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If you don’t travel with an InReach or similar device, the following incident that occurred here in Northeast Oregon is a great example of why you should consider doing so. In addition to reporting an emergency, family and friends can also alert you to emergencies at home. — TREE FALLING ON CAMPERS’ TENTS LEADS TO FATALITY AND SIGNIFICANT INTERAGENCY RESCUE EFFORT UNION & WALLOWA COUNTIES — (Release from Union County Search and Rescue) In the early morning hours of Wednesday, June 14th, 2023, a party of eight rafters was camped along the bank of the Grande Ronde River approximately 5 miles downstream of the confluence of Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers in Union County when the top of a large dead tree fell and landed on two occupied tents, impacting and injuring three people. The tree was approximately 14 inches in diameter and broke some distance off the ground, impacting the occupants of the tents with extreme force as it fell and broke into pieces. One of the campers, a 61-year-old male, sustained very severe injuries, with a 54-year-old woman in the same tent sustaining injuries to her legs. A 23- year-old woman in an adjacent tent sustained a head injury that was likely prevented from being fatal only by a camp chair near her head that was crushed and reduced the force of impact. Despite valiant lifesaving efforts immediately initiated by the other members in the party, the male’s injuries ultimately proved to be fatal. While members of the group delivered first aid to the three injured parties, they also activated the emergency function of a Garmin InReach device, which resulted in a notification being sent to the Union County 911 Dispatch Center. The Garmin Emergency Response Center passed messages between the reporting party on scene and 911 dispatchers, and also provided the precise location of the incident. As information about the incident was progressively gathered and relayed to 911 dispatchers, Union County SAR was activated, and the La Grande and Elgin fire departments were notified of the medical emergency. Due to the remoteness of the accident site, which is most easily accessed by 15 miles of river travel by boat, the Union County SAR incident commander immediately requested a hoist-capable helicopter from the Oregon Army National Guard through the Oregon Emergency Management SAR Coordinator, and also requested mutual aid from the Wallowa County SAR swiftwater rescue team. During this time the La Grande Fire Department (LGFD), in coordination with SAR, arranged for an over-flight of the area with Life Flight Network. A local Life Flight helicopter immediately responded and attempted to transport LGFD paramedics to near the patients, but could not find a suitable landing zone near enough to the incident and had to return. While the Life Flight helicopter was performing its initial recon flight, a combined team of Union County and Wallowa County SAR swiftwater rescue technicians and LGFD paramedics responded to deploy down the Wallowa River from Highway 82 at Minam. This team then floated the 15 miles down the Wallowa and Grande Ronde Rivers to access the patients, reaching them approximately 2 hours after entering the river. At approximately the same time as the arrival of the SAR team on-scene, the Life Flight helicopter was able to return to the area and identify a suitable landing zone approximately 1.5 miles downstream from the accident location at an area known as Pine Bar. Due to tree canopy too dense to hoist patients by National Guard helicopter directly from the scene, the SAR initiated transport of the two surviving patients by boat to the landing zone at Pine Bar, and during this time the National Guard Blackhawk medivac helicopter also arrived on-scene from Salem. At approximately 11:30 am, both patients were transferred from a SAR raft to the two medivac helicopters and subsequently transported to hospitals in Lewiston, ID and Walla Walla, WA, with LGFD personnel flying with both helicopter crews to the destination hospitals. The interagency water rescue team then escorted the remaining members of the camping party and the body of the deceased approximately 22 miles down the Grande Ronde River to the nearest take-out at Powwatka Bridge in Wallowa County, where they were met by additional SAR team personnel and funeral home staff. This remote incident presented a tremendous amount of logistical challenges that were mitigated and overcome only due to the professional competence of those responding and the excellent interagency cooperation that we benefit from in Union County. The La Grande Fire Department, Union and Wallowa County SAR teams, Life Flight Network, Elgin Fire Department, sheriff’s office patrol deputies, and the Oregon National Guard personnel all integrated seamlessly to effect a rapid deployment of resources and efficient rescue on the ground, but at the same time many other agencies were assisting behind the scenes. Throughout the incident, a sheriff’s office patrol sergeant was positioned on a ridge above the river to function as a contingency communications relay, a Bureau of Land Management river ranger was in frequent contact with the incident commander (IC) providing detailed descriptions of the area and photos, and several U.S. Forest Service staff were also maintaining contact with the IC and assisting with preparations for contingency rescue plans if that became necessary. Sheriff Bowen and the management staff of Union County SAR offer our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased, wish a speedy recovery to those injured, and express our incredible gratitude to our partner agencies and dedicated SAR volunteers who leave their homes, jobs, and families to respond to incidents.

It's working great! Went to home Depot and got a knowledgeable plumbing person. Took her 3 minutes to locate 2 adapters and a short hose 😁 This has to be my best mod yet! Got to figure out a storage place though.

When I leave home for the road I always alert the Neighborhood Watch group who perform random walk-thrus of the yard and sometimes stop and have a bite to eat and rest for a while. Anyone who thinks moose are not good security only need surprise and corner a moose once.

Only ran AC with ECO mode off so far, it’s just my preference. Never tried to run AC with ECO mode on. Purchased and installed the MicroAir EZ start worked fine with the 2000 Honda. When charging battery through Progressive converter or anything else, run gen-set in ECO mode. Purchased the gen-set for camping, ended up using it more for other non-camping uses. Very handy and the older I get really appreciate a lightweight gen-set of at least 2000W. It has 1600W continuous rating that runs an airplane engine preheater easily.

Not exactly wildlife, Butterfly House visit at Mackinac Island MI

Anyone who buys a used trailer has to think about aged gear, and, gee, what did the previous owner do, or not do, for maintenence and care. And, did they do mods with safety in mind, and a background to do them? I'd offer mine (2008) up as an example. We've done most of our own mods. Dc fridge, pulled and reinstalled windows, 400 watts solar on an elite. Installed our own replacement Houghton ac, and maxxair dome plus bath fan. Among others... We have the skills, and my retired husband was licensed. But, hey, we have probably 150k miles on our little Elite. No odometer. You'd have to trust us on that "meticulously " maintained thing (which it is, but who knows, except looking at our service log.) And, of course, our history of comments here. Most Ollie owners take good care of their trailers. A few here have purchased used trailers with less than stellar maintenance, and have had to do a lot of work. Most seem happy. As far as axles, most things can be vetted via visual inspection. And/or replaced. Mine will likely never go up for sale. Btw. But, when we're gone, if my daughter doesn't want to camp anymore, maybe. We've (daughter and I) already had this conversation. Worst thing for any vehicle, or trailer, imo , is to sit, unused. If you can't use it, sell it, imo.

We’ve got a 2016 and have close to 100K miles. No axle issues. I’m not aware of any other older trailers with axle issues either. I will be replacing our brakes in the spring. As soon as I decide on which quiet AC to get I’ll replace our jet-engine Dometic, although is still cools fine. I’ve replaced the inverter, batteries, 7pin connector, power inlet on the side of the trailer and a few other small items that simply wore out. Are there other areas you are concerned with? I feel like I’ve got ours broken in pretty well as we start our 8th year. Mike

I bought a used 2016 LE2 2 years ago and have upgraded it in phases. First 2 270AH Battleborn GC2’s, wiring and all Victron components including 3000 watt inverter. We were forced to install a new Aquago due to the failure of the old. Recently installed the Houghton and Cruise 130 compressor refrigerator. I have been surprised with how much I use the heat pump on the Houghton when hooked up. I put the remote above my head in bed and fire it up before getting up. Financially we are about $25K better off than buying a new one, though a new one would be nice. All the major work was done by service techs as it is over my head. But the prices for service haven’t been that bad. I paid $1800 to install the refer and A/C in So. Calif. We have taken the trailer to Alaska and back. And numerous other trips, and so far no problems. However, I am aware that I have an older machine and think about the axles and other issues you could avoid by going new.

I had been planning to fabricate a stout clothes line ever since we picked up “Mouse” 16 months ago. I wanted something good looking and strong enough to hold three wet bath towels plus underwear and light clothes, for drying when it is not possible to string a rope outside. Those dinky retractable ones are not good enough for anything but small stuff. Here is the heart of the project: ... http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/product/versatie-anchor-plate-assembly-4-pack/Anchor-Plates Pictured below are the four rings and bases from that set, plus some extra materials I had laying around from earlier projects. I have use these tie downs for many years, on all sorts of trucks and trailers. The extra stuff is going to go on my front cargo tray. The bases stay attached to the two walls and also one to the ceiling. They are anodized black. If they were white they would blend in, but I don’t mind. The tiedown rings are quick release, simply squeeze and slide out of the base. I used 1/8 inch plastic coated wire, crimp splices, and a crimper tool, all of which I already had in my shop. The crimper is the big dollar item, but for a neat and strong installation it works way better than the screw type clamps. This is a 5 out of 10 project; you need to be comfortable drilling holes in your trailer, fabicating metal, and with cutting and splicing cable. More to follow, I have to go to dinner. John Davies Spokane WA

***** SOLD to MAX burner. ***** EDIT 06/17/23 - the transfer process went smoothly, just give the CG person the new personal info (name, address, email, phone number) and they will edit the reservation. Three minutes tops. Mods, please move this if necessary, I couldn’t figure out a better place for it. I will not have “Mouse” because she is listed for sale. My wife and I will be camping in a tent on the “poor side of the ditch” in the Grassy Tent Camping Area, so I can still circulate and chat and visit with Ollie owners in the RV Section.. I am selling my 4 night spot for a significant discount. I have talked to the Ladybird Johnson CG office and they approve this process. Buyer will pay me $400 through Paypal or an electronic transfer method of your choice, or send me a check, and give me your full name, address, email and a phone number. I will relay this to their office by phone, and they will change their record for Site 11. Most likely they will send you a receipt, but you might need to call them. They seem a little disorganized. You win, I win. There are no cancellations allowed, but transfers like this are OK up to 30 days prior to the event. Full info can be found here: ….. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6757-official-april-8-2024-total-solar-eclipse-fredericksburg-tx-rally-only-not-for-general-discussion/ Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Columbia a few times and would recommend it as a base. Patriot🇺🇸

Since your springs have the heavy duty hardware, they should last indefinitely with regular servicing, a warning sign that you need to relube is creaks or pops when making tight turns. They should be dead silent otherwise. Keep an eye on the rubber cushions in the equalizers and the shocks, they can deteriorate from sun exposure. (Clean the grease residue off so you can see what’s underneath.) Check all the hardware for correct torque, look for sagging or unusual tire wear. Check for blown shocks, they occur when running too much air in the tires, the LT tires should be set to 50 psi max. Shocks are not expensive and have a lifetime warranty, you should consider just installing new ones, the trailer will ride better. A good degreasing followed by a pressure wash will make them look much better, obviously you must lube them afterwards. While you are underneath with your tools, check the mount bolts for all three jacks, you will definitely find them loose. I have Hull 218, almost as old as yours, here is the belly and suspension after a very intense detail session,on my back, which wore me out 😉 prepping it for sale. Old doesn’t mean bad, on a trailer. The owner is a different story entirely… FYI the equalizer shackles are flipped, that happens after taking off the wheels, they should flip back right away when towing. What hull number? Please add that to your signature. And pictures are always welcome here. John Davies Spokane WA

Fire Owl

We’re using a EU2000i to run our Dometic 13.5K AC with MicroAir EZ start up to 5,000msl so far, no issues.

The first photo is a fawn relaxing in the shade at South Higgins Lake State park, Michigan. Second one the squirrel decided “It’s 5 O’Clock somewhere!”

The New England Mini-Rally was held from June 5 through June 11, 2023 at a 125 campsite campground in Boothbay Maine. 28 Oliver Owner's from all over New England were in attendence. Wednesday was a Oliver Trailer Open House and 8 couples visited the CG and were escorted to see the Olivers on site by Phil Anderson, OTT Sales Associate. There was scattered showers on 3 of the days but the other 4 days were generally partly cloudy. The campground was located on a river inlet to the Atlantic Ocean. Cast Iron Cooking Demostration - June Leslie, OTT Owner # 258 Pot Luck Supper Shore Line Hike at Porters Preserve - Walk Leader Jamie Rines, OTT Owner # 610 Bird Walk Leaders - William and Nancy Cormier, OTT Owner # 1265 PRESENTATIONS: Boondocking 101 - Presenter - Phil Andrews, OTT Sales and Daughter Charlie Cermanic Coating Presenters - Colin Rafferty & Galvin Luthringer, CGI Restoration of Fish Ladder at Damariscotta Miles Dam - Presenters Mark Becker & Deb Wilson, OTT Owners # 685 Optimizing the use of the WiFi Ranger & SkyPro - Presenter David Caswell - OTT Owner # 509 What's New at OTT and Questions and Answers - Presenter Phil Andrews, OTT Sales Presentation Audience: CornHole Tournament & Campers around the fire pit Lunch at Robinson Wharf Boothbay Craft Brewery Tap House Tour & Happy Hour New England Lobster Bake at the Campground More Olivers A Porsche can pull Elite II's

Almost got this little guy with the lawn tractor today. Just a baby. Saw him hop at the last second. Was able to relocate him to a safe spot while I finished the lawn.

Thanks, I made contact with that Facebook group moderator, waiting for her response. Maybe you could move this string of posts about Facebook to another post/or create one so they don’t clutter this “Oliver closet upgrade” post? thanks again!

Updated placard, this was done with a label maker. John Davies Spokane WA

I believe that’s the update involving longer screws and sealant to cover the holes above these screws on the top of the AC to eliminate water leaking/intrusion. See and

How big is the washer? It could be a very cool mod, the water line simply tees into the cold line under the sink. It could drain into the shower pan. If you want to place it on top of the toilet you should definitely install a 1 way check valve so that there is no possibility of contaminating your water supply. Please don’t let it discharge into the campground grass like this guy! Have you seen this? … https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2758-how-to-wire-cable-clothes-line-full-cabin-length/ I put a Caframo fan in the back, with a rear window open and the MaxxFan running on exhaust, I can point the small one at the clothesline and it greatly speeds up the drying time. Especially with synthetic fabrics. Please post pics of your project! John Davies Spokane WA

The Carnton House civil war site tour in Franklin is worth a visit if you’re a history fan.

We always check to see who is at the Opry or if there are any performances at the Ryman. There are also music related museums in Nashville. A trip to the Jack Daniels distillery is interesting. Mike

@MAX Burner, here's a link to a very old but extensive thread on the easy start and Honda 2000. It includes some great troubleshooting information, and advice from MicroAir rep, and some Ollie owners.. Maybe you'll find it helpful. I split this off to a new topic, so both of you can get relevant comments.

So pretty!🦋

You guys know how to rock!😁

Herd Bull

The ceiling base,: the maybe hard one. I originally planned to use one of the heavy stainless backing plates, and fish it through the gap between the inner and outer roof panels. I did check to see if there was room. I removed the trim panel from the Fantastic fan, and there was a 1 inch gap in the wood supports that would have let me get a trimmed plate in there. Unfortunately, the spot where I wanted the base to go was right at the edge of the bonded honeycomb material, one hole would be in the 1/2" honeycomb and one would be in the thinner material. There was no way the plate would sit properly in that spot. So, I used #12 Philips screws and just went straight into the fiberglass, and did not use backing plate. So the center base is strong, but not Uber Strong. I think it will be fine. You could add 3M VHB tape here if you wanted some extra grip. I used a rope stretched tightly between front and rear bases to locate the center base. I wanted the final line to be straight and also parallel with the side walls. I taped it in the correct spot and drilled the holes. The cable lies almost perfectly straight between all three rings, and aligned with the ceiling and the wall. Cool. John Davies Spokane WA

After looking at the forum I found a couple posts on installing Starlink. I decided to add another to the mix. Pre-Installation Starlink Test: In testing the system before a full installation I found that the Starlink Router could be plugged into curb side Oliver outlets and then the router could sit on it's back on top of the tire under the wheel well. This provided 58dB of signal outside the trailer and about 78 dB inside. So if you don't want to hassle with mounting the router, drilling holes etc. you could just find a weatherproof box/cover for the router and leave it outside. (Signal strength and bandwidth drops a bit but not really very much.) Read on if you want to do a more complete installation. 1) Roof Mount: (This is just a way to mount the antenna up high.) I bought the Starlink short roof mount adapter. Our hull 505 had the Dometic Awning, so I could not simply bolt directly to the mounting bolts from the awning brackets as they are at odd angles. I used 1/2" long x 3/8" diameter Self Tapping Bolts. I drilled holes, then drove in the self tappers into the mounting rail making sure to use washer/spacers to keep it from penetrating the back of the awning box. I used blue loctite on those tapped bolts. This mounting position will be perfect in those cases where we have clear sky and want the antenna up high. I'll continue to carry the ground mount for portability uses. I don't plan to drive with the antenna on the roof. 2) Mounting the Router - In the Rear Attic and Running Cable into Basement I mounted the router inside the rear attic cabinet. It's held in place by a simple orange strapping tie that feeds through a hook-eye behind the router. This is a good spot for the Router as it's close to a 110V outlet, and easy to run the cables under and behind the back of the cabinet over to the right side then down to the basement area. To make the cable run to the basement I needed to remove a couple panels: (NOTE: DISCONNECT FROM CURB POWER and make sure Inverters are OFFLINE BEFORE ATTEMPTING) 1) Street side attic panel (2 bolts) tip it down flat to gain access to the street side rear of the cabinet. 2) Basement rear dress panel covering the back the basement. (2 phillips screws). For my installation I ran the cable beside the existing AC drain tube on the street side rear of the trailer. I pushed the cable snake down beside that tube, and then at the bottom in the basement attached and I pulled up a length of pull line from the basement area. I attached the pull line to the end of the Starlink cable (the end that plugs onto the dish) and then pulled the Starlink Cable down into the basement. I tested the Starlink at this point before cutting the cable to get a baseline of speed for comparison after I cut the cable and attached RJ45 network connectors and the thru hull port. After testing I looped up about 3 extra feet of cable in the basement and then cut the cable for installation of the RJ 45 connector that would feed the back side of the thru-hull RJ45 plug. 3) Install new RJ45 male plug on cable in basement: Pro TIP: Use metal field termination plugs for the Starlink cable cut ends if possible/ Trying to use the typical plastic RJ45 connectors is a real hassle as the conductors in the starlink cable which stranded and thicker than normal. I spent well over an hour trying to get my shielded/plastic RJ45's to work. I finally said let's try a real metal coupler. In the picture below is the plug I bought from "Cable Matters" on Amazon $6 ea. They feature a clearly labeled punch down block, a threaded strain relief clamp and copper foil tape that is used to wrap the ground (or drain) wire around the cable shaft where it enters the connector. This is the connector I used on the inside of the trailer connecting the Router to the Thru Hull plug. 4) Install the Thru Hull Connector and connector for Cable to Dish I purchased an L-Com IP68 (waterproof) through hull connector specifically designed for shielded PoE Connections. I also purchased a matching L-Com connector kit for the cut end of the Starlink cable. This matching plug screws onto the outside connector for a waterproof sealed connection. I placed the connector mid line between the two existing connectors leaving both the Cable and Satellite COAX's in place. The new bulkhead coupler fits exactly between those two connectors, but I would suggest shifting UP 3/16" from center to allow the bottom door to fully open. (It's the 'satellite coax' in my case which I never use.) Hope this is useful to any new Starlink owners. More detail is in our blog here: Adding Starlink to Galway Girl Craig Hull 505 - Galway Girl

It does weigh 50 lbs. It's from The Laundry Alternative.com and the model is the purifi. They do have other models. They have a smaller one but I thought it was too small. Here are the adapters plus I bought a short plumbing hose.

I spoke with a very nice Truma rep this morning. Here is her reply to @Snake River Idaho post. If the customer reaches out and states they had “self levelling sealer” installed by Oliver directly, then they have already had the update done and do not need to pursue any additional updates. Thanks you for being my first customer and letting me know this! Best Regards, Karen Butler Customer Care Team Lead t: +1-855-558-7862 x2177 e: k.butler@trumacorp.com a: 2800 Harman Drive, Elkhart, IN 46514 USA www.truma.net This e-mail may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient (or have received this e-mail in error) please notify the sender immediately and destroy this e-mail. Any unauthorized copying, disclosure or distribution of the material in this e-mail is strictly forbidden. Patriot🇺🇸

The washer is 16" by 16" by 28" so not big. I would need to figure out what type fitting would work. And yes, drain to gray tank.

@rideandfly Bill, Does your EU2000i have an echo mode setting? And with the EZ start will it run your 13.5 Dometic in echo mode? Thanks! Patriot🇺🇸

https://www.facebook.com/groups/OllieOwners

John, You have helped so many (Yours truly included) with your thoughtful and thorough assessments and mods. Thank you! May your journey forward be a healing and healthy one.

John: Thank you for all the great thoughts, ideas, and patience you have provided to so many other Oliver owners. God bless you Sir. GJ

Even "semi-retired", we convert our time into "money saved" and "projects completed!" Love'n it!

Under the dinette, the placard is upside down so you can actually read it with your head that way. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5450-how-to-battery-master-cutoff-switch-under-the-rear-dinette-seat/ John Davies Spokane WA

If that "loaded" package gets you the Truma varioHeat, that's likely a big plus1 also. (Dometic ac is still standard. Quieter Truma is an upgrade.) Since 2022 (I think) they've added the neverlube axle, as standard. subject of some debate. We love our dc danfoss/secop fridge, but we liked both our 3way fridges, too, until they quit working. (I can fit a lot more fresh food in my truckfridge, self-installed, and live with the smaller freezer quite well.) We installed that electric fridge in early 2018, and I will say I'm extremely happy with its performance and reliability, now in our 6th season. Do you have an electric or manual awning on your 2020? I love our manual awning. New trailers get the electric. I think the new solar package includes slightly more wattage, and some victron gear, and an mppt controller? New owners could speak to the specifics. We like the victron components we've installed on our boat, but have been completely happy with BlueSky in our trailer, primarily because of their superlative customer service. We still have agm batteries, (2 x 105 ah 12v) supplemented with a Honda 1000 generator, and 400 watts fixed solar, up to 200 watts portable. We spent 152 days boondocking one year during covid, with a dc danfoss/secop compressor fridge, and that setup worked for us. (Note, power misers otherwise, and rarely camp where we need a/c. My particular setup wouldn't work for those who need a/c) Then, you get a new warranty with a new trailer. That's got some value, as well. How long do you plan to keep camping? What do you think you're "missing", and how many of the upgrades are you qualified to do yourself, or with the help of a skilled friend? For example, our truckfridge costs about $1k today. Labor free (ours), and most materials we already had. Miscellaneous materials probably under $250.

I’ve been considering similar upgrades to our 2019 and I think the biggest factor in the equation of upgrade cost vs. resale value vs. cost of buying a new trailer comes down to the labor cost and whether you’ll be doing the work yourself (“free” labor) or paying Oliver or Truma or an RV service center to do the work. As an example, someone recently mentioned they had received a quote from Oliver of over $5,000 to do just the fridge update. Most of that (well over half) was labor cost.

When new, both curb side bearings on my 2021 Legacy 2 ran much hotter than the street side, hitting just over 200 degrees on a warm day. At about 11k I finally pulled bearings to have a look and found one outer set scored on one wheel and and the other outer bearing beginning to burn. Changed them all out with (supposedly) Timkens from Amazon which solved the problem. I doubt the bearings I bought were genuine due to low cost but they have worked up to date. Coming up on 25,000 miles on the trailer and plan to track down genuine Timkens for the next change-out. Bearing replacement is tedious but simple for those with basic mechanic skills.

Great rally this year! Thanks to Scott Oliver and his staff and the great folks at Lake Guntersville State Park. If you have pictures this is the place to post them! Here’s the sunset from the lodge after Wednesday’s dinner. One of the best rally activities, sitting around talking! Right to left - Scott Oliver, Ken Cvacho, Lee Slusher and Terry Slusher. This group grew as the evening progressed! Trailers with a view of the lake.

Droning on with the pictures... 🙂 Here are a few more. @Mike and Carol @ScubaRx @Foy_Mirna The Lodge from 200' AGL Shortly after a major down pour - you can see the run off going into the lake. After the storm... LGSP Campground The other end... @Ollie-Haus @Steve Morris @jellybean

I didn't take a single photo all week! I finally grabbed the camera Monday morning before we left, so here are a few from G loop. The sunset photo was Deb's phone on Wednesday evening.

Requested pictures with gear. I may take John's idea about a cargo net for travel day.

I think the bearing assembly is $150 plus, but i'd want to keep a spare. We carry very few spare bits, but we do carry a spare bearing kit. Last time we had to replace one (at home, urban area) , it took awhile to find it. Imo, better to have it, sealed, and never use it, than be stunk in podunk , without, for days . Good shops are everywhere. Parts, these days, not so easy, and never were in some areas that we enjoy . ..

[postquote quote=180885][/postquote] I think the spring would work fine but it isn’t necessary. OTH by eliminating the sag it would probably prevent somebody from saying ”Oh look the line is loose” and then going ahead and over tightening it.... I may change my load limit placard to include this info and to state that the line should be rigged when off the jacks then left alone. The line has been well used and appreciated. Thanks for all the kind comments. John Davies Spokane WA

How big is the rolled up cable, ready for storage? 1 quart zip bag..... The bases are noticeable, but they look OK. You could get them powder coated white, but the finish would probably not last very long. Chrome plating would make them match the rest of the trim and would be very durable. John Davies Spokane WA

The FRONT base: the hard one! Same measurements as the rear base, use tape and level the holes. (Notice the wood core in this wall!): I was dismayed to discover that the main wall/ bulkhead is held to the ceiling with a strong adhesive, and apparently no real hardware. I am very surprised since the mirror door and closet door hang off this wall, you would think there would be mechanical fasteners along the top. When I first installed this base, in a similar manner as the rear one, and hooked up my fabricated cable, the wall would visibly flex rearward with just a small amount of weight on the cable, no more than ten pounds. That was NOT good. I did not want to rip the wall loose with a few wet bath towels... I took the base apart and fabricated a beefy reinforcing plate out of 2" x 2" x 1/8" 6061T6 aluminum angle, the good stuff. It is very strong and is a similar alloy as to what the trailer frame is made from. I screwed the upper part to the ceiling with #10 stainless screws and silicone sealant, and mounted the base through the angle with more sealant. It won't move now, it is very solid. The reason I used sealer here is that it is a wet area and I did not want moisture penetrating the core of the wall. The other bases do not require sealer. John Davies Spokane WA