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I check my gain on a regular basis, a habit I got in to with the smaller half ton trucks I towed my Oliver with. The last 4 years with our 2500, the big 6.7L Cummins does most of the braking.

We are home safe now though I ran into quite a learning situation on our final stretch home. We spent the night at Rockhound SP near Deming NM and the next night was Roper Lake SP near Safford AZ. The normal route would be to take I-10 to US HWY 191 for a 2 1/2 hour drive. We've driven that route as well as US HWY 70 from Lordsburg to Safford. We really wanted to see Silver City and take a scenic route (see map) adding another hour to the drive. Heading NM on US HWY 180 out of Silver City we turned left on US HWY 78. Perhaps I should have heeded the warning at the turn, "Not Recommended for Truckers, Steep Downhill Grades." We had traveled up over 9000 ft in the White Mountains of AZ and all through Lincoln Co NM climbing and descending 1000s of feet in altitude without concern. What a beautiful drive and HWY 78 was not one of those cliffside roads, not scary with safe shoulders. There was a section after entering AZ that first climbed much higher and then it must have dropped 2500 FT in just a few miles, OMG! Zoom in to see the road (second pic). Much of the incline is behind the mountain and cannot even be seen and we are miles away when we stopped. After we got more than halfway down, I felt the upgrade HD brakes on our Dodge Ram start to fail. I have felt this before, so I knew what it was, from driving the heavy old cars of the 50s that would overheat and fade. The speed limit was marked at 30 MPH with many curve warnings at 20 MPH. I never exceeded 25 MPH regardless my brakes overheated. I have an infrared heat measurement gun. Parts of the discs were at 360F and the caliper holder on the right side was the hottest just over 400F. I was thinking why? We sat there for 30 minutes until all temp reading were down to 160F. (See 3rd pic for side view where we stopped.) I realized the truck was breaking for the trailer that the trailer brakes were not engaging hard enough for the extremely steep grade. The gain was fine for driving around town but should be increased for highway speeds and what I've learned now is that it should be increased more for declining steep grades. Thought I should write this up, so others do not get into a similar or worse situation. Maybe there are better controllers? Mine has a digital readout, numbers getting larger as the brakes are depressed harder. As they were the numbers only got up to 20 or so. After I increased the gain, the numbers were reading well over 40. I have never driven down such a mountain road with all the steep up and downs we have in the Rockies!

Not much downshifting on an older 4-speed automatic where 4th is overdrive. The Dodge has an OD OFF button on the shifter which I use always on uphill grades 55 MPH or less and did so on this steep downhill. And yes, had it in 2nd gear some. Until this stretch of road, I wondered if I truly needed one. @DavePhelps the older diesel pickup trucks did not have this feature, mine being a 2001. Only Class-As and commercial trucks had them back in the day. I believe Ford/GM/Dodge added them to diesel pickups over the last 10-15 years. I've had this on my upgrade list for a while: C44075 Direct Mount 4 inch PRXB Exhaust Brake Kit w Max Flow Design for 1998.5 -2002 Cummins 5.9L (pacbrake.com) Please keep in mind the point of the warning here. Of course, make sure your braking systems are in good maintenance but check your brake controller settings. I had not realized this setting should be adjusted as Dave and Mike had suggested/written above. Thank you. I cannot afford a late model Super Duty 350 Diesel though my Ram 2500 is a lot more truck than many Oliver Owners towing with 1500 series gasoline engine trucks. Trailer brakes are very important even with an engine brake. @Patriot owns a truck that can tow a 35' fifth-wheel or pull a triple-axle toy-hauler loaded with two full-dress Harleys! Would love to have one, but that's not in the cards for us. I had also upgraded the front brakes on my truck to larger 3rd Gen brakes designed for a heavier pickup with greater GVWR. Otherwise, do not travel this kind of road. The roadside warning was intended to 18-wheelers though next time instead of going for it, facing my fears, I should pick another road. Wow though what a drive, what beauty! I realized the brake fade soon enough, stopped, measured temps, chilled for 30 minutes, walked the dog. Increased the gain much higher and continued winding slowly down the mountain, 20 MPH average through this section of road. BTW, there is a stretch of road, in an area called "Top of the World" on US HWY 60 between Miami and Superior AZ that is one of the most breathtaking drives we've ever done including many in UT and CO. That was our next day on our way home. Always glad to be home and what a great trip we had taking 3 1/2 weeks just to roam what is otherwise a 2-day drive each way!

Good post JD. I hope a lot of folks read this. I learned early on that the brake controller is not a "set and forget" device. I am always tweaking mine depending on road conditions, speed and especially GRADE!! At the start of a long steep descent, I put the gain way up. I can tell now when the TV and trailer are in sync with each other. Good thing you have an HD truck and glad you are safe. Brake failure on some of the steep grades we have out west is not an option! Does your Ram Cummins not have an exhaust brake? Not a diesel owner but thought that was one of their great benefits. Cheers, Dave

Both of my GM TVs (Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Savana 2500) are gassers equipped with the Tow/Haul feature; selects a lower gear for better engine braking effect and optimizes transmission shifting. They also have Manual mode, especially beneficial when going uphill or down a steep slope. I always engage Tow/Haul when trailering the Oliver and have used the Manual mode on occasion with the Silverado when towing in mountainous areas, but nothing too extreme; works great in lessening actual use of the vehicle’s brakes to ‘slow the go’! Something I noticed different with the Savana in the hills encountered on our most recent travel into Texas Hill Country, was the very apparent and effective downshifting of its 6-speed transmission when slowing for a stop, as well as down grade at speed. Could be that it is basically a commercial vehicle designed for carrying and handling heavy loads under adverse conditions. The hefty front and rear disc brakes, 12.8” and 13” rotors respectively, was another bonus; I rarely had to manually engage the brake controller, especially for quick stops at sudden traffic light changes. Because my wife has ‘extreme anxiety’ with thought of “those cliffside roads” that @jd1923 mentioned, I may never experience his described encounter; but then our GPS Navigation has taken us down many a path of uncertainty, don’t ya know!

On our recent trip Western loop traveling over the 10% grade on Teton Pass from Victor Idaho to Jackson Hole Wy 5 different times we let our 6.7 V8 diesel engine brake work its magic. I am happy to report it worked flawlessly and I rarely if ever had to use our truck or trailer brakes. I will give Ford credit, they nailed it on their diesel engine braking tech with the new 10 speed transmission. (Edit - We would not have been comfortable traversing the Teton Pass with any other TV). This thread is a good reminder to check your braking systems for sure. Glad you made home safely @jd1923.

I suspect you were, but we're you downshifting, going down the mountain?

As has been written many time here on the Forum - install these "gutters" on a very warm day and/or use a hair dryer or strong warm sun to warm both the area where the gutters will go and the gutters themselves, clean the area where they are to be applied VERY well, apply blue painters tape over the gutters to hold them securely in place for at least 24 hours. Due to the gutters wanting to stay straight and not bend around the curve of the windows, the more surface area that you give to be stuck to the side of the camper the better. If I had mine to do over again, I'd take the gutter down the sides of the windows just shy of 1/2 way - I only went down about 3 inches and that is not enough. Good luck! Bill

Since you know that there really isn't any CO nor propane in the camper while it is in storage - why not simply take the fuse out of the detector. However, if you do this, please make sure in some manner that you put that fuse back in before using the Ollie the next time. Bill

I always do this but I then take Saran Wrap and cover the top of the toilet bowl so that the antifreeze doesn't evaporate over the winter. Perhaps this also serves to lessen the "fumes". Bill

This is one reason I have loved RV Tripwizard for trip planning as it will show you not only the elevation gain/loss but also the percent grade on the roads. I have often wonder what my “I’ll pass” limit would be. Once it hits double digits I start questioning. Since I am out west this is one of the reasons I went with a 3/4 ton to ensure more stability through all these mountains.

After several months of researching a suitable replacement TV, a van was decided to be our best choice based on perceived criterium, ie engine/drivetrain, cargo/tow capacity and tongue weight requirements for our OLEll and style of camping. The former 2012 Silverado 1500 4x4 was reaching ‘retirement age’ and I’ve been pushing its limits, regarding carrying capacity, for a couple of years. I will acknowledge up front that we are not minimalist! That said, this Explorer conversion van well exceeds my expectations in both spacial and towing considerations, as well as comfort and convenience. BTW, I told my wife “remind me to never buy another tow vehicle days before a planned trip!” Although ‘well appointed’, the passenger seats had to go; at least when towing our Oliver. The two second row captain’s chairs are easily removed via a release mechanism from the floor mounting base for occasional use, as needed; the third row couch/reclining bed not so much and will go to storage. By removing the passenger seats, I now have 10’ of open cargo space from the rear doors to the front seats; the Silverado’s bed only measured 5’8”, plus limited space in its back seat. Having double doors on both side and rear of the van vastly improved access to the cargo area. The two vehicles were positioned end-to-end to facilitate easy cargo transfer for organizational purposes. Ultimately, two storage boxes were acquired to safely stow much of the cargo; specifically, underbody tool boxes. Yep, delivered one day before our departure to the Texas Oliver Rally at Inks Lake SP, what was I thinking! The boxes are serving their purpose by providing secured organization of supplies and gear, with ample room for our folding e-bikes, Dometic fridge/freezer, portable power station, generators, spare 30 lb. propane tank and a couple of small bins. Camp R&B, Inks Lake SP, Site 227; Texas Oliver Rally, October 20-25, 2024.

I know this has been discussed on the forum but not sure if anyone has done this or if it can be done. Been thinking about the water inlets and the outdoor shower controls. Is there a way to put a shut off valve to the lines going to them? Would it be practical? I am thinking that by shutting off water to the points going out of the trailer and draining it would eliminate those parts of the plumbing system from freeze damage. The rest of it would be kept warm either by the furnace (while camping) or by running a heater inside the trailer with the hatches open (while stored) We have a garage that rarely gets below freezing in winter but it could if outside temps really dropped. Then I would just run the heater over night. TIA, Scotty

Yes - this has been done by more than one owner (not me - yet). Yes - there is a way to place shut off valves in each of the lines mentioned. Being "practical" is in the eyes of the person doing the work or paying the bill for having the work performed for you. Good luck with your plumbing skills and working in tight quarters! Bill

Thought I saw one near Sunriver, OR but it turned out to be just a shiny dumpster!

I used saran wrap to cover the toilet bowl, kitchen drain, and shower drain. I weighed a piece of rubber over the saran wrap. Drain plug in bathroom sink Also covered the toilet with a baking soda scented garbage bags. Small fan blowing. However tomorrow we take the trailer to storage, a one hour drive, so I would hate to get a call from the manager and have another 2 hour round trip🙃

John, I stepped in XPLOR this afternoon and checked on our dehumidifier. While inside I noticed that the strong odor of the antifreeze we used to winterize has greatly diminished. I could still detect a slight odor but nothing like it was. So after inserting ear plugs as the alarm as you know is ear piercing and I decided to reattach the RV Safe LP/CO detector. The green light came on in normal and the detector did not go off. 🤞🏻 Our Ollie is parked in our Hangar in the backyard allows us to actually hear the detector if it alarms. I also took @topgun2 suggestion and covered the porcelain throne with Saran Wrap and I also covered grey water drains with a little painters tape. I will let you know if our alarm goes off again as this is week 3 after winterizing. I think leaving two windows open even with our cover on really helped disparate the antifreeze odor. - David

Pictures from "Top of the World." The first picture does not do it justice. This drop in person looked like if you were driving at 50 MPH right on the edge of the Grand Canyon, OMG my heart was pumping! Final pic is the truck runaway just prior to a tunnel through the mountain. US HWY 60 descending to Superior Arizona.

Colter bay RV park. Grand Tetons.

We didn't have to worry much in the rolling hills of Central Texas, elevation 1200-1800 FT max. The descent on AZ HWY 78 was over 3000 FT in about 15 miles. What caught me by surprise is that we had climbed to 9300 FT and descended the White Mountains of AZ and over 8000 in Lincoln Co NM, no issues. This drop in elevation in such a short length of road was extreme. Check out the sign in my first picture. Ever see a grade warning this steep? Twice we have wanted to visit Tonto Natural Bridge near Payson AZ. Both times I was towing. We did not realize the road to this park was so steep. This sign was at the exit of a turn-around area they had for us towing travel trailers! We passed on this visit not having time to disconnect and honestly, I did not want to attempt this descent even without the Oliver! Interstates and US highways have 6-8% grade max when speeds are >55 MPH. They did not have grade signs on AZ HWY 78 though I'm certain it was at least 10% in some stretches. Maybe Tonto Natural Bridge another time. It's only 2 hours from home.

We saw two Oliver Elite II's at Table Rock Lake campground in Missouri. Driving there, we talked about the fact we had only seen one since we bought ours in August of 2023. BTW - If you are around TRL or Branson you have to eat at College of the Ozarks. The food is fantastic and the service was great. Kids work at a number of different things there to pay for tuition, room and board. https://www.keetercenter.edu/Dine/Dining/Menu

During our stay at Davis Mountains SP our friends from Ruidoso called inviting us back, an offer we could not refuse! Decided to visit Silver City NM another time. This time we backed into their driveway and had two nights in a king bed. Did a day trip to Capitan NM and the Smokey Bear Park/Museum.” Pickleball in the mornings and Tuesday nights playing Crokinole at Downshift Brewing Co.

So, we've decided to do this one way or another. Don't need a microwave, as I can reheat my coffee on the stovetop and save the carcinogens of microwaves! Chris says they kill the nutrients in all foods, so she doesn't use one ever in all of her amazing cooking. Measured our small model Emeril Air Fryer and it is the exact same dimensions, all measurements of length, width and height. Yeah, there is a heat issue that I mean to overcome. Yanked the microwave out of our hull in about 20 minutes today. Connected the Emeril and ran the air fryer at 375 for 16 minutes today. It got hot in the end, but there is 4 1/2" above the oven and 2 1/2" left and right (thermostat wiring to the right). I will need to raise it about 3/4" to fit the surround, but otherwise fits like a glove. I will cut some plastic off each side for the heat. I plan to fit the opening top and side with ceramic insulation made for woodburning stoves which comes in many thicknesses. I am wondering re OTT installed convection ovens. Anybody have one? Is there any exterior venting? Hey @bugeyedriver, you wrote on Dec 19, 2023 "The Wonder Egg - Hull #14, has extra vents in the side walls behind the oven, so I have gone to the micro/conv. option." Can you show pics of this venting. This will be a fun mod for me, and Chris will love it when she gets back from her sisters visit! Check out this pic after an hour of work today!

Perhaps start your own post, to get more Oliver member feedback! To me Yavapai County to Coconino County to the north are the best of Arizona, and our family has ridden 100s of roads and dirt trails up here. We found this part of the world in the early 90s and bought our home in 2005. (Yeah, the White Mountains, central eastern AZ may even be better for camping!) The saguaro cactus is the iconic cactus of the Sonoran Desert. That would be the total 1/3 of SW AZ. Every time we leave the Phoenix Valley to drive home to Prescott, at 2-3K elevation, we drive past thousands! They flourish at this elevation! Picture is near Black Canyon City, an hour north of Phoenix off I-17 at near 3,000 FT elevation. Start by looking here, Tucson parks have 1000s of them: https://www.nps.gov/sagu/planyourvisit/maps.htm From what I’ve read @Mike and Carol has a lot of experience from Tucson to Bisbee and on this forum there is a wealth of postings on camping trips in the SW. South of Tucson to Nogales, and literally 200 miles east or west along the border, has not been safe over last 3 years. DON’T go there until .gov fixes this, be safe. Quartzite to Yuma and the AZ/CA border there is all good.

Sorry for the delayed response. I installed two HQST 100W 12V flexible monocrystalline solar panels on top of the A.R.E. bed cover; other equipment to include a Haoguo ABS solar double cable entry gland, EternaBond EB-RB020-50 Roof Seal 2”x50’, Renogy 20A MC4 waterproof inline fuse holder and a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 solar charge controller (all Amazon purchases). My Son provided a length of solar cable and MC4 connectors needed. The panels were positioned and secured around the edges with the EB tape, a hole was drilled through the bed cover at the cable gland and wires were routed inside to the charge controller. I built the portable 100 Ah power station to primarily run a Dometic CFX 75 dual zone cooler staged in the TV bed.