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And, then, there was the Wally Bee. Looks a bit like a UK fiberglass trailer of its time but, hey, it's very cool. Aluminum was cheaper, back in the day. Fiberglass was a newer, expensive process https://www.airstream.com/blog/airstreams-foray-into-fiberglass/

We always leave the sewer hose attached. No reason not to…. It makes life so much easier!

Saturday’s install was a success! Soon I will post ‘Dreiha Atmos 4.4 Home Install’, but for now a few pics. BTW, sitting in the Oliver at home enjoying my morning coffee, Atmos whisper ‘cool’; I can actually hear myself thinking of things to come!

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.

Unfortunately, but, understandably, the classified section was removed when Oliver started having "dealerships". Simply put - the dealers didn't want Oliver to be in "competition" with them for selling any Oliver trailers. And, Oliver didn't want its dealers to think that the factory was trying anything "fishy". However, it sure would be nice to have the classifieds back on the Forum for all other things related to camping and even "used" Oliver accessories. If the members of this Forum would send an email to either (or both) Rodney Lomax and/or Scott Oliver, there is a chance that we could get it back (of course with the exception of selling used Olivers). Bill

I happened to park next to a Titan XD at the grocery store, earlier today. Great looking truck.

Yes. Those are really nice, and many of us have them, @jd1923 Thanks for the update, as it's been reported before, but newcomers don't always look at older posts. None of us have bodies that are getting "younger", unfortunately. A few $$ to ease the process is often appreciated.

Dave, I didn't do a great job at answering your question, so here is some better detail . #6 is the correct minimum wire size for a 30 amp charger, which would be a small charger for your battery. Verify which PD model you ordered because the higher amperage models charge faster, but they require larger wire. There are on-line “dc” calculators to determine minimum wire size based on amps, volts, and length of cable. I ran the numbers for the PD 30, 45, 60, and 80 amp lithium chargers. This was based on an guess-estimated one-way cable run of 8’, and a targeted voltage drop of less than 2%, these are the results: 30 amps = #6 awg 45 amps = #4 awg 60 amps = #3 awg 80 amps = #2 awg These numbers might vary slightly depending on the actual wire length and other factors, but if in doubt, go large! I hope this helps. Cheers! Geoff

Do what I do. Always leave the sewer hose attached while on the road! 🤣 Put the cap on the end of the hose. It must still be a reach with a big-a basket like this one. Nice product, but the back of my 8 ft pickup truck bed would have to get awfully full, for us to spend this kind of money for extra storage, and with the extra weight behind the trailer.

Just found this today and could have used it yesterday! To grease the inner tie rods on my truck, I had to turn the steering all the way left to get the driver side and then all the way right to get the passenger side. I really dislike crawling under a truck and not having everything I need. Crawl out, back in, again and again. It's getting harder on the older body! Next time, I'll have this and perhaps it will allow me to grease the Oliver with the wheels on. Glad to see LockNLube makes this. Just bought one! Amazon.com: LockNLube 90 Degree Grease Coupler Adapter : Automotive

After lugging around my old heavy Gen-1 Starlink for a few years, I was thrilled to get the new Starlink Mini. It’s small and light, and the router is built into the dishy. It speed tested at 202 Mbps, a very respectable speed, although not as fast as the Gen-3 which typically runs over 300 Mbps. The Mini comes with a 50’ x ~1/8” diameter power cord that has 5.5 mm barrel connectors on each end. It also comes with a 120 volt AC wall transformer that puts out 30 volts dc (vdc.) The Mini is rated to run on 12 to 48 volts vdc, and 25 to 40 watts. It peaks at 60 watts with snow melt on. The 12 Vdc rating is an attractive feature, particularly for Boondockers who don’t have inverters. However, when I first hooked it up to the Oliver’s 12 Vdc battery… it would’t work?? After some investigation, it turns out that it’s not so simple and I’ll try to explain why: Given that the AC transformer puts out 30 volts, and the power is about 40 watts, then it would be drawing 1.3 amps per Ohms law (40w/30v = 1.3 amps.) With the same calculation at 12 volts, the amperage increases to 3.3 amps. The resistance of the long thin power cord can’t handle this higher amperage and the resulting voltage drop puts it below the minimum 12 volts operating range. In fact, I did some bench testing and found it would only work at voltages over 18 volts. There are solutions to this issue including cutting the cable shorter, using a larger gauge cable, or increasing the voltage. Without a better option, I chose to increase the voltage. I looked at cheapie power converters that would probably work, but I wanted something more robust and higher quality. I found a Victron Orion TR 12/24-5, isolated, DC to DC Converter, and it was perfect for the job. It has a 12 Vdc (+/-) input and an adjustable output of 20 to 30 Vdc at 5 amps. Standby power is under 80 mA, and it has remote on/off switching capability. It comes factory set at 24 Vdc, but I adjusted it to 30 Vdc output with the potentiometer on the front. To connect the Mini to the trailer’s 12 Vdc power system, I installed a 5.5 mm female panel mount socket into the Satellite TV inlet. I removed the Coax connector and the 5.5 mm socket and nut fits perfectly in it’s place. Oliver conveniently labeled it “Satellite.” If you need the satellite TV, then install a third “Furrion” inlet as I did for my old starlink RJ45 connector. I mounted the Victron under the rear seat on the street side. The socket wiring was sheathed and routed along the ceiling of the outside storage garage. There are a number of options to pick-up 12 volts in that area, I took power off one of the circuit breakers. I ran the negative wire to the ground bus under the rear dinette seat. The Mini comes with both a snap-in kick-stand and a 2” pole mount, and they’re both necessary for optimum RV use. I prefer having it on a pole, but we often have to move the dishy away from the trailer for a clear sky view. That’s why it’s a bad idea to shorten the cord. It also has an RJ45 port that I suppose is for hardwiring without WIFI, but I probably won’t ever use that feature. I built-up some PVC fittings on my 10’ Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT) mast to fit the Mini’s pole adapter. (See the post for Tacky Starlink Dishy Mast). A little sanding was involved, and the starlink mount uses a thumb screw to hold it in place. It’s better to turn the Victron off when not in use, so I recommend using the remote switching feature with a switch installed in an easily accessible location. I’m too forgetful to switch the Victron off every time, so I came up with a way to turn it on & off when the Mini’s power cord is plugged in & out. Read on if your interested in that part of the installation: The “three pin” 5.5 mm female socket sold by Amazon has a built-in switch that’s designed for appliances that use either batteries or a 120v transformer supply. When the transformer is plugged in, the pin-3 switch opens to disconnect the batteries. This is opposite of what’s needed for the Victron remote switch, but it can be used to trigger a digital relay and it’s actually easier than it sounds. Amazon carries fun little programable 5 &10 amp timer/relays for under $20. I already had the 10 amp version in the Oliver for a hot water recirculation pump timer, and it works great! The 5 amp is adequate for this application, and you will also need the $20 dollar re-usable Bluetooth programer. They use 50 μA of idle current, which is nothing, and they can be programed for delay-on, delay-off, flashers, dimmers, duck decoys, and more. But for our application, we’re just interested in the trigger functions, specifically the “ground-open” trigger. Before installation, the relay has to be programed from a smart phone or computer. It’ links by WiFi to flash the program into the relays memory. Use wire nuts to connect the timer and programer together, and power them from a USB port. Follow the well written and simple programing instructions using the settings shown in the screenshot below. The relay requires a timing function, so I arbitrarily used function #12, which is “delay-on.” I set it randomly to 1.5 seconds. The trigger is programed to use the “Trig Blue” set at #5, which corresponds to the blue wire used as a “grounded trigger.” The green wire trigger is disabled. My wiring sketch shows that the timer is powered with 12 volts from the Victron’s positive and negative inputs. The relay’s yellow output wire feeds the positive side of the Victron’s remote switch (the negative side is not connected). The Victron’s output feeds the 5.5 mm power socket, and the blue trigger wire goes to the 5.5mm socket’s pin-3. Use a continuity tester to identify pin-3, it’s normally shorted to the negative lead of the socket and it “opens” when the male connecter is plugged in. The socket barrel is negative, or ground, and the center pin is positive 12 vdc. There is one other step to make this work. This Victron model is “Isolated,” meaning that the input and output “negative” terminals are isolated from each other. It needs to be “non-isolated” because the timer is grounded to the Victron input, and the socket is grounded to the output, and the trigger needs continuity between the two. So remove the jumper wire that comes on the Victron’s remote switch, and use it to jump across the two negative terminals. Victron support confirmed that shorting the grounds is not a problem, it just un-isolates it. This works satisfyingly well! I checked out the power draw with the solar turned off, and while streaming a video. It was 2 amps, 27 watts (after subtracting the parasite load). That’s a huge improvement over my previous Starlink, and I don’t have to worry about running the inverter and draining down the batteries anymore. I hope someone finds this useful Cheers! Geoff

We were in Hohenwald this week and saw some new products made by SEA BISCUIT METAL DESIGNS on display in the Oliver showroom. One product caught our attention, so we decide to visit Johnson City. The rear basket carrier and storage boxes are very well crafted. We already have the OEM rear bumper receiver option so installation was simplified. Since we weren't using the bumper receiver on this trip, we replaced one for the other. We're very pleased with the quality and the design. The lockable boxes increase the secure outside storage, and they're easily removed from the basket in case we want to use it to carry odd shaped/sized cargo. We went with two separate storage boxes, but they also have a larger single "coffin" box that spans the width of the basket. The low profile doesn't cover the original license plate location, so no need to move the plate and rewire its light. The CNC cut "Oliver" name on the carrier is also a nice touch.

I was recently asked about Oliver’s Email offering of a DC to DC charger, how long it takes to charge, and whether it’s worth it. I can provide thoughts about the one I installed, but I don’t know anything about what Oliver is doing. This seemed to be a good topic for the forum because it would nice to find out more details of what Oliver is installing, and what other folks think about it. I think the DC to DC chargers are great if there is limited solar, no hook-ups, and you are frequently driving. I don’t think they are good for regular battery charging while parked, but they are a great emergency back-up if needed. If you use a lot of power like TV, internet, toasters, hair dryers, microwaves, cappuccino machines, etc., it’s nice to know that you will be charging on the way to the next camp. Charging times depend on a lot of factors. But for a rough idea, a typical factory setup with 340 watt solar panels puts out roughly 26 amps, which theoretically can charge the 390 amp hour battery from 0% to 100% in about 15 hours, or 7.5 hours from 50% to 100%. A 30 amp DC/DC charger would take about 13 or 6.5 hours respectively, if my math is right. Of course I don’t know how many amps Oliver's DC to DC charger is. I installed a Victron 30 amp DC/DC charger because the solar was not keeping up with my old power hungry Starlink, and the battery would run down after a few days. I originally assumed it was a lack of sun for the solar, but it later turned out that the solar charger had become disconnected somewhere in my travels. After re-connecting it, I realized that the solar probably would have easily kept up with the Starlink, particularly with the new ones that don’t use that much power. Please don’t ask me why I didn’t recognize this problem sooner. . . I don’t have a good answer. My other justification for a DC/DC charger was air-conditioning. Although the ac can run from the battery, it’s only for short periods. We plan on doing some desert boondocking and my idea is to run the ac from the DC/DC charger while driving - so that the trailer will be cool when we get to camp. It works, but it still uses a little battery juice also. It’s nice to have a cool trailer for camp set-up, but a generator is still needed for long periods in hot weather. IDK, it might be a bad idea. FYI, I added cooling fans on my Victron DC/DC charger because it derates 3% for every degree over 104 to the point where it shuts down. That would likely happen in the desert and I could end up draining the battery with the ac running while driving down the road. See my “More DC to DC charger installation Tidbits” post for details on the fans. Anyway, I’m interested to hear others thoughts on this because it's becoming a growing trend. Cheers, Geoff

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

I'm virtually positive that this would not be the first time Oliver Service has worked on the bath door. I'm sure that Jason and/or Mike could point you in the right direction. If you decide to contact them, I'd highly recommend that you attach a couple of pics along with your questions. Good luck! Bill

I'll send an email to Jason Essary to see if he can add any information on this subject. With all due respect to Scott Oliver, I don't think he would necessarily know the details. Bill

Thank you! (Even though I hate Facebook)

Hello to the Oliver I spotted on September 9th, heading west on I-90 toward Spearfish SD -- I was heading east. I've been on the road for five months and this was the first Oliver I've seen this year!

Your math is close enough in theory. Though roof-mounted panels, flat to the horizon, are not getting near 340W. Ours often charge at net 12A, even in the Arizona sun. Our new 400W Renogy Suitcase when aimed directly at the sun got 366W at best one time and more often was between 200 and 300W. The Victron 30A SC has showed 20+ amps charging, where theoretical max is 33A. Starlink and other electronics, and the Oliver LED 12V lighting take so little power. Running cooking appliances, the A/C and a blow dryer is another story. I've been running A/C all week on only rooftop solar, but fall has broken up here at 5400 FT and the weather is wonderful lately. We do want to run A/C on inverter when it's hot after an efficient A/C upgrade. Running A/C when towing is a lot of drain, given sun and wind pulling the cool in your wake down the highway! I worry about charging via the TV. I would only do so with the kind of upgrade that Ron made. OEM alternators are not designed to push out another 30-50A. Trucks today have complex ECUs and you don't want voltage-related error codes affecting fuel injectors and ignition. @Snackchaser I read your DC-DC upgrade post (very nice work). I believe at the start of 2024 only the Victron 30A was available. The newer 50A is much more efficient, producing less heat, half the size, no large heat sink attached and likely no need for adding a fan. See video @rideadeuce added to my question post: Choosing a DC-DC Charger - Ollie Modifications - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com) Lastly when traveling, we I go out of our way to drive only 2-3 hours between stops and generally not more. We like to maximize time at the campsite vs. time on the highway. Some of you drive a lot of hours in a day where this is more useful. I will likely add a DC-DC charger but went the suitcase route first because of this. When adding this capability, you should consider the cost of the charger, another $150+ for 4 AWG cables and connectors, plus the cost of an aftermarket high-output alternator, to do it right. Victron Energy ORI121217040 Orion XS 12/12-50A DC-DC battery charger | Powerwerx

Actually, great idea! I have a Renogy 40A DC-DC and run my a/c on LFPs via inverter while underway quite often; the total amp draw by the a/c is offset by the output of said charger. I should mention, no solar. In some instances, owners run for long duration to keep pets comfortable inside the Oliver when in transit. The only problem I’ve experienced was an aging alternator in my TV; the vehicle battery was not being properly maintained, but installation of a new high output alternator resolved that issue.

There is a face book group for used Oliver’s. https://www.facebook.com/groups/OliverforSale/ This is what we used to find ours. There are currently a few Elite 1’s listed to compare pricing.

Good choice, given the new PD charger is 45A. I believe the original ones were 30A and ours usually read between 20-25A when plugging into shore power. The Blue Sky SC is 25A so 6AWG is just fine. When I upgraded, I found the ground bus (the one on the floor with many yellow jacketed wires connected) only had one 6 AWG connection to the batteries. Our new inverter/charger is rated at 120A, but i have it set for 50A. Instead of replacing the 6 AWG, I merely added a second 6 AWG wire. Together two 6 AWG cables are equal to one 3 AWG cable. This may be an option for you too. You need 4 AWG (or 2x 6 AWG) wire size on both sides, the B+ Red and B- Yellow connections from your new charger to your new Epoch battery. See these links the first one is to calculate wire size, and the second one allows you to calculate the combined AWG of multiple wires: 1) Wire Size Calculator (wirebarn.com) 2) Wire Combination Calculator (wirebarn.com)

OK, let me try to get through everyone's good advice! 🙏 My new PD converter/charger module is the PD4045CSV, which puts out a max 45 amps. My solar array is 200 watts (Elite 1 remember). I think the newer models are a bit more.... I hope to add an aux 100 watt panel in the future, so 300 watts of panels. Yes, my Blue Sky charge controller is for the solar panels, and there is already a schunt installed that communicates with my Blue Sky IPN Remote display. It sounds like 6awg works for the solar side of my battery charging, but is lacking for the increased amp output of my new converter/charger? According to Snackchaser"s chart, 4awg wire would be the correct size, for the 45amp output of my converter/charger. I think I have enough OEM 6awg wire to install new crimp connectors and keep that wire in place from my charge controller . Some of the old ones were not so great. Even have some exposed wire on two connections that were over stripped and then the heat shrink was cut too short..... For the new converter/charger, I'll run new 4awg to the battery. Sounds like a plan is emerging! Not a lot of room in my trailer's electrical space under rear dinette seat, so glad I don't have to break in to my BS charge controller, it's kind of buried in there. Thanks again everyone for helping me through this. I'm good with the tools, but with the design side of electrical work I'm a bit lacking. Best, Dave PS. guess I'll also have to check the fuse from the converter/charger to battery to make sure it's rated for 45 amps.

Here is the article on upgrading hull 505. it included new inverter and batteries. https://4-ever-hitched.com/ggs-blog/f/lithium-battery-upgrade?blogcategory=Electrical+Upgrades

How is access to the sewer hose termination fitting? Looks like it might be rather difficult.

This weekend I installed a HP Billet Alum water pump on our Ram. The WP is one known weakness of the stock Cummins. New antifreeze, changed oil and filter, new air filter too. Jacked up the front to make getting under her easier. Lastly, I greased the front end using the new Dewalt with LockNLube fitting. Adam walked by, “what’s that?” (He has a half dozen Dewalt power tools.) nothing cooler than a power grease gun, btw. TV ready to head to Tejas! 🤣

Dave, 6 AWG is all you need. The ONLY reason for anything heavier is when running an inverter. OTT uses 6 AWG to connect the PD charger, the 12VDC fuse panel and everything else. Make sure all B+ and B- connections are clean and tight. I cut 1/2” off each end to bare new copper in the buses, but if you have good eyelets to the batteries, just steel brush them Blue Sky SC in our hull also uses 6 AWG in and out. Check my upgrade link re configuring the Blue Sky for LiFePo4. Good battery choice, btw! 🤣

I'm no expert, but If you're not installing an inverter, then minimum wire size would be dictated by your Progressive Dynamics charger output which is probably around 60 to 90 amps depending on the model. I’d personally go with 4/0 wire. This will cover large amperage chargers and/or an inverter if you ever wanted to upgrade. I think Oliver uses 4/0 in their lithium systems. Is the BlueSky charge controller for solar? If so, then it's probably around 30 amps for a 340 watt panel. You can re-use your #6 wire for that. Battery shops or Battery Cables USA will custom make different size/length cables with straight or 90 degree lugs. Plan your run, measure lengths and verify the stud sizes you need, probably all 3/8”. For cost perspective, I ordered a 24” x 4/0 cable with lugs in January for $30 including shipping. 2/0 was a couple of dollars cheaper per foot. I also highly recommend that you install a Victron smart shunt on the negative lead so you will know your battery charge percentage level. Something to think about if your ordering pre-made cables. They use 3/8 studs too. Hope this helps, Geoff

Dave - I'll let the electrical experts here on the Forum address the wire size issue . I'm guessing that your Blue Sky came with a schunt (mine did). Since you do not have an inverter I assume that your negatives run to the schunt Again this would be like mine except I do have an inverter and for some strange reason Oliver ran the negative for the inverter straight to the inverter thus avoiding the schunt which makes the readings on the Blue Sky remote somewhat suspect). If any of this is not true for the way you are wired then remember that all negatives should go through the schunt first so that your readout gives you an accurate measure of the electricity that is coming and going in the batteries. I'd recommend this even if the batteries that you install have bluetooth such that you can read what is going on in the battery(ies) either via an app or on your Blue Sky remote. Bill

After leaving Steinaker SP this morning we headed up 191 N towards Green River Wyoming. Just a beautiful drive seeing Mesa’s and Canyons all along the way. We took a walking tour of Flaming Gorge Dam along our route. The dam took 5 years to build was dedicated in 1964 by Lady Bird Johnson. Lots of history here and really worth a stop. The lake is stocked with lots of trout. As we made our way towards up 191 we pulled off and had lunch. The vistas were amazing. We liked the complete solitude of our lunch spot, a highlight of our trip today. We are now in Wyoming and will leave for Idaho in the morning. The weather has been awesome. IMG_1761.mov Not sure if we could park here, but we did. 😊 A little way off the main highway.

Airstream used slightly damaged aluminum panels in the Argosy line and the white paint helped hide the imperfections. They also had either fiberglass or molded plastic end caps. One big negative for some buyers: Argosy owners were not allowed in the Wally Byam Airstream club.

I would assume that it is Marine Grade Tinned Copper UL1426.

Well, it says WAGO on the side of the connectors. Here's what Xantrex tech support says: "As for the levers, you may be able to get one or 2 to stay open, but usually they do not, and they have a strong spring. It is normal." Thanks for the tip on the ferrules, I was thinking about something like that but wasn't sure what to use.

I really like the WAGO style connectors. They are so expensive that I buy a generic version off Amazon. I have never had one to fail. Examining your photo and reading your post, it is my opinion that there was an installation problem. The connectors in the photo are not WAGO brand. I too had problems when I first started using them. It appears that the installer did not know that you have to pull the levers up to 90 degrees for them to stay open. He or she appears to have not known this and just slightly opened them and crammed the stranded wire into the receiver holes. Their crumpled strands indicate to me that they were never properly connected. Tinning the ends of the wires is absolutely best practice with stranded wire, solid wire doesn't really need that done. Soldering above an open circuit board is probably not the best idea though. This is a product I use when soldering is too difficult or I'm too lazy to drag out my soldering equipment.

So long Steinaker SP, what a great stay! Onward to Wyoming in the morning. We just had to have a nice 59d evening campfire on our last night here. Happy and Safe Travels!

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.

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

Yes... The Chevy 3/4 had a power step like our F150 but higher. It was a no go. We finally decided on a Nissan Titan XD. I will get custom power steps that solve the problem for her. Look for my post about that one and thanks! Scotty

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

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!

Our F250 gets 13-14 mph while towing our LE2. Mileage is very speed dependent.

Totally agree with @Mike and Carol on mpgs. That said we are very happy with our F350 6.7 diesel with safety, comfort, towing, great cargo capacity and ridiculous power and torque. We only have 30k on our TV. We own a smaller Ford Ranger that we use daily for running errands when at home. Our F350 is mainly for travel and towing. Empty and not towing I get about 19-20 mpgs. Our average towing on the flats we average 15.9 mpgs. This of course changes when we hit the mountains. But I know our mpgs are much better than our former half ton Tundra with the 5.7 V8. We sold the Tundra as it just did not have the power, braking and mainly cargo capacity we needed. One thing worthy of note we have noticed out west in some of the mountain passes Law Enforcement will do brake checks on 1/2 ton vehicles towing campers. They use a heat gun and determine if you need to pull over to designated parking areas so that your brakes can cool. With our one ton diesel we were waved through and no check. Best of luck with your choice for a new TV!

Hey Everyone.... Update and closeout of this thread. We test drove both the Ram and Duramax 2500 trucks. They are awesome tow platforms but.... a bit too high for Donna to climb up into with her back situation. Our TV would be about 1/3 towing and 2/3 regular driving. I think we have found a good compromise and I will have a post on that in a week or so. Thank you all again. Nice to have knowledgeable people to bounce ideas off of. Happy Camping!

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!

@ScottyGS With your wife having back surgery, in addition to your investigation of what 2500 to buy be sure to check out what passenger seat is available on your selected truck. Lots of trucks do not have the same mulit-adjusted seat as the driver seat (so not as comfortable), You want the passenger seat to have the same 8 point adjustment that the driver's seat has so she is comfortable. (unless she is the driver) PS: I personally like the RAM 2500 Longhorn 3/4 ton truck. David @GraniteStaters had a RAM 1500 and upgraded to a RAM Longhorn 2500 with air suspension that he used all last winter traveling the south during the winter. He loves the truck. I suggest that before you give up on the RAM check with David.

For anyone that has an Oliver Service appointment during the first three weeks of September, the "Beast" should still be located in the Service Department area. After that, Scott Oliver will probably take the "Beast" to his home. Bill

Only to meet up with you Steve! Last Jan, given my work schedule and me being new here, I got to Quartzsite the last day you and @Mike and Carol were there (learned this from a later post) and the next day I drove by some "Fiberglass TT Meet" 🤣 Only to find a lot of lame Casita type TTs. Chris and I kept our heads down and quickly thought, let's "Get out of Dodge!" After a night in the northern section of the AZ BLM LTVA, we headed to Wickenburg for much better boondocking by Vulture Mountain and to enjoy a good restaurant that cannot be found in Quartzsite. We should meet up next year. @rich.dev unless you're into large communal camps, thousands of Canadians (wonderful people and country, but who in their right mind would live up there in the winter!), the hippies we knew back in the 70s and the near homeless yep, Quartzsite is the place! If you have 2 months, first come to Prescott and you'll never want to go back to the Q. I already mentioned Wickenburg. Stay at ANY off the Maricopa County parks. Go to Parker AZ and stay at Buckskin Mountain State Park | Arizona (azstateparks.com) Need dental work? Visit Los Algodones and you can stay here for $10 a night: Home - Quechan Casino Resort (playqcr.com) while you visit Mexico (this border is still safe). I can go on and on for days. Yep, Quartzsite is cool if you want to stay for weeks, have an off-grid setup, meet up with old friends that you met there years ago, but instead you can spend time ANYWHERE else in the wonderful state off Arizona. In four weeks, we are going to have a visit from an Oliver owner. We have never met another Oliver owner. So much looking forward to this visit and y'all are welcome too!

Bite the bullet, and buy the one with the charger, battery and case. Especially if you plan to carry it with you on trips. Exchange the coupler for a LockNLube and you are better than good to go. All neat and tidy in a case that won't allow the grease that will inevitably ooze out, collect dirt to get onto everything else you will be carrying. This would not be an issue if all your trips are short and you're always back home before it's time to grease up again. Our average trip is >5K miles, so our GG usually makes the trip with us.

Three of mine stopped working all together, and two were dim and wouldn’t shut off . This happened simultaneously … So I opened a ticket, and ended up replacing all of them, which wasn’t a big project..

There have been numerous posts concerning a variety of issues with these "touch" lights. Your best bet would be to open a service ticket. I'd bet that you are looking at replacing this light. Bill