bugeyedriver

It looks to me like heat going horizontally from the fire under the pan, heating the edge of the countertop nearest the stove. The main discoloration being adjacent to the primarily used burner. Do you use a wide diameter pan whose edge is near the countertop? There is a minor amount of discoloration beginning to manifest itself near the other burner.

Buddha & Buffy, Welcome to the forum and the Ollie family! Also, welcome to the Texas Hill Country . . . Fredericksburg is a wonderful place to settle. I'm about 40 miles down the road, in Fair Oaks Ranch. You'll love the Fall, Winter, and Spring climates here. Summer, not so much. But with your LEII, you'll be able to seek whatever climate your hearts desire. This is a great place to ask questions about the LEII and get ideas on how you wish to personalize your own Ollie. Now all you have to do is anticipate your trailer's delivery . . . it may feel like forever but it will be here before you know it. Pete

Jennifer, It is so nice to see you have graduated way beyond driveway camping in Revilo! #14, The Wonder Egg, is still going strong and will be in Quebec this summer. I hope our wandering paths cross in the future. Camp on!!

I allowed my fresh water tank to drain once while on my last leg home. After having numerous passing cars honk and point and watching their faces, I realized they thought it might have been the "icky stuff" and from then on, in order to play nice with the public and not trash their opinion of us travelers, I've never "let it go" while driving down the road. I could never imagine letting out the black water tank in other than an approved tank.

On my Elite, I've always found the source to be the galley sink. If the road is rollicking of bumpy enough, I think the p-trap at the sink sloshes the water out and the fumes are able to enter the Ollie. I've always been able to remedy this by pouring water into the sink to refill the trap.

Nice objective test, Overland. So, with 100% battery power to begin with, it appears you were able to achieve about 2.5 to 3.0 hours of inverter powered A/C usage given your conditions at the rally, right? What was the lowest DC voltage level you allowed your system to see?

I don't consider it a $150 wrench, but a $150 accurate insurance policy, which is ever so important for those of us with only one wheel on each side.

I couuuuuld . . . . . . . theoretically . . . . . . . very theoretically . . . . . . :)

UPS just delivered my $155 torque wrench an hour ago. It's still in the box. For 11 years, Ive used a cheap, non calibrated, torque wrench which was jostled and banged around and never set back to zero after using. Who knows what my torque values have been? But I have been lucky so far, knock on wood. This new fangdangled gadget does not need to be set back to zero and can be set in much more nuanced degrees than my previous cludge. The way I see it is that another ten years of be-bopping around the land for another 130,000 miles with this OMG expensive tool, will only cost me $15.50 per year. And it will be accurate! Cheap insurance as far as I am concerned. Thanks, Overland!!!

Wow, Vector! Glad you are OK after your pothole experience. Like STEVEnBETTY says, one may have departed first and the second couldn't manage the additional stresses. I watched a friend with a large tandem axle stickbuilt unit hit the mother-of-all-potholes in Canada last year. He had no idea a wheel departed until I called him on the radio to inform him. His wheels were steel, part of the hub was completely sheared away. Perhaps a TPMS sudden loss of signal would have alerted him of the departure if I had not been following behind. When an aluminum wheel is mounted onto a trailer, it's recommended the torque gets rechecked soon, usually about 50 miles or so because steel and aluminum components expand and contract differently to heating and cooling. After the wheels and hubs have gone through a couple heat/cool cycles, rechecking torque may help correct a loosened condition, if one occurred. (It will not find an over torque situation) How far from Hohenwald were you? Did you retorque the lug nuts? It's good to hear how docile the trailer was as you smoothly pulled off the road. Keep us updated on how all of your repairs go.

Pro - more living space inside. BUT! You are outdoors . . . IN NATURE . . . and should be maximizing your time outside, so what does the extra space matter except being able to sleep 1 more person? Not much. Cons - Significant increase in weight, wear on TV, limitations on maneuvering into parking or many campsites, lessor quality of build inside and out, factory support?, all the problems inherent with slide outs (leaks & mechanical failures), huge hit in mpg, how well will the interior hold up after 100,000+ miles of towing? (the Ollie will still be like new). Multiple exterior seams which will leak over time, delamitation, as opposed to a solid fiberglass mold . . . yada yada yada. Hey, this is an Ollie forum, what did you expect?

Several years ago, I added a Roadmaster Active Suspension system to my Tacoma to go along with the Timbren. I liked what it did for my truck's ride so much, when I retired the Tacoma from towing duties and purchased my F150, an active suspension kit was the first modification I added. It enhances the ride towing and non towing.

Woody, Congratulations on your retirement and your purchase of hull #80. Coddiwompling around this great nation with a quality and dependable trailer will be a joy. While I don't full-time, my 11 years of coddiwompling with hull #14 have been splendiferous. May it be the same for you. See you down the road. enjoy!

Could it be the same sort of rubber baby buggy bumper material found underneath the trailer, between the frame and the fiberglass?

Mingy, Now let's not get too snarky here. Those of us with Ollies are fortunate not to have a unit with all the problems inherent in many stick-built units. (or hail magnets) "Stickies" do come in at a price point some can just afford to help them get their family out making smores around a campfire, or dipping a fishing pole into the water. It's about getting out there, after all. While they will not have the stamina of an Ollie. They do serve a purpose during their comparatively brief lives. Pete

Several years ago, one of our single axle Elite owners, JR Birdman / Aubrey, traveled through Mexico with a well organized, large caravan. He said it was a wonderful trip that went down the eastern states of Mexico all the way to Belize and then returned on a more central Mexico route. Aubrey said the numerous large speed bumps were brutal on some of the caravaners' equipment. His Ollie stayed together much better than most of the larger units he travelled with. He was also very happy to have his sophisticated water filtration system along. I believe the key to a trip like that is joining a well established RV caravan group that has experienced leaders who have made the trip before. It may be expensive, but you get the benefit of their in-depth planning and knowledge of how to "grease the system" when needed. Safety-in-numbers is a real benefit should you decide to go there. It would not be advisable to embark on a solo journey through much of that area.

It is so easy to talk about The Wonder Egg and its creators, the Oliver family. You guys are too kind, and Bosker (AKA Mr Big Ears) has warned my that my head is growing too big to be able to fit inside the trailer door. I'd better watch that.

Have you attempted to see if a bug/mud-dobber is clogging up the outlet? If it is blocked with a foreign object, perhaps a pipe cleaner or something similar could dislodge it. Do you have a source of pressurized air? A short burst of air could help. And do be sure to double check your valve placement to ensure they really are set for draining. You mentioned that you turned the "valves" to drain. On my old model Elite, from 2008, it only requires one valve (the one in line with the drain port) to be repositioned in order for the fresh water tank to drain. Does your newer unit call for turning two? One last thought . . . if the nose of your trailer is low and the water has all sloshed up towards the front of the tank, you will not be able to drain normally. An elevated nose is best for that operation. Let us know how it finally works out. Good luck.

I'll make a reservation if I have a rally to go to, or if I know I'll be near a tourist destination on a holiday weekend. Otherwise, I am like ScubaRx , wandering at my whim and enjoying wherever I happen to be. Parks with reservations systems usually set aside a small number of "non-reservable" sites which are intended for the drop-in traveller. The key to scoring one of those sites is to stop for the night early enough so the non-reservable sites are not all taken. Another way to find a site at an "in demand" campground is to arrive anytime after checkout on Sunday (or Monday if it is a holiday weekend), when those still in the working world are heading home to start back to work on Monday.

Fogo Island, Newfoundland - July, 2017 - with my own personal iceberg.

Nan, Hooking up a trailer is a learned experience, like many other things, and not to be feared. Should you select an Elite in lieu of an Elite II, the Anderson hitch is not even needed. Most modern tow vehicles have integrated back-up cameras that can assist you in getting very close to your hitch ball. Over my years of travels, I've encountered numerous single women with small trailers who do very well with the mechanics of dealing with a trailer. As has been said, there are you tube videos, various devices to help, and most campers are more than glad to come to the aid of a newbie in a campground. Baby steps . . . you will be fine. My single axle Legacy Elite has almost 130,000 miles on it and I have found it very commodious for my needs, as a single traveler. I'm sure you would too. Pete

Welcome to the forum, HeartElements (great name, BTW), Feel free to soak up information and ask questions among the numerous subsections of the forum. Good luck on your future acquisition of an Ollie! Pete

cmdmom, It was nice to run into you while camping in Colorado last fall. Congratulations on finding an Oliver Elite to replace your teardrop and make life much easier on those days of constant rain! Overall, you will find yourself much more relaxed and refreshed with the amenities and space in your "new to you" rolling palace. Those trout don't stand a chance! We are only as old as we feel, and, having met you in person, I would not consider you as old. (Now, BILL, on the other hand . . . ) If you cannot have a covered shelter built on your property, covered storage is the way to go, if it is available. Various great products can help maintain the shine on your Elite. The key is to give it TLC and a shine on a regular basis . . . say every 6 months or so and it will always look brand new. Your Tacoma will be sufficient for you, even in the mountains. If you have the newer 3.5L engine, you might need to be patient with it on the steeper hills. But the product is bullet proof and should serve you well. Enjoy your newfound luxury as you attack those fish! Pete

I have the 2" Heavy Duty Single 1UP rack and couldn't be more pleased. With the sun at the right angle., I was able to monitor the bike's shadow while going down the road and over bumps. The bike and rack had zero wobble and both were as solid as a rock. Make sure you check your tongue weight after placing two bikes and the rack behind your trailer so you remain within proper balance. On my short single axle Elite, the tongue weight went from 11 percent to 10 percent of the overall weight on the tongue. [attachment file=bike loaded.jpg]

Travelers are not all the same. Some feel more comfortable camping with a larger group in a rather structured environment, while others prefer smaller venues with less structure, or even none at all, merely a general grouping of people. Then there are those who prefer to always wander alone. It is all good . . . I totally get the smell, feel, see, hear aspect of this rally which is in its formative stage of development. "Build it and they will come." People will create their own experiences within the template set before them. I may need to put this one on my list of potential places to be during this year's wanderings.