Leaderboard

I've hated my red satin compartment straps since the day I brought ILOVHER home. They never seemed to be on the outside of the lid! I found some of these grommet straps at my local discount outlet store for three for a buck! More robust nylon, longer and and nice grommet to hang on to. A washer and screwdriver and you're done! Here's a link to similar. https://www.amazon.com/TCH-Hardware-Nylon-Strap-Grommets/dp/B085CNGRFP

dewdev - Never trust the memory of an old guy first thing in the morning (or any other time for that matter)! 😉 Since my Ollie is in storage at the moment I'm only giving you what I remember off the top of my hat - using the button that allows you to switch from AM to FM you can simply keep pressing it until the WB shows up (only four or so presses gets you there). Once there you can scroll through 5 or 6 "bands" to get the clearest one or the one closest to your present location. Bill

We used Overland's design and a custom made top that folds like Overland's. We have Southern Mattresses that are similar to KTT. We will occasionally use the Lagun table for dinner and you can get 4 people around it. The folding leaves add great versatility. Our table is up all the time. We just fold up the leaves and swing it to the back of the trailer to keep the center isle clear when not in use. No tripping or stepping on those table brackets. I followed Overland's instructions on bracket installation. Out table is slightly narrower than Overland's. I am a little too short for my weight!! The Lagun bracket that attaches to the table top has grooves so you can attach the leg if you decide to remove and store the table. I rigged something up in our closet but have never used it. When we travel I swing the table over to the bed and drop it down on to the bed. I tighten the handles and put a pillow between the table and the wall and another between the table and the night stand just incase. The table has stayed in place. If Foy can make all of the components for you this is not a huge deal to install following Overland's instructions. We masked everything before drilling any holes and measured several times and made sure the the trailer was level so you could make sure the vertical leg is level when you mark your holes. One last key is for the best results you need to place the Lagun table bracket off center and not in the middle of the table tol as the Lagun set up is mounted to the side not center of the trailer. Overland's arrangement allows access to the basement door and night stand draw with the table attached and raised. Good luck. I think after using this arrangement for 70 plus days it is well worth the effort to install it using using Overland's method. Good luck

Thank you for bringing this back.

Our sprinter van uses a residential Mimi-split and I can attest to both its efficiency and the quiet it provides. I’ll miss both. The flip side is that the insulation wasn’t the best in the van and it was a big black heat sink, so you had no choice BUT to run the a/c especially if the dogs were with us. I’m hoping that won’t be the case with our Ollie.

As a retired attorney who was retained to defend claims by many insurance companies when I practiced, I second Mattnan's advice. Insurance adjusters are trained to close claims for minimum payouts, and to get them closed as quickly as possible. To "arm" yourself with facts, I would invest some time getting educated about the demonstrated caustic effects of the fire extinguisher you used, and which steps are necessary to remediate those effects. And, I would insist that any remediation done at the insurer's expense be effective to fully address those caustic effects. If you get pushback from the adjuster, I recommend you mention the term "bad faith." That is a term of art in insurance law, which refers to claims for breach of the insurance company's duty of good faith and fair dealing with its insureds. In most states, successful bad faith claims against insurers include an award of not only full compensation for loss by the insured, but the insured's attorneys' fees as well. Your odds of success on such a claim can only be reliably evaluated by an attorney in your state who specializes in bad faith claims, and who is appraised of all the facts, which will likely include how fully the damage from your fire, and fire suppression, has been remediated. But, be prepared for delay. A more fair settlement is usually a much delayed settlement. If your cash flow situation does not allow you to purchase a replacement tow vehicle (particularly in today's crazy-high market) without the payout from the insurer or sale of your repaired Tundra, you have a cost/benefit decision to make regarding how long you can afford to wait for payment by the insurer. Good luck! I would be interested in a report describing how it goes. Ralph Pond

We'll be there in E05.

Funny, I'd forgotten until rereading that topic above that I was at one point seriously considering deleting the AC all together on my trailer. And after four years, I kind of wonder why I didn't. It's been nice when we've used it, but we could have gotten by.

I waited until recently to reserve a site at the park since we weren’t sure if we could attend this year. We’re in section G, we’ve been in section E the last few rally’s. Variety might be good! Mike

I've seen large overland vehicles that use residential mini-split AC units, and their owners do rave about the efficiency and quiet. This conversation reminded me of this thread, so I went back through and reformatted the old posts for the new forum -

It is interesting that Truma markets their units by specifying "watts of cooling capacity" on their website instead of Btu's of cooling capacity. Stating the input power in watts only tells you the maximum input Btu's for the unit, but tells one nothing about the output (cooling) Btu's, i.e., the maximum BTU's of heat the unit is capable of removing from the trailer over a one hour period. In the case of the Truma, it appears that a 2,400 watt cooling capacity corresponds to 15,000 Btu/hour of cooling capacity. As Geronimo Joe correctly points out, 2,400 watts input is 8,189 Btu's so the Truma converts 2,400 watts of input Btu's into 15,000 Btu's of cooling. This relationship is commonly referred to at the Coefficient of Performance, or COP. In the case of the Truma, the COP is 15,000/8,189 = 1.83. This is really, really inefficient. This past summer I installed a high efficiency Lennox unit in my home (to replace a failed air conditioner). The unit modulates between 30% to 100% capacity based upon cooling demand. At the minimum 30% capacity and a 15 degree differential between outside temp and inside setting (80 degrees inside and 95 degrees outside), the unit will supply 10,700 Btu of cooling while using only 730 watts of input power for a COP of 4.3. Under the same ambient conditions at 100% power, the unit will supply 35,000 Btu's of cooling while using only 2,700 watts of power, a COP of 3.8. Unfortunately, one-piece RV air conditioners are already pushing the limits of achievable efficiency, given the one piece design and requirements to be ultra compact. They must be designed with smaller heat exchangers/coils and fans due to space limitations that in turn requires high velocity fans to work well, hence the noise. I don't expect the Truma will be all that much quieter than all the others out there today. I expect what is needed to achieve a breakthrough in much quieter operation (and much higher efficiency) would be the development of a two piece rooftop air conditioner for RV's, much like home air conditioners (and heat pumps) that have an outside compressor unit and an inside air handler and coil. The same size inside unit as installed in the Oliver today could then have the space freed up to use a larger coil and a quiet, low velocity, high volume fan, gaining higher efficiency and much quieter operation.. The compressor itself could be mounted on the roof immediately behind the existing inside unit and be connected to the internal air handler (inside unit) with small refrigerant lines, just like today's outdoor units designed for the home. The result would be a quiet, more powerful and more efficient air conditioner (or heat pump) that could be easily run with an 1,800 watt generator or battery power. Of course, it would also probably cost a lot more than today's units but my guess is there is a large, untapped market for a truly quiet, higher performing two piece unit, even at a significantly higher price.

Obviously it is also an aquatic creature 😁. But that is not the one being discussed here. Actually Clam first started making ice fishing shelters and the design was adapted to the screen shelters that many of us enjoy today. They are very easy to setup and take down and are very stable in the wind - assuming that you stake them down properly. Bill

Hopped into the truck yesterday afternoon to go to the market and it burst into flames. When I started it, smoke started rolling out from under the hood. I told my wife to get out, move away from the truck and call 911. When I got out of the truck there were flames in the drivers side wheel well and my driveway was on fire under the engine bay. I ran to the house and grabbed a fire extinguisher. I killed the flames under the truck and then the flames in the wheel well. I stepped back and it burst into flames again. I gave it another shot and put it out (or so I thought). I opened the hood and there were still flames so I attacked it from above and finally extinguished it. Fire dept. showed up and made certain that the fire was out. My truck is a 2020 with less than 8,000 miles on it. Not happy. Not a good time to buy a new truck if they total it. Even if they can repair it I don't think I want to keep it after it suffered a fire like that. Who knows what hidden damage it caused in addition to the obvious.

Overland I once had a portable fire pit table for the deck. I replaced the lava rocks with glass pieces for fire pits. It gives off a different fire patten cool look, it took a lot more to fill the pit not sure it would be good bouncing round while traveling.

Recent events in Mayfield surely temper that, but I suspect it's a lifelong attitude, and a positive force to those around you. I'm very thankful your niece and family are ok.

Foy Sperring makes a folding platform that you can put into that space. It's on the last page of his catalog - Another solution is to just use plywood cut to size, which might be easier to store away:

Is there fake lava rock, or just different lava rocks? I guess some could be harder than others, different colors and whatnot. The lava fields at El Malpais are very much like the lightweight lava rock that came with my fire pit. Very fun and crunchy to walk on. Random trivia - there's a lava rock quarry west of Santa Fe, which is easy to spot on Google maps because it looks like a giant blood red stain. Even the road leading to it is blood red.

Didn't someone above mention that they had used "real" lava rock in their pit?

Agree with BIll, I wouldn’t use a Clam in hot weather for shade, unless you were looking for a sauna!

Has anyone replaced the standard lava rock that comes with these fire pits? The rock that ours came with creates a ton of dust due to being jostled around while traveling, and so the fire pit stays pretty dirty all the time. I've thought about getting some of the larger, rounded lava rock to see if that creates less dust, or perhaps even switching it out to fire glass, but I have no experience with that. Any ideas?

A reasonable solution - organize a western Ollie rally. There have been a number of Forum members that have wanted the same thing as you do. Foy and Mirna have organized two rallies (both in northern Florida) that have been well attended and I'm certain that a PM to Foy would get anyone all the details that they would need to organize a mini-rally out west. As they say - organize it and they will come! Bill

For those who have the RVLock keypad on your door and have been frustrated with the poor-quality keypad sticker, you will be interested in this upgrade. RVLock has come out with an upgraded one-piece silicone keypad membrane with numbers. The silicone membrane replaces the poor-quality keypad sticker and the silicone pad. The upgrade does require removing the lock and unscrewing the internal keypad to install the new membrane. (Instructions pictured) If you are interested, you will have to email or call RV Lock directly as the item is not "available to the public" and not listed on their website. I was given the okay by RVLock to pass the information about the upgrade on to the Oliver Owner's, via the Forum. The "UPGRADED SILICONE RVLock V4 RH Keypad Membrane" was $19.99 + $4.99 shipping. I hope this helps solve a problem. Andrew

A worthy replacement!

Like Bill said, talk with Foy about making a larger tabletop for the Lagun. I’d highly recommend a foldable one so that it will be out of the way for sleeping. You could take down a larger, one piece table at night; but we tried that and it was a pain, plus finding a place to store it was impossible. I believe that Foy will also make the mount that I designed, so the only thing you’ll have to do is screw the mount to the side of the bed rail. In fact if you are just getting the bed rail on one side, you probably don’t need the mount at all, since you can attach the Lagun directly to the side wall of the sofa base. On the cushions/pillows, the standard 4” back pillows won’t be deep enough to work on the mattress side, since the mattress is wider than standard seat depth. You’ll need two layers of cushions, or 8” total, for them to be anything but decorative. What we had made was a slightly shorter, floating back pillow for each side, that we use as an extra layer. Essentially a throw pillow, but dense enough to provide back support for sitting upright. More of a problem for you will be the height difference between the sofa and mattress sides, and the fact that the mattresses will just feel a bit odd to sit on while eating. Plus just feeling like you’re sitting on your bed. Also the back pillows on top of the thicker mattress will be higher than the window sill, and I think you’ll find that the thick casing for the blinds will keep the pillows from sitting neatly against the wall. So I’d highly recommend thinking about cushions both sides, and either finding just the right compromise in foam density for both sitting and sleeping, or making them stiff enough for sitting and the getting a memory foam topper that you can roll out at bedtime.

I do have the "couch" on one side but have never tried to set it up as a dinner table. Certainly the lagun table arrangement could be made to work and either you can make or Foy can make a custom table in virtually any reasonable size you desired. Of course another way to get to the same place would be to use throw pillows. When ever I have more than the two of us for dinner I either use my Clam screen shelter or the picnic table (if available). Good luck! Bill

I actually looked into a residential minisplit system. We've already installed one in our garage, several years ago, which is really, really nice in the summer months, when we're working on bench projects. I don't think there's a great place for the compressor unit, in a smallish travel trailer. My opinion, only. A smaller marine system, under bench, might possibly be an option, but, when I was looking, was ridiculously expensive, and, still probably noisy .

Interesting. I've not ever heard of an Oliver owner complaining about "rock hard" deposits on the coil. Sometimes, honestly, I think some of us here, as a group, get a bit carried away here, and imagine the very worst outcomes. But then, I could also be accused of 14 year old rose- colored glasses, as well. 😅 Our friend in the luxury yacht industry (naval architect) has explained to me that the new dehumidifier function on marine ac is basically running the ac on a very small temp differential, and fan on low. No problems. Seems to be what our Houghton does. Quite possibly what Truma does. I don't know for sure. For those of you who want to run your ac fan on low, constant, instead of auto, I think there are a bunch of others that do that here. We don't do that with our home ac, because we live in very humid Florida. I personally can't see it being an alarming problem, especially in the arid west, in an rv, used part time, and ac probably even less. That water that runs out of my rv ac is pretty minimal, even in Florida. One of my friends in NC sometimes collects ac and dehumidifier waste water to wash his car, as it's his feeling that it's pretty much rain water, as an ac/dehumidifier byproduct. In a big cabin, he doesn't get a gallon a day. But, of course, I could be wrong. I'll wait to see what others have experienced, as we truly don't use the ac much, at all.

Yes. I totally understand. We could have replaced our old Dometic with a vent, and probably been perfectly happy. We avoid camping in areas of high heat.

Yes, it would. Take a look at ac units in the marine field. I'm really lucky/happy we've rarely needed ac in our camping years.

Note that registration for this rally is a two part affair. The first part would be to get your reservation for a campsite - you do that by contacting Guntersville SP. The second part is to register with Oliver for the rally itself. Bill

VBistro: You have a super looking trailer. I have some of Foy's products also. They are really nice and he is great to work with. I saw a posting on the forum of his work shop, which is soooo nice. I see you ordered awnings for both side of the Ollie. Should work nice to keep the sun off the windows on both sides. Was the paper towel holder installed by Oliver or you? How is it attached.

Enjoy the warmth. Just know we are looking for our first "plowable" snow this weekend. And it should stay around for a white Christmas. Look into staying at Kissimmee Praire Preserve State Park once. Eleven miles in, washboard dirt road, alligators and deer everywhere. What you won't see is any light pollution. Red lights at bathouse so as not to kill your night vision. No neon lights or big plastic faces. The Milky Way and stars just seem to jump off the sky. There are even more stars than you can see in New Harbor on a cold February night. Be safe out there...

Four prong approach: 1 - My Oliver Furrion radio has weather band but no automatic alert for severe weather 2 - A stand alone weather band radio (THIS ONE) that also has shortwave radio and automatic alert 3 - A satellite communicator (THIS ONE) that has weather but no automatic alert 4 - Garmin 890 has a weather function but it must be interfaced with a cell phone and I don't believe that it has an alert function. Bill

Patriot mentioned this keypad upgrade in THIS THREAD. Bill

Chris: No apologies needed. This new topic is on target to where I was headed. Basically what unit and what size works where (I.E. in what temperature conditions). I know that our OEII's are "relatively" very well insulated. But one must consider that the insulation level of most trailers totally stinks. So by comparison, the double hull and a bit of double reflective "Space Age" (SIC) insulation seems like a lot. In reality it is nowhere near that of most residential structures. (No rocks being tossed here as I am really pleased with the OTT's thermal performance). As such, my WAG is that the 9,500 BTU unit could work in many long duration run temperate conditions (I.E. not cool down). However it's ability to cool down Ollie after a long day's drive in the direct sun of the desert West, in the summer, would likely not be satisfactory to the expectations of owners. As such, my WAG is that the unit OTT will use will be the 11,000 BTU version. So to now pirate your thread (ERRRRRRRR) 🙂....... OEII owners, what's your thoughts on where OTT will land on the A/C size?

Interesting. Doesn't look like a Houghton.

Thanks for all the info. We ordered a red Clam Sport and side panels. Buying some new Ollie toys for Christmas as we impatiently await our summer delivery.

We have the Clam Sky Escape Shelter which is one of the larger ones. It's 6 sided, measures 12x12. It is fully netted on all sides and top so you can see out to the night sky. It comes with the wind/rain walls, a rain fly top and a floor. You can use it in any combination. We have the shortbed F250 with the 6.5' bed and it fit straight in. We camped over Thanksgiving weekend with our grown kids & grandkids. 11 of us in all. On Saturday it rained from noon until 1am for 13 hours straight without stopping. It was great to have the shelter. We were able to fit everyone inside in chairs for dinner and during the day we had a smaller table set up for the kids to play games. It can be used over a picnic table easily without the floor installed. When the weather is nice we don't put any of the sides or top on and just use the netting to keep the bugs out.

I know of one F-150 owner that actually packs theirs on top of their tonneau cover. While I believe that Clam makes a better product (at a higher price too), you might want to take a look at Gazelle. They make a similar product that operates in much the same way as the Clam. Bill

We went sideways for a few years. I just figured how to pack around it! We’ve found we use the clam much more in cool/cold weather. It goes up quick and comes down quick. Mike

We have the 5 sided Clam, brown with the tan top. We also have removable side panels which work great in cold weather. We put our Outlander fire pit in the middle and the Clam stays warm even in cold weather. We can easily fit 6, 8 if we get real friendly. It is not too big for me to handle alone and fits in our truck bed end to end.

The 4 sided Clam is great for 1 or 2. Three is a crowd and 4 can fit but you are going to be knee to knee. Yes, wind/rain panels can be had for the 4 sided model. Another benefit to the 4 sided model is that it will fit in the Oliver closet - the larger models will not fit in there. Of course, the larger model can not only fit more people but in many instances it can be placed over a picnic table if need be. These days there are Clam models that have floors in them too. Good luck! Bill p.s. Clam is a company that is very much like Oliver - if you have a problem, they will fix it.

The dealership has disconnected the battery and will do nothing further until a Toyota inspector comes to look at it. Due to the serious nature of this failure Toyota wants to send their own expert to try and determine how this happened. I had to call Toyota USA and report the incident so they could open a case file. They gave me a case number and said that an investigator will call me back. I used a dry chemical fire extinguisher on the fire and used up about the whole thing. It was a full size household type. Never smelled gas when I went out to the truck. I can't rule out rodent damage, but I have never had a problem with them fooling around in my vehicles. Plenty of more comfortable places for them in my 92 year old garage! Thanks to all of you for your concern. We are sad and upset but safe and unharmed. We are fortunate this happened at home rather than on the freeway with our Ollie in tow!

Wow! really sorry to hear this news. Most importantly you both escaped unharmed. I have owned several tundras over the years and was really surprised to see this. I do agree with you I would no longer keep the truck even if repaired. I would never have full trust and confidence in the truck ever again. Fire does untold damage anywhere on a vehicle, but especially the engine bay. No repair can ever make you whole in that truck again IMHO and it has diminished the present value for sure. Looking forward, it would be interesting to know the cause or how the fire started. If you learn the cause please post up as it could save a life. And yes with supply chain issues not improving anytime soon and how upside down truck prices are it will be a bit of a challenge finding an exact or close replacement. Again sorry this happened, but glad you both are safe. Patriot

Wow. I just purchased a new 2021 Tundra last week. I'm sticking a fire extinguisher under the seat today.

And one last thought, it may have been an installation error. So try remounting the pump a 1/2” north, south, east or west of it’s present location with new coarse thread screws. Put a washer on top off the rubber feet to help control the depth of the screw so it doesn’t penetrate the plastic wood entirely. If the screw passes through the board completely and hits the fiberglass, it could strip the hole in the board. Use a screwdriver and not a screw gun so you have a little more feel. Maybe even try some test screws for practice. Kreg pocket hole screws for soft wood might be a solution. My pump is mounted with lathe screws and hasn’t failed yet. Mossey

The factory uses a clear epoxy. As long as enough was applied (sometimes this is a problem) they would be really tough to remove. Some folks have found their inverter and mounting plate has fallen down into the frame, not good, considering the amperage flowing through those wires! BZZZZZZAAAAAAPPPP! John Davies Spokane WA

That "stranding" actually happened to my friend's brother. A neighbor heard his calls. Not a great situation.

SERIOUSLY!!! You just can't put a price tag on the experience and general know-how of this group of Ollie owners! Just a quick scan of today's "forum headlines"... and there was at least three scenario's where the other owners saved the day for someone...somewhere, that had a problem! Good job, thanks and kudo's to all the older owners!

Just a "small" word of caution about this electric water heater switch - If, for some reason, that switch is turned to the ON position and you have 120 volt power to your Ollie and you do not have water in your water heater tank you will most certainly burn up the heating element in the tank before you can correct the situation. This is the reason that I always leave my electric water heater switch in the off position unless I purposefully want to use electricity to heat water. Even then, as soon as I heat that water I immediately turn it off again just so I will not forget. Bill