AlbertNTerri

didn't know they have rechargeable now, We'll have to look into that when we run out of our butane refills

the static weight limit on the Thule is 750#, the weight limit underway is 150#, the Kayak is 120# so I'm ok as far as that goes. Swapping out for two smaller kayaks was a consideration but given our current state of health the tandem is the better option for us. As for crane failure, getting lifting help would be the only option at that point. It's really not that big of a deal to lift the nose to the roof then lift-and-slide the kayak up. Do-able single handed but much easier with two lifting. I came across the crane and bought it then realized that I'd need to modify it to get the height needed to load anything on the roof. It's been a real help so far when dealing with a loaded yeti in and out of the truck and like I said, it will be nice when lifting full 30# propane tanks (which are about 50# when full). For now I'm looking at adding a bar across the cab (or possibly a rhino rack) and looking for a suitable way to lift the kayak singlehandedly to the roof hence a modified crane. a.

I agree with the Thermacells, we have 4 of them and set them up about 6-8 feet apart from each other. One night while sitting in a bug-free zone I shined my flashlight towards the sky and realized that there was a swarm of mosquitos about 7 feet above the ground, completely encircling us but wouldn't come any closer because of the thermacell. Just make sure that it doesn't run out of butane and that you're using a fresh blue pad otherwise you'll just be feeding the flying critters your blood. The electric zappers shown work ok and are a LOT of fun and YES, DO NOT TOUCH THE ACTIVE PART!!! albert

I saw one of those on a Hot-Shot in Colorado several months ago, Great idea to add a sleeper to the truck. We have a 14 foot two-seat Hobie kayak (with duel mirage drives). I've bought a crane that mounts to the receiver https://www.amazon.com/MaxxHaul-70238-Receiver-Hitch-Mounted/dp/B008CE0WCW/ref=asc_df_B008CE0WCW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312128189269&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2416412560120601294&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029069&hvtargid=pla-568683155946&psc=1 which will help when I'm lifting full propane tanks onto the trailer or a full yeti to the truck bed etc. I'm going to have a modified boom fabricated so I can lift the 120# kayak to the roof. We currently have a cap on the truck with roof rack but I'm not confident that it will be sufficient so I'm looking into adding a single rail to the top of the cab to tie down the front of the kayak. Our first trip with it will be in another week so we'll see, I'm expecting that this trip I'll have to just pad and tie down the nose of the kayak to the cab, but I'm expecting I'll need to modify my current setup so I can better fasten the front of the kayak to the roof of the cab. The only rail-type roof racks I've seen use a clamp that holds at the door frame, not to the roof channel, The Rhino rack attaches the way I was hoping to do it but it's way overkill for what I need. I'm thinking it may be worth talking to someone about fabricating some sort of gizmo to attach to the roof channel that could accept a third roof rack rail, but in the end it will probably cost almost as much as just buying the Rhino Rack... Then there's the wind/noise issue but with the Kayak on the roof, I'm thinking it won't be the rack that's causing the drag and drop in mpg and added noise, it will be the toy on top. ANYWAY... here's the truck and the a link to the crane. I'm certainly open for suggestions, I'm always impressed with the feedback here. Thanks Everyone!!! albert

Thanks Kirk and John, That's what I'm looking for (except for the price). In the end I know I'll be glad I sprung for it but for now... OUCH!! albert

No way, that's a body.

Has anyone mounted roof rack rails to the top of thier truck? I have a 2017 Ford F250 crew cab (large car). The roof has the plastic inserts which I've always assumed were covers for roof rack rails but I'm now thinking I'm mistaken. The only roof rack systems I'm seeing uses friction clamps that grab the door jams. Albert

Please update us on how well it fits, if it stays on and if it seals. It looks like it may also be a good candidate for covering any "sharp" edges on the storage and cabinet openings. albert

I have the exact same question for the same reason. My initial plan was to put a piece of white electrical tape over anything that looks questionable to prevent water entry until I get a more permanent solution in place but after reading John's post I may try spraying water on it and see just how much infiltration occurs. I have been looking into making some sort of gasket that will look good and make it easy to still get access the under sink area as needed. In the meantime I've ordered 4 more of the screw caps and associated collars from OTT in anticipation after applying a gasket, to properly seat the panel on the top and bottom I'll have 8 hold-down points (2 on each side). The other thing I was considering was putting on some sort of twist-to-open gizmo similar to what is holding the outside fridge vent covers on. John, I hope you're right (As usual) and all I have to do is close it up. I think I'll install the hatch through the closet in any event since it will be easier to access for something as simple as uncrimping the shower hose until I have time to install a dedicated shower as has been discussed in other posts I'll keep you posted as I move forward. albert

Welcome to the forum, I too am a nubie here but not to trailer towing in general, just to Oliver. A few comments, 1. The 400 mile range of the Rivan is for just the truck, we don't really know what the numbers will be towing but it seems like people are going with 50% when discussing the range of electric vehicles as tow vehicles (TVs). There are a few posts and youtubes currently posted of people towing with teslas and the 50% number looks pretty close to reality. More on that as they become more commonplace TVs 2. When we were shopping for our TV for our E2, I was initially leaning towards the Tundra for several reasons, not the least of which is that I have a long happy history with toyotas in general. The problem came down to the carrying capacity and what our anticipated needs would be. We spend a fair amount of time going through the Rockies so up and down steep grades are common for us. Most anything will pull the E2, the concern I had was being able to panic stop on a downgrade at normal speed. The smaller trucks (150s, 1500s and the Tundra) all will tow fine when properly equipped, but the brakes are smaller and that's the rub. The 250s / 2500s etc and larger trucks have more robust brakes and thus give a greater margin of safety which for me translates to piece of mind. I figure it's better to be a bit over-kill then living almost at the max and then regretting not having a big enough safety margin. 3. There are two numbers you need to be familiar with, the "towing capacity" the "carrying capacity." For example, one of the Tundras we checked out had a very nice cap on the back, was 4-door, low mileage, seemed to check all the boxes. When I checked the sticker stating the carrying capacity it was only something like1300 #s. The hitch weight on the E2 is between 600-700 depending on how you're loaded, my wife and I total around 425. 425 + 700 = 1125. 1300 - 1125 = 175. That's 175 pounds of stuff I can carry, but wait, there's a cap on the back so it weighs in around 200 pounds, so I'm already overweight. Had we had gone with the Tundra we would have a very nice pick up which would be a piece of art, but not capable of carrying anything without being past it's carrying capacity. Exceed the carrying capacity and then heading down a steep grade with a sudden need to stop before the bottom and it's a recipe for disaster. We started looking at the 250s / 2500s and ended up buying a 2017 Ford F250. So far with the Oliver we've only made a run from the factory in TN back to Maryland, our gas mileage went from 12-14mpg (truck alone) to max of 10.7 towing the E2 (mostly 9.1-9.7 mpg towing). That's running about 5 over the speed limit in both cases. The 10.7 towing I was running the speed limit or a little under and only feathered the gas, just to see how good I could do, but my foot generally tends to be heavier so the 9.1-9.7 is more of my reality, and to add insult to injury, I have to use premium so the price is never "low" when filling up. That said, the truck is carrying everything I need, I have no worries about how much I'm throwing in the back. When we bought a case of wine at the harvest host on the way home I had no worries about carrying it in the back of the truck, we could have bought two and not had a concern 🙂 It tows like a charm. Ideally I'd like to have a cybertruck but no telling when they'll become available. We spent $46,000 on the F250 in November of 2021 and it had 95,000 miles on it. It's a lariat with most all the options, we added a topper with tool boxes and have no problems other than paying stupidly high prices at the pump. It also has a 48 gal tank (and 6.2 L motor) so I have no problem going 300-400 miles towing and almost 600 miles without the trailer. I recommend springing for the 250 or 2500. When the rivian finally arrives you can reassess but I doubt you'll regret having the added capcity in the mean time. Good luck!! I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, I hope this new adventure will help ease the pain, I'm sure it's a real bitter-sweet. albert

John, so looking at the 3M website comparing different VHB tapes, it asks for the surfaces being bonded. It doesn't offer fiberglass or gelcoat, but does list composite, MSE plastic, coated glass and others. I looked for bonding composite (thinking gelcoat) to plastic and composite to bare metal. in both cases LSE-110WF and VHB tape 5952 came up as "suggested products". I assume the W means white. Do you think using composite is appropriate when what I really want is gelcoat?

WOW, YES!! Thanks John, that helps immensely. Thank you! a.

Picked up our E2 on June 3, looked at the awning brackets and they still have cut off the point of the triangle in the bracket so water can pass through. I was a little disappointed that the hole was so small, about 1/4 inch, but better than nothing I suppose. It's a place I plan on monitoring a few times a year especially when there's any risk of freezing. Thanks for the input John. albert

I see the use of 3M 4200 and VHB tape recommended in many of the posts. Reading up on the stuff I found there is also 3M 4000 and 5200. Can someone suggest when it would be better to use the 4200 verses the VHB tape, if there is a particular VHB tape to use (there seems to be multiple variations to choose from) and why the 3M 4200 instead of the 4000 or 5200. My reading makes me think the 5200 is for a more permanent bond whereas the 4000 and 4200 are for things that you may want to remove some time in the future. Am I thinking about this correctly? Not sure when the tape would be used instead of the other products. Thanks All!! albert

Thanks for the reply, it looks like I'll be drilling some weep holes in my bumper too. 👍

Please sign me up for a set if and when you decide to go public with these, that is a very elegant solution to the problem.

Re John's comment to drill drain holes in the bumper, do you have a thread on that recommendation?

We picked up our new Elite II on Friday, 6/3/2022. Very pleased indeed! Of note however was the battery box support member only had a single tightened bolt holding it up, The second bolt was in place but not even finger tight. This issue has been discussed in the past in the forum which prompted me to check it out upon delivery...very glad I did. I also pulled the under sink drawers to inspect the hose connection that has been reported to leak, ours looked good. No other major issues, but the take-home message is to take the time to do a little digging before leaving the sales office, it is worth the effort if you find a fixable issue early on. Hull 1125 has officially taken its maiden voyage, we stayed at a couple of Hipcamps and a Harvest Host on the way home. All went seamlessly.

Please tell me you were not towing Mouse albert

The British version is pronounced Sera-Mikkdt

yes

Thank You!

AARRRRRGG I was adding a photo and was going to change the name to Terri and albert and it wouldn’t let me so I was experimenting and it changed to albert60 and now I’m locked out for 30 days, can anybody turn this thing off and let me go back to just albert?

If you're a train buff, We recently took our grandson to the B&O RR museum in Baltimore. WoW! What a fantastic place, really deserves a full weekend or to explore. The wheels on the streamliner were taller than me (Over 6"'), very impressive

Alternative solution, what about getting rid of the faucet/sprayer and just have a plain faucet. I think I'd rather loose the sprayer feature rather than lose the drawers. Another solution could be to have a "box" behind the drawers for the sprayer hose to slide in...if there's room We pick up our Elite II in a couple of weeks (quite excited) so my input is more hypothetical on this one