Leaderboard

So the truck is loaded... We head south tomorrow, pick up # 685 Tuesday. As I’ve been jamming stuff into the Tundra, a strange mix of what worked with the Casita, great ideas I’ve picked up from this forum, some probably not so great ideas I’ve picked up from this forum, and a large number of items that fall into the “better to have them and not need them than not have them and need them” category, I can’t help but reflect upon the last 6 months following this forum... Sure are a great group of folks on here, and it’s been wonderful eavesdropping on your discussions, debates, and pontifications.. Its been helpful to say the least as we prepare for “Mark and Debs big adventure”... which really started about 6 months ago when I first checked out this site.. Thanks for all your help.. Hope to meet you all someday! We’ll be the Ollie with the Alewives on the front...

By the look of that smile on the truck's grill it would appear that you have already told it that an Oliver is in its future 😄. Have a good time but at first be a little careful of when and where you put your foot to the floor - a nice lonely road with no police is a good thing 😁. Bill

I’m just here to help in any way possible. 🙄 Mossey

It seems that folks new to camping are more worried about safety and security than those who camp a lot. We were in that category 6 years ago - I was concerned that my trailer might be stolen and my camp chairs and grill might disappear some day while we were out hiking. Today, with a few days on the road and a few nights camping in various places I believe the safety risk is low. Most places I’m more worried about animals than people. We routinely leave our camp chairs, table, Weber grill, Clam etc unsecured at our trailer while we’re out for the day. Never any problems. I do have the common bulldog hitch lock and a good pad lock just to discourage anyone who might be interested. My panic system would be to turn on the porch lights and hit the alarm on my truck while getting the bear spray ready. Mike I won this red lock as a door prize at one of the Oliver rally’s and use it with the pieces pictured above.

I do not take months long trips, so I just live with a dirty trailer, I would not suggest a commercial car wash, the detergents are really harsh and the brush will destroy your fine finish. One time I used one to remove mud, and I avoided the brush and soap entirely, I just used the cold water rinse feature. Never blast the external openings, like fridge vents and water heater access panels. At home I use a pressure washer, good carnauba car wash soap, a soft mitt and patience. Followed by a complete dry using a gas leaf blower and cotton rags. It takes some time but it looks factory new afterward. I do clean bugs off the front of trailer and truck by hand when traveling using 100% cotton rags and a detailing spray (Speed Shine), they come off more easily if you do it early in the morning when it is soaked with dew. The roof is fine to walk around on, in theory, I would never stand up because it is very slick if waxed; there is no non-skid material anywhere. I use a corrugated foam camping pad to kneel on, placed behind the street side awning, and scoot around on my knees. Most sections can be reached from a ladder, but to get good access to the central part you must crawl up there. You can prop the solar panels up at a 30 degree angle using some home made supports, for easy access to that part. I use Rejex and it works great, but it is a huge PITA to apply correctly, the prep work is very important. You have to remove all debris like sap and tar, so it is baby butt smooth, using a paint prep solvent to remove any existing wax. I do it every other year, since Mouse is stored indoors. Most folks who are not so anal just use a good marine (boat) wax, more frequently. If I were unwilling to wash like this, I would seek out a good car detail shop that does trailers, and have them do an exterior detail and wax, right before winter storage. The inside is so easy to clean, that is best done at your leasure. John Davies Spokane WA

I have used a car wash a couple of times when we were on the road and I couldn’t stand the dirt/mud all over my trailer. Normally, I give it a good wash when we get home. I use a bucket, microfiber wash mitt and a good quality car wash. I use a ladder to get to the top, the extendable type that I carry when camping. I cut a couple of pool noodles for the part that leans against the trailer. While the roof is strong enough you don’t want to be walking around up there. Except for the middle the rest is rounded and slick when wet. I can reach everything on the roof without actually getting up there. Once or twice a year I wax it. I’ve used a number of waxes over the years, a good marine fiberglass wax is best. You’ll get some good recommendations here, I’m sure. Mike

With 10 days under our belt, I’ll give you a slightly different view. I’ve had 3 standard water heaters and this is our first Truma. We love it and wouldn’t go back to the standard. We can get up from eating, turn on the truma and start washing dishes with immediate hot water. When we are done, we turn it off. I believe that is much more efficient than our other water heaters. Then, after being off-grid, it’s nice to schedule full hookups for a night with a nice long shower. When we are in freezing weather, I plan on turning the bypass valve and dumping the truma which takes all of 90 seconds. No tools required. We did not get the 12v travel heater for that reason. Now, was it worth the extra $? For us, yes.

Epic thread. Thread of the Year now because of “Shower Beers,” I think. Some day, somehow, someone will search “shower” and “beer” and find this thread and be all, “Whoa. Awesome forum.”

Thanks. That Level Master bubble looks nice and visible from your photo, which is more helpful than product shots on Amazon for judging that I think.

Jim, not all bubble levels are created equal..... some leak. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2082-how-to-install-a-big-bubble-level-no-drilling/ John Davies Spokane WA

Noticed you could order a whole lock for $10.99 and it comes with two keys!

Nope..too old to worry about what others should think what I should think. I got to label them for me. Just going to put an arrow on the switch. My instinct is to push them the wrong way at the first of the season, unless I hear the "clicking"...

Yes, Trainman, I too originally thought that they were installed upside down. But, then, it was explained to me that I should think about it in terms of the direction I want the front of the trailer to go (i.e. not think in terms of which direction I wanted the jack foot to go). So - what Mike said! Bill

Thanks, folks. I already have a Clam. Like I said, I use it as a motorcycle garage. Even with the sides (which I also have) it would be too cold/drafty in the winter. Also, most of them are not big enough or are just barely big enough to fit around a table. After someone reminded me that Clam makes thermal hubs for ice fishing and so I went down the trail for a bit and I'm seriously considering an Eskimo Outbreak because of the large door which goes all the way to the ground: https://geteskimo.com/products/outbreak-650xd This Vortex would be another option except that like most of the thermal hubs it uses a door configuration which is not very kid + motorcycle compatible: https://www.otteroutdoors.com/product/vortex-monster-lodge-hub/ Relative to the prices I've seen for "California rooms" which attach/supplement an awning, the prices on the thermal hubs is not so crazy. Probably the bigggest disadvantage of the thermal huts is they don't have much in the way of windows but that's to be expected given their intended use-case.

You're going to really enjoy using the electric tongue jack, instead of blocks.

Yes - all of these "things" that are put under the tires are for the purpose of leveling from side to side (note for newbies - do not confuse this with chocks which prevent the camper from rolling away when not connected to your tow vehicle). The tongue jack is used for leveling front to back. Bill

I just posted a similar story... Disassemble your trailer 7 pin connector. The moisture and corrosion is on the back side of the plug, not the front side. You are going to find a mess. Clean it up. Add a bunch of dielectric grease and put it together again. LED lamps have a very low "light off" voltage. Leakage which you would have never seen with old style lights will show up early with LEDs;.

Yours is probably correct . . . . we'll know very soon 😃

The rubber horse stall mat, like Tractor Supply sells, works great. Cut up and alternate between pieces of wood. Keeps the wood from sliding. Also helps make up the height you might need. Stabilizers take 30 amp so use a lot of power when boondocking. The less they have to travel is the more power reserve you have...

PickupTruckDave.

You use them on the side needing height. They work very well. However if you need more than 4 to 5 inches - yeah I guess a mountain of blocks would do it. RB

Thanks for the report. That should be helpful to a lot if people

I'm just happy that a thread I started has eventually evolved to the topic of Shower Beers. ;)

And squeezing into tiny campsites is a joy.

The rubber chocks Topgun linked are very excellent but pretty expensive for four. I agree that you need heavy rubber ones, the Harbor Freight chocks are a great value ($32 for 4) and work super well. Buy four, attach a 48” length of bright rope to each pair, loop it over the hubcap, it makes it a lot easier to retrieve them, especially if they are wet/ dirty. Put the knobby side down, toward the pavement, and kick each one lightly against the tire with your shoe. After you are hitched, if one gets stuck under the tire do not despair, grab the one that did come free and whack the hell out of the stuck one with it, it will pop out in a couple of blows. Don’t kick it or you will hurt your toes and swear a bunch. ALWAYS double chock BOTH tires whenever the trailer is going to be disconnected. The brightly colored rope makes it less likely you will forget to remove them when you drive away. Buy these chocks HF will have a big Black Friday sale really soon, they might knock a couple of bucks off the price. John Davies Spokane WA

My responses are within your questions above. Mossey

The only reason I would consider the gas version is cost of maintenance - fuel is cheaper, but that almost evens out towing. Oil changes are about $30 more, and every 10k miles a fuel filter at about $50 - when home I do them, but still a cost. And the DEF is added cost - but not really that much - in the long run. However - a big thing is the added initial cost of the diesel - it is 1/6 or more of the price of the truck........ To date - the gas versions are not as powerful on the torque side of the power scale, and historically are at the top end of the RPM's - which is really annoying. At last check, GM was NOT paring the new 10 speed with the gasser, and it is std on the Duramax. And to add injury - the Gasser has not shown any improvement in fuel mileage - towing. Now I realize each year they claim better Gas engine numbers - but I haven't seen it in real world. Perhaps that is changing. My GMC runs at low rpm, pulling, and almost to low, running around the home front. My gas trucks were about 1000 rpm higher at cruise, and really worked hard on the steep grades. IF the new larger gas engines change - I will look at them - but I doubt they will match the diesel anytime soon. As I have stated previously - the total package - not just chassis/powertrain, are really comfortable on the long hauls, not to mention the feeling of safety and capability under tow.

I've been looking at replacing all the switches with relays on a 16 channel board with a raspberry pi. That'd make easy app control, or with the an IO board, easy control with physical switches to include a big red button. Bonus in that you can now automate it all as well so you get "welcome home" lighting as desired. As for loud noises, we have a dog that will take care of that in abundance. Animals seem to similarly shy away when the dog goes ballistic. If someone wants to open the door when they hear the dog, then not much in blinking lights and sirens will work and they are probably high and it's best to turn to plan C. Front cameras don't look like they are offered anymore, but the wiring diagram says there is still power run for it. Front camera would cover the biggest blindspot. I'd like to get 360 coverage for parking as well as keeping tabs on what's going on outside without having to peek through the blinds - with recording. At a minimum, I want to be able to see who's at the door without having to peak out.

Update.... this has been working really well and I appreciate the ease of getting the trailer close to level just by driving back and forth a few feet. An extra body outside is useful for levelling front to back, but even if you are alone it is helpful to get the best location to park. If a site is fairly level, you often can get the trailer aligned in both directions without ever using the jacks. If the terrain is sloping, look for a site that slopes downward from the entry. Then you can use the rear jacks only to level and raise the back, leaving the hitch connected to the truck. This saves time and fussing twice since you can just drive off the next morning. .... Remembering that your rear jacks are deployed, of course! A short piece of red surveyors tape draped around the top of the front jack, or from the top of your steering wheel, will remind you, if you are the forgetful sort like me... driving away with any of the jacks down would be bad and very embarassing. John Davies Spokane WA