bugeyedriver

4th of July weekend, Brazos Bend State Park, Texas. A good time was had by all. http://peteandthewonderegg.blogspot.com ... s-too.html

Oh, well. I guess I can always siphon between the tanks. I just hope not to get confused about which is which.

Aubrey, Congrats on the burial of your stinky slinky! I too, was happy to see the methodology for the black tank clean and pre-charge written about in the data sheets . . . but I'm not sure the configuration Oliver system will work exactly that way for us. (I hope I'm wrong) Looking into the bowels (pun intended) of the trailer shows the bottom of the black tank is a few inches higher than the gray tank, sooooo when the soapy gray water sloshes on over to the black pathways it should simply fill a portion of the long "sewer pipe" that runs from the black holding tank to the dump valve. It's better than nothing, but I don't think we'll see soapy water in the actual black holding tank. (Although perhaps a bit of sloshing will still occur into the tank as we motor down the road.) Nevertheless, the primary purpose of the macerator will work fine and I'm so glad to be stinkyslinkyless!

I had some work done on my Coleman A/C which was covered with no problem. Of course access was rather simple. Did they need to take your refrigerator all the way out of the trailer, or did they merely pull it out and service it inside the trailer? I think the total removal may be rather involved. It does not fit out the rear window and the wall to the shower may need to come out to permit them to get it out the front door. Do you know if that's what they had to do?

Welcome to the Oliver Forums, meldavis!

Kyle, This aluminum bracket merely fits around a mid-point narrowed portion of the brass quick release fitting and holds it firmly in place. It really has nothing to do with propane leak integrity. Was your quick release itself bad?

Kyle, It's the original bracket fabricated by Oliver during the Wonder Egg's production. It was easy to remove the top yoke with the two screws. (especially with the bumper top removed) I picked up the valve from Home Depot . . . it's a 3/8" threaded ball valve marked 600psi WOG (water or gas) along with a 3/8" male threaded connector. I used yellow pipe thread tape which is meant for gas applications. Installation time was under 10 minutes. Pete

Well . . . I liked the thought of ridding myself of "stinky slinky" chores altogether and have had the Wonder Egg modded with a box mounted Thetford RV Sani-Con macerator system - I figured everything else about the Wonder Egg was so awesome I would "tidy up" this one last area. No more connecting and disconnecting the 3" hose . . . no more icky dribbles . . . WOOHOOO! http://www.thetford.com/HOME/PRODUCTS/SaniConSystem/tabid/545/Default.aspx A hole was drilled into the aluminum backplate for the wiring. There is no fiberglass behind this plate - when you are through it, you are inside. Be careful not to extend the drill bit too far inside! It uses 12V DC which I tapped from the fuse box near the floor in the dinette area using a 20Amp fuse for protection. The pump mounted nicely inside the bumper area with one cutout to the lip of the top cover to permit removal / repair and to fit in the sewer nozzle. The 1" hose is normally retracted to 7' for easy storage but easily extends to 21' for use. It will pulverize waste materials and pump at a rate of 12-14 GPM. By attaching another hose, I can discharge up to 350 feet away and uphill 20'! While I was at it and the bumper top plate was off (4 rivets hold it on) I added a shut off valve to the propane disconnect to reduce the pressure for hooking up the for BBQ connection.

Cherie and Chris, Thanks for "the rest of the story" on the current hiatus in the Oliver production. Your absolutely right, this fine family run company is not going away . . . they are being wise during these economic times and loyal to their employees and current owners. A winning combination IMHO. The 45 or so of us who currently share the joy of "Olivering" can rest assured they are there to help at the drop of a hat. I experienced that just this week as I contacted Vince Oliver to ask for technical data to help with a mod I'm having done to the Wonder Egg. He not only helped out, but after a while he even called back with additional ideas! I am quite confident that in coming years there will be many, many Happy Campers out there "Olivering" around with a big smile on their face. Thanks again for the update and great linked article.

I went non-amplified to limit phantom draws on the battery. Checked out reception today and I had 14 channels coming into the Wonder Egg. Several were of questionable integrity but the rest were loud & clear. (I'm about 30 miles away from the city, with hilly terrain between)

Ditto on Desmo_Pilot's response . . . . (memo to factory - "checklist, checklist, checklist")

What a great image of you both and your trailer. It's retro-like / futuristic / fun / inspiring / just overall perfect! The most imaginative Ollie portrait I've seen. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Gallopin' Geezers Mountainborn! Ya done crossed the river into the promised land May this side of the river be filled with wonders and amazements as you & Butcherknife strike out for adventure after adventure. ENJOY!

DCKiefer, As has been mentioned before, your mods are always creative and well executed. Did you have an opportunity after a long, cold night to peel back the bubble wrap from the outer fiberglass wall to confirm condensation had not simply become trapped between the two? How was your ventilation set up when you noticed the former dampness? Thanks again, for all your mod postings.

Oscar & I had a great time in Lake Charles with all of our friends. We're proud to have the Wonder Egg appear in one of Brian's photographs along with all of its other FGRV buddies.

BB looks pretty good in that red hat . . .

The Nest egg looks great Now how 'bout some pictures of the two live Teddy Bears, Woodstock & Rascal . . . Oscar is looking forward to meeting them.

Tom, You're correct on why I don't use the Swift Hitch going down the highway. Wouldn't want to lose it due since it's a magnetic mount. Also, it runs on an internal battery, so I'm not sure how long it would last in a constant video mode. You're right, if you had one for use, Karen's ticket sales for the show would go WAY down . . . remember I was on the Natches Trace when you sowed up for you're maiden voyage How about this? Buy the backup camera but have Karen back up the Ollie as you sell the tickets! Who knows, you may triple the receipts. I have found that instead of placing the camera on the rear bumper washer for tight spots I'd rather step out of the truck and get a personal look at the obstacles in all areas (rear, right, left, and above). If I need to ensure I don't hit that tree behind the Wonder Egg I pace off the distance and then repeat that pace from out my driver's door toward the rear and place down a marker. I then simply back up until I'm abeam the marker. Simple, yet effective.

There are two types of "back up cameras" we are talking about: 1 - The one that allows a solo traveler snug up to the Ollie's bulldog hitch without putting a ding in the TV. 2 - The one that allows the TV driver to see the traffic behind the Ollie and the distance to the nearest tree behind your campsite while backing the whole rig. (It also gives visuals to other cars behind you as you go down the road) They both have their advantages. What I like about the Swift Hitch system is that it can act as both, depending on where I mount it and whether I am backing up the truck to the trailer or the trailer to a tight campsite. (Not used while going down the road) Since it is magnetic mounted, for the latter I put a metal washer on the aluminum bumper for a mounting point. For the solo travelers with the type 2 system, what do you use for hook up assistance day & night?

Well done, my friend, you have more than earned your time off in retirement to head out in your Ollie and go where and whenever you want . . . there will always be bad guys to be caught and put in line, now it's someone else's turn to tangle with them as you and Butcherknife head out to the great outdoors . . . Find the most difficult geocaches . . . Catch the juiciest catfish . . . Go to the best RV rallies . . . Who knows, you may even find a little time to get Betty's "Honey Do" list completed . . . he, he, he

The "Route 66 and Little Plastic Trailers" thread was started some time ago on the Casita Forum by Lane, of "Lane and the Poodle Girls" You can read all about it at: http://www.casitaclub.com/forums/index. ... opic=11600 Sounds like it could be a blast! For a while, I've been calling the twins Thing One and Thing Two Now that they have been determined to be a boy and a girl I will start calling them by their names: Luca Antonio and Paloma Alynna. Luca is Tony's grandfather's name and Alynna is a form of my wife Lynn's name. Now I'll have two granddaughters named after birds - Paloma (dove) and Sparrow, who is three years old now and carries a name from her mom's side. Sorry Karen, no Pete & RePete . . .

Great pics Phil! You captured the fun of the rally just right. Looking forward to seeing you at the Bluebonnet gathering.

The veritable "Trip to Alaska" is something that Oscar and I have on our bucket list. But, alas, it is not to be this season as my daughter is expecting twins in late July and starting the third trimester we'll be remaining within a one day's drive to home in case any help is called for on the baby-watch. Next year will likely be the Little Plastic Trailers on Route 66 parade. How about a replay in 2011. I'm sure you experienced Alaskateers will be raring to do it all over again by then.

Tom, FYI . . . Oscar has been howling at me for days for my pedestrian response on that one . . .

Tom, Are you and Karen going to WIMP OUT from our catfish extravaganza by callin' the yummy food names?!? Oscar would be so disappointed. Pete ps Ya think any of that there pork you've enjoyed at the BBQ ever had a bit of "slop" fer dinner?