bugeyedriver

John, I installed two 300W heaters by XTreme Marine Corporation, both between the shells, one near the water pump, and the other near the external shower. It required the addition of two 110V outlets between the shells, near the power distribution box.

My 2008 Elite had a bank of switches just inside the door that enable different parts of the DC system. One is labeled Water Pump. Unless it is flipped up to the "On" position, the On-Off rocker switch in the galley cannot turn on the pump. Does your 2018 Elite have the DC system enabling switches? Also, do you have a rocker switch outside, near the exterior shower hose, so you can turn the pump on from outside? If so, make sure it is firmly in the on or off position, If it is at a midpoint "null" position, you will not be able to turn on the pump from the inside.

8 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -6 for three days will do it (plugged in, with electricity). Water lines froze to the sink and bathroom. I speak from experience. The Wonder Egg is hull #14 and does not have the same insulation you more recent folk have, but I am not sure you'd fair much better at those extremes. Since then, I've mitigated the issue by installing bilge heaters between the hulls near the water pump and external shower,

What did your Audi folks say about the sag? Are there aftermarket airbags you can install?

That does sound like quite an exciting adventure. Thanks for keeping the Ollie family informed on your progress. We are glad you have made it home safely. Did you have any time to take pictures of your rig in the snow? Enjoy camping in your special rolling palace as you attend your skiing events this winter.

I had two 110v outlets added between the shells and installed two small 300w bilge heaters by XTREME. One is near the water pump and the other is over near the external shower connections. If the air between the shells dip below 40 degrees, they come on and heat the air around them to 50 degrees before turning off. The fans are very quiet and cannot be heard inside the trailer.

Very pretty. It may be the slope of the land, or the crookedness of my eye, but it appears the trailer has a slight rise and the front tires of your Audi are a bit unloaded. Not horrendous looking, but combined, if these are true observations, you could have stability problems in adverse conditions. Be cautious and conservative on your trip homeward. Our thought for safety are with you on your journey home. Enjoy the ride.

Glad you've made the distance in 3 days. Your Audi looks like it ran the gauntlet of weather issues. Ha! Hoping you get a good night's sleep and you are ready to soak up all the great information tomorrow. Are you traveling solo?

Duane, I guess you are on your way now. Best of luck! Be safe . . . be flexible . . . and let us know when you are back in your nest with your Ollie. Godspeed. Pete

Bill, I weighed the Ollie I with full water and supplies for a multi month excursion and came up with 3900 pounds. It was pulled 111,000 miles with a 2008 Tacoma Prerunner which had a V6 4.0L engine. Although it was not a 4x4, I put an Eaton Industries limited slip differential in and it was great on steep gravel roads when needed. I allowed the rig to slow down a bit going up the mountains so the engine wouldn't be screaming, and enjoyed being able to manually shift into lower gears while heading down the backside. The truck now has 240,000 miles on it and is running perfectly. But . . . it pulled the Ollie from Florida to Washington and California to Newfoundland and has earned its retirement to become a local driver and eventually go to a grandkid. I decided to go with an F150 FX4, for a bit more storage space and better mountain performance. It maintained the posted speed limit effortlessly while going uphill on this year's trip to Alaska. The bells and whistles are pretty cool, as well. My trailer's fresh water tank is usually full, to lower the center of gravity and give me more options of where to stop for camping. One other reason I swapped from Toyota to Ford, was the new Tacomas have a smaller displacement engine, a 3.5L, and has more torque than my 2008 4.0L. Because I tend to keep my vehicles a very long time, I wasn't sure how the smaller engine would do with the very large towing requirement I would be putting on it. The F150 5.0L suits my needs very well and it got the same, or slightly better mileage than the Taco on this year's trip. Pete

Jaque, The Wonder Egg was born 10 1/2 years ago with 30 pound propane tanks. After seeing how efficient the Ollie's systems were, how long it took to deplete a tank, and also how much of a hassle it was wrangling the larger tanks out and in, I changed over to 20 pounders. To even make it easier removing and replacing the tanks, I simply lower the nose of the trailer with the electronic hitch to its lowest level. This makes a huge difference because you no longer need to lift the full tank as high to get it over the lip of the front cover when placing it back in the trailer. You are gonna love your Ollie sooooo much! Pete

I second what John says. I realize you are both competitive speed junkies, but honestly, towing your first travel trailer, a $65,000+ 23.5 ft rolling palace, 3670 miles in 5 days, in potential winter conditions from Hohenwald, TN to Portland, OR is not wise . . . the reasons not to do this are too numerous to mention. Google maps gave me that distance. You would need to average 734 miles a day to cover that even in 5 days. All I can say to that is AAUUgghh!! It won't be like your trip from Portland to Hohenwald, zipping down the highway on cruise control, 5 mph over the speed limit to fit in with the rest of traffic in your cool Audi Q5 3.0 TDI. No, your average mph will be significantly reduced as you (hopefully) have a lower mph and make more stops for gas and food. Even if you averaged 65 mph, which would be highly unlikely, you'd be pulling your trailer 11 hr 15 min every day. Oh, and then there is set-up and tear-down activities from the campsites to take up more time. Have you looked at the availability of RV parks along the route near the distances you must travel daily? You may find many are closed for the season do to potential freezing of their water lines. Or, are you planning to utilize the capabilities of the Ollie and boondock along the way, on this, your maiden voyage in your first ever travel trailer? Remember when you first started skiing? Did you start on the Black slopes or did you warm up your legs a few seasons on the Greens and Blues? Taking the trip you have in mind would be like starting on the Black slopes. Seeing as you both must be home by a certain time, it would be much wiser and safer to have your Ollie delivered safely to your door. I can't second John's recommendation strongly enough. Pete

You only get battery assist while you are putting some effort through peddling with a "peddle assist" system. When you cease peddling, the assist quits and you coast slowly to a stop, just like a regular bike. Very powerful eBikes that can boost your peddling up to 28 mph, or actually have a throttle to allow motor use without peddling do exist, but may not be allowed on city trails. I've had my bike up to 30 mph, but from 20 to 30 mph there was zero assist and it was all leg power. My Trek Verve + battery is 400W. In many, many years, when it needs replacement, I intend to upgrade to a Bosch 500W battery, which will naturally go further and come with a more rapid charging capability. A 400W battery which is fully discharged will take about 7 hours to fully charge with the lower amp charger it comes with. I don't find this charging time to be a problem, as I simply put it on the charger the night before I intend to ride.

The Trek Verve + has hydraulic activated disk brakes, but they do not feed back energy into the battery pack. Turning the battery on and off or selecting the amount of assist is managed through an easy to use, integrated controller on the left handlebar. Changing the level of assist is done by pressing on a + or - sign with your left thumb, which can be done on the fly. Trek uses a Bosch controller, battery, and motor. You can see the low center placement of the battery. The assist motor is located between the peddles, putting the extra weight low and centrally located, making the bike more stable.

Steve, I like to ride the bike trails that are being built around San Antonio. Eventually the trail system will circle the city with about 80 miles of seamless, interconnected trails that keep you out of vehicular traffic. It is frequented by walkers, joggers, skaters, and bikers. No motorized vehicles allowed, (the peddle assist eBike is not considered to be in the motored vehicle classification) The terrain, for the most part is fairly level, with the occasional hill / bridge to climb. I have some great friends, a couple, who I've enjoyed getting out on the trail with for many years. After being gone 5 months in the Ollie, I bought the Trek Verve + and asked Gayle if she'd like to hit the trail. I didn't tell her about the eBike and since it was similar enough in appearance to my previous bike, she didn't notice. Two thirds through a gentle 20 mile ride, I pulled alongside of her and could hear the slightly labored breathing. My heart rate was elevated some, but breath came very easy, since I used more assist on the hills (he he he). I asked her why she was winded and she thought she had gotten out of shape while I was gone. We stopped, and I asked her to give my bike a ride for a bit. I turned up the juice to TURBO and gave her my bike. After about 200 feet of travel, she stopped, looked at me, and yelled "Cheater!" On that ride, we averaged about 10 mph and I only used more than the minimum assist on the hills. The battery used only 20% of its energy on the 20 mile ride. A few days later, I rode with her husband, Richard, who is very competitive rider and was not going to allow some short, round guy on an eBike get the better of him. Well . . . we went a competitive 25 miles on the same terrain, and averaged about 17 mph. The bike has 4 levels of assist: Eco, Touring, Sport and Turbo. On the way out, I used Touring and Sport, boosting to Turbo only on hills. On the way back, as my bum leg started to speak to me, I upped the assist to Sport and Turbo a lot, and at the end, Turbo only. I had no problem at all pacing along with Richard. He was worn out at the end and I was just starting to breath heavier. Without the Verve +, I would never have been able to keep up with him. The battery used about 40% of its power over the 25 miles, averaging 17 mph. As far as pulling up hill, I let Richard try out the bike in Turbo and his comment was "There is no such thing as a hill while riding this bike." While I don't get the same cardio workout as on a standard bike, I get whatever level of workout I desire and do not over stress the bad knee and ankle. I figure at least I'm out there enjoying nature and not sitting back at home with a lame-leg excuse. The eBike will keep me moving and that's what it is all about for me. 20 mph assist max is plenty of speed for a trail system. Any higher and it becomes borderline dangerous as you mix it up with other folks on the trail. Richard and I rode in the evening, when fewer people were out and we pretty much had the trail to ourselves. I would definitely purchase this bike again.

This is a shredout post from another topic. John Davies commented on my custom 2" hitch thread and asked a question about the eBike I have on my bike rack. I thought his comment was worthy of its own, dedicated post. Here goes . . . From John's comment: "I like your Trek. I have been researching ebikes, but I think this brand is out of reach in terms of cost. Do you have a recommendation for a full suspension mountain bike, mid-drive, for about $3000 street price? Max desired weight less than 55 pounds. I rode a Haibike hardtail with the Yamaha drive and was really smitten..... but I need some rear travel. I like this one.... https://www.haibikeusa.com/emtb-full-suspension/2018-sduro-fullseven-5-0.html Can you comment? Any others I should specifically look at? Thanks. John Davies" John, I saw my first e-bikes while camping this summer. A Canadian couple had Trek Verve + bikes on a rack behind their Class-A motorhome. They appeared different from your standard bike, so I inquired about them. They were eBikes, and the owner told me he and his wife (who are in their late 60's) have rekindled their love of bike riding. I saw them both head out for a bike ride at Colorado National Monument park, which is rather hilly. As I watched them return about three hours later, and they were both refreshed, with smiles on their faces. It was then that I decided to look into this thing, called an eBike. I learned that basically, an eBike utilizes a battery to add a selectable amount of energy (or none) to your own effort as you are peddling the bike. This mode is called "peddle assist" and is the most common type out there. A Class-1 electric bike is limited to 20mph and, at this time, is permitted pretty much anyplace a regular bike can go. You may peddle faster than 20 mph, but the "assist" will not kick in above 20mph. eBikes with higher energy levels are out there, but local restrictions may consider them a quasi motorized vehicle and not allow them on trails with other people. Six years ago, I buggered up my right leg pretty bad in a bike accident and residual complications from the wreck were severely slowing down my riding experience. The ole' ankle and knee would speak to me going uphill and for several hours after a good ride. The eBike would allow me to request an "assist" going uphill and take the stress off the buggered up joints and bones. I took a look at what was out there and decided to go with the same bike the Canadians had, the Trek Verve +. Although it is one of the lower costing Trek bikes, the Verve + has everything I need to get me back out on the road: geezer fenders, bright running lights, and soon, a way to take my dog, Bosker along for the ride. eBikes are heavier than your standard bike and will require a bike rack built for the load. My Trek Verve + is one of the lighter ones and weighs about 45 pounds. So far, I have about 100 miles on my new ride and look forward to many, many more miles of pleasure biking throughout the years. John, the Haibike mountain bike looks great. Go for it! If you've ridden bikes in the past, but have slowed down because the pleasure was starting to ebb a bit, consider letting a battery assisted bike get you back out there. Is there anyone else out there with eBiking experience? How do you like them?

The LED tail lights are really bright. I am betting these will do adequately for me. I will let you know if "Mr Smokey" ever tells me otherwise. (I'm going to take the rest of your comment and open a new thread on E-Bikes in order to maintain on topic here. The E-Bike phenomenon is worthy of its own thread.)

Done

Here are some pictures of the hitch with a bike rack and loaded bike. The rack I chose was the 2" Super Duty Single, by 1UP USA. It does not require additional tie down points for the bike and the bike is held rock solid over bumps and exhibits no wiggling at all. It can be expanded to hold up to 3 bikes. I appreciate the ease of loading and unloading, no need for tie-downs, and the great clearance from the ground and trailer. Pete ps Larger pics added . . . (The 1UP-USA rank is not safety pinned into the rack, it is secured through an internal tensioning bearing which is built into the rack)

RB , The hitch itself weighs about 25 pounds. While I cannot vouch for its exact load rating, I watched as Rob stood on top of the attached hitch and it was solid as a rock. He used the same welding techniques he applies to extreme high pressure pipelines used in industrial applications. As to the cost . . . custom designed and executed fabrication does not come cheap. I believe you would find the price somewhere around $1000. But for a trailer that will last a lifetime, amortized across the years, I believe the quality gained is well worth the cost. I know it is for me. Pete

Camping in Wyoming, I met Rob & Amy, co-owners of BABCOCK METALS, of Talmage, UT. Rob is a world class welder / fabricator who does work on major industrial products and household furnishings. He also loves the challenge of creating custom designed solutions for customers' unique needs . . . such as an elegant and strong 2" receiver hitch for the back of my Ollie which allows unhindered access to the sewer hose inside the rear bumper and removal of the spare tire cover. Let me show you his creation . . . It started with two machined stainless steel brackets for the exterior of the frame, cut to permit the bumper to swing down without interference. The brackets each had three holes to accommodate a 5/8 inch hardened grade 8 bolts. Inside the frame, he added six solid blocks of aluminum which had also been drilled for the 5/8 inch grade 8 bolts. Using stainless steel curved tubing with a 2 inch ID, Rob measured the angles required to ensure clearance would permit access to the rear bumper compartment and spare tire. Finally, he made a 2" receiver, curved exactly for welding onto the stainless steel pipe. His artistry at welding is evident in the finished product. After applying a brushed finish to the exterior of the hitch, Rob installed it onto The Wonder Egg. The hitch fits the rear portion of the frame perfectly and each of the six grade 8, hardened steel bolts was snugged down with 200 ft lbs of torque. I feel very confident in the ability of this custom hitch to do the job. If you ever think that you may be traveling near eastern Utah and are in search for a hitch solution for your Ollie, contact Babcock Metals (678.480.0204) and I bet they could create just what your are looking for.

Sherry, I received your PM on my MacBook Air and tried to reply. The "submit" button lightens, but nothing else happens. No reply sent. (MacOS V 10.13.6 and Safari V 11.1.2)

Jim, I do not have an Elite II. My Elite weighs in at about 4000 lbs, loaded. Mileage over the last 10,000 miles towing (from Hohenwald, to around Lake Superior, to Fairbanks, AK , to the Rocky Mts of Colorado, yadayadayada, has been 13.4 mpg. At 60-65 mph, I've seen as low as 10.5 traveling up a long mountain grade and there was one fortunate 150 mile stretch of flatland where I had a 20 mph wind from the rear and achieved 17.5 mpg. Yippeeee! More important than + or - few mpg is the safety factor of your rig. Do you have enough overhead capacity or are you maxing out your TV capabilities? Do you have adequate braking capacity for those very long descents down mountains, so you don't overheat your brakes? Both of these will effect your driving comfort and the longevity of your TV, if you intend to keep it for a long time. It is easy to find and download the owner's manual for any new vehicle you may intend to purchase. The manual will have a very informative section on Towing that will aid you with your decision. Good Luck, Pete

I definitely concur with Bill's statement about opting for a bigger gas tank. My F150 (5.0 V8) has the 36 gallon fuel tank. As I travelled through Yukon and Alaska this summer it was very comforting to look at the "Distance to Empty" calculation and see it read 488 miles after topping off the tank. Not only are some fuel stops far apart from each other, more than a few times I came upon gas stations that were closed. Didn't bother me a bit.

There are a few things about an Ollie's construction that may preclude this . . . The bumper of an Oliver trailer is made to swivel downward, and provide access to the sewer hose for dumping the black and grey water tanks. All the required "stuff" for dumping is usually maintained in a compartment located behind (as looking from the rear) the bumper. Your solution looks good, on the surface, but several issues would arise: there would be no room for the two bolts you can't see that hold the receiver on the bumper; the bolts that permit the number to swivel downward are not made for bearing that sort of load; there may not be sufficient clearance for the rack to go through the receiver and clear the fiberglass spare tire cover. It was a nice thought, though. Thanks for trying.