topgun2

MountainOliver got me looking a bit more into alternatives for the Dexter recommended N.L.G.I grade 2 grease in 3 oz tubes. As it turns out the Dexter recommendation says that in addition to the grade 2 requirement, the grease should be Lithium. However, they do not state that the grease must be "red grease". I only assumed that this was the case because that is what Oliver used when they first installed the EZ-Flex on Twist. A quick search has found that the Lithium based, N.L.G.I. grade 2 grease is available (in addition to Harbor Freight as Mark pointed out above) at Walmart (I assume that it is only at Super centers or online because my local WalMart does not carry it): https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sta-Lube-Moly-Graph-SL3144-Extreme-Pressure-Multi-Purpose-General-Purpose-Grease-3-oz-Cartridge-G/19282162 So, for those interested in the smaller 3 oz. tubes of grease, there are a number of alternatives both in brands, and where you can get it and certainly both Harbor Freight and WalMart are cheaper than the Lucas Oil product. Perhaps we have members of this Forum that are much more informed than I am with regards to the exact differences between various brands and types of grease. But, at least for now, I'm going to stick with the "Red N Tacky" stuff from Lucas Oil even though it is more expensive. Bill p.s. Again, thanks to MountainOliver for opening the doors to a bit more knowledge!

Stan & Carol - I'll bet that there wasn't a brand new Oliver camped right across the road from you in either place! Bill

Hap - The EZ-Flex was not an option when I ordered mine back in September, 2015. Nor was it available when I took delivery in February, 2016. From what I have read (mainly here on the Forum by owners that have made the upgrade) the old stock suspension will wear out the bushings somewhere between 5,000 and 25,000 miles. While my Oliver was never quiet at slow speeds, the noise was only getting worse. This made me assume that with the 15,000 miles that I had on the Ollie the suspension was in need of attention. From the time the EZ-Flex was made available shortly after I took delivery, I figured that I'd have this work done after what I had was worn. I too had the work done by the guys at the Oliver Plant and ,out of curiosity, I should have asked about the condition of the old parts before I took off. But, I didn't. At least now I can sneak up on all those kids, dogs, and geezers without all of the howling, laughing and clattering of false teeth as I leave a campsite. Bill p.s. Raspy - since that rubber part is not being used so much on the Oliver, it will last a bunch longer?

Mark - Thanks for bringing these to my attention. It appears that the CRC and Harbor Freight products are the same (indeed, the Harbor Freight grease shows on the package that it was made by CRC). I took a look at the product specifications of the CRC and it is NLGI #2. Certainly if the assumption that the Harbor Freight grease is the same then it would be a bunch easier for me to come by as compared to the hoops I jumped through to get the Lucas Oil stuff AND it would be considerably cheaper too. Bill

As ScubaRx points out above, the service interval for the EZ-Flex is 3,000 miles. This means (at least for us anal types) that on trips longer than that we must pack a grease gun loaded with the recommended grease - N.L.G.I.:Grade 2 - sometimes called red grease. Most auto supply stores and even WalMart sell this stuff in 14 oz tubes. However, the grease gun that accepts these 14 oz tubes is rather large. I happened to have a smaller grease gun that accepts 3 oz tubes of grease that I bought years ago for motorcycle maintanence - I've seen them at WalMart and Harbor Freight: https://www.harborfreight.com/grease-gun-with-3-oz-grease-95575.html and I remembered seeing the 3 oz tubes of red grease. Unfortunately, when I went to purchase a couple of these smaller 3 oz tubes the only manufacturer that I could find that made them with red grease was Lucas Oil. Simple enough I thought until I went to several auto parts stores (NAPA, Autozone, etc.) and all they had was a package of three 3 oz tubes - two of the tubes were standard normal duty grease and the third was what I was looking for - red grease. Adding to the problem was the fact that none of the stores I went to would order (or could order according to them) either a single tube or a set of three tubes with all being red grease. Indeed, a quick internet search showed that Lucas Oil did sell this grease in a set of three 3 oz tubes (product number 10318), but, Amazon didn't have it nor did phone calls to the stores I had previously visited produce any favorible results. I then emailed Lucas Oil corporate office. They got right back to me with the name and phone number of the regional distributor for my area. A phone call to this individual resulted in him telling me that product 10318 was not available. So, once again, I emailed the Corporate office and told them that either their regional distributor was incorrect or that the Lucas Oli website needed to be updated. Again, they replied promptly with the phone number of a distributor that I think is on the West coast. It took a bit of searching on the part of this individual, but, he found the product number and added it to his own website on Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/LUCAS-OIL-RED-N-TACKY-GREASE-10318-1-PACK-OF-3-X-3OZ-CARTRIGE-MADE-IN-USA/253425934913?hash=item3b015ce241:g:JFAAAOSwlv9ag5eS Yes, when you can get a 14 oz tube of this stuff for under $3.00, a three pack of 3 oz tubes at a price of $14.00 is a bit out there. But, in the interest of not having to carry around a big grease gun.... Bill

We've been above 70 for the past two days here in Western North Carolina, but, tomorrow's high is forecast to be a below normal 47. Its still only the middle of February but it is nice to see the normal daily highs are going up and the Spring bulbs are up with a few blooming. Before long it will be time to complain about how hot it is! Bill

Bill - nice job on the repaint! Also nice to note that there doesn't appear to be any sign of anything happening to that anode in the picture. Bill

Darrell & Kathy - Sounds like all is well and the fun of planning adventures is well underway. I too have difficulty with looking at my Ollie and just wanting to get in and go. I think that this is a good thing. Welcome to the family and I hope that we can share a campfire someday. Bill

Hap - I know that you asked for Steve's opinion but that will not stop me from offering mine. I had the EZ Flex installed last year and I think that it is great. I've only towed with it for about 1,000 miles but the Ollie is now virtually silent while towing at low speeds around corners - it used to be a bit embarrasing going in and out of parking lots, campgrounds and the like because of the suspension noise. Since Twist has always just followed the truck while towing at speed and I've never had problems with anything inside being bounced around, I can only suppose that the ride quality is better. Certainly I like the idea of being able to grease the suspension as I think that in most certainly will make it last longer. Speaking of which - soon I will be posting some details on my recent adventure in obtaining small grease cartridges for use while on the road, stay tuned. Bill

MO - please tell me that the picture was taken inside your house and you have no plans for going outside any time soon! Bill

For those that have not - check out the FAQS (see black banner for button above). There are some answers there to some questions asked long ago. Bill

"Looks like she has very warm shoulders." Yes, but a bit furry for my taste.

WOW! Number 305. Just think of all the places it will go. Have fun but be safe. And, congradulations! Bill

Where's the solar?

An email has been sent to all those that have requested the Colorado/Wyoming info. If for some reason you do not receive it - just PM me. Again, anyone who would like this information - just PM me with your email address and I will get it right out to you. Bill

Certainly a more "relaxed" color scheme - I like it. Nice to be "back in the saddle again". THANKS to everyone at Oliver for the work in getting the Forum back up - its been a long week of withdrawal without it. While the lack of the sidebar is no big deal I hope that the recent topics button will return. Bill p.s. John - kind of looks like you are trying to elevate something to me.

John - If you ( or anyone else for that matter) will PM me with your email address I will email you a listing of a number of spots in both Colorado and Wyoming. I have prepared this as a "Word" document and it includes GPS coordinates, camping spots, some places where you could get water, do laundry, visit old mining camps, boondocking spots etc. I'm not attaching it on the Forum because I'd prefer only actual Oliver owners have this information. Bill

"All of our panels will tilt. You just have to make some legs to hold them up" Or, drink more and then everything will tilt! Bill

John - I really don't know exactly where to start. But, I'll through out some ideas for you to consider. No, I've never stayed at that State Park, so no help there. Assuming that the Black Canyon you are referring to is the Gunnison - There is a fairly decent WalMart in Gunnison - its on your right as you take the road headed north of the center of town. There is a very nice NFS campground called "one mile" if you head towards the Taylor Res. There is plenty of free camping up near the Reservoir and towards the little town of Tin Cup. Speaking of which - Tin Cup is worth the drive in your TV. The problem with this area is the ATV's which are every where. If it is on your route and you go through Dubois, WY there are a couple of places there of interest. Just to the south-east of Dubois there is a BLM boondocking spot. It is right on a lake and there are OK pit toilets. If you head north out of town (towards Horse Creek) there is a NFS camp about seven miles up that road. It is right on Horse Creek and they have pit toilets and a hand pump for water. From there you can head up to "Double Cabin" (another twenty miles up the road). There are boondocking sites up there and another NFS camp ground, but, I'd stay at Horse Creek and drive the TV up instead of hauling your Oliver. Another place to stay or at least stop is West of Dubois. It is a NFS camp on the left near the summit of the mountain. There are electric/water sites here in addition to "no-services" sites. Decent pit toilets are also available. If you simply stop here, there is a very nice water fall to see. On the right side of the road just before you get to this camp there is a road to (I think) Brook's Lake. There are numerous boondocking spots along this road. If you want more detail on this area just PM me. Once up towards Cody, one of my favorite NFS camp grounds is west of Cody by about 20 miles or so - Rex Hale. They have a very few sites that have water/electric but you would need to reserve those well in advance. The other sites - some near the river - are decent and all have access to pit toilets. Note that the East entrance to Yellowstone is just down the road one way with Cody the other way. Elk Creek camp just to the east of Rex Hale is another possibility but it is much smaller. There is a nice hiking trail out of Elk Creek and you can take your TV on a bit of a drive out of there also (I don't know how far that jeep trail goes though). Bill

If anyone wants a bit more information on the T-27 purchased by "Windcrasher" you can find it here on his blog. http://wincrasher.blogspot.com/search?q=ranger Bill

Stan and Carol - Sorry to hear about your "issues". Its curious about the availability of tires in that it is not like you are way out in the boonies or something. Daytona is just down the street and interstate 95 is just over the "hill". Give Gunner an extra treat just for us! Has he come across any turtles or armadillos yet? I still tell people the story of how we had just picked up our Oliver, drove from Hohenwald to St. Augustine and the campsite right across the road from ours had another Oliver in it - what where the odds? And, you guys were so helpful in answering all those questions that either we didn't remember the answers or never knew them in the first place. We still owe you a dinner for that! Stay warm - another round of light snow is to hit up in the central Atlantic region over the next couple of days and the temps are STILL below normal! Bill

Wish it was me! Bill

Welcome - finally! Since you have been here for so many years, perhaps it is you that has all the answers. Please feel free to fire away - surely someone has the answer or at least an opinion. Also, now is the time to get planning and letting us know what those plans are. Bill

Sure going to miss you guys! Bill

Yep - just flipped. I think that ScubaRX has them on his Ollie. Bill