frames or our axles. It may have potential solving for this problem. Whataya think?

The Bluebonnet was my first rally, back in the spring of 2008, just after picking up The Wonder Egg. I found a warm and welcoming group of camping enthusiasts who desired to visit the new brand of trailer in their midst and share camping experiences and ideas. Originally conceived as a Casita rally, it has morphed into a gathering of all types of fiberglass trailers. Over the years, there have been as many as four Olivers in attendance. Larry and Betty Harmon always make a big hit when they bring the traveling road show to town. The rally is packed with optional activities that help you meet fellow travelers and learn more about this unique camping lifestyle. We could all put faces to our fellow Ollie owners that we speak with here on this forum as well. It might be an idea to have an "Ollie Swarm" there and show our growing numbers and unity within the fiberglass community. OTT might even contact the Rally coordinators and offer some items for the raffle. I think Larry might have done this before. It is also done by Escape and Casita and is well received as friendly outreach. Whataya think? Will Oscar the Smiley Dog and I see ya there?

Mine stays connected, and after using it, I fill up the black tank twice and give it two good flushes. While I've never had a full on "burst at the seams" sort of accident during a flush, the hose did come apart from the connector as I was inserting it into the ground connection one time, before pulling the lever (whew). So now, I occasionally ensure the brown hose is secured into the orange connector before releasing the "stuff".

Mine stays connected and after using it, I fill up the black tank twice and give it two good flushes. While I've never had a full on "burst at the seams" sort of accident during a flush, the hose did come apart from the connector as I was inserting it into the ground connection one time, before pulling the lever (whew). So now, I occasionally ensure the brown hose is secured into the orange connector before releasing the "stuff".

Mine stays connected and after using it, I fill up the black tank twice and give it two good flushes. While I've never had a full on "burst at the seams" sort of accident during a flush, the hose did come apart from the connector as I was inserting it into the ground connection one time, before pulling the lever (whew). So now, I occasionally ensure the brown hose is secured into the orange connector before releasing the "stuff".

I've used one of these Progressive Industries units for years. It is not as complex as the one they are building into the Ollie systems, but it is portable and easy to use.

John, Here are some links to the security / location awareness items I use. Hitch lock Braided cable with all weather lock - the holes in your wheels must be large enough to accommodate the loops on this cable. For big time emergency medical assistance, I use a Spot Locator that will be able, via satellite, to get a first responder heading in my direction if I am out of phone or radio contact. The Locator is an older system which has been replaced by newer items, such as the Spot Messenger. My Spot Trace is connected to a hidden 12V outlet and secreted between the Ollies shells. It also has a battery backup in case the battery cables are disconnected.

John, Marilyn & Gracie, For me, the level of security measures I put in place depend a lot on where I'm camping. If I'm at a large rally amongst a lot of friends I may have zero physical security on the trailer and rely on my numerous pals to notice when someone other than myself is attempting to hook up to The Wonder Egg. On the other extreme, I may be boondocking at some self check in, remote Forest Service campground where I am the only resident for days. In this instance, when I am away from camp, there will be a bright yellow locking device disabling the hitch with a thick metal bar that needs to be cut through. I will also run a thick, braided and vinyl covered security cable through a hole in my wheel, over the axle, and out through another hole in the wheel, secured with a big hardened lock in a conspicuous place for appearances. Although I travel solo, I also put out two chairs to give the appearance someone may be resting inside while I'm away. These are merely visible deterrents to help keep honest people honest and to ward off the lazy thief who may wander by. Inside the trailer is a hidden GPS tracker with a battery backup, and as a last resort, in my wallet, is my insurance card. Congratulations on your decision to join the Ollie clan! Get ready for a lot of very good times ahead . . . Pete

John, I managed to get rid of my two other duplicate posts. (Whew) One of the reasons I own an Oliver is because it makes my camping experience nice and convenient. I believed a macerator would put me even further down the road towards convenience, and for a while it did just that. I was as happy as a pig rolling in . . . rolling in. . . . well you know. When it came time to consider refurbishing my magical poo machine I thought that was simply a bridge too far to cross. So I cannot really tell you how stinky a job it was since I chose not to go down that path. Perhaps JuniorBirdman can chime in and tell you about that. He probably refurbishes his, but then Eagle pilots are just plane nuts. Call me a sissy. I believe in gravity. It is always there, (until we fly off into space) and I can always refill the black tank and hurl copious amounts of fresh water down it after I have taken care of business. Pete

In 2009, I had a Thedford macerater mounted inside my bumper storage area. It was hardwired to the battery. Stinky slinky was gone and I was living large, with my poo pump and a 20 foot extendable hose which collapsed to a 7 foot, easily stored system. A notch in the upper angle bracket of the storage hold was necessary for the larger diameter of the end fitting. If you drill a hole through the back wall of the storage area to run your wire to the battery be sure you DO NOT DRILL A HOLE INTO YOUR GRAY WTER DRAIN LINE. (ahem) Due to the shallowness of the bumper storage area, and the limited vertical distance from the 3" exit line of the trailer, this is not an optimum setup. It can be easily enhanced by raising the nose of the trailer before using the macerator, to allow for a better flow of "stuff" to the macerator. Run a small bit of gray water first, in order to "prime the pump", per se, and then close the gray, open the black, and, when it is complete, follow with the remaining gray. My first pump lived for five years before going off to macerator heaven. The second one suffered an unforgivable abuse by its owner when a white plastic measuring spoon was flushed down the toilet with soapy dish water. ( I didn't see it, OK?) After those two fails, I have returned to the ancient practice of gravity feed through a 3" stinky slinky. It has worked predictably since and I figure if gravity ever fails us, I have bigger problems to worry about. (Like spinning off the earth into space)

Always opening a link in another window would be convenient. Those on the forum who understand coding may be able to incorporate this into their writings. For many on the forum, however, getting the coding right all the time may not be possible, or even rise to the level of importance for them that they wish to incorporate it into their posts. Time for true confessions now . . . . until reading this thread and doing a bit of easy searching on the web, I never knew it was even possible to "right click" on my mouseless Mac. (call me a troglodyte, it's OK, my kids do already) Even if we could inform and inspire everyone currently on the forum to add the correct code, over time, new members would join the forum and the issue would surely raise its head again. As mentioned before, the best fix is to have it incorporated into the forum workings by our IT gurus. Like all, I notice the time lag that exists on our forum. I deal with it by seeing teaching moments, allowing me to practice the art of chilling out for a bit. The lag only lasts about two deep breaths ... a nice calming moment instead of a cause for frustration. That's just me. Buzzy, you can't fool us. Your main focus is not on content that pushes knowledge transfer . . . it's on BACON!!!

I've used the same system that JuniorBirdman uses on my single axle Elite. It's the TST system. I like the setup feature whichs allows me to set the low PSI warniing level. My tires are rated load range E and I normaly inflate them to 70psi (cold temp). My low pressure warning is set at 50psi...low enough to tell me there is something happening and high enough to afford me plenty of time to take care of the issue before a significant problem occurs. I still carry and use my infrared temperature sensor to check tire, bearing hub, and brake drum temps to keep abreast of their health and well being. Cheap insurance ... Peace of mind ... Luv it.

Randy, Tom & Karen, congratulations to all of you and to the well loved Ollie who will now continue giving joy to folks who love the great outdoors and seeing this fabulous country! Tom & Karen, give me a call the next time you're boot-scooting through Texas. Randy, see you on the road . . .