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In order to clarify this statement - Most (if not all) TPMS systems will alert you to "issues" with a tire - such as sudden loss of pressure, or pressures or temperatures that are outside of a predetermined range that you set. And, the TPMS system that integrates with the Ford system and screen will do this too as I assume that the other truck makers do. However, I've found an unexpected plus to having the stand alone monitor is that I'll watch it keeping an eye on the relative differences between tire temp and tire pressure under varying road and climate conditions. All things being equal - tires running on a concrete road will have a lower temperature and pressure than those running on a black asphalt road on a sunny day. smooth road. Generally, the same statement is true for a rough surfaced road versus a smooth road. So, how does one decide on what tire pressure is correct for their particular trailer? In the pages of this Forum there have been many posts that flat out state that one should NEVER have tire pressures under "X" or above "Y". These statements may or may not be correct for the particular trailer the poster is referring to under the conditions that they normally drive - or even those conditions that may be encountered from time to time. Trailer weight, the roads that are normally driven or even specifically driven, the speeds at which they drive, the weather, etc., etc. all influence the decision as what tire pressures are appropriate for any given situation. Indeed, many of these posters will "admit" to "airing down" for those times when they travel on rough (dirt) roads. This is done for basically two reasons: 1 - for better traction; 2 - softer ride. Interestingly, this is one of the same problems that we are all trying to solve when deciding what our "normal" or "regular" tire pressure will be. We don't want to have such a high pressure in the tires such that they are like (to borrow an oft used statement) rocks. Nor do we want a tire with such low tire pressure as to cause it to heat up too much in "normal" driving. By keeping an eye on my tire pressures while also seeing the tire's temperature I can make a rough judgement as to when or why a tire is reacting to any particular situation. For instance (for my Ollie loaded for a "normal" camping trip), I will set my tire pressures at 60psi. But, the weather changes and/or one of the main roads I'm traveling has been repaved from concrete to fresh black asphalt and I note that my tires are increasing more than about 1 psi for every 10 degrees increase in air temp. Depending on how long or how severe this situation might continue, I might decide to add 3 or 4 psi. This is a bit counter intuitive but note that a harder tire (more psi) will have less rolling resistance and therefore run cooler than a softer tire. Another way of thinking about this is that a softer tire (less psi) will have more surface of the tire on the road and will "squirm" or "flex" more thus causing more friction and thus more heat. Over time I have been able to predict (generally speaking) what tire pressures are about right for me and my Ollie. But, just because I chose to run my tires at a certain pressure does not mean that this is the correct pressure for your Ollie in any given situation. We all want as soft a ride as possible while at the same time we want good traction, high tire mileage and most of all safety. By having the information provided by a TPMS we not only increase our immediate safety but we also obtain information from which we can make informed decisions as to satisfying some of the other conditions present when operating in a constantly changing environment. Bill

This is how I discovered a brake failure on a previous trailer. The brake assembly fell apart due to a broken spring and the parts were rattling around inside the drum. I noticed that wheel was running hotter than the others - but not hot enough to trigger an alarm - so I pulled over to check. The early catch may have prevented spindle damage.

John, on our second night in the Ollie, at about 3 AM, the dogs alerted on something. I turned on the the curb side porch lights to see if we had an animal in camp, but saw a “two legged” critter leaving the area. That extra bright light welcome serves multiple purposes.

At John's suggestion, we have a little Alpicool fridge/freezer to keep Steph's meds at the right temp while dry camping. We keep a Govee wifi thermometer in it to monitor the temps. It worked fine all summer.

I mounted our TST transmitter on the side of the front jack case. Been working well for 4 years.

I’ve been thinking about installing some type of shade or deflector shield on each of the curb lights along the bottom of Ollie-Haus to reduce the harshness for folks camping nearby. After considering numerous ideas, I decided to buy a piece of 1.125” aluminum “Z” extrusion and cut into 5 inch pieces to serve as stick on shields. (Edit) https://www.mcmaster.com/7062T16/ You may be able to pick this up locally and save the high shipping charge. Metal supermarket is a good source around the country. I chose this method as it seemed to me an inexpensive, easy, effective and non-permanent modification that should do the job. I painted the pieces glossy white to match the camper and installed with clear double sided silicone tape. Here’s some pics of the results.

When I first got my Ollie I thought that those little lights under the camper were simply a cute gimmick that simply shouted - hey, look at me, I'm an Oliver. Fortunately, I changed my mind on this subject when later that very first summer I was preparing for bed in a nice boondocking spot and thought that I'd take a quick trip outside to ..... Anyway, I flipped the switch to turn those little lights on and made that first step out the door when I noticed a fairly large timber rattler curled up at the bottom of the second step! I sure did appreciate the indoor plumbing that night! Bill

Nice idea. Added amber tape to the upper lights on both sides, but not done anything with the lower ones. Was thinking blue auto tape.

When I ordered our Silverado 3500, I also ordered the trailer tire sensors and the rear camera that goes on the rear of the trailer. They were delivered with the truck from the factory. If you have a tire problem with one of the truck or trailer tires, it will pop up on your DIC. You do not have to actively monitor a separate screen to check the tires. It's all integrated into the truck.

@NomadLife Your Oliver forum personality shows that you do not own an Oliver Travel Trailer or any RV, so what is the nature or reason for your moisture question? Mossey

@johnwen, glad to hear your experience ended without injury or serious damage. We also installed a standalone TPMS for our LEII (Hull 990), the TireMinder i10, with 6 transmitters (TPMS), four for the trailer and the other two for our spares. See: https://technorv.com/products/tireminder-i10-rv-tpms-with-4-to-10-sensors?_pos=1&_sid=585f6a851&_ss=r I installed the signal booster under the dinette rear seat. I have tested the range by walking over 300 feet from the trailer with the monitor, without loss of signal. Our TV does not have the option for adding trailer sensors. Don

We've been at altitude with cool temperatures for the past 3 months between Montana and Colorado. 2022 Oliver with 27000 miles on it and the original tires. We had a blowout on the aft driver's side. I travel at 61 or 62 mph but have very seldom approached 70 mph when descending on the back side of a mountain. I'm only posting this because I did not realize we had a blowout until I heeded a following motorist's flashing headlights, signaling me to pull over. He probably followed me for 5 or so miles and I thought he just wanted to know more about the trailer. We inspected what we could view from the side view mirrors and could not see anything wrong or out of place. I could only see the front tire with my standard sized Silverado side view mirror. We finally pulled over when we came to a place where the road became wider. We did not notice any odd noises, vibrations, or any visual clues that anything was wrong. Our normal 60-62 psi was indicated that morning via our ProSmart, smart tire pressure sensors with our smart phone app. We have no way of checking pressure while we're driving as the bluetooth range is very limited. So, lesson for me.....I will install internal pressure/temp sensors that can be read through Chevrolet's "driver information center". Again, I had no idea anything was wrong until someone notified me to pull over. The aluminum wheel was also damaged beyond repair and while I found the correct sized tire, Discount Tire had to install it on, what appears to be, a trailer rim.

I found that my TPMS would alarm without the transmitter after traveling about 1/2 hour. I cut off the alligator clips on the transmitter and sodder on a USB connector onto the wire that I can connect into the Ollie USB connectors. The transmitter, using velcro strips, is located above the dinnete table. Works pretty slick and no more false alarms.

If you don’t feel the need for an expedition grade cooler, or don’t have the cash, these Alpicools will work fine. They make a number of different models, all are very affordable. This one shows an extra $30 off applied at checkout, it might apply to others, you would need to look….. I imagine that they are clearing out excess summer inventory. I have this 19 quart size, I picked it expressly because the height closely matches a milk crate, so I can place milk crates with camping gear around the cooler and still have a flat ”floor” for other stuff on top of it. It rides in the back of my LC200 and is easily accessed by raising the upper hatch, leaving the tailgate closed. VERY handy. I use the following power pack/ inverter to keep it operating when parked, the truck supplies 6 amps to recharge the pack and also cool the fridge when the engine is running (this is called pass through charging, many do NOT do this). Plus it is a LiFePO4 battery, just like in your Ollie’s lithium package, and it charges fully off shore power in just one hour! Woohoo, that is neat. I really like this combination. This item too has an extra discount over the already hefty price cut! The solar panel is compact and light, and very well made, the only downside is that it is a lot harder to prop at an angle than is a heavy harded side one. At mid day you can just let it lie flat. John Davies Spokane WA

Just a few rubber marks on the outside of the fender, and yes to "very fortunate" :)

Well, As I type this I'm right on the North Carolina beach (TopSail Island) enjoying sun, sand, surf, fresh shrimp for dinner tonight, etc.. Therefore I do not have access to either my Ollie and/or any information on my dimmer. About all I can tell you is that it is similar to THIS one. I didn't want my dimmer to scream "dimmer". However, there are a bunch of these 12 volt dimmer switches available on Amazon or West Marine. I tapped into the main supply wires located above the curbside bed and mounted the control panel just to the left of the storage cabinet above that bed but aft of the kitchen cubbie. Good news and bad news - good news first - it works great. I am no longer blinded by the airplane landing strip of lights running down the center of the Oliver. I'd certainly do this mod all over again. However, the bad news is that virtually all lights are dimmed at the same time - both inside and outside. Obviously, I've not been so bothered by this as to take the time and effort to change the wiring such that this was not the case. But, there have been times where I've wanted or even needed brighter lights on the outside and I had to go back inside to make the change - yes, I known - "poor baby"! Bill

Here are three mods/aids that have been made on our Ollie. The first was done by the previous owner, it’s a handy way to grab and close the door. Much easier to find and grab. The next was simple and driven by my inability to remember where the fresh water tank drain valve was located. I fastened two bright yellow zip ties onto a water line above the valve. The tails stick straight up and are easy to see. The third was because I like to sleep with minimal sheets and blankets, and when my posterior touched the interior wall, it was chilly. I split one of my old Ensolite backpacking pads down the middle and tucked the halves between the mattresses and inner hull.

With me on my Creepy Crawler - even on concrete - I can't manage to get my girth under the axles to reach the two center top zerks! Besides - I've got plenty of T's! HA!

You could aways use a crawler to lay on (and save the T-Shirt) , but you would want to park on pavement.

I am sorry for the loss of your mom. The engine problems sound awful too. Hope the rest of your year is better. John

NOPE, I crawl under the trailer (and destroy a T-shirt) and hit the zerks from underneath.

@Ollie-Haus Chris - great idea, I also like the idea that the porch lights stay bright for looking outside when boon docking. BTW - we were just on a trip to VA to go to my mom's funeral and "Whitezilla" died hard! Engine failure on the 7.3L. We were fortunate that we were 2 miles from a Ford dealer and they took us right in but unfortunately, the engine will have to be replaced and the truck is 6 hours from home. I had to rent a ridiculous F-350 dually with the turbo diesel and a long bed @ $900/week to get to VA and back. Then we had to tow the trailer all the way to TN and then drive the truck all the way back to London, KY to drop it off (had to drop it where we rented it) and then rent a car to go back to TN while we wait for the new engine. It seems the lifter on #3 CYL kept sticking and it would cause the exhaust valve to stay open resulting in a #3 CYL misfire. I chased that for several months by changing plugs, wires, and even a coil pack for #3 then it finally showed why it was doing that when the lifter froze and caused the push rod to bend resulting in a horrible noise. I was hoping it was a rocker arm or something similar and easy to fix but NO. The dealership, and two others I have talked to, said this is the first engine failure they have seen on a 7.3L gas. Not sure if that makes me feel special or just unlucky. I will post a report on the Tremor forums as see if anyone has had a similar experience but haven't seen anything there so far like this. Cheers, Brian

We've been using the straight one that we bought from LockNLube, it hits all 16 zerks with ease and doesn't pop-off. Works as a great combo with the Lincoln grease gun:

I have the "simple one" at $10.99 and I was able to connect to the difficult zerks.

You can also check error codes and battery details on the Lithionics app (as long as the batteries are On and connected to Bluetooth).

Hey Christi, Is your Xantrex Inverter switching from battery to grid mode when you hook to shore power? I encountered this issue recently and am in the process of getting it fixed. The mechanic found that the screw that secures the grounding wire had come loose, and some wires got burned and will need to be replaced. (You may be more adept than I am with such things, but this is not a repair I would attempt on my own.) If the inverter is not automatically switching the grid mode, shore power will not charge the batteries, and the trailer will continue to run off batteries. This will run down the batteries, and you will get that chirping when you try to put a load on the electrical system and the lithium batteries are approaching low voltage cutoff. There is more info on this in the sections of your manuals on the inverter and the lithium batteries. You might also check to see if there are any error codes on your surge protector display. Hope that helps. Good luck with it, and let us know how it plays out. Tod

I have the TST also and monitor all eight tires. Four on the TV and the four on the trailer. It came with the repeater, but it hasn't been necessary. It does take about five minutes to start registering on the display, but after it does, it cycles through all the tires. It gives great peace of mind. John

We had almost the exact same encounter with a blowout about 12 years ago in FL traveling on a secondary road at about 45mph. At the time we didn't own a standalone TPMS. We didn't realize the right side rear tire blew until we pulled over at a convenience store for a pee - walking back to the rig we saw what looked like a "ghost tire" (formerly a Goodyear Marathon) with only the radial material left on the rim. With a TPMS (which we've had ever since), at least would have known when it blew and proceeded accordingly rather than driving for an unknown distance on 3 good wheels/tires. Glad no injuries ensued....

@topgun2/Bill, could you please post details on how you implemented a dimmer for the lights? Thanks, Don

Make sure your Truma water heater main switch is set to the 'on' position. This switch is located on the water heater itself and can be set to either the up or down position. The center position is off.

It's also easily removed and restored to original if ever desired. I do like the idea of a dimmer as well.

I've had a front hitch on every one of the five tow vehicles we've owned and I've been preaching this sermon for years. Maybe folks will listen to you.

Here’s a suggestion for making the dinette more comfy. Not exactly elegant, but it does a reasonably good job, and you don’t get in trouble for stealing a cushion from your significant other. It’s just an old floating boat cushion…

Not so inexpensive - but a couple quick and easy modifications installed this morning: 1. We became tired of hassling with the curly safety wires during hitching operations. Found some sturdier chains and hooks on Amazon, a 3/8" steel spacer, a grade 8 - 5" x 3/8" bolt and nylock, and with @topgun2's suggestion some 1" wire comb and a couple zip-ties - voila, new safety chains for about $65.00: 2. The key pad numbers on our keyless "RVLock" started peeling off a few months back. The standard configuration is a thin numbered membrane over the keypad area. For an extra $5 for a total of about $22 including shipping we received an upgraded pad. It should really be the standard pad unless someone wants to regularly replace the thin membrane all the time. The thin membrane before I started peeling it off completely with needle nose pliers: A judicious application of GOOF OFF to remove the residue of both the weather gasket and the thin membrane: The new fully rubberized number keypad neatly replaced the original white gasket: Carefully removing all the residue from the original weather gasket with GOOF OFF, replaced same with provided new weather seal: New rubberized keypad should last awhile longer than the original... Thoroughly cleaned off door surface area and mounted repaired keyless locking mechanism: One and done - good to go: Cheers!

Base Camp here for few nights…in Colorado Springs, now we will begin plotting and planning and our list is full of more adventures. Thanks for everyone’s input. Onward! After a long travel day….smoked and grilled lemon pepper chicken a top a salad with Old Croc cheddar hit the spot. Cheers! 🥂 Patriot🇺🇸

Making our way to out Colorado yesterday we stopped at Buc-ee’s in Knoxville, Tenn. It was our very first time. The barbecue brisket and pork sandwiches “Texas style” were ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ amazing. Just like we remember when we lived in Texas. And just a warning Buc-ee’s Cheddar cheese NUG-EE’S are addicting. Don’t buy a bag you won’t like them 😝. We continued on I40 west to Cedars of Lebanon SP for a nice restful nights sleep. A really nice SP about 7 mi off of I40. Large spacious sites, a nice staff and great place to layover. A few FH sites, mostly W/E sites and a dump station and fairly modern bath houses. We would stay here again.👍🏻 Onward! 😳😋😋😂

A brand new Oliver Elite 2 from Missouri - with a gray and silver front logo like mine!

We've had a couple random and "not-so" random Oliver sighting this year - and we don't know why, but we get all excited whenever it happens... We actually had a silver (same as our's) Tundra/Oliver rig pass us northbound on I-25 in CO a couple months ago - I woke up D and said, "Hey, Baby, that's what we look like rolling down the interstate!". She laughed and went back to sleep. Never really had that feeling in the AS community - know what I mean? Cheers and "Ravel-On!", y'all

@Ronbrink I happen to be over at Lowe’s this afternoon and scooped up a (4) pack of these furniture sliders. My plan per your suggestion, is to install these on the 4 corners of my Truma C36 insulated cover length wise. This hopefully will make it slide easier on the bed rug then out onto the tailgate bed rug. Thanks again for the mod idea. Patriot🇺🇸 I installed the above furniture glides and they really work great. We can now slide the Truma out with out giving us immediate access without having to lift it off the bed rug. A keeper.

If you have the time - be sure to drive Needles Highway since you are so close. However, do not take the Ollie with you. And, of course, the Custer State Park Wildlife loop road. I assume that you already know about Mt. Rushmore. Bill

@Ken_Judy: John is spot-on regarding "loosening of ancillary running gear nuts." We recently serviced our zerks and decided to also perform preventive maintenance on the 3 jacks - only to find that the curbside rear jack head set-screw had loosened over time and the entire motor/head assembly rotated clockwise. Had we not found this condition before it progressed into something really serious, it could have been a major safety accident. Getting your eyes up/around/inside/down everywhere on the Ollie periodically really pays off. Just perform your inspections with good planning and forethought while doing it safely at the same time. My $0.02... Cheers!

Ensure you have at least two jack stands rated for at least 3 tons (6000 lbs.) each. Leave your front stabilizer jack down, so your trailer starts out level. Chock the wheels on one side, then raise the other side using the "stabilizer" jacks, with blocks underneath them, to raise one side of the frame enough to get the wheels off the ground. Place jack stands under the frame just fore and aft of the wheels, at the locations with the "Jack Point" decals. Then remove the wheels. With only one side resting on jack stands rated to support a total of 12,000 lbs. between them, backed up by the stabilizer jack on that side, you will be safe crawling under the trailer.

Certainly TRUE! All Oliver trailers built prior to 2017 or 2018 didn't have the EZ-Flex suspension and thus didn't have the wet bolts which have (I believe) brass bushings. The old suspension did have those "nylon" bushings and were only good for something like 12,000 miles. So, many of us that have the older Olivers switched to the "new" EZ-Flex when it became available or when the old bushings hit that 10,000 to 12,0000 mile mark. Its much better to give those zerks a shot of grease every few thousand miles versus having to replace the bushings. Bill

Awesome! We really like ours so far! Patriot🇺🇸

While at the recent rally we spotted a Truma service van driving by our site and stopped the van and asked the tech a few questions. We were interested learning a little more about the remote control operation of our new Truma Aventa retro fit. The written instructions are translated from German to English and are not that good at all. After answering our questions we then began talking about the Truma frig/freezers. The tech just happened to have a couple brand new C30’s and (2) new C36’s in his service van for sale. He mentioned to us that the Truma had a promotional sale price on the C36 which was 45% off and the cover was included at no extra charge. Long story short, we purchased a C36 at the sale price. When empty it weighs 50# which will be more manageable than a heavier unit. We understood from the Truma tech the sale price was also offered on line but you have to add it to the cart in order to receive the discount. And you either get free shipping or a free cover not both. With a 10% Ala sales tax we paid $755.00 total for the C36 and under the Truma promotion no charge for the insulated cover. 45% off seems like a pretty good deal with the normal price approx $1300 plus tax.

Ollie in the Wild! We left Monte Sano SP and made the short trek to Lake Guntersville SP. The 69,000 acre lake is gorgeous as always! We got set up at site 50 and are looking forward to seeing everyone. Keep an eye out for deer as you enter the park, there are lots of them. Safe Travels to everyone! Patriot🇺🇸

That's like saying your expenditures will always rise to meet your income! BL

Steve's Theorem: Stuff will always expand to fill the entire space that is available.

Just completed a 2600-mile adventure from San Antonio to Sedona, AZ to the Gila Wilderness, NM. Stayed 6 nights at Rancho Sedona RV Park in Sedona. Pricey, but convenient! Loved the hiking but crazy busy especially on the weekend. The highlight was actually the Gila Wilderness where we enjoyed a quiet, dark, and unplugged stay. Stayed at Gila Hot Springs 4 nights. Saw multiple Ollies in the wild on I-10. On 25 Oct, we saw two Ollies in West Texas while traveling westbound. One was headed east and the other we caught up with heading west. We then saw the same(?) Ollie (TN plates) heading west in AZ on the 26th after staying the night in Demming, NM. Above: West Fork of Oak Creek Trail, Sedona, AZ Above: Devil's Bridge, Sedona, AZ Above: Gila Hot Springs, NM Above: Cooking breakfast in Gila Hot Springs, NM Above: The Gila River making its way to the Gulf of California. Not a human structure in sight!