bugeyedriver

That's just a bit more information than I can take! I gotta go get a tissue and wipe my eyes . . . it's been a long time since I laughed so much I cried.

Doug, Here's a photo of the Wonder Egg with the awning out: When I was at the Texas Bluebonnet Casita Rally, I saw a number of trailers with a great sunscreen with tiedowns. I was told it was made by a Casita owner that goes by the screen name RX. Here's a link to her page that has photos of her sunscreen. You could PM her for more information on prices. The screen and tiedown system protects the awning during heavy wind conditions. She also makes a side screen which provides even more protection. http://www.casitaclub.com/forums/index. ... entry12432

Doug, To read about the cell phone signal amplifier, go to: It works great and keeps my cell phone and computer internet air data card up and running when I am a very long distance from cell phone towers. Technomadia, your July 25th Uber-Oliver delivery is right around the corner! I can't wait to see your blog postings as you & Cherie hit the road

Doug, Congratulations on your Oliver purchase! I am sure you and your wife will be thrilled with the quality that is packed into this wonderful trailer. You said your Rav4 has a 3500# towing capacity and you were slightly concerned about the storage space available in the Oliver. While the Rav4 will handle the Oliver fine, a slightly larger TV might give you more storage capacity and an extra margin of strength for pulling in the mountains. Solar ready is a good idea. If television is not that key to your lifestyle, consider eliminating the KingDome and replacing it with solar panels mounted on your trailer. (You'd still have the entertainment center for movies) I have a 100W solar power system and Technomadia has a 200W system on top of his. It'll be invaluable during your boondocking trips. As far as 12V, I added 3 more to the factory standard: One under the dinette for my laptop; One near the galley for my coffee maker; and one in the isle just outside the bed on the street side for miscellaneous items like cell phones, ets. I've used them all. Just food for thought. I'm sure however it is configured you will LOVE IT! Welcome to the Oliver family!!!!!!!!!

Ok now Chris, for the truly serious answer . . . You & Cherie are relaxing and snuggling on the full sized bed watching a romantic movie and you are worried about surround sound Priorities, my friend, think about it . . . what's REALLY important here?

CarolAnn, I sent my phone #s and address to you via a personal message to your email address. Give me a call and we can arrange a meeting, if you'd like. Oscar says "WOOF!"

Mountainborn, I hope you had enough imagination to open the bathroom door so that jet didn't break your mirror. Chris, you may stumble across some perfect surround sound system for the interior of the Uber-Oliver but wouldn't you need to decide exactly where you wanted the central focus of that surround sound experience? What if you had it all set for lounging on the bed and then shifted to a dinette seat? Would that compromise your experience? What if the "sweet spot" of pure surround sound was only at one pillow location on the full sized bed? Would you & Cherie have to draw straws to see who got the best spot? To avoid pitfalls and if it is that crucial, perhaps some surround sound headphones would solve your problem . . . check out the following: http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite/pr ... sid=009925 Next, you & Cherie need to get some cool 3-D glasses for a truly in depth experience and then you can reach up and touch the jet as it passes overhead!

CarolAnn, Having met you at the Bluebonnet rally, I can tell that you are both physically and mentally capable of handling the things you would encounter out on the road with your Oliver. Having towed a sailboat already, you are "over the hump" of learning how to maneuver a trailer accurately. As far as the physical standpoint, there was a lady parked two slots away from me at the Bluebonnet who is frailer than you and I understand she has been a solo fulltimer for a while. If she can do it you can! Ah, the hookup thing . . . I think you live about 2 hours from me. If you'd like to, you can come on over and I'll show you my Swift Hitch backup camera and demonstrate how simple and failsafe it is to operate. Send m a pm of when you could come on over and I'll send you the directions. Say hello to your brother for me.

Mountainborn, WOW . . . thanks for that! What beautiful views . . . On May 10th, you posted a relpy that said "I can't wait until I retire to get in on some of that fun." Well, buddy, it looks like you & Butcherknife are having the time of your lives up there where the air is clear and crisp. I can't wait to see the fun you'll be having after retirement! Your photos today are a real treat. Thanks again!

Steve & Tali, Congratulations on picking up the Outlaw Oliver Thanks for the pics . . . I think the custom graphics put a very cool touch to your trailer. With those words on the side and Storm standing guard nobody's gonna mess with you guys. Nice interior color choice and configuration. Enjoy your times out with Outlaw . . . Oscar & I look forward to meeting y'all sometime down the road.

Frances, I can't really speak from years of towing, as this is my first trailer and I've only put about 2000 miles on it. But from what I've read, if you're using a cc which keeps a very accurate speed and doesn't permit any appreciable deceleration, with overdrive the transmission may be overworked and overheated due to the constant shifting on changing terrain. Repair or replacement of the tranny will surely overcome any savings you may see with a mild increase in mpg. If you do not use overdrive, the rpm will be higher (at 60 mph I show about 2200 rpm without od and about 1500 w/ od) but it is well within rpm limits and there is a minimum of gear changes. It results in higher fuel consumption but a kinder use of the transmission. A friend who has towed a Casita with the same sized Tacoma & engine told me about using overdrive, but not using cruise control and allowing the torque of the engine pull you up gentle hills without any rpm change. You may slow down 5 mph or so on the climb but it picks up on the other side. This will probably not work on steeper inclines because the reduction in speed may be too much. In that case I won't use overdrive, the rpms will increase and mpg decrease. But hey, I'll be in the mountains and the views will be worth it, right?

Beeser, I use a 2008 Tacoma 4 door w/ factory towing pkg for my TV. MPG depends greatly on my "technique" and the wind condition. Can't speak about mountain pulling, as I haven't done that yet. I've usually been on flat or gently rolling hills. Here are my results: 60 mph - cruise control - no overdrive - 30 mph headwind - 14 mpg 62 mph - no cruise control - overdrive - 35 mph tailwind - 19 mpg 55 mph - cruise control - no overdrive - calm winds - 15.5 mph I anticipate about 17 mpg at 62mph, calm winds, overdrive (allowing for deceleration to about 55 when going uphill) I have a flat, locking cover over the back which reduces some drag. Non towing, at 75 mph i get about 21 mpg - at 60 mph, Ive seen 25 mpg.

That's the "Wonder Egg" when Oscar & I went to Inks Lake State Park, near Burnett TX. I had been posting some photos on my blog and BuffaloBob sent some of them to Trailer Life Magazine for the purpose of getting some exposure for the Oliver. He said the Monday after the edition hit the street his office was flooded with inquiries. I'm all for getting out the good word on these outstanding trailers and Oscar & I are glad to be a small part of this new community of FGRV adventurers. Good job BuffaloBob!!

Steve, Tali, Storm, Maggie, & Lucy, Congratulations on your pick up of "Outlaw" in two nights and a wakeup! Are you planning to spend some time out on the Natchez Trace for a shake-down/familiarity stop? What are your plans afterwards? A quick trip home or a slow meandering journey to break in Outlaw in style? Enjoy, Enjoy, Enjoy!!!!

Ah, I remember those days fondly . . . seeing pictures of the "Wonder Egg" during its 6 week gestation cycle was great fun. Your anticipation is palpable. Enjoy this time of your "baby's" birth. There's nothing like it!

Great idea, Chris! I tossed some from by blog on there as well. This will be a good place for folks to get some great looks at Olivers.

CarolAnn, Congratulations on the decision to purchase an Oliver! You'll LOVE IT Pete

Well, first of all I was trying to figure out the mechanics behind Tom's "remote clicking" of a camera using the awning center brace . . . secondly, I was wondering what kind of lens would make the sun on the horizon appear so tiny. I guess if the picture is taken 48,678,200 miles further away from the sun than the earth that pretty much explains it. After my encounter with the Whaleys in Hohenwald, TN and watching their posts with the crafty twists of logic I should have known to be aware of their highly developed sense of humor. I'd like to think I wouldn't be caught again, but they're really, really good at it! Look out Ya'll

Naaaaaw, i just figured we'd get more catfish extravaganzas at the rallies if'n we told Mountainborn he needed to pony-up a big old fish fry or we'd throw the "special video" on that flat screen TV we moved outside our Oliver, complete with surround sound! Man, oh, man . . . I can taste that catfish already.

Butcherknife, You MUST capture that on video, using night infrared so Mountainborn won't know he's on candid camera and he can be uninhibited as he bumps on down the runway, er walkway, in the middle of the night!

First documented Unofficial-Unsanctioned-Unbelievably-Fun Oliver owner's caravan !!! Bugeyedriver & Tumbleweed heading to an unsanctioned Oliver / Casita rally at Lake Corpus Christi State Park . . . lots of fun, friendship, gumbo and campfire stories so far:

I vote for the 2 X 100W panels from AM Solar using their integrated MPPT charge controller. The 100W AM Solar system on the Wonder Egg works great . . . I'll be green with envy, but oh, so happy for you that you'll have doubled my humble 100W capacity.

Chris, Looks like you're having a lot of fun building your ideal trailer! Will your solar panel be able to tilt up to maximize input during the low sun angles of winter if you are in a northern location? Could you ever anticipate using Ham radio for long range emergency contact, etc. If so, Oliver can provide the appropriate cable & connections for outside & inside. Be sure to add strategically placed extra 12V connections. An old fashioned telephone jack connection on the inside & outside would add flexibility. I like your "big screen" TV concept and the swing arm for viewing from the porch. When you have hooked up some speakers outside, it will be just like an old drive in movie theater! I can smell the popcorn . . . Oh! And don't forget the turbo booster rockets and deployable wings to help you zip through the air with George Jetson!

I selected the dome antenna which radiates a signal 360 degrees, the signal initiates at a 50 degree depressed angle from level (if ceiling mounted) and there is no "cone of silence" directly under the dome. Receiving it in your TV would be dependent on being within these parameters. You need to be careful and not allow any signal from the dome to reach the outside antenna, or you get into a situation where the amplifier shuts down. That's why I have the goofy looking aluminum foil mounted strategically between the fiberglass shells. Call me at the number I pm'd you and we can discuss this in depth, if you'd like.

Chris, So far, all seems to be working just fine with the A/C & fan being moved rearward. Oliver built nice "bump" of fiberglass to the back so the A/C would be level. Several owners of Casitas have mentioned they liked the inside placement of the A/C. The air that exits the rear hits the curve or the ceiling and storage cabinets and then comes down onto the bed . . . nice. When I put the Fantastic Fan on exhaust and crack the rear window and the side window at the "head side" of the bed I have a continuously renewing stream of fresh, cool air moving in over the bed. If I put the fan on intake mode, I get a small amount of donward airflow on the edge of the bed. I prefer exhaust mode. On the solar, during a sunny day I am replenishing the batteries at a rate of 5 to 6 amps per hour. On overcast days that will drop to about 2.5 per amps per hour if the clouds aren't the dense, black ones. The HPV-22B charge controller will charge the batteries to 14.7 volts when boondocking. If you are connected to shore power, the set-point is moved down to 13.5 volts. I'll see what I can do about the roof picture. Gotta find a new ladder 'cause I destroyed the other one while attacking a tree limb with a chain saw. (NOT one of my smarter moves) Space is rather tight. To get more volts, you'll need a wider panel (longer is not possible) and this will change the aesthetics. Right now, the panel is as wide as the very top upper structure's width. Looks like it was made for it! I believe Mountainborn came across a long, skinny panel that may fit behind the sunshade. He thought two of these could be laid back there. Not sure what the voltage was. I'm very pleased with the cell phone signal amplifier. It is a dual band unit that works with both 800 and 1900 MHz which covers all service providers except Nextel. You can see all about it at http://www.powerfulsignal.com. I went for the "Command Post" option. When I enter the program mode of my telephone I am able to watch the analogue values of the signal power and see the signal boost as I turn on the amplifier. COOL! I'll pm my # to you. Feel free to call.