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OK, it's dark out, freezing rain, wind is howling like a banshee - you're tucked-in all cozy in your Ollie and the furnace quits. You don't have the heart to sent your wife out again to check the LPG tank gauges - so you go out and brave the elements to see what's going on inside the dog house. As those that have one know, you can color that ship, "sailed" by getting a tank monitoring system. Here's how we handled this MOPEKA modification earlier today: 1. Unpacked the Amazon box, downloaded the app and synchronized the two sensors to the remote using the app. 5 minute drill - easy peasy. 1. Halo Rings, Sensors and Remote.pdf 2. Remove tanks, cleaned bottom of tanks. Prepped sonar sensor with dielectric and placed in center of bottom of tanks with attached magnets. Placed halo rings on tanks. 3. Clean bottom of tank, place sensor and halo.pdf 3. Replace tanks, test again... 6. Replace Tanks, Test each again.pdf 4. Fixed VELCRO to back of remote and install inside OTT 8. Mount inside Ollie.pdf One and done - so far, so good. We'll report back after a trip or two... Cheers!

Thanks everyone for your kind words and support. We are all doing the best we can considering. Nobody saw this coming, totally blindsided, and too fast to comprehend. Strange how a moment of joyous anticipation can be quenched by tragedy. My heart truly aches for my sister in law Linda, and her children who have lost their husband and father without warning. The youngest of 7 is only 11, and they were all very close to dad. We will get through this together and life will go on and joy will return. Larry left to join our Lord at about 8:30 pm today, and did so very peacefully with Linda and children by his side. I will spend the next few days helping them cry a little and hopefully laugh a lot at the unforgettable person Larry was. Many wonderful memories will be shared in the days ahead of a life and person whom we all loved. My part as the remaining patriarch of our family will be a source of strength and reassurance to those who are just learning about the hard part of life. I will do my best to be strong for them even though I'm crushed by the loss of my only brother. Our very frail mother will be burying her youngest, I know she struggles to understand why she has lived to endure this. But she is also thankful to be able to console the grandchildren. Larry is also survived by two older sisters that share in our loss and grief. We are a strong family and we will all work through this process together. Sorry for spilling my feelings here on the forum, but I'm truly crushed and leaning on you all for the moment. Again thank you for all your kind thoughts, words and support. God's blessings to you all.

ScubaRx and I did a hands on demonstration and discussion about PEX plumbing at the 2022 OTTO's rally. It seemed to be well received by those that participated. We were talking recently about lubricating the dump valve cables and the valves themselves and thought it might be a subject for discussion at this years rally if there was enough interest. So if anyone has interest in this topic, please PM me directly. And if anyone is having trouble with their dump valves, we might be able to incorporate that into the demonstration/discussion if they are willing to have some “amateur plumbers” in and around their Ollies. We will limit this offer to 2 Ollies if there are any volunteer victims! Mossey

Check out (if you haven't already) this charge controller calculator by Nate from Explorist life.

Your PEX presentation and hands on learning started me on my PEX repair abilities. It was what I needed to get started. I think the dump valve class would also be good. Steve showed me what to do years ago and I’ve been able to remove, clean and lube my cables a few times. Ditto on the valves. Mike

No its not a harvest host, its a long story. Ive been going there since I was a kid and it was very active at one time with a restaurant, flight school and banquet facilities. The owner died about 30 years ago and the kids lived out of state and wanted nothing to do with it. So they paid the taxes for 30 years and it became abandoned. Then some pilots just started using it again with no string attached and it became place where people would hang out and fly all kinds of crazy stuff. Then about 4 years ago it was sold to a Chinese company and they nocked down the old restaurant and then Covid hit and they went back to China. No one knows whats going on so the glider guys keep mowing the grass, and flying their gliders. Its been this way for over 30 years. Its a crazy time. Bill

I totally understand your perspective. IF I were to be a salesman, and I wanted to poise my rig at an event, I would wave my magic wand to presto have the most macho looking tires on the market under both. But before I took The Beast and Ollie on a trip, I would wave my magic wand and go back to purpose designed tires for each of my rolling stock. 🙂 As an engineer I look at purpose and function. Traction tires, especially those that work well on our 4X4 TV's off road, have different priorities of purpose than our trailer tires. So, in my minds eye, they likely would not be identical twins. But that's just my perspective.

Mossemi / Scuba, this is a great example of what I think would be helpful in terms of videos to walk people through how to perform these tasks. Doesn't necessarily have to be an Oliver person so long as what is done and video'd is approved by Oliver. The obvious beauty of the videos (both the "full" length ones and the shorts) is that once they're done, they're available to everyone always.

Thank you. The logistics are going to be a little fun now with the new pick up schedule. Now we pick up the Wednesday before the rally. We may be picking up and then heading to the rally. That'll be fun and a steep learning curve. Regardless, baring anything unforeseen, we will come to the rally and celebrate every day we have. Can't wait to meet everyone.

That's awesome. I hope you enjoy your retirement as much as we have.Well deserved, and now, time to explore, and enjoy the wonders. Do everything while you can. My motto.

We have them on our 30 gallon tanks and they work great. The only thing I had to do was I made some spacers to lift the tanks about 1/4 inch because the unit that mounts to the bottom of the tank is proud of the rim by about 1/8 inch and it hits the ground and or the floor of the dog house. It comes with little aluminum spacers to raise it up but they didn’t work very well. When I take the tank out to fill them you can’t sit the tanks down on the ground or you will brake the sending unit that is stuck on the bottom of thank. Maybe our tanks are made differently but that is the case with ours, but they work great. We like them because we de winterize our Ollie in March and leave the heat at 40 and I can check the tank levels every couple days without even going out to the trailer.

To Oliver Owners considering the 13500 BTU Truma Aventa retrofit. In the last few weeks, I have been working with Oliver Service on incorporating an optional Honeywell digital thermostat to run the Dometic furnace. This optional thermostat will replace the Dometic mechanical thermostat that Oliver has been installing. I learned good news today from Service Manager Jason Essary that my suggestion to use the Honeywell digital thermostat was tested and approved by Oliver engineers. The Honeywell digital thermostat will be offered as an option for owners having the Truma Aventa retrofit done. Optional Honeywell digital thermostat -https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H6ARNXO?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details We will have the Honeywell thermostat installed in May when we have our Truma Aventa retrofit install completed. For any technical questions please contact Oliver Service @ 1-888-526-3978 Happy Camping! Patriot🇺🇸

OK, so here's a good one... One of the discrepancies I noted on a "walk-around light check" during a recent weekend trip was an INOP license plate light. I checked the DC power at the pigtail connection behind the spare tire cover with the trusty multi-meter - good battery voltage. No biggie, right? Called up Ryder at Oliver parts department and he shot me a new light assembly (just south of 20 bucks, FYI) which arrived in about 3 days time. Did not bother testing the light - connections appeared totally correct. After removing the wire loom from the 2-wire harness, I noticed "white to white" and "black to red": Original wiring.pdf R&R'd the assembly, connected power and energized the circuit. Nothing, nada, zero light. Hmmmmmph? Double checked all my splices with the MM, all good - but still no light. HMMMPH, again. So, using the plug-in type splice connectors, I reversed the wires from the assembly to the pigtail to: "white to red" and "black to white"... The light fired right up. New Plug In Connectors.pdf I can only guess that either from the factory, or at some point in time, a previous owner miss-wired the assembly. I connected the original light reversing the polarity and found it was good to go all along! So, Hull #226 has been running around for quite some time without an operational license plate light. A major "AssUme" error on my part thinking the wiring was correct because it "looked" correct. Could have saved $20 if I just tested the light before talking to Ryder. I got a spare light now. Lesson Learned. Fix Issue.pdf

The panels have evolved over the years as technology moves. My two factory panels give me 320W. Then they moved progressively higher up to todays 400W. Mike

We are all here for you and your family in times like this so lean on in there. I lost my younger brother over 10 years ago. My mother always said that parents should not outlive their children. Our prayers are for you and yours. Can we look forward to seeing you next month at the Rally in Guntersville?

Mine still look like brand new, and now I like the way that they work, too! I came very close to replacing them... glad I searched the forums first!

No worries. If you're not used to looking for marine features, why would you know? Btw, the Scandvik fixtures in our trailer are entering their 16th season. Still bright and shiny, and work as original. I have no complaints.

We just got back from a 9-day, 2300 mile trip to OTT for warranty service and back. It was the first trip we've had with our new trailer that didn't uncover some new problem that needed to be fixed. Eggcelsior performed as expected! A great relief. It was also nice to see a bunch of other Ollie owners down in Hohenwald, either getting service or taking delivery. (Shout out to Merl and Heather!) Now, on to using our trailer instead of fixing it! (Well, almost. The city water connection has loosened up a bit. I'll need to figure out how to snug that up before our next trip, but that shouldn't be a big deal.) Our 2023 season has started!

@Ollie-Haus Chris, you and Stacy hang in there, brother! Our thoughts and prayers are with y'all and your family....

I know this a very old post, but I want to thank you for this info.. I've had my LE2 for a year and a half now and had no idea the bathroom faucet worked this manner to adjust between shower and sink use. Boy do I feel dumb! 🤣

I just had a nice long conversation with John about this hobby. The average distance used for pinpoint accuracy competition is 11 yards, about 33 ft. Some folks who live alone may even set up an indoor range within their home! Even though Bosker is a tiny short fella, my main concern would be his great big radar ears picking up too much noise, even with the suppressor that comes mounted on the airgun. (Guess I could always keep him downstairs as I plinked.) The "deer blind" he uses is for keeping him warm in the unheated shop. A small ceramic heater keeps him cozy as he hones his skill, mid winter in Washington state. As with any hobby, it is a potential money sink if you opt for some of the higher end equipment. What a fun looking hobby. I'm always looking for new ways to spend my kids inheritance! Don't worry Bosker, I'll get you ear muffs.

Kevin, if you have the equipment and are so inclined, feel free to video our demo and post it. This is something that everyone will encounter during their tenure as an owner and the procedure is pretty straightforward to observe and do but very hard to comprehend from written instructions. I think you’ve got a great idea.

That’s a great idea! Can you take a few pictures of your flasher in operation and maybe include a part number? I’m sure there are others interested in this tool/mod. Mossey

This is really short notice for me to start my acting classes, but your point is noted. Mossey

Thanks John E. Davies, I wax my trailer 3 times a year and I always check my solar panel mount knobs one was always a quarter turn loose. I found it had no lock washer on the 1/4 bolt knob. So I went the extra mile and install a lock washer and a wire safety. Drilled a 1/16” hole and used my favorite aircraft wire. Life is good!

I use my Blackstone with no modifications on our QC. For my Weber Q1000 I removed the regulator and it works well that way off the QC. I think our Outland fire pit would also work, but we usually have it far enough from the trailer that I just use a 20 lb tank that I carry. Mike

If you have a 2023 LEII don't you have 400W of solar panels on the roof?

That is an old trick that has been around for a while, but some here may not be aware of it. Thanks for mentioning it. Mossey

If you have a Blackstone this hose and connection will work. It's specifically listed for use with the Blackstone griddle, don’t know if it would work with other grills/griddles.

No need to feel sorry for letting your Family know how much you hurt. Unfortunately, given the average age of those of us that own Ollies, most of (if not all) us have had similar kinds of loss in our lives too. Yes, your brother's passing was sudden and unexpected but given your words it is very clear that he is not really gone. Yes, in a physical sense he is no longer with us, but, his spirit will remain with you for the rest of your days. Remember all those times you spent together and revel in the thought that you were among the relative few that got the wonderful chance to experience your brother's physical being in this world. I look forward to meeting you at the Rally and, perhaps, at Camp Oliver on the Friday before the Rally if you are still near there. Bill

I agree with you 100% about the little aluminum spacers that came with the Mopeka system. The idea was spot-on but the execution was crap. We chunked them and sprung for a couple of the Mopeka Tank Halo's. They solved the spacing problem perfectly. We do a similar thing with our winterization. Since there are so very few days yearly here in North Mississippi that it might get cold enough to damage something in the trailer, sometime in November I drain the water heater, blow out the water lines and put a small electric space heater inside. I like to keep the temperature inside about 60 degrees or so. By mid January, we will fill it back up with water and leave for the Southwestern US to be gone a couple of months.

I am deeply sorry for your loss, and for your brother's family.

Chris, PM sent.🙏🏻 Dave

We finally got out for a couple of days and camped at an airport about 30 miles from home. Its free and was fun to get out for the first time this season. Can you believe it his 93 Degrees in MA in April. The trailer hit 96 degrees inside but it cooled down at night and was a good time eating peanuts and looking at the stars.

Oh, I'm so sorry to read that, Chris! Such a sudden loss for your and his family. Our thoughts are with you.

That must be why you need a hex wrench!

Unfortunately tires "age" not only from the outside where you can see things like tread separation and sidewall cracking, but, they also age from the inside. The inside is a bit more insidious in that you simply can't see it! Heat causes the cords and rubber to slowly give way and all tires are subject to heat over their lifetimes. I'm sure that there are reasons why the generally accepted guidelines of 5 to 7 years for the aging out of tires has become the norm. For the money involved, I'm not willing to take the chance on arguing about something that I can't see and I'm not an expert on. Bill

A 5/16" bolt has a head that is 1/2". Clamp it up in a pair of vice grips and use the bolt head to tighten the water connection. Personally, I bought the hex drives. I've used them on other peoples trailers.

Welcome and good luck. We too are anxiously awaiting our delivery date, about four weeks away. I don’t drive an 18 wheeler, but my dozen roses are on order for Friday. Our Kathy Mattea moment is this Friday! We cannot wait to start our new adventure together. Ollie-Haus, give a toot when your hit Louisville. We live just west of I65 and the ballpark. We will be on the lookout for your return. We have a clear view of the expressway from our place. Assuming you are taking I 65.

This is pretty neat and reminds me of when my dad got me a Crossman air rifle for Christmas when I was 10 years old, and set up a target range in the basement. It was about a 30' range with a plywood backstop against a block wall. I could staple paper targets on the plywood and practice all I wanted. It was pretty much an empty basement besides boxes of Christmas decorations and some exercise equipment. Couldn't hurt much besides a light bulb or window. Dad was an Expert rank rifleman in the Marines in the Korean war, and carried the BAR in combat. He used to tell me the average life span of a BAR rifleman in combat was measured in hours. He come home alive after nearly two years of heavy combat engagements. Needless to say he wanted me to hone my skills at a young age, and learn to respect the weapon. The rules were simple, never load the gun until I was ready to shoot. Safety on and don't touch the trigger until the bullseye was in my sights. Nobody else besides dad or mom in the basement while I was practicing. And last of all, if anything but the plywood got hit directly by a BB, the gun would be gone. I got the message loud and clear, and didn't want to lose my new gun. Thanks for sharing this John, I'm not an airgunner much these days, except for dealing with the occasional vermin in the garden. But I do love practicing with all calibers at the local outdoor range to to stay competent. I'll be following.

What an awesome setup and hobby. With retirement around the corner, I planning on restarting my reloading and target shooting again. I have never been interested in air rifles but after seeing your setup, I am interested!

That’s what we use, too.

I’ve removed my cables, black and gray, several times over the years to clean and lubricate. Loosen the set screw and pull it out, stick it back in and tighten. I don’t know why your gate would be stuck so soon. There are lubricants you can put down the drain for the gate. I wouldn’t use Dawn - besides suds in the tank, it might remove any lubricant you have/had on the gate assembly. With the gate open, you should be able to squirt some lube around the edges and on the gate itself. Mike

The swinging pill bottle plinking got me laughing. What a hoot! Instead of a 3 sided CLAM with a heater for warmth, you could always move to Texas, where it very seldom cold enough to need it. Ha!

You don’t have to shoot at paper targets, pill bottles make great ones. Pill bottle pilinking with the Hatsan Bullboss 25 BTW the blind is in fact the small 6 foot CLAM camping shelter.30% of right now…. QUICK-SET Clam Traveler 6 x 6 Foot Portable Pop Up Outdoor Camping Gazebo Screen Tent 4 Sided Canopy Shelter with Ground Stakes and Carry Bag, Brown You also need the 3 sidewall set if you want to heat it. Thanks Pete. John Davies Spokane WA

In advance of having the Truma Aventa retro fit/install on our Oliver a month from now I decided to order this digital thermometer/ hygrometer. It has a push to touch back lit screen which others did not, nice large numbers, time and day of the week settings. I will be interested to see how well the new Truma maintains temp as well as how well it reduces humidity in our Oliver. The TP358 as stated will sync up via Bluetooth on an iPhone to view the data for a short range. This particular model has fairly strong reviews. Mounting location is TBD. Patriot🇺🇸

Updating, here is the new ebike…. I am going to add two tie down extension arms sticking 12” out the back and a tie-down rail along the top of the sewer compartment opening. That way I can run straps to the seat post and to the stem. The 1-Up Super Duty tray bolts directly to the beam. The bike tires and aero rims definitely will block the trailer lights!, I am going to need an add-on light bar, to install on the crossbeam (where the red reflector strips are now). I found this one, it is very bright with central backup light and SEQUENTIAL amber turn signals! Woohoo! The LEDs should add some welcome lumens when reversing the trailer at night. 49" LED Tailgate Light Bar for Trucks [Rigid Aluminium Frame] [Amber Sequential Turn Signal] [Tail & Reverse Light] Before I order, has anyone use this, or can you recommend a more suitable one for around $50-$75? BTW, the bike is a Gazelle Ultimate C380+, a fast Class 3 (28 mph pedal assist only) with 85 Nm Bosch mid-drive motor, Enviolo stepless hub, Gates carbon belt drive, four caliper brakes, and a 500 wh battery. We have steep hills everywhere - the main road just a half mile from our house is 14 to 16% - so my wife picked a bike with big motor, big battery and big brakes😬 I guess I am going to have to invest in some extra locks. … https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/a37039662/gazelle-ultimate-c380-plus/ With the added lights I can cover the bike😬. Thanks for any suggestions, John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, I use it all the time and it has not failed me yet.

Propane weighs 4.2 pounds per gallon at 60* f. In the photo above the number on the left is the full weight. The number on the right is the empty weight. simple math tells us that the tank can hold 31 pounds of propane, or roughly 7.4 gallons of propane. A quick weigh on the bathroom scales will tell you exactly how much propane is in the tank.

Sequoia National Park, 2008