Some of you either had or have Trackers as toads, but in reading about their towability one reads: "After 200 miles, the transfer case oil must be circulated for one minute before continuing", which could be a decided inconvenience. Comments?

This may be a dumb question, but hey go for it Dale. Could a remote start kit be hooked up to it? I am guessing that it would have to be in PARK so that would kill that thought. Too I think I read where it has to be run through the gears???? You sure could not do that via remote. I told you it was a DUMB question. Ron, I may be standing next to you very soon with this question.

Toosahn, when you think about it I am sure that someone has to go to the bathroom about every 200 miles. Plus, I think these rules are mostly suggestions. I have seen tons of trackers on the road as toads and I have never seen anyone pull over start the engine and put it in gear for a couple minutes. It is a very popular toad so I think this should not be a major concern.

Also, as much as I love my own site, I also frequent www.escapees.com, www.rv.net, and www.IRV2.com which are much larger forums and you might be able to get a larger amount of info. But, if you learn something always come back and tell the rest of the family here.

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"Ships are safe in the harbor.....But that's not what ships are for"

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers

I suspect that most of those 200 mile recommendations are mainly to thwart product liability claims, though starting and running through the gears periodically is just good sense.

As Dave says, most of us need a pit stop to take on coffee, or let it out every few hours anyway. I find the hardest thing is to remember to start it up each time I stop. I don't worry about the 200 mile interval, just try to do it everytime I stop.

I tow a Suzuki Sport Sidekick, basically a Tracker in fancier clothing. It's a small deal, and good insurance to stop it and run it through the gears.

Ron and I will soon be marketing a lubricant supplement that will allow you to drive for at least 250 miles without starting up the toad and cycling through the gears.

It will be expensive, and will be marketed exclusively to Barth owners. Maybe only to owners of Regencies first, with Breakaways and Regals sometime later.

Details to follow.

Bill H

Out west here, we sell the same thing but call it snake oil. Quantity discounts are available.

Dale and others,

Thanks for info. I guess stopping every 200 miles or so is not a bad thing. I have a '94 4x4 Toyota pickup that I run in 4 wheel drive for a time each month to keep it well lubed and seals intact, so, guess the same would apply here. But I do notice the Jeep Wrangler 4x4 has no such limit. Some of the Tracker limit may just be CYA.

Our product takes "snake oil" one order of magnitude beyond. Our product is polarized jojoba bean oil, with some whale oil added. We are considering adding a bit of snake oil just to give us market credibility. The snake oil actually causes our product to crawl up the surface of the gear teeth and into and around the bearings so you do not have to move the parts around as much.

We are considering marketing a "premium" version that will let you drive 300 miles.
It will be sold only to a select client�le, the original owners of Regencies.

"We are considering marketing a "premium" version that will let you drive 300 miles.
It will be sold only to a select client�le, the original owners of Regencies."

OOPS!

Our marketing consultant has advised us that his demographic analysis indicates that our target "select client�le" are unlikely to own such a "downscale" toad as a Tracker.

Bill H

Put me down for a case. My transmission needs it too.

Sorry fellows, it is already on the market. It's called HADACOL (had to call it something), and I get mine from the ORMAR MAN. Ron's grandfather invented it, but Ron's to young to remember though. My father used to take a man's leather belt, soak it in a fruit jar full of HADACOL then use the leather for rod bearing inserts. Worked for the trip home.

[This message has been edited by DALE SMITH (edited November 04, 2003).]

[This message has been edited by DALE SMITH (edited November 04, 2003).]

Jojoba bean oil, whale oil, AND snake oil, too. WOW! If you vary the proportions, you can probably market it as a substitute for cod liver oil and/or castor oil and mineral oil as well. Think of the prospects! A laxative, vitamin supplement, and transmission additive in one product! Push it hard enough and you'll become the Bill Gates of organics.

Dale, you'll be happy to know the Ron and I are working an ingenuous device that will both remotely start the toad, shift it through the gears and apply the brakes (simultaneously if necessary). We are calling it the "Barth Buddy" and it will be powered by a double male ended 12 volt extension cord. Dave will be selling it in the Barth store. I was concerned about finding the appropriate hydraulic fluid to use. However, after bill h and olroy's post, I think I have found the oil that will do the job.

Bill Goodwin

Thanks Bill. I would advise you that if Ron offers to give you a ride on his SCOOTER be advise it AIN'T no CUSHMAN. When it shook at 140 + and he decided it needed a steering damper to get it over 160 MPH, you need to say NO THANKS. Like I said before he is DUMB LIKE A FOX. How about 318 curves in 11 miles riding with him? You will be ready for a SLOW SMOOTH BARTH RIDE, but AFTER a visit to his two holer.

I'm sure glad all Barth lovers are serious-minded, public-spirited citizens, concerned with the well-being of their fellow humans. That being the case, I'll let you in on an idea I've had.

If you took Ron's double male-ended extension cord, put a 30a plug on one end, a 50a plug on the other, and plugged them into a double female adapter appropriately sized, you'd have 20a of current going unused. The trick is to tap it off in a usable manner. Make enough of 'em and you could power the entire U.S. Navy, do away with those messy nuclear power plants, un-dam the rivers and restore the salmon runs, and stop polluting the air with all those coal-fired plants.

Think of the possibilities - 15a to 20a converters for RVs, 20 to 30 for small homes, infinite combinations of them tied together in series for the precise amount of current needed for any job.

As I said, the trick is tapping off that unused 20a. With the combined brain power of Ron, bill h, and goodwinw, it should be a piece of cake. I'd do it myself, but I'm 2FO. I'll just take 20% of the gross for sharing the idea.

And if you flipped it over it would work in Canada.

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"Ships are safe in the harbor.....But that's not what ships are for"

1985 28 foot Regal
Dave and Deb Bowers