TheLittlePuppy

Hi John, Here are a few things: INTERIOR Clear all unsecured items Cupboard doors/drawers closed Ceiling vents closed/Windows closed TV/satellite dish down TV antenna down Refrigerator items secure & fridge power selected/fridge door fastened Water pump turned off EXTERIOR Lock coach door Entry step stowed RV walk-around Tire pressure checked Fluid levels checked Adjust rear view mirrors TAKE ALONG STUFF Flashlight Tire pressure gauge Tools: Screw drivers, pliers, adjustable wrench, hammer Fire extinguisher First aid kit Toliet chemicals/Toliet paper Maps/Emergency Road Service info/Insurance info Water pressure regulator In-line water filter Fresh water hose Hose to rinse sewer hose Disposable rubber gloves/Hand sanitizer There are lists you can look up on the internet and fine tune to your needs. Don't forget food. Games, outside chairs and shade canopy if you have the room and can take the extra weight in your coach. Hope the shake down goes well and have fun! Charles & Dianne

Hi Shanda, I'll be sad when your remodeling of Sadie is finished as it's been fun reading all of your adventures in fixing her up! The bonding you wrote about is a real thing with these little Toys...they are VERY SPECIAL. Maybe it's because there aren't a ton of them all over the place. Just a few days ago, I saw one here in Tulsa very similar to ours and I just smiled and waved. Please keep us updated on all the fun you and Sadie will have in the future. (It was nice to know your daughter is bonding with Sadie, after all the next generation has to keep the fun going, too!) About the updated axle in Michigan...get it as soon as you are able; these are getting harder to find at least around here in Oklahoma. Ours came in today and will be installed on the 16th. (The fellow that will work on it is getting married and going on his honeymoon next week...imagine that, turning down an axle upgrade for that!) Hooray, we'll soon drive it with confidence! Best wishes! Dianne

Hi Shanda, Sadie is really lookin' good!!! All your hard work is really paying off in a big way; she is starting to smile again if not downright laugh out loud at how great she feels! Sure hope you're still smiling and laughing after all your effort. You'll have so much fun in this little gal you'll never want it to end! Tell your hubbie that golfers like the color "green" oh wait, I think they like to play on greens...either way, he'll love it, too! It's been fun watching and reading all of this come together for you! Happy traveling in Sadie! She's a doll! Dianne

Hello All, Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend and if you took your Toy out, sure hope you enjoyed it! We were planning on our first camping trip over the past weekend, but with all the axle updates decided to hold off until we get the new 6 lug full floating axle. Charlie took all the axle info to our Toyota mechanic this morning and he started looking immediately for the 6 lug. Hooray, he found one!!! With his connections, he located one in Missouri (we're in Oklahoma). It's off an '88 Toyota truck with relatively low mileage in very good condition with wheels and everything needed to replace it! We are so excited! He will get in the next few days and do the total replacement and we will be good to go! This is a guy that has our best interests at heart and did all the work to get our Little Puppy up to running speed when we first got him. Runs like a top now and we won't have to worry about the rear wheels coming off when it's all done...what a relief! Tomorrow (Wed.) will be taking the Little Puppy in to a RV repair guy to fix a water leak we discovered when we turned on the water pump. We had water running down the wall in the bathroom from the sink...uh, don't think it was supposed to work like that. So, we'll see what that problem is and get it taken care of. We really haven't had too many bad surprises with this little motorhome and after all, he's not a youngster anymore! Our mechanic said just drive down the road and smile as all the big rigs pass you knowing you're getting lots more mpg than them and not going totally broke filling up! These are fun! Happy motoring! Dianne

Hi Rich, Thanks for all the information. We will have to have someone do this job for us as we are not mechanically gifted in any way. You've given us a list that we can use and not appear to be totally unknowledgeable on this. I was reading the listing about our little Toy when we bought it last fall and the guy installed a heavy-duty rear axle with heavy-duty bearings. We will try to call him and ask if he used a Toyota axle, so will have to wait for this info. It doesn't sound like it takes forever to have this done so that's good. Again, thanks for the list. Happy Axle-ing! Dianne

Thanks, Diesel Mike. I don't think it is a Toyota axle, probably just a heavy-duty axle he used. We're in Tulsa, Oklahoma and believe me, when we ask about this we will not use our "we are desperate look"! I just have this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when reading about wheels coming off as one is driving anywhere over 10 mph. Are the 6 lug rims readily available? We just had new tires put on. This is such a great site and you all are so helpful! Dianne

The guy we bought our '84 Toyota Dolphin from was a mechanic and he replaced the rear axle with a heavy-duty one however it still has 5 lugs not 6. Our Toyota mechanic says this axle is okay, but I'm not convinced especially after reading everything here. Are these full-floating 6 lug rear axles hard to find and what else do we need besides that? What will this cost (estimate)? Thanks for any info on this. Charles & Dianne

Shanda, Nice to meet you too! Enjoyed reading about your 'test drive' in your four speed Sunrader. Ours is a four speed also and it is so easy to shift. Our Little Puppy is not going to be real speedy, but we will get there sooner or later! If you see us out and about in our sweet antique Toy, be sure and wave as you pass us! By the way, we love Celtic music, so we have these two things in common. Life is good! You have a great weekend, too! Enjoy the new one! Dianne

Hi Shanda! Another Okie with a new Toy! These things are Fun! We found ours last November and have been getting it ready to camp and travel. We wanted one for years and found ours on Craigslist and it was right next door to us in Broken Arrow (we're in Tulsa). How neat is that? It was also affordable for us even with all the tune up, etc. There was no way we were walking away from this little one! We named it "The Little Puppy" because it's going to house both of us and our three small dogs. They love to travel and so do we, so we are looking forward to some fun times in our great little motorhome. We still can't believe it's ours. We were the first to call about it and as soon as we saw it, we knew it was the one. It's an '84 Dolphin and has the rear axle replaced so no problem with that. Sometimes, we just go out and sit in it and chill; it's so relaxing! Can't wait to actually use it. Hurry Memorial Day weekend and get here! Yes, this site is wonderful and full of information. It is so nice to read through all the listings and make copies of what you need. Lots of friendly folks on this site who are ready to share their joys and their woes. Welcome to the group and we look forward to reading more from you. Sounds like you're already having fun in Toyland! Dianne

Eternabond is great stuff! It isn't cheap, but definitely worth it. We used it on our '84 Dolphin roof to cover a cracked area. It is the best thing we found after lots of research. We put it around our vents and also put it over the old screw holes when we removed the CB on the side of the motorhome. Just be sure it's where you want it to go because it is super sticky and stays stuck once applied. No more leaks!

Hi Pager, You did a great job on your A/C shroud repair. Nice pics, too. We're your neighbors to the west in Oklahoma and everytime we hear the words "hail" we hope we'll be spared. The front of our Dolphin has some dimples from past hail damage. We live near an overpass and can try to drive there if needed. Our A/C shroud is metal so the only thing that would break is the vent covers and there is a Maxx Air on one of them. These things are fun, aren't they?!!! Just like a house, there is always something to fix. Sure hope you won't have more hail, but where we both live, there is always that chance. Charles & Dianne and The Boys

Thanks for the info. I've looked at Good Sam's and Camping World which are managed by the same company. These seem to be the best for this size motorhome. Coach Net appears to be geared more for the larger motorhomes and it is more expensive. AAA doesn't always cover in every region. So we will go with Good Sam's or CW. The weather has been nice so I've been working in The Little Puppy and the boys are convinced they are being left out . They love to hop in and go for a ride, so they will be off the charts when we actually go camping !!! Warm regards and dog woofs, Dianne

Hello to all fellow Toy owners! We had wanted a Toyota motorhome for a long time and spent many hours looking on the web for one. They were always located quite a distance from us. Then, lo and behold, we found one almost in our backyard! We live in Tulsa and it was in Broken Arrow just a few miles away. It is a 1984 Toyota Dolphin and we are the third owners. Bought it last November and it spent a month in the auto shop getting the works to make it road ready. We've had a hard winter and spring so haven't been able to get it all ready inside yet for a trip. Just bought new tires last Saturday. It is in great shape for its age. We have friends here that have a Dolphin and they are going to show us how to use all the stuff. One of the main reasons we wanted a small motorhome is we have three small dogs (the reason we named it "The Little Puppy") and got tired of trying to find pet-friendly places to stay when traveling (what little we do). So the three guys have a new dog house on wheels and they are excited! Buddy is an Eskie mix and Andy and Johnnie are Papillons and they like to travel. So we're glad to find this site and all the info. Just a quick question, what emergency road service do you all suggest using? We would be wanting it mainly for towing (hopefully never) and flat tire changes. We've read that if you use your auto insurance for this, it can cause your rate to go up. So tell us what you all use. Thanks and look forward to lots of fun times in our "new" Toy.