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Camping at the Dinosaur National Monument, at the Green River campground, and couldn't eat on time because of the people wandering by saying "Is that an Oliver?" or "What kind of trailer is that?" I think most folks had already eaten and were doing their after dinner walkabout, but I got back late after hiking in the desert. Of course I'm not going to blow them off because I LOVE talking about my trailer. I had hoped to eat outside and watch the sunset but nope, by the time all the interested parties were gone, it was dark and I'm eating inside. I might have part of the blame for this.

I believe that the the "Airstream" question is a result of the general look/shape of the Ollie vs the Airstream. My normal response to the "Airstream" question is, "No, it doesn't leak like an Airstream".😁 Bill

I am posting this in case anyone else has the same issue. Recently I noticed that my Xantrex Freedom XC Pro 2000 was not charging my batteries when hooked up to shore power. However, the microwave was working so the inverter portion of the Xantrex was working properly. The EMS showed good shore power voltage, 60 Hz and no errors. No errors were shown on the Xantrex external display. However, I learned on this forum that there is an app for the Xantrex (FXC Control). Upon downloading and launching the app I saw the following alert: “Utility Power Not Available/Qualified”. This indicated that there was a problem somewhere with input power. I removed the small cover at the back of the inverter. The input and output AC connections are made by WAGO lever connectors. There is a small hole in each lever to allow the voltage to be checked with probes and a multimeter. I measured 120 V at the output of the inverter but no voltage at the input. It turns out that there was a bad connection at the WAGO connector, perhaps caused by road vibration. After disconnecting shore power and upon removal I found that the stranded AC input wires were rather mashed together rather than twisted together. I cut those ends off, removed 10 mm of insulation as specified in the install instructions and used electrician’s pliers to gently twist the wires together. (Note: the install instructions also specify that the exposed copper wire should be tinned with lead-free solder). I found the reinstall to be very difficult because the levers are spring loaded and will not stay open so each wire had to be inserted in sequence. The short length and heavy gage of the wire combined with having to hold the lever open with one hand made this a very difficult task. Nevertheless, I was finally able to insert them properly using a pair of needle nose pliers. This resolved my problem and everything is working properly again. I will also note that the app makes it much easier to check or change the settings on the Xantrex unit compared to doing so on the external display. I highly recommend it.

I am posting this in case anyone else has the same problem. The gooseneck on one of my reading lights came loose. The flange is attached to the ceiling with two rivets. I drilled out the rivets with a 1/8” drill bit to get access to the lock nut that holds on the gooseneck. I removed the lock nut, coated the treads with Blue LocTite and re-tightened. Then simply reattached the flange using 1/8” diam x 3/8” long rivets. Problem solved.

I also enjoy talking to folks about our Oliver. The only exception is when I’m backing in to a site with Carol standing back there for directions and someone stops me to have a discussion. It’s happened more times than I’d like. Usually I ask them to hang on for a few seconds so I can finish backing in. Only once did the person leave and not want to finish the discussion. Mike

@Boilermaker Chemist Nice job! It’s just another one of the fasteners that may at times loosen up with the earth quake happening whileunder way. I try and make it a point to check all the fasteners especially during a long trip. This morning I just completed a “snug tight”check on the pex connector white compression fittings below deck. I always manage to find one or two that just need a good hand tightening.

Ollie in the Wild. Three days here at Steinaker SP in Vernal, Utah site #7 FHU site, and a gem of a place to stay. There is a local Walmart in Vernal for resupply. ✅Today we are off to check out and hike around the dinosaur national monument. Thanks to our SL mini and excellent connectivity, we landed 5 nights at the Teton RV resort in Victor, Idaho. We also booked 5 nights inside Yellowstone NP at the Fishing Bridge CG with F/Hs. All of our reservations on this trip have been on the fly which how we roll. 😊 Just before sunset and our low last night in this high desert was a 41 and just perfect sleeping temps! It’s so quiet here. More often than not for us, the best sound is silence and no crowds. This morning with our SL mini deployed on the picnic table, a total changer on this trip.

An all too common experience for Oliver owners, but then it’s nice to be noticed! I also get “Is that a Casita?”, it’s easy to point out the similarities; but then someone once asked “Is that an Airstream?”, to which I had no reasonable response!

If the gas stove top or the hot water heater work, then the regulator should be fine. Mossey

We just took home a 2024 Nissan Titan XD pickup as a new tow vehicle for Hull # 145. I thought it might be of interest to the community the reasoning that led me to this decision. Our old TV was a 2016 Ford F-150 with 110,000 miles. This was a good TV for most of our trips, but as our half ton owners know.. you have to be very careful about payload. Short trips were no problem but longer trips that require more gear... we were limited. So... I figured a ¾ ton was in our best interest and started our research. I was looking at the 2500 Duramax (Diesel) from GM. Chevy or GMC didn't really matter and I really thought that would be the answer. But... It's a BIG TRUCK! I didn't mind, but it was too much for Donna to climb into. And, if I am honest with myself... great for towing but not so great for regular driving. So I started looking at half ton Chevy 1500's. The Baby Diesel just didn't have enough payload. When I started looking at V8's I actually found one that had an 1800 lbs. Payload. Yep you read that right... but it also had 22” wheels. That really wasn't going to work unless I put in a shock kit that makes the thing dance and some weird color lights to accent the under carriage. Then, I became aware of the Titan XD from watching a you tube video. So, I turned my microscope in it's direction. Here are the main reasons for choosing this Tow Vehicle. Reliability - The 5.6 Liter V8 has been around for a while and while not the best mpg wise... it doesn't rely on a turbo for power, or have other gas saving features like Direct Fuel Management, which shuts off cylinders when the computer decides you don't really need them. Just a powerful V8. If I wanted a V6 or V4, I would have bought one. Plus DFM can cause problems when you hit the 50k mark. Comfort & Ride - 18” wheels give the truck a much nicer ride than a ¾ or full ton pickup. This is very important for Donna. She is recovering from back surgery and I need to keep her comfortable. All in all the ride is as good or better than our old F150. Payload & Toughness – This was the kicker. Payload on our Pro4X is 1,840 lbs. That lets us put a topper on and still have almost 500 lbs for stuff after accounting for tongue weight and the two of us and the dog. If we max out the payload we still have about 9k left before hitting the GCVWR. If we ever put that much stuff in the Oliver we are going to need a LOT more than the ALCAN leaf springs to keep the trailer from falling apart. The XD has a lot stronger frame and suspension. I would say somewhere between a half ton and a ¾ ton. Just enough oomph for when we have our LE2 hooked up but still manageable when we don't. Why we feel Lucky! - When I found out about the Titan XD, I also found out that 2024 is the last year they are going to make them. So, I knew I had to act quickly. The other good news is that dealers are offering pretty decent discounts on them. So, if you are like us and in the market for a new TV you might want to look at the Titan XD. Act fast because when they are gone... they are gone. And, final note. You WILL need the Anderson WDH with this truck. On page 24, the towing guide says a Weight Distributing System is “strongly recommended” for trailers over 5,000 lbs. But on page 22 in the notes..... it clearly states that weight distributing systems are “required” for trailers over 5,000 lbs. Nice of Nissan to add a little bit of confusion to the WDH discussion. We could confidently state that the guide only recommends... but the plaintiffs lawyer in court will have some expert read aloud from page 22 that it is “required”. So, I guess I will continue using it. All for now. Please let me know what questions you have and I will do my best to answer. Scotty

Just for reference. I have used the mini for many Zoom meetings, including 2 simultaneously, worked great with no issues.

I don't think so. But the locknut on the romex connector was loose so I speculate that may have allowed some movement as we traveled on the bumpy interstate highways.

The OPD safety valve built into the selected propane tank may have inadvertently been tripped, thus flow can be fully or partially restricted and prevent ignition at the refrigerator. This can be caused by opening the tank valve too fast, best to slowly open for the first 1/4 turn then proceed to fully open, or a line was open and the OPD sensed a leak and shutdown. You may first try switching the regulator to the other tank to see if adequate pressure is then available to ignite at the refrigerator. Did you by chance check pressure at the cooktop to see if it would ignite? You might try before switching the regulator, that could be telling. Now, if you end up switching the regulator to the other tank and still have issue, that tank’s OPD may have tripped, as well. If the problem persists, you can next try resetting the OPDs by first turning the tank valves completely off, then remove the hose pigtail tank connectors from each; subsequently reconnect the pigtails after checking that no lines are open. Now open each respective tank valve as suggested above and see if the fix is in (refrigerator ignites). Good luck!

Nope. 5.6 Liter V8. No turbo, no fuel management crap. Just raw gas eating power. I know I'll still have to manage the downhills, and the mileage will probably be worse than the F150 ecoboost with turbo, but think we may get better mileage while towing. That remains to be seen. The other thing about the XD that was a really big plus is the rear seat. It seems almost all the half ton... and even the 3/4 Chevy have back seats that are small and hard. Not comfortable and Donna likes to travel in the rear seat at times so that was important. I put up a post on the XD and the reasons we went that way. Thanks again, Scotty

Bryan, I do believe you are correct that these are indeed 5-leaf springs. I could not imagine that Jim would ever have outfitted any of his personal trailers with anything but the absolute heaviest duty components.

Eagle Rock RV in Idaho Falls, ID

Based on how light and compact the Mini is, I wont be considering a permanent mount. The main reason is if I am parked where there are any obstructions I will have to move the mini to a northern unobstructed view for a solid satellite connection. Now this is just based on our experience so far on this trip. The SL mini has a reported latency of 23 milliseconds according to SpaceX. We have not used it for any zoom meetings, but we did stream the entire Presidential debate last night without any interruption issues. I am going to keep it simple and deploy it from its carrying case. So far we are very pleased with the mini and it is serving our needs perfectly. One thing we have both noticed and really like is that it connects instantly to our (4) devices after plugging in the dish. Perfect! Onward!

A few pics of Arches and Canyonland NPs. This time of the year it is best to get your time entry permit for as early in the morning as possible. The temps with the extreme low humidity made it really comfortable on our hikes in both parks. Spectacular view and vistas for sure. Free entry with the America the Beautiful pass. 😊🇺🇸🇺🇸 The visitor center at Arches…we got there early. The parking lot was slammed when we departed and headed to Canyon Lands. IMG_1655.mov Balanced Rock at Arches. This formation is called the 3 gossips at Arches. My sweet bride! 😍 Delicate Arch. I called this the runaway hiker lane. Behind me there is no further path out. The Tremor aka “Beast of Burden” doing Tremor things… Canyonlands… IMG_1699.mov IMG_1699.mov Arches on a hike. IMG_1676.mov

Just learned from SL via email below, that the unlimited plan has gone up from $150 to $165 per month. The good thing is we can still pause this service plan when not using it. So far on this trip we have been very happy with our SL mini. Thank you for being a Starlink customer. We are making changes to your service plan and price in order to deliver an improved Starlink experience. Effective immediately, you will have access to the following features with Starlink Roam: In-Motion Use International Travel Coastal Coverage To support these enhancements and our ongoing network improvements, your monthly service price for Starlink Roam will be $165. The updated monthly price and new Terms of Service will go into effect starting 10/10/2024.

I had suggested 2WD earlier in this thread. Though hard to find one these days on dealer lots. Any 4WD truck is a climb! Love our 2WD TV, easy step up and it's not like you're going rock crawlin' with back issues! The weight of a TV is mostly on the rear axle, front wheels are important for steering vs. pulling.

We left Grand Junction and landed in Green River SP in Utah this afternoon. This SP has W/E only with an D/S and it’s $45 a night. Not bad at all. Happy and Safe Travels!

@ScottyGS I hope (and assume) the 2500 trucks you drove had the step rails. These step rails would make it easiser for Donna to climb into the truck. Without them it would be extremely difficult.

After our install of Alcan leaf pack we decided to tour the Grande Mesa National Forest here in Grand Junction. We also highly recommend the Colorado National Monument a must see if you’re in this area. We also took the ski lift up Powder Horn ski resort the views from the lift were epic at 10’ elev. It was really cool to see that they allow mountain biking in the off ski season. We had a light lunch at the base of Powder Horn before our lift ride to the top. The weather was perfect. As you can tell, no traffic to speak of and no crowds. We are convinced that after Labor Day is the perfect time and temp to visit out west. Happy and Safe Travels! The Beast even got in on the action… IMG_1617.mov IMG_1627.mov IMG_1630.mov The good food at Powder Horn hit the spot! My sweet bride!

Yep - Looks like 5 to me too. Bill p.s. I suspect that somewhere alone the line Mr. Oliver decided that given the weight he was adding to the Beast, he should upgrade to 5 leaves from the original 4 leaves. However, the pictures I recently posted are valid for the Beast as recently as 3 weeks ago.

Nan, if freezer is frozen, fridge is probably actually working fine. In Florida, summer, I'd stick some frozen water gallons in the fridge compartment when we had a 3 way. At close to 100 degrees, your empty 3way could take well over 24 hours to come to temp, if it ever does. Some "cold sink" could help, ie frozen water gallons. You might try opening the grate at the top (outside) to increase airflow. It's tough to exhaust heat to high ambient heat. If you're leaving tomorrow, it's a waste. Load it and go, cold non perishables. Traveling down the road will increase airflow, as well. Get groceries in Apex.

Finally, leaf springs do not hit the Easy-Flex. Installed the 2 1/2 in shackles Lew sent me without difficulty. Two jacks, 13/16 socket, 11/16 socket, 13/16 wrench, 3/8 and 1/2 in torque wrench, hammer, vise, Impact wrench, wrags, and LockNLube grease gun. I know I was 2 out 1500 on the coupler issue but I can't believe that I am the only one this was happening to after upgrading to the ALCAN springs. Happy that I did not cut them to fit and theoretically the increase in 1/2 in shackle length should lower the camper by the same. So the first pull up the driveway will be the test but I did cut off about 1/2 in of bolt length on the back of the bike rack to make up difference. Again, just happy that everything is back together and working. Looking forward to fall trip and going on the ALCAN eventually! Best, Mike BEFORE AFTER

I'll chime in here on the Alcans. I have 7K on mine so far without a problem. I haven't noticed any difference in the way the trailer handles or tows.

I followed Topgun2's advice and executed a similar install to enable a swivel arm in our new F350. (EDIT - I also pulled the 20A fuse for the Power Port before doing this work.) 1) I started by removing the dash tray (I used painters tape to protect your dash from scars from the plastic pry tools). 2) Snap off the "speaker cover" it is hard to pull off as it's secured by clips in 4 corners. 3) Remove 2 - 7mm bolts in the front (windshield side) of the tray. 4) Remove the 2 - 7mm bolts on the top of the radio stack front surround. 5) Pull out the radio stack surround, and loosen 2 more 7mm bolts below the radio facia to remove a retaining facia (holds on the side trim stacks.) 6) That allows you to pull straight out on trim to the right of the radio which includes the a/c vent and more importantly access the back of the power point (cigarette lighter). 7) Splice onto the wires from the Cig Lighter port. Feed the wires up into the area above the radio and below the speaker tray. The wiring diagram below was supplied by the Ford BBAS service for 2021 F350. The Cigarette Lighter B+ is the Green/Brown Stripe wire, and Ground is Black with Blue Stripe. Finished install with Garmin all setup. Since the tray removal and wiring was a little tricky I made a quick video showing tray removal and re-install. I considered using the up fitter switch, but realized that there wasn't enough current draw to warrant all that effort and using up a switch. Also, I learned that the "through the firewall" wires ended up making me wish Ford would allow 6" more wire for the "through firewall" feeds. They are so short, you need to completely remove the fuse panel to get access to the bundle of 4 through firewall wires. So I stopped that effort. I wired into the same dash 12v power port circuit as Topgun2. That port dash circuit has a 20Amp fuse, and my devices don't pull more than a couple of amps normally. My backup camera plugs into the 12V power port in the tray, and my Garmin into one of the 2 USB ports. Here's the video showing dash tray removal and reinstall. Dash Tray.mp4