TheLittlePuppy

Hi Karen, Good for you! Best wishes for your '86 Dolphin; be sure and read the information on this forum and you will be ahead in many areas of owning a mini motor home. There is a ton of great things to learn and apply that will help immensely. Dianne

When we got our '84 Dolphin last November, it had a replaced heavy duty rear axle but it was not the full floating 6 lug axle. We were not confident that it would hold up with all the weight issues that these mini motorhomes have and had it replaced this summer. I'm not sure that new bearings, bolts, etc., would be the best way to go with yours. There would be expense involved with all of this and you still wouldn't have the axle you need. My suggestion is since you plan to buy this motorhome, start your search for the full floating 6 lug axle and I think you will be happier and safer even if it takes some time to locate one. I don't know if another make of axle can be used or not. Our mechanic's shop found one on a wrecked Toyota truck for us. Best wishes for finding one. Dianne

Shanda, you've been missed, glad you checked in! I figured you were searching/waiting on the new axle or we'd have seen your interesting posts sooner. So happy you've found your axle and are so close to having it ready to hit the road. Thanks for posting where you found your axle, that might help others that are still searching for one. Now we need gas to come down (yeah, right) so we can see the passing scenery from our Toys. Even if it doesn't come down a lot, we do get better mileage that the bigger rigs. Let's see, more room or better gas mileage....ummm, I'll take the mileage behind door number 1! Keep us informed about Sadie and you in the upcoming weeks. Happy Fall to you! Dianne

Kenny, you are well on the road to being a great Toy owner even with the lumps on your head! So glad your new baby has the updated axle so that won't be a concern. You will have this one cleaned up, fixed up and be headed down to the campground before you know it. Again, welcome to the land of awesome owners of Toy motorhomes.....let the fun (and some hard work) begin!!! Dianne

Kenny, Glad you feel at home here! We're always happy to add more members to our Toy motorhome family....the more, the merrier. It's exciting to find one of these Toys and then to actually end up owning one is the icing on the cake. Yes, there will be some things that will need to be fixed, but that is to be expected....just like a home and a car/truck. Get a dollar, spend a dollar or lots of dollars! I enjoyed reading about your trip in the other Toy. Steep hills are a challenge for these little ones, but they can creep up them, just slower. They do great on the flat lands, just watch out for crosswinds. Oh, one more tip for you. Be sure and duck your head getting in and out of the cab, otherwise you'll be seeing stars ouch! Only takes a couple of times doing this and you'll remember! Dianne

Here is what we had done on our '84 Dolphin this summer: Located full floating assembly - $754.88 includes shipping Removed rear differential and installed used full floating axle assembly Replaced all bearings, hardware, lug nuts, seals, brakes, brake hydraulics, fluids, and rear shocks Remounted and balanced all tires and wheels (The guys sanded and painted all the rusty tire rims for free) (The u-bolts had to be fabricated off site) Labor $ 605.09 Parts 1,471.88 Sublet 114.00 Supplies 4.12 Disposal 1.00 TOTAL $2,196.09 We are very pleased with how it turned out and it drives and handles better than ever. Well worth the wait and the money. If you have the expertise to do this, you will save money, but it is a big job that can take a while to complete. Charles & Dianne '84 Dolphin

Welcome Dixiebear! You'll like it here on this forum and sure hope your Dolphin works out great for you. I look through the Ebay Toyota motorhomes about once a week and I saw this one....good to know who ended up with it. I was trying to see if it had the upgraded axle from the picture and it was nice of Allen to enlarge it. Let us know for sure, okay? It seems this Toyhome "virus" is one that is only cured by acquiring a Toy. It looks like a great motorhome even with the missing outside doors. You should be able to find replacements for them without a lot of trouble. Read through all the info on this forum and you will almost have your "degree" in motorhomes. There are lots of people here that know tons about these Toys and are willing to help with problems you may encounter. Enjoy your new Toy! Dianne '84 Dolphin (has the upgraded axle)

Welcome TwoKelleys, I would say you probably got a pretty good deal. Sounds like a great little house on wheels! You bought it from someone close by that you can ask questions if needed. Has good interior/exterior that looks unused and relatively low miles. Everything works, that's a big plus. Check for leak damage; since you didn't mention this, perhaps it doesn't have any. Okay, so you had to replace the axle, wheels, do some brake work....well, this will be the biggest load off your mind concerning safety. You won't have the wheels flying off as you are going down the highway as has happened to others with the bad axle. Even if you have to have it tuned up, it won't be a bank breaker. So, I'd say you should enjoy your new Toyhouse and have fun with it. The worst thing for these Toys is to just sit and never be used. Start it up and hit the road! Welcome back into the RV world! A very cool place to be! Dianne & Charles '84 Dolphin

Cathy & Mike, You are right about the search for these. When we first started looking, we also drove many miles to look at pure junk and these weren't even the Toys. When we decided to find a Toy, they were usually far away from where we lived so we chose to wait and see what would come up closer to us. I was checking Craigslist one day and there IT was, in the town right next to us! So, for all those still waiting and hoping to get one, don't give up, keep looking....they're out there, waiting for you too. Yes, there are a lot that are junk, but also lots of cream puffs. These are the ones that have been loved and cared for, so when (not if) you get one, be sure and do your part to take care of it so the next person or family can enjoy it. Every time we pass a used car lot and I see an older motor home parked there, I feel a little sad for it knowing that there are lots of memories of fun times stored up inside it. Here's to lots of great times and super memories in your Huntsman! Dianne & Charles

What a nice looking Chinook! When we first started looking for a small motorhome, we saw a Chinook, but it wasn't in great shape and it had a high price. It's nice to know there are some out there that have been cared for and are available for adoption! Have fun breezing along in your new toy! Charles & Dianne '84 Dolphin

$1,250 is a great price that leaves room for improvements, etc. If it doesn't have the 6 bolt full-floating rear axle, definitely look for one and have it installed. The choke issue may not be anything major. It may just need a tune up. Hope this is "the one" for you. The lack of rust from Michigan winters is a plus. Charles & Dianne '84 Dolphin

Oh, my goodness, what a beauty! There are going to be lots of envious people looking at your Huntsman....just smile and wave! When they're in such great shape, they are wonderful advertisements for the little rvs. Have fun with this fine looking motor home! Charles & Dianne

You're going to have fun now! These little ones are worth looking for and worth buying even though they are aging cuties. We sure enjoy ours and hope you will too. Just remember, they don't fly down the road, they just sort of amble along which gives one a chance to enjoy the passing scenery. Oh, don't forget to give it a name! Charles & Dianne & The Boys (our dogs) "The Little Puppy"

Hi Cathy, We tried a product called Protect All on our Toy and it did an amazing job with renewing the shine. It was easy to apply. We found it at Walmart and it doesn't have a high price. If you want to look up some info about it, here is the website http://www.protectall.com/ Hope this helps. Dianne '84 Dolphin with good looking stripes!

If the only problem with this little Toy is the 5 bolt axle, then start looking for the upgraded axle...ask your mechanic to help you find one. Call salvage yards. Don't give up because they are out there. The cost for installation shouldn't break you, so don't let that hold you back either. We are enjoying driving our '84 Dolphin with its "new" upgraded 6 bolt axle. Believe me, a one owner with low miles in good shape will probably be hard to walk away from, so don't let the axle stop you. Only you know how many other Toyota minis are available in your neck of the woods. Best to you as you decide! Dianne '84 Dolphin 300 Den "The Little Puppy"

Hi Roddoc, Welcome to the forum and to ownership of a toy. Sounds like you found a nice motorhome so hold on to it. Don't make any snap decisions about getting one that isn't as nice that you could regret later. First, start looking in your area for a one ton floating axle as you might just find one waiting to be snagged. Try some salvage places. Also, if you have a mechanic, have them look as they sometimes have lots of contacts and know more where to find them. They are available, you just have to do some searching. As a last resort, if you really need to move and want to keep this motorhome, you could go ahead and move to Arkansas, just take your time and don't push it. You won't be able to push it much anyway because they are a bit on the slow side! Then when you get to Arkansas, start your axle search there. Now, this last bit of advice is entirely up to you as we understand your scared attitude about driving it with the five lug axle. We have just had a six lug rear axle put on our '84 Dolphin and are waiting to pick it up soon. Before we had this work done, this little motorhome had 89,000 miles on it and the previous owners had made lots of trips around the country in it with no problems. But it's not "if" it will fail, but "when" it will fail so it's up to you on what to do. Sure hope you can find your axle and be able to move forward with your life. Don't give up! Best wishes, Charles & Dianne

Hi Charis, Welcome! We have a '84 Dolphin and it had not been driven for quite awhile when we bought it. So on the way to our mechanic this spring, it did the chug chug die thing too. It finally wouldn't start at all and ended up being towed to the shop. Yes, it was the fuel pump that had died. Found out this was caused by lots of crud in the old gas tank. They removed the old tank and tried to have it cleaned, but it was just too old and completely fell apart in the cleaning solution. So our mechanic ordered a new one, but it didn't fit...so back to hunting one up from a salvage place. He found one on a wrecked Toyota truck and removed it, cleaned it (no interior crud left to gum up another fuel pump) and now it runs great. So, you might try looking at salvage places and hopefully find a gas tank that will work for your '86. Hope you're able to get this fixed and soon be on the road enjoying your "new" Toy...they are worth it and they are fun! Best wishes, Dianne

Welcome, Travis! Sorry it took awhile to say howdy; it's summer and that's prime travel/camp time for all the Toys! We found a '84 Dolphin last November and are waiting to go pick it up from our mechanic sometime soooooon (hopefully!) after having a 6 lug rear axle installed. Can't wait to try it out with the "new" axle. The thought of our rear wheels coming off didn't sit well with us, so we're ready to hit the road with our Toy when it comes home. Once you have one of these, hang on to it and enjoy it. Hope you have a great time with yours! Dianne

Hi MJ, Always ready to welcome more Toy owners wherever they are! Bet you have some gorgeous places to enjoy on Vancouver Island, BC with your cute Toy. Take good care of it and let us know about your travels. I (Di) visited VI several years ago, it was beautiful with great summer weather. Charles & Dianne....1984 Dolphin (soon to have 6 lug rear axle completed...yea!!)

Hi all, When we put all the "cleaning mix" in our black tank, it was empty and we wanted to clean it since it had not been in use for quite awhile. We would leave the chlorine bleach out of the mix as stated in one of the above posts when camping or traveling. No need to take a chance with chemical reactions. Dianne

Hi Shoprat, What you are asking about is called "The Geo Method." Here is what Charles Bruni, the guy that came up with the method says to do: "Use water softener, detergent and chlorine bleach. This stuff is amazing and it works. Buy a couple of boxes of powdered water softener at the grocery store. You'll find it with or near the laundry detergent products. Calgon Water Softener dissolves quickly in water than cheaper water softeners. Dissolve 2 cups water softener in a gallon of hot water. Add a cup of laundry detergent. Then, pour the solution down the drain into the empty black water tank. The tank's drain valve should be closed otherwise the softened water will just drain out. Then use the tank normally until it is full and drain it normally. This will clean the tank. The water softener makes the solid waste let go from the sides of the tanks. Occasionally, I pour a half gallon of liquid chlorine bleach into the tank to deodorize, sanitize and disinfect it. I add the the bleach when the tank is about half full, and then continue to use the tank normally until it is full and ready to dump. I no longer use the blue toilet chemical because it isn't necessary. I have no odors coming from my black water tank. The chlorine bleach kills the bacteria, which is primarily responsible for waste water tank odor. Generic brand liquid bleach is cheap and very effective." We tried this on our black water tank and it did clean it. We found liquid Calgon water softener at Walmart, used the cheapest Dollar Store powdered detergent and Walmart bleach. Just remember, our Toys have small black water tanks, so you might want to use about half of the above "recipe." Hope this is what you were looking for...I know it's wordy, but thought others would be interested. Happy cleaning! Dianne

Hello, Boy, those low-hanging tree limbs can cause a lot of damage! Ouch! Looking at your boo-boo makes me more aware of knowing what's overhead and what's hanging low on driveways and roads. Your husband and father-in-law did a great job fixing this and I think you'll be able to keep your Monday grooming appointments! I also highly recommend Eternabond for seam sealing. It is great stuff and really does stick tight. Glad your toy is fixed. Best wishes (and watch those tree limbs)! Dianne

Hi Tracey, You're right, these are the sales brochures not the manuals. I did print one to put in our Dolphin file. Dianne

Hi, We have a 1984 Dolphin and I found the manual on the National RV site. http://www.nrvh.com/ Look on the left side and go to Brochures, click it and it will bring up Archived Brochures. Take a look at the various years (some work, some don't). The 300 is on various years so if 1981 doesn't work, look on some of the others. Hope this helps and enjoy your '81! Dianne

Hi SgtMike, Your post made me smile just picturing you smack dab in the middle of the BIG rigs! So glad to know there was no one acting snobby. There is room for all sizes and kinds of motorhomes, etc., and our little Toys don't have to take a back seat to all the others. I was reading about a campground in the Austin, Texas area the other day and the owners stated they had a "10 year policy." If you had a motorhome older than 10 years, they required a photo of it emailed to them if you planned on staying at their campground and they would let you know if you "qualified" to stay there. (Charles said we would never stay at that place even if they told us our MH was A-OK.) I don't know about the rest of you, but we haven't seen alot of really older motorhomes on the highways when we've traveled. Mostly the really old ones are parked in fields or left out to rot by someone's house or have "For Sale" signs on them that have been there for a long time. Everyone that has looked inside our Little Puppy really likes it and has nothing but nice things to say about it. It's great to hear that yours is attracting such nice attention! Bet you were smiling ear-to-ear! These things are just fine and we wouldn't trade ours for a newer or bigger one; we're happy with the small size that suits us perfectly. Oh, and the gas mileage doesn't hurt that much either! Just a little "ouch!" in the wallet. Let us know how your visit progresses and have fun! Dianne