Mike and Carol

I wonder if there is a Ram mount for a Ram? 😂

I looked for an F250 but they were very scarce and pricing was not very flexible. I lucked onto my Ram 2500, had all the stuff I wanted and they were willing to deal. Used prices were already up (Dec 2020) and they gave me almost what I paid for my one year old 2020 Rebel. I’ve thought about mounting it in the tray in the middle of the dash. Would require 3 holes, but they wouldn’t be very obvious when the Garmin wasn’t mounted. Thanks! Mike

Yes, you are!!

I towed with a 2012 Toyota Tacoma for 6 months and about 6,000 miles. 6,500 lb and 650 lb tongue weight limit. It towed fine. I was at or over my payload limit and I had to stop for gas every 150 miles or so. Not really a pleasant towing experience. You need to check the payload capacity for a light weight vehicle (add tongue weight -600lbs plus passenger weight plus whatever you will carry in the bed and cab that will approximate your payload). Also check the size of the fuel tank. A smaller engine tow vehicle won’t get very good mileage and that can be a factor depending on where you tow. Also, hills and mountains can be a white knuckle experience with a small tow vehicle, both uphill and downhill. Uphill you’ll be spending time in the slow lane with the big rigs and downhill becomes a safety issue as you have a 6,000 lb trailer pushing down hill and around curves. Mike

I’m downloading the latest update now. What is everyone’s preferred method for mounting their 890. The only reasonable way in my truck is the windshield suction cup. I have the Ram 12” display so there is no room in the middle of the dash. It just takes up a lot of real estate in the middle of the windshield, essentially blocking from the dash up to the rear view mirror. Mike

Dingo is a great name! Good lineage. I envy your garage situation, I hate that I have to drive 15 minutes every time I want to do anything, thank you HOA! Mike

I quit using the Andersen when I upgraded to my Ram 2500 diesel. I had used it with both half tons. I concur with everyone else, no Andersen is needed with your F350. I’ve got probably 20,000 miles towing now without the Andersen and never had even the slightest issue, it’s a very well behaved trailer! Mike

Yes, good point. I replaced my 4 AGMs with 2 Lithiums (and have a third being delivered Saturday -woo hoo!). I also plugged my vent holes that are covered with the nice chrome covers on the battery door. Now, when I wash the trailer everything stays pretty dry (staying on topic 😊). Mike

Yes. I have increased the insulation on the basement door and put insulation on the battery door so that they both now make a very tight seal. Mike

These red light cameras are prohibited by state law in Texas since June 2019. You still see them up but they are not recording. Some municipalities continued to use them past June 2019 due to contractual agreements but they should all be inactive by now. Mike

I think Oliver is aware of the dislike of the noisy current Dometic AC unit. I’m interested in this new unit and will be watching for comments. Mike

Our eyeballs are pretty close….

I just went out and measured. I just layed the tape measure at a point as close as I could to the back bumper, then did the same for the hitch. More exact would have been to crawl under the trailer with the tape measure attached to either the hitch or bumper but I’m not crawling under the trailer tonight! I don’t know if Oliver has these measurements on their web page anywhere. 79” back bumper to rear axle centerline, +/- an inch or so. 168” end of hitch to front axle centerline, +/- an inch or so. Mike

Ours is 23.5”. Pictures in the thread Bill provided above. Mike

Welcome Kevin and Rebecca! We have friends in Duncanville, small world. Texas state parks are a never ending adventure, tall pines in the east, sandy beaches on the coast, desert canyons in the panhandle, mountains in the west and rolling hills here in Texas Hill Country. Look forward to meeting you at the rally. Mike

We camped in Kartchner Caverns a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy Cochise County (Tombstone, Bisbee, Sierra Vista). We lived there for many years. Our site last month at Kartchner Caverns…

That looks like exactly what we do with the same pots. We have the same percolator pot that we use to heat water then pour over into an insulated carafe. On days we’re on the move, the insulated carafe goes into the truck for refills as we drive! Mike

Nice mod! It always bothers me when I turn on the hot water either at the kitchen or bathroom sink and see all that fresh water go down the drain while waiting for hot water. Mike

I tent camped as a kid. We had a big canvas tent that my parents and four brothers camped in for several years until my dad could afford a used pop up camper that we pulled behind our Ford Fairlane 500 station wagon. Boy Scouts too. My camping partner doesn’t like tent camping so we’re in a luxurious Oliver! Mike

We carry plain white Corelle too, same as we use at home. When we don’t have a water hookup we use paper plates and cups. For cookware, we grill or griddle mostly so there’s not much to clean cookware wise. Mike

Maybe it’s generational, but I don’t understand folks that leave trash and waste when they leave. We always try to leave our site (whether dispersed or campground) better than how we found it.

I think most of us built up immunity to cooties while in grade school. I never worried about cooties after I got to high school. Mike

30lb propane tanks are nice to have but they are heavy. I have to stand on a step to lift a full one over the lip of the trailer enclosure. A 30lb tank has about 7 gallons of propane. A 20lb tank has about 5 gallons. An option would be to carry an extra 20lb tank that you could swap out if one on the trailer runs out. I carry an extra 20lb tank for our fire pit and grill (if I don’t use the trailer quick connect). Like BIll says, an important but often overlooked feature on any potential half ton truck is payload capacity. You’ll need to add your tongue weight (around 500-600lbs), people weight, tonneau cover weight and anything you carry in the truck cab and bed. We always run our fridge on propane while traveling. Once we had to pull over to turn it off for a tunnel, there was a pull off space to do that. Most tunnels don’t seem to require that. Mike

Does the sound change if you turn the overhead lights on/off?

Entering Zion from the east requires driving through this tunnel. Last month we purposely drove south to Hurricane, UT and then up into Zion to miss this tunnel. The next day we drove the highway without the trailer and it was well worth the time. The tunnel was one way traffic, so waits are normal depending on which way you are driving and which lane has been stopped. Large trailers have to go down the middle of the road due to the rounded sides of the tunnel. It’s 1.1 miles long if I remember right. Mike