Note left on my H1 in Telluride

[Gillis-Smith (SO LR)]

Just had to share this with you all. On our recent camping trip to Durango, Ouray, Telluride, Moab, etc. we returned to our dirty H1 to find a note on the windshield. Keep in mind that Telluride is a very artsy, granola town that generally does not favor our types of rigs.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. See the attachment with photo of said Hummer. The note reads,
"To Solar Owners,
We usually give a 'thumber to a hummer' <see pic> but your dirt, solar power and strapped-down gear win style points w/ us. We like how you roll...(maybe Hummer will come out with a hybrid--but until then a rare thumb's up to you).
With thanks--
The disbelievers."

Note, the license plate is a CA Yosemite plate that reads SOLR with a frame that reads, Relax my home is solar powered." We'll keep up the mission to reach out to all people. We are winning people one at a time. Brings back memories of pulling out the Cadillac STS in Pismo.

Greg

[Gillis-Smith (SO LR)]

Just had to share this with you all. On our recent camping trip to Durango, Ouray, Telluride, Moab, etc. we returned to our dirty H1 to find a note on the windshield. Keep in mind that Telluride is a very artsy, granola town that generally does not favor our types of rigs.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. See the attachment with photo of said Hummer. The note reads,
"To Solar Owners,
We usually give a 'thumber to a hummer' <see pic> but your dirt, solar power and strapped-down gear win style points w/ us. We like how you roll...(maybe Hummer will come out with a hybrid--but until then a rare thumb's up to you).
With thanks--
The disbelievers."

Note, the license plate is a CA Yosemite plate that reads SOLR with a frame that reads, Relax my home is solar powered." We'll keep up the mission to reach out to all people. We are winning people one at a time. Brings back memories of pulling out the Cadillac STS in Pismo.

Greg

[Manny]

Thanks for posting that... nice to see your positive PR experience on the web

I run biodiesel in my rig, and have a few stickers on the truck; that seems to diffuse some of the rabid greenies from flipping out about my rig, but the biggest thing that seems to calm them down is: dirt, gear and dents!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gillis-Smith (SO LR):
Just had to share this with you all. On our recent camping trip to Durango, Ouray, Telluride, Moab, etc. we returned to our dirty H1 to find a note on the windshield. Keep in mind that Telluride is a very artsy, granola town that generally does not favor our types of rigs.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. See the attachment with photo of said Hummer. The note reads,
"To Solar Owners,
We usually give a 'thumber to a hummer' <see pic> but your dirt, solar power and strapped-down gear win style points w/ us. We like how you roll...(maybe Hummer will come out with a hybrid--but until then a rare thumb's up to you).
With thanks--
The disbelievers."

Note, the license plate is a CA Yosemite plate that reads SOLR with a frame that reads, Relax my home is solar powered." We'll keep up the mission to reach out to all people. We are winning people one at a time. Brings back memories of pulling out the Cadillac STS in Pismo.

Greg </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[KhaiDog]

Your rig wins style points with me too. Got any more picks of it. I was in Telluride last year with mine too. The trails were great but really didn't want to hang out in the town. I'll have to mock up a solar-panel. Can't afford a real one right now.

[Gillis-Smith (SO LR)]

Here is another photo. The tanks on the rear are water on the left, fuel on the right, 18 gallons each. All the other gear including a tent, 4 sleeping bags and pads, offroad kit box, food box, stove, drygoods box, water, air tank, propane tanks, ice chest, clothes, and generally enough gear to be away from civilization for about a week. The rack on top is stainless steel, made in my garage. The air intake stack is stainless and is not a snorkel. It has a large oval hole (7x4") on the front surface of the cylindar with two internal fins for generating more inlet pressure, as my 94 is not a turbo. The best modification for this non-turbo was the addition of a 3 degree advance switch that gives a great boost of performance above 4000 feet elevation.
See you on the trails.

Greg

[KhaiDog]

Very cool! I was going to ask about the other accoutrements, like the water-tank. I'm about to load mine up for my drive to CO (from FL) which will happen in about 9 days. I think I will post a pic of it here.

[DRTYFN]

So glad that the co-nazis approve and give you "style points".
Bet you'll sleep better with those style points in your pocket. Can you trade them in for an Eco Teddy Bear?

I'm just glad that there wasn't any vandalism.

[KhaiDog]

Somebody needs to find a positive avenue for all that jealousy...

[RasterMaster]

Apparently, the leaf-licking toad suckers were too chicken-$hit to tell ya to your face and probably filled their Depends just leaving you a note. But it won't be over untill they all seek therapy!

[Hummer Guy]

I love your rig -- I hope that camping picture is a picture I'll take someday...

[Gillis-Smith (SO LR)]

I have never been too concerned about style points, just look at my welds on the rack. I appreciate your (positive) comments. I am just thrilled that someone who usually dislikes our kind and our recreation would take the time to write a note. It was left on the truck between 21:00 and 8:00 in front of our hotel. Yes, hotel, my wife had been a really great sport as we camped through Arizona, Mesa Verde, Silverton, and Ouray, so we had a treat and a shower. Usually our campsites look like this in Death Valley.

[Shawn from Angry Iron]

Nice rig. Where did you find the Tanks? Sounds like a great way to experience the best parts America. One of my future goals a Hummer a tent and as much off road as the body and wife will allow. If you are ever out east on an adventure let us know and maybe we can hit Windrock or something.

[Gillis-Smith (SO LR)]

I designed the tanks and did the drawings and then had a local weld shop weld it up. I would be happy to send you drawings. If I were to do it again I would use stainless, as was the original plan. I changed to aluminum at the last minute and now I get some aluminum oxide powder that drops out. It costs several hundred more in SS, but probably worth it. I made them only about 3/4 the length of the rear fender so that I can use them to climb up, but they could be made full length for greater volume. The shorter length also provides better view through the rearview mirror. They also have internal baffles that prevent sloshing.
Greg

[HUMMERDOGG]

Greg-

If it's not too much trouble for you, I would really like to see some more pictures of your stainless rack-specifically the mounting hardware and how you have it mounted on your hummer. Thanks in advance...

-Dogger

[Gillis-Smith (SO LR)]

Great question. It took me a while to engineer the bracket and then I had to redo it to make the rack an inch taller when I stiffened the rack with some additional tube stock. It ended up that the final design has clamped very well and does not shift or loosen on all the trips. The extra piece of metal on the inside of the track was originally added to give me the extra inch of clearance, but in the end it actually created a better clamping method. If I weren't in a hurry the day I had to retrofit this, I would have welded the inner piece to the vertical bar, but the 3/8 bolt works fine for now. The outer piece of metal is stainless angle stock that I trimmed the lower leg. One lesson learned was that the angle stock has to be thin and mounted as high as you can so that it clears the doors. The only remaining improvement I would make is to adhere some rubber to the two parts that grip the gutter to reduce the paint rub-through.

This rack normally contains one 38.5 spare tire and a canvas luggage carrier with a full-size tent, 4 sleeping bags, pads, and a tarp, the shovel and axe, so roughly 200-250 pounds and it doesn't shift or squeek. I can easily sit in the rack when I am working on the luggage or lights and it doesn't budge.

Hope this helps.

[Gillis-Smith (SO LR)]

Side view.

[HUMMERDOGG]

Greg-

It does help. Thanks for taking the time to take the pictures. That's an interesting mount design and has given me some food for thought.

[ROX]

That is a very cool setup. I'm glad they left you a nice note instead of a nasty one.

I don't normally post here, but I thought I'd just show a quick pic of my 15 gallon water setup. I know it's not as fancy, but for $20.00 it was worth it. I just used a bungy cord to strap it on. It doesn't have baffles, and you can hear the water sloshing, but it's handy if you need it, and have somewhere to put it. I picked it up at the local cattlemans outlet. Like HomeDepot for Cowboys.(Feed and Supply Store).

[dochummer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by H2 Rocks:
That is a very cool setup. I'm glad they left you a nice note instead of a nasty one.

I don't normally post here, but I thought I'd just show a quick pic of my 15 gallon water setup. I know it's not as fancy, but for $20.00 it was worth it. I just used a bungy cord to strap it on. It doesn't have baffles, and you can hear the water sloshing, but it's handy if you need it, and have somewhere to put it. I picked it up at the local cattlemans outlet. Like HomeDepot for Cowboys.(Feed and Supply Store). </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

There's a kid peeking out of the back window...

[h2co-pilot]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by dochummer:

There's a kid peeking out of the back window... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

It kinda looks like an Allegra commercial, and that is the before shot.