All Activity

I hate mubdobbers and wasps! This idea is a good one for that size bug. Inexpensive too! We run our fans 20/7 for months at a time. I have two new fans to replace my smaller ones. I'm thinking blocking off most of the top vent with 1/8" thick white plastic, and making two fan size holes to allow the fans to discharge directly outside. No screen needed there for this approach. This would eliminate the circulation effect that occurrs in a more open design where air can come out of the fan and circulate back into the fan's suction side. Sort of a "Ducted Fan" approach. Below I like the idea of using this screen all across the bottom vent area and using an inexpensive home A/C filter as a bug stop to the outside of the screen. The above vent being powered and sort of ducted will likely improve air flow actually out of the refer box area. That would over come the static resistance of the screen and filter below. Combined nearly all bug proof, not just my two worst friends mentioned above but smaller ones as well and areduce someof the dust that gets sucked into the refer backside. PS: I keep a fresh can of Wasp Spray in my front storage box for "encounters" of the worst kind. GJ

From a M.E. perspective the smaller unit was intended to run longer than the 13.5 units thereby better controlling humidity and pulling less power. A good thing. But it gives up high temperature condition performace (ability to reach set point) and cool down time as trade offs... as you well know. Pretty much of that logic line goes out the window with the advent of the Inverter units. They can cycle output down/up as needed for all applications under those for which they are not undersized. They control both humidity and temperature to set point. Brilliant! I suspect that OTT will be going that direction once there is a bit more experience with them and the reliability issues, good and bad, shake out. That's part of their good conservative approact to significant changes I think. As the inverter refergerator topic continues to matue, I'll be looking at the owner opinions in a couple more seasons as my Dometic 3-way ages and my confidence in the air separation from the cabin and the refer side deteriorates. Likewise with the inverter A/C units. Wish the Houghton was an inverter, but it's not. Lucky that I and others were able to do the two Mods. So I'll likely hold off an A/C upgrade to let this topic mature. Especially if the Ceilo would work well on it! I appreciate all the Owner inputs about the Cielo system and their experiences using it. GJ

For those with an older technology (Not Inverter) I seem to have understood that the Cielo would just shut down the power to the unit in the mode when humidity "give back" from the Evaporor Coil is an issue. But with if you have more recent design (Inverter A/C), the Cielo independently controls the (Inverter (Compressor Speed), Condensor Fan, and the Supply Air Fans) to meet what ever humidity and temperature settings are needed. Is the above done by the same model of Cielo or different ones? How does it do so for both types of unit when they all likely have different mother boards? Almost sounds too good to be real. But so many of us really like what it does it must be magic! GJ

Casita did a pretty good job with this new trailer. Tank sizes, especially black tank, dry bath and large fridge are all good selling points. At about half the price of an Oliver this is going to provide some competition. I hope Oliver is working on their next trailer! Mike

A farm back-hoe bucket worked best for our Houghton install. Also, the Dometic if still running will generally fetches $500 to $600 on Craigs List. So don't do what one fellow did that HATED his DOMETIC P2: Tossed it over the side. Which likely is not legal due to the refergerant rules. GJ

OR instead of getting all that hardware, you could invest a few hours and get you some of these: ; ; ; ; ; wait for it......; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; Gotcha! I was forwarned by a very wise Sea Dog (I believe) in 2018 that some day I would get older and wished I had got my Ollie with 20 # tanks. I did on both topics. GJ

We have the standard awning without wings. I like to move the picnic table half under and half outside of the awning. then I use three tie downs from the awning to the table itself. For week plus stays with tables, it beats collecting three each 3 gallon buckets of rocks for dead weights... much faster too. GJ

Thanks Mike. It is obvious I am a Mechanical Engineer. Fortunately June is a Masters Electrical Engineer and a IT Professional. So I'm the slow one in the gizmology world of these type of machines. Put power I do get!. Gathering the base level info lets me ask less stupid C.S. questions though. Many thanks for your posts! GJ

Sure! Each laptop is working independently so it only comes down to the internet "Bandwidth," which simply means how much data can be transmitted over time. Typical Starlink connections are very fast, usually greater than 100 Mega bites per second (Mbps) so you can easily stream video on more than one device at a time. That's why trailer park internet can be so slow; the more users means less available bandwidth.

The SL Mini doesn’t transmit TV, it provides internet connectivity so the user can stream whatever his device is capable of streaming. Carol and I are sometimes both on our iPads streaming different video content from the SL Mini. Mike

That's why we're taking our time replacing the springs in 2026 with Alcan springs. I don't like Dexter EZ Flex wet pin spring bushings, they were thin and fragile when installing the EZ Flex system, very easy to damage. Believe Alcan's bushings are made of more durable material and thicker than Dexter's wet pin spring bushings. This will be a good reason for us to visit Grand Junction, CO this year during our western trip. 🙂

Should we not get contrary documentation, it pretty much validates the Dexter assessment that the Dexter PR4B 1750# springs are undersized for our full time loaded 6000# class trailerls. Does any OE2 oqnwe in your situtation know if the OTT installed 5200# axles on the OE2's came with the Dexter PR4 2400# springs or something different? Would be really good to know this. thanks GJ

Bill: Lucky you to have the 5200's for free. I am going to "Assume" you are not a 5%er. If not, I get a second strike. With your super good 5200's and BEEFY brakes, and likely the Dexter 5 Leaf springs, I do not recall a single post where the 5 leaf springs on 6,000 pound class OTT's have failed. (Somebody please correct me if my memory has gone on strike in this. If so, please provide specifics.) I would continue to inspect them every season checking for flatening out of their curve. But then that would be smart for every owner to do, even those with Alcan's. 🙂 GJ

Not aware of any 5 leaf Dexter spring failures, yet.

Has anyone with the 5200 lb axles factory installed had a leaf spring failure?

Our LE2 came with 5200lb axles and 5 leaf springs. I'm not going to install them, going to visit Alcan in 2026 and let them do the installation.

Can the Starlink Mini II transmit TV on two different chanels at one time to two laptops? Learning more the easy way! Thanks GJ

JD: Love it. A shameless Starlink recommendation! GJ

I will give Casita a little credit. They are certainly taking “little bites” out of the fiber glass travel trailer market for folks who just cannot justify 90-100k for an Oliver. Smart forward thinking with their R&D folks with a larger/longer camper and dry bath to boot. And oh gee, how interesting? Casita must be listening to their customers! 🤔 Might be just me, But I bet they sell quite a few baskets of those eggs! 😄 https://casitatraveltrailers.com/lc/

And - what's "wrong" with "rat fur"? Back in the day when I was first looking at molded fiberglass, I took a look at a Casita. I was fairly impressed with the "oak" cabinet doors until I looked a bit more closely and saw that they were actually "press board" with a decal oak cover. Then I looked at the rat fur, then I looked at the frame, then I looked at the "holes" in the shell that were used to secure the "furniture inside, then I took a look at .....

In similar fashion, I can't do the wood or carpeted interior because of all the glues (formaldehyde) and my severe allergies. My allergies began with exposure to formaldehyde! And while that large refrigerator looks nice, I sure would miss my pantry in my E2.

Yes, if your 2024 still has the 30 amp breaker under the street side bed next to the actual inverter. The newer Oliver no longer have that 30 amp breaker. Oliver went to a large fuse.

Guess I'm on a roll today..... I keep hearing that X-spring seems to make their trailer sure footed. Likely a good observation by credible owners. I suspect they do to at least some extent. But. Not once in eight years of crossing the Continental USA, running 9,000+ miles a year, always with significant highway and off road use in the mountains, have I ever had my OTT OE2 not be dirctly behind my truck. It just follows where the Anderson leads it. It does not sway. It does not wonder around, it does not wag it's tail at other pretty trailers we pass or that pass us, and it certainly has never been sideways to the path. It just follows behind me and always shows up in a second or two when we arrive. So, really is being "Sure Footed" a critical factor in selecting a trailer spring for all of us? Likely not. Whereas, ride of the trailer, and especially our contents, is an important spring selection consideration. For the 5%ers who have significant witness marks, you have other criterion of more critical importance, and that is keeping the axle U-Bolts from killing your frames welds due to how you love to use your trailers. For that you need the stiffness of the super duty 5 leaf Alcans. And I support that perspective for your use. But I suspect that "sure footedness" is not a relivant criterion for the majority of owners that don't have witness marks on our frames, and who's frame welds are not worried. 🙂 GJ

Dexter 5 leaf? Typo? Good that you are planning to change your springs before their roadside failure. The above generic chart provides general industry standard info. The Michelin provided chart for these tires also require at least 35 PSI. If an owner can not find a chart for their manufacturer, use of the above could be pretty good guidline. But with the internet the actual data for your tires is better. Here is the chart for mine OE2 tires: For talking purposes, a typical 6,000 pound OE2 will have a tongue weight of about 580 pounds. That calculates to about 2720 pounds for each axle. From the chart we are off the chart. One could mathamatically postulate that at the example axle weight we should use about 27/28 PSI. Not the case. The pressure shown on the left side is the minimum pressure to be used. But for the purpose of lowering running drag, and to give us more safe warning time when a tire is failing, most of us add some pressure. Likewise, I also run my OE2 with 40 to 45 PSI when on highway. If serious off roading I lower it further to 35 as per the charts. But if conditions dictate, for short duration I would not hesitate to go below the 35 PSI. And have twice with our Ollie. SUGGESTION: I like many other owners, believe that having a 20/18 volt air compressor (And a good plug kit) are musts when traveling far or traveling off road. GJ

Beginning to research what I need to do to upgrade to lithium batteries. starting from zero. So don’t even know what I don’t know yet. I am pretty handy. I manage power plants for a living. So I think I can do it myself once I know what needs swapping out. any help would be appreciated!