bugeyedriver

Mountainborn, thanks for "The REST of the story." I believe we understand, now. The newly simplified request for "two sentences about yourself" should not hinder folks from coming on into the forum. Overall, it's an improvement over the bazillion spammers that were attempting to worm their way into our family.

Andrew, That's pretty dang impressive! Normally, I shy away from the thought of carpet, but if anything was to change my mind, this nice looking quality carpet would. I'm currently hanging out in the Appalachians with SeaDawg, JuniorBridMan, ScubaRX, and Herm. The temps will be in the high 30's tonight, which can make the "2am dash" dicy. Does your friend have any contact information he'd like posted here?

Looks like the bolt failure is NOT an isolated incident. Oscar & I joined Aubrey, Rascal & Woodstock for a trip out east and out of curiosity, Aubrey took a look at my tongue bolt and discovered IT HAD FAILED!!!! I had checked it when this thread started. It was OK then, so I never gave it another thought. OOPS The nut was gone, bushing still held on by a thread, and the head of the bolt was starting to migrate out. Continuing in this manner without checking could have eventually resulted in tongue separation. The bolt that sheared was a hardened, extra strong, grade 8 bolt. Fortunately, Aubrey had another one handy and we fixed it on the spot. Moral of the story . . . check your tongue bolts on a regular basis to ensure all is well.

Window leaks plagued the Wonder Egg for its first 18 months. Light rain, no problem . . . gully washer, get out the mop! (OK, perhaps not THAT bad but it was still yucky) I traced it down with Daniel's help to being an early model and they were not always using an external gasket between the outer window frame and the outer fiberglass. Daniel sent me enough gasket material to do all the windows. I took it to my local RV guru and he fixed me up in no time. No problems since! The Wonder Egg sat outside as Tropical Storm Hermine slowly passed overhead giving us a real frog-choker. Totally dry inside. Pete's theory: The outer and inner window frames are joined by long screws. The inner and outer shells may have slightly different movement as we go over any rough terrain. This movement "may" result in a tiny crack around the sealant which only manifests itself in a large down-pour. The gasket between the outer frame and the fiberglass mitigates this problem. For my weep holes, I blow them out with a bottle of compressed air called "GASduster" purchased at the local OfficeMax.

Tom, You're welcome, happy to make you cringe, anytime! My tire/rim mismatch occurred after I upgraded to 225/75/15 Marathons, load range D. We discovered I was still operatiing with a 3500lb axle, so the company was sent me a 5200 lbs axle and paid for the installation. They also sent me new rims since I went from 5 lugs to 6 lugs. I had not told them which tires I had been using. The rims were too wide for my Goodyears and although they would carry the load if I had no water on board, a full load would have been slightly over their max load rating. Also, they were stamped for 6olbs maximum. Without a full 65lbs on the Marathons, my tires' weight bearing capabilities would have decreased slightly. The factory bent over backwards already, so I did some homework and purchased a set of MB 72 15"x6", 6 lug rims from Discount Tire to fit the bill. Pete ps Your case could have been worse . . . that "pop" could have been your ball joint!

Aubrey, I'm guessing that'll be the case. My trip was on a very hot & sunny day and I noted the side bathed in sunlight was the warmest. The best test of this will be on an overcast day . . . As I read the monitor, I take the pressure to be actual because the Indicator is directly measuring the actual air pressure from the valve stem, but the temp is more or less an of general temperature, as it's not "actually" the temp of the tire rubber, rather, it reads the temp on the end of the valve stem as it goes round and round. I'm thinking the temp reading going down a long, steep and winding mountain grade should reflect a spike due to the brakes heating up as they work hard. It is still a good indicator of what's going on back there and I'm happy to have it. The best thing I like about the monitor is the alarm it will sound when a parameter I set is exceeded, either high or low pressure, or high temp. The only thing I find frustrating is Oscar keeps telling me every time the psi or temp changes on either trailer tire which gets a bit wearisome. Hopefully he'll get tired of it and go back to sleep and dream of chasing chipmunks and meeting new furpals.

I've done a lot of reading lately on tire/rim specifications and learned my rims were not proper for my tires. The rims measured 7.5 inches wide, and exceeded the acceptable width range for my tires. Having rims that are either too wide or too narrow for the tire's design moves what's called the flex-point away from where the tire is intended to rapidly flex during rotation and could result in premature failure. And the rims were not rated for the load they may be asked to carry if I put on a full load of water. Sooooooo, I now have three shiny new rims which actually match their application. JuniorBirdman told me he has a tire pressure/temperature monitoring system that allows continuous monitoring of your trailer tires from the TV. I thought that was a good idea. Now I have another gizmo for my "safety bag" from Truck System Technologies, Inc. http://www.tsttruck.com/Product_List.html I just went to Austin on a brief trip and it works like a charm.

Phil & Sandra, Welcome to the family! Congratulations on your rare find . . . it's sure to bring you many years of camping pleasure. Next time you're westbound on I-10, feel free to stop and say hello. I'm only 2 1/2 miles off the interstate, just northwest of San Antonio. Pete

Cruzer, Technomadia, (Cherie & Chris), are full timers and recently conducted a great interview with RV Travel TV on their nomadic lifestyle in the Oliver. The interview can be seen at: http://www.rvtraveltv.com/?p=167 Mountainborn, (Larry & Betty), spent all but about 19 days last year in their Ollie. As owners of hull #3, they were on the road most of the last almost 3 years enjoying their trailer. While they've recently gone to the dark side and purchased a 36' 5th wheel (something about traveling with grandkids - so they say) , Larry still checks in here and is a wealth of information. Tumbleweed & Earthdancer, (Chuck & Geri), also have extensive long term experience in an Oliver, (Until they went to the dark side and joined the world of sun blockers in a 30' 5th wheel. Something about two adults and two medium sized dogs and wanting to be a "Mother Ship" for little eggs during inclement weather -so they say) While not a full timer, I have been averaging about 6 months of wandering pleasure with my "Wonder Egg" each year since my retirement in 2008. With about 45 17' Olivers on the road there well may be some more full timers or extensive users out there. I'm sure you'll find us all very pleased with the overall quality, durability, and ease of care with our premium little trailers. Maintenance issues are rare and when they do occur, it is not unusual for the Oliver Travel Trailer folks to bend over backwards to make it right, even though they have halted the production line for the current time. If one can "do the headwork" and adjust the space between their ears to the concept of actually living in such an efficient use of small space for a looooooong time, I can't imagine a better rolling palace to own.

I just finished watching the recorded interview ant thought it was great! Well done, you guys. One really gets a good understanding about the high quality, uniqueness and flexibility of our small living space while being on the road in an Oliver. I especially liked the description of the "poor man's swamp cooler" using a damp cloth suspended on suction cups underneath the air vent using inflowing air. I gotta try that one on my next trip to a dry climate.

DuncanK, Welcome to the forums . . . ENJOY!

I just learned a very valuable lesson about wheel bearings. While going down Route 66, a fellow traveler called me and said my right trailer wheel appeared to be smoking. I pulled off the road, grabbed the fire extinguisher and found a few wisps of smoke coming from the wheel and a hub temp of, get this, 258 degrees! (I had become complacent and was too busy savoring the Route 66 and failed to check the hub temp at gas stops - - - dumb) Well . . . bearings were gone, brake drum damaged, yadayadayada. Fortunately I was close to a great trailer shop that allowed me to camp out overnight as the event occurred after hours. (Trailer Supply Center, El Reno, OK) I have the Easy Lube Spindle with a grease fitting on the end for squirting grease in and I thought this was sufficient. The technicians at the repair shop said the Buddy Bearing or Easy Lube Spindle systems were no substitute for good old fashioned manual repack of the bearings. Simply squirting through the easy fittings does not do the job at best and if done excessively, can result in grease coming into contact with the brakes leading to brake failure. The tech showed me where some of the excess grease was lying around the inside of the brake housing. While the situation was bad, it could have been a whole lot worse. (Thanks for the smoking tire call, Rich) I may have lost a bit of money, but there was no wheel separation leading to a major catastrophe, which easily could have occurred. Well, I had the technician manually repack the street side bearing while he was at it and have rejoined my fellow Route 66 travelers. Lesson learned . . . don't let this easily avoidable event slow down your travel plans.

Oscar & I have begun an epic trip down The Mother Road. It's a trip organized by Lane Aldrich, of the Casita Club and looks like a great group of travelers so far . . . watch on the blog, if you'd like. http://peteandthewonderegg.blogspot.com ... nning.html

Yeah, the phishing at Lake Greeson was a lot of phun.

Cherie, That is waaaaay cool! If I had an iPhone I'd add that immediately. How will your program make sure it has the latest regulations as legislatures pass new laws each year, some of which may be involved here?

Oscar & I had a lot of fun at Jugfest 2010. Here's Oscar's recollection. http://www.peteandthewonderegg.blogspot.com/2010/05/jugfest-2010-catfish-extravaganza.html

Jim, welcome to the Oliver Forums. ENJOY!

Awe come on! I can see it now . . . a poodle skirt & the Oliver's "stripper pole"

Steve, I tested my trailer this morning under the same conditions as yours: disconnected from TV, plugged into shore power, weight off both rear wheels. Before the test, I confirmed both wheels turned freely, then I pulled the pin on the Tekonsha breakaway controller. Testing each side had the same results - very slight movement permitted, followed up by braking action. After putting the pin back in both wheels turned freely again. I noted the wire to the breakaway box would not activate the pin at the full extension of my chain, so I lengthened the chain connection by one link and all was well. During towing, be sure the wire to the breakaway box is hooked to your TV, not the chain. (When I got mine from the factory, they had it connected to the chain, which wouldn't help if the chain somehow failed) While cruising the internet on your dilemma I noted some folks activate the breakaway controller and then take a compass and move it near the brakes. If you note compass needle swings as you do this it shows you've got magnetic power at the brake.

Welcome to the forum, catlemm! Pete

Oscar & I will be arriving early, on the 21st, to help Mountainborn catch some bait fish before the main event. Can't wait to see everyone!

Oscar & I just took a brief trip to Fredericksburg, TX. What a beautiful spring See the whole story at: http://peteandthewonderegg.blogspot.com ... owers.html

I've done it several time with the same results as at home . . . no problems. You did request the add on of the "Popcorn Lover's Super-de-Duper Guaranteed to Work Every Time Microwave," by Orville Readymaker didn't you? Perhaps your bags were defective and opened the end while cooking, letting the butter out.

Well done! It looks like a very high quality travel adventure magazine from its web site.

Gladis, welcome to the Oliver forums! ENJOY