Leaderboard

Thanks folks! ....Problem solved! We've been camping in pine forests for a couple of weeks with varied temperatures and at times downpours; It turns out that quite a lot of pine sap found it's way into the door gasket and glued the door shut. Pouring warm water around the door seal and tugging very hard freed it up!

Still base camped in Montrose, Co and we decided to explore the Colorado National Monument. Wow factor 🤩. IMG_9827.mov IMG_9828.mov IMG_9832.mov IMG_9832.mov

Couple more thoughts on this discussion. Several years ago while traveling to a photo shoot in SW Montana I had a blow out on my right front tire but was able to pull over safely and change the tire on the spot. Upon arriving at the next town stopped off at the local tire store and as it turns out on the trip over I had taken on a sharp rock that created a slow leak in the tire which as you all might guess built up some serious heat enough to cause the blow out. I suspect this is what might have happened to the OP in this thread. Fast forward to a couple of summers ago while camping up in the Seeley-Swan Lake area I noticed one morning what appeared to be a deflated right rear tire. Immediately went into Seeley Lake township for repairs at the local tire store. Turns out we were the third customer to come in with slow leaks that morning. Ours was the result of a nail but the mechanic had a jar full of culprits that had caused past customers the same issues. Looking at some of the culprits for flat tires was educational for sure with many of them being quite large such as bolts some bent others straight, various hardware pieces and so forth and so on. Items one would not normally think to be able to puncture a tire but there they were. Anyway glad the OP was able to correct this without undue harm to life and possessions. Blow outs can be scary stuff.

Black Canyon is pretty amazing. The National Park side gives the best views. You can also access it from the other side near Crawford State Park. Enjoy! Mike

Thanks Bill, The cooler temps, and a lot less people in CG’s make travel and camping much more enjoyable after right after Labor Day into Oct. We are just not into the summer heat or crowds at all. Glad you are enjoying the vids. We’ll visit and tour the Black Canyon of Gunnison today. It’s close to us here in Montrose. Onward! 😊 Patriot🇺🇸

@Doug S It was a pleasure meeting you three, and I’m looking forward to seeing you on the road in your future Oliver! Remember to ask about (and reserve space for) the rally! This afternoon I gave tours of my Oliver to two of my fellow volunteers here at the hatchery — both of them were also impressed. It’s a beautiful trailer. Kudos to OTT for all the work in design and fabrication! And kudos to the Oliver family — you all add to the pleasure of ownership.

Hi Steve, Yes, I've been busy with other things and haven't been on the forum for a while but I did get your PM. The box itself is just a PVC junction box from Home Depot. For the penetration through the box and into the attic, I used a marine bulkhead fitting from Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002DKAKA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . For the antenna wire entrances, I used a cable entry system from Automation Direct (a great company that I use quite a lot) https://www.automationdirect.com/adc/shopping/catalog/wiring_solutions/cable_entry_systems/frames/bpa-s-10-2-0 You buy the frame and then the individual inserts separately in the size that you need for your wires. I see that the particular one I used is currently back ordered but they have other similar ones in stock. I used a lot of sealant / calk around the penetration and box and haven't had any issues with leaks. As a side note, I'm still really happy with the Pepwave system. It's faster than the DSL service I am able to get at my house. In fact it works so well, I have an ethernet cable run from the Oliver into the house to supplement the DSL when when we're home. (although I do have to watch to make sure we don't exceed the data limits of the cellular plans) I hope this helps and good luck with you installation!

Returned from a trip to the Utah deserts and canyons a couple of weeks meeting up with an old hiking buddy. Spent most of the time around the San Rafael Reef or Swell as it is so often referred to. Not being a geologist not sure what the real difference is. Had some great hikes and adventures and experienced some fairly dramatic thunderstorms while down there. Sept is heading toward the end of the areas monsoon season and we did get to experience some of its beauty as well as drama. A good many of the Capitol Reef NP roads had been closed the day before we arrived there due to flash floods and then again more were closed the morning we left with park service declaring life threatening flash floods in some areas and washes. In my neck of the woods rain just means you might get a bit wet and uncomfortable but down there rain can kill you so we headed the warnings. Posting a few photos below, hope you can enjoy. Boondocked just outside the Reef at San Rafael looking west with evening storms Another view looking north with the Reef in the distance Yet another evenings storm moving over the San Rafael Reef, this one brought a deluge of rain. Another evening, another storm brings more rain. My camp spot provided a nice view of Goblin Valley State Park as well as the Blue Mountains in the distance. In the past when in this area we had always camped just inside the reef a mile or so in but I thoroughly enjoyed the sunsets and sunrises as well as the lighting drama from storms on this trip. Temple Mount seen from just outside the reef

Could very well have been as you described. Now, with the TST, I'll be able to see low pressure as it happens and the increase in temp. Thanks, John

We live in a pine forest in central Idaho. After I installed a sign on a tree two years ago, long trails of pine sap ran down over the sign in several places. I found that WD40 sprayed onto the sap trails, and left to soak overnight, emulsified the sap and made it much easier to remove with a plastic scraper, without damage to the sign. When pine sap gets onto our Elite II, I plan to use WD40 to help with removal.

From coachnet website “Your Premier membership protects you anywhere you go throughout the U.S., Canada or Mexico.”

I quit AAA after years of membership due to a bad experience. I needed a tow in Hayes, KS on a Saturday early afternoon since a wheel bearing on my SOB RV gave up the ghost on Interstate 70. There I was - stuck - with a ton of traffic wizzing by and AAA told me that they didn't have contracts with anyone in that area that could help me. They didn't even offer to look up the names of ANY local towing outfits and I didn't have a cell phone that could do that either. Lucky for me that a KS State Patrol officer stopped and gave me the name of what turned out to be a great towing company that was located not 5 miles away. The towing bill for that 5 miles was several hundred dollars and once I submitted receipts and waited 6 months I did receive a check from AAA for $75. More than the money - it was the lack of being willing to provide any help. Bill

Received our Maxx Air Fan 6" Dome w LED from Amazon today. Got lucky again with Amazon used. Fan for $69 plus tax, yes packaging well damaged, but all parts included and cosmetically new. Tested the fan and LED light with my shop 12V marine battery and again all good. The product included all parts, rain guard, 6" ceiling extension, and everything you need. Earlier I suggested using 3M VHB tape and this will work on the exterior portion for sure. However, there is such a perfect flat surface, round around the external perimeter, OMG TG they do not have holes predrilled here! I'm thinking, if I can source a quality waterproof exterior glue/sealer instead of tape, I would apply a full-circle bead of glue to set this piece. If this was done, you would not have to caulk. Just apply and position in place and you're done! (again, no screws). The rain guard was included but will not be used. This is unnecessary, given the fan is installed and sealed correctly. This is designed for a wall-mounted installation. On an RV/TT you would need one with no vents to help somewhat. Put the solid portion up top and it may help when parked. Put it up front, and it my help when driving at highway speed, either way unnecessary. The interior portion is a bit trickier! there is not a full circle flat surface. There is an inner flat portion that goes 90% around the circle, and if that will contact the ceiling surface, you're good with VHB tape. You would have open screw openings on the fan surround on your wet bath ceiling. You could find 4 white plugs. Or if needed mount the 4 screws interior, which cannot cause a leaking situation, as the interior is merely cosmetic, holding the trim ring and LED light. Hope this helps!

Glad things worked out and that your tour of our favorite travel trailer was a success. Let us know if you have further questions. Since we are "family" - we'll keep a light on for ya! Bill

Hi all! First of all, I met up with Toni and she is a real pleasure! She was so generous of her time and so open. I now understand a little bit of the "family" we are probably going to join. Her EIite II was great. My wife and I and a friend who is mountain savvy went on the tour and it was better than I had imagined. My wife and friend felt the same way. The quality is so quiet - yet evident I was really impressed. It had much more storage than I thought and the practical nature of everything was obvious. I loved the fact that there were no sharp corners. In summary, Toni is a great ambassador for a great product. I've also been looking at the Porsche from a more practical point of view and have decided I might use it only as a vehicle for delivery, I am rapidly adjusting to a 3/4 ton with a bed cover. We are high in the mountains and have many nights that are well below the gelling temps of diesels, (easily -10F, and occasionally -25F), so I'm biased to go with a big gasser. Most experienced people on the forums seem to emphasize that "you can't have too much truck", and the stress reduction alone can help you appreciate where you are rather than being distracted by things that are closer to the edge than you would like. I would trade the Porsche in, so this would also be my primary vehicle - which can work where I live. I really appreciate all of your help! - Doug

That is a very simple design, my guess is that the jam nuts have come loose, but it should still rotate the arm. Try pulling outward and and then inward on the handle, while rotating the handle. If there is a door vent opening nearby, you could pry that out and reach inside with a bent rod to move the arm that way. What a strange problem, please post a pic if and when you get the door open. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

We've had Coach-Net for years. The coverage includes any vehicle we drive or tow, including rentals or borrowed vehicles. We've used them for an RV mobile tech to replace a brake assembly, a tow for both our dually and fifth wheel and, just last week, a tow for my wife's car after mice chewed the electrical system. Our experience was positive each time, with quick and appropriate services dispatched.

The antenna dome actually has 7 separate antennas in it with 7 corresponding cables that have to enter the Oliver somewhere. The gray box is just a junction box that I fed the 7 wires into through the pictured cable gland fitting. Inside the junction box I have a marine thru hull fitting that goes through the Oliver's roof and into the cabinet that all 7 wires run through. My reason for doing it this way is that I expect the Oliver to outlast the technology attached to it and I wanted to future proof as much as possible by allowing for upgrades without further modifications to the Oliver hull. The cable gland fitting is similar to ones we successfully used on the ship in harsher conditions than I expect to encounter with the Oliver. As for the mount, it's fabricated out of 1/8" aluminum plate. When bolted down, it's actually very rigid and sturdy. When designing the mount, I considered putting some bracing on it but decided not to. It would take a lot more than a bird strike to bend the mount. That said, if hit hard enough, something will give. I would rather the antenna mount gave than the fiberglass it's bolted to.... I didn't want a flagpole or any kind of retractable mast that had to be put up each time its used as we also use the router while driving. The SIM cards are on the back of the router and would be impossible to access with the router in place. The wing nuts make it easy to take the router down for access as needed and also leave the option of removing the router and using it in the home if we want. (We live in a rural area and home internet options are not always the best or most reliable) The antenna dome does have a built in ground plane so an external one is not required but I figured the flat aluminum mount can't hurt! 🙂

I recently installed a Pepwave MAX BR1 Pro 5G cellular router on our Oliver. It was part of the ‘Speed Demon 5G Mobile Internet Bundle’ that we purchased from Mobile Must Have. We’re just completing our first trip with it from Washington State to Minnesota and back. So far, we’re very happy with its performance. This is a fairly expensive setup and definitely not for everyone (or the faint of heart with required hole drilling in the Oliver roof!) However for us, with my wife’s need for a high speed and consistent connection to the internet for her work, it makes the difference between being able to travel or staying at home. On this trip we spent 2 nights in a campground in North Dakota where my regular cellphone kept alternating between 1 bar and no service. Using the Pepwave, my wife was able to work and have conference calls on both Zoom and Teams without any problem. The Wi-Fi also works while driving. Until my recent retirement, I was captain on a ship that had both Cradlepoint and Pepwave equipment onboard. Both companies make very good, professional grade equipment. There were two reasons I went with the Pepwave over the Cradlepoint option that Oliver offers: 1) Cradlepoint no longer seems interested in supporting individual users. Their focus seems to be almost exclusively geared toward enterprise solutions. 2) I wanted a router that was capable of utilizing 5G as it’s now being rolled out around the country. The Cradlepoint option offered by Oliver does not have 5G capabilities. The MAX BR1 Pro 5G accepts two SIM cards so we have a Verizon as our main data plan and a T-Mobile card as a backup. The sloped area behind the air conditioner seemed like the only place I could go through the roof with the antenna wires and mount and have a clean installation in the upper back cabinet. Because the antenna works best if it is above any metal obstructions, I fabricated the mount so it was just proud of the air conditioner and adding as little additional overall height as possible.

@johnwen Just purchased one of those myself earlier in the year. Thus far I have only four sensors and have been using those on my TV for now figuring it much better to monitor the tire pressure and temps with the tow vehicle. For this alone it has been quite the education looking at the results depending on driving conditions and ambient temperatures.

Yes, the 1" bulkhead fitting works fine for all 7 wires. You may need to stagger the connectors as you're pulling them through since they are wider than the cables but once they are through, they fit fine. (you can always practice with the fitting before you drill the hole! 🙂) The bulkhead fitting also has an advantage over just a pvc pipe as the flanges and nut, along with the included rubber gaskets, are easier to seal and actually helps anchor the junction box to the roof. I think getting the antenna base plane above the air conditioner is more important than horizontal separation. I fabricated my mount so the base of the antenna is just proud of the air conditioner and only adding a little bit to the overall height of the Oliver. Keeping the antenna wire lengths as short as possible also make a big difference on performance. Anyway, it sounds like you're on the right path with your installation. I hope all goes well!

While camping last week and showing the trailer to one of the many interested people who stopped by I found that the battery compartment door would not unlock / open; the latch would unlock and turn (freely....too freely) but the door would not open. It seems that the lock handle may no longer be connected internally to the lock / unlock mechanism. I don't suppose there is an easy fix for this? Aside from this I've learned an important lesson: Always allow extra time when packing up a campsite because the Oliver draws a lot of interest and people will be stopping by.

I've also used a bit of Goof-Off to get sap off the Ollie and truck. Go at it lightly though. Bill

Beautiful scenery! (Third one didn't work for me.) I'd never heard of this National Monument, but it is now on my must-see list the next time we are in CO!

Getting the sap off your Ollie is going to be a chore. Plastic scraper blades work well if it is cool (not sticky). I hate sap. John Davies Spokane WA

Oliver quit pre-wiring the trailers for solar several years ago. The mounting plates for the panels are still fiber-glassed, into the roof however.

Thanks for posting the videos! Beautiful scenery, park almost looks empty. October must be a good time to visit.

I only downloaded 3vof your videos All very beautiful! Glad you are having a great time, n amazing scenery.

@Doug S, all good questions. And, understandable quandries. When you wrote the original post asking for help, were you on generator without the ground plug? If you were on campground shore power, let us know. Different scenario. The more info you can provide, the more the collective minds can help. So glad everything is working now, at home . When did you install the new batteries? And, welcome aboard. Glad to have you here.

Badger: It would be helpful for others on the forum to learn that have similiar problems that you explained to indicate what was the resolution to you not have 110 v power to the outlets.

Yes, you need a bonding plug to get power from most generators into your trailer. That should solve your initial problem. I don't know if Hull 590 has an inverter. Most Olivers do. Do you have a black control panel labeled Xantrex in your trailer? Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Schneider-Electric-Solar-Inv-808-0817-01/dp/B0756BJQCN/ref=asc_df_B0756BJQCN/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312094677816&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10946446638069115879&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003252&hvtargid=pla-519123927354&psc=1 If so, you have an inverter. Instructions on its use are in Oliver University, linked from the main Oliver website. Basically, if you have no shore power, pushing the round silver button in activates the inverter and creates 120v power for your outlets, microwave, etc. from your batteries. The green LED next to the battery icon will indicate it's working. Note that this can consume a lot of battery power, especially running the microwave, so use it sparingly. The inverter does consume some power whenever it's on, even if there's nothing plugged into the outlets, so turn it off when not needed.

Hi Badger, When using a generator with the Oliver, it is important to have a bonding plug otherwise known as a neutral ground plug on the generator. The Oliver comes standard with a built in surge protector and if you do not have this plug, the surge protector will not allow the 120v power to work as it is not grounded. Here is an example of a ground plug that you can buy on Amazon for $19. https://www.amazon.com/Southwire-Company-LLC-44400-Generator/dp/B07F4R7BDL/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=generator+bonding+plug&qid=1696360581&sr=8-5 - Phil Andrews, Oliver Travel Trailers

John, as others have said, the monitor stays on when plugged in. You can only turn it off when unplugged. I’ve never used a booster, when I ordered mine 7 or 8 years ago a booster wasn’t even mentioned. We’ve never had any connection or interference issues. Mike

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2688-how-to-junction-box-for-trailer-harness-repair-or-extend-the-harness/ You will have to install your own cutoff switch, these early trailers certainly have none. BTW, I would NEVER recommend a 7 pin plug or receptacle with a steel housing. The inside will inevitably rust, short out the terminals, cause weird light problems and blow fuses, use a plastic housing only! Living in Arizona makes this much worse, the red dust is up to three percent iron oxide, and highly conductive when you add a little moisture. John Davies Spokane WA

Cheffing up good eats at our base camp in Montrose, Co this evening.👨🏼‍🍳😋 IMG_9806.mov

Thanks for article @John E Davies. I'm pretty sure my wheel brush is stainless steel, certainly not low carbon, since I've had it for 30 years and it's likely well over 40 years old (bought many of my tools at estate sales). Never any rust on it! Found something similar, there is a 6" Osborn Knot Wire Cup Brush on Zoro: Osborn Knot Wire Cup Brush, 6", 0003303000 0003303000 | Zoro This item is still made in USA, many others here Mexico. These ads do not spec type of steel. There is the compression disc on the underside, bolt welded to it, with rust on that part only. Glad to read that I didn't mess them up. The first wheel I cleaned 10 days ago still looks great! No, not painting, not refinishing the fronts at all! Just cleaning the backsides (rust/dust from brake pads) and wet-sanded by hand where the tire beads contact for a good seal. Also, cleaning the bolt holes and gently the valve stem recesses. They are not perfect, but you can see from the pics on page one, they're really nice as is. Not building a show car, but a truck that will see a lot of dirt/gravel roads - they will look great! What a beast of an old tool, mounted to an old Milwaukee 7" hand grinder that weighs a over 10 lbs. mounted!

Hello! I'm still here in Jackson. I sent you a PM -- you are welcome to come see my Oliver E2. Call me asap because I'm only here for another week. I sent you my phone number, the best way to reach me while I'm not on wifi. I hope we can connect -- seeing one in person is the best way to make your decision.

Since last week, I now have two wheels clean! It's a lot of heavy work with the heavy grinder and I like to space out the really physical jobs to only a few hours a day. There are other chores. Just received my brake upgrade! Going to 17" wheels allows me to upgrade brakes, from Dodge 2nd Gen to 3rd Gen brakes. The rotors are 1" larger diameter and thicker material. Parts include a pair of wider caliper brackets and upgraded EBC rotors and pads. It's amazing, but the calipers are the same, as they are HD already. Purchased all parts at Summit: EBC Brakes S1KF1502 EBC Stage 1 Premium Street Disc Brake Kits | Summit Racing Check the pic below! This must be a 60% increase in brake contact area for my truck. What an amazing product! You guys with newer trucks, install EBC pads and rotors on your next brake job. Didn't want drilled or slotted rotors or anything. These look great, just dark and huge!

KenB, please post a follow up, especially if you have some wind, I wonder if the trailer will rock more? How many more AHs? Etc. The reason I put up my “HOW TO links page” is that after about a dozen threads, I realized that having them all in one location could really help somebody find them, especially years later, and that page can be added as a bookmark. For those other members with lots of tech threads, you could do the same… start your own page. John Davies Spokane WA

Wow! That’s a very nice installation and your antenna mount is exceptional. I do love your creativity. Does the PEPWAVE antenna require a ground plane or is it built in? Thanks for posting your successful modification. Mossey