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Our Beast of Burden gets a new tail hook ha! After doing a bit of a deep dive I decided to order up a new weigh safe aluminum 10” drop hitch with a 3” shank. I have been using 2 reducers and have never been a fan of them as they are a bit sloppy and noisy or simply too many moving parts. I have to say out of the box I am really impressed with how solid this hitch is engineered. Really well done. I opted to not go with the tongue hitch weight dial. According to quite a few user reviews, these dials use a rubber seal/oring and at times can fail and then require maintenance by replacing the seal. When the O ring fails you will notice fluid leaking from the hitch 👎🏻. Just not something I ever want to think about….ever especially on a long trip. I did opt in for the stainless steel 2” and 2 5/16 balls vs chrome plated hitch balls and locking hitch pic all keyed alike . B&W tow and stow is also a good hitch which I was also considering. My preference has always been aluminum as rust and corrosion will eventually take its toll on steel powder coats so I passed. There is very little play with the new Weigh Safe 180 3” shank. That said, I did order this 3” anti rattle hitch clamp to keep everything buttoned up with zero play. Edit- I ordered my hitch clamp directly their website. Quick shipping and excellent communication. https://www.hitchclamp.com/collections/3-clamps My reducers will no longer be used when towing XPLOR.

You have chosen wisely to go with the Weigh Safe Hitch sans dial. I went through three of these (with the dial) and they all failed. I finally bought a Curt 45902 for our Silverado HD trucks. I moved the Weigh Safe Hitch to Tali's Canyon Diesel. All of our other trailers are pulled with that truck anyway and I don't have to swap from the Oliver's 2-5/16" ball to the 2" ball for the smaller trailers. In my opinion, the use of a Weigh Safe Hitch with the dial in towing an Oliver is a WOT after the first use. Unless you are constantly loading the Oliver in different configurations, it's going to register approximately the same weight every time.

While traveling from Florida to Huntsville, AL. last Thursday I spotted an Ollie in a campground along US Hwy 231, maybe south of Troy, AL. I didn’t have time to stop then but thought maybe on the way home. Of course I promptly forgot about it until I drove by again yesterday and noticed the door was open. So I turned around at the first opportunity and stopped to say hello. The owners of LE2 #462 are Mike and Elaine from Oregon and we had a pleasant but short visit. We discussed an 120V AC issue they were having with their refrigerator and I was able to show them the location of the access panel to the AC plug and I’m sure they have it fixed by now. It’s always a good day when you have an unexpected visit with fellow OTTO’s! Mossey

Everything is now plumbed under the bathroom sink, and pressure tested except the recirculate loop. I have the PEX recirculate line installed from under the the sink back to under the basement floor. But haven't cut into the fresh water fill line to install the "T" yet. I ran out of time today. So far, 17 new connections, and zero links first try. I did end up getting a PEX crimper, and replaced the PEX to 1/2 NPS firing that connects to the original faucet lines. As noted previously, the washers were buggered, so I got new brass fittings to replace the plastic ones. In the back, I'll use a SharkBite "T" due to limited space. The circled gizmo in the photo below is the back flow preventer, correct? @mossemi said to place the "T" after that, and I want to make sure what's what before making a cut! The only trouble I've run into is that two of the screws that held the basement floor in place had the Phillips head stripped from the factory. I dug out the oscillating tool and zapped them off. If the weather holds, I should be done and pressure tested again tomorrow. I've already drained the water heater, so I'll find out in Florida how well it works not having to waste water down the gray tank until it gets hot. Then it's time to winterize. We're supposed to get temps in the low 30°s later this week.

You have the Truma AquaGo hot water system and in the normal COMFORT operating mode it has an internal circulating pump and will turn on fairly frequently, along with the burner, to maintain some ready hot water, and when it does turn on, it makes a noticeable sound, especially if you are on the bed right above it. Used to drive me crazy at night. The solution is to put the Truma on ECO mode. The initial water temp will be lower in ECO mode (see below) but it wont turn on the recirculating pump and burner as often. It also will save propane. Just have to wait a little longer for hot water when you need it. And we don’t have our Oliver trailer anymore, but we do miss it, and I still check in here now and then to see what’s new.

It’s more commonly referred to as a check valve. It is a one way valve that only allows water to flow in one direction. There is one in the city water connection pipe and another fresh water tank fill pipe. The recirculation activity should be going back to the fresh water tank. Mossey

In addition to @Geronimo John’s comments/questions… There is no such thing as the above quoted statement. Any and all combustion engines need fuel and ignition even at idle let alone when “the engine at 4 to 5k rpm downhill for an extended time.” This is not what a trained Audi tech would say. Something was lost in the translation. Forcing your gas engine in gear to brake 12+ LBS is causing your engine oil leaks and you need to get your TV and TT brakes dialed in so not to further harm your Audi engine and drive train, worse if your Q7 is a Quattro (AWD) which can cause harm to CV axles, seals and more. Only diesel engines with engine brakes should be used for braking. Gas engines with manual transmissions can assist some, automatic transmissions not, unless you want to damage them too! Lastly, smoke from the brakes in the front wheels is quite different from residue oil burning, coming out of the tailpipe behind the vehicle. One you would see from the windshield, the other would be noticed in the rear view mirror. Not trying to be an a$$ here. This is the stuff that adds to frequent highway fatalities! Worry about your setup before your AZ trip. Read the post I linked above and dial in your brake controller, check your brake system down to the brake fluid.

What did you smell when you circled the Audi after overheating the brakes? If is was an oil smell, then Audi Tech is likely right. Did he inspect the tail pipe for black oily soot? Another easy test to narrow down the culprit. But if you smelled burnt brake dust, then the brake pads have glazed and the brake peddle force increases substantially to get any more braking. If you brake peddle force was significantly higher than normal, then most likely your brake pads should be replaced. Did the Audi Tech inspect the brake calipers? Were they crazed, cracked or burnt? The Audi Q7 can have a 4, 6 or 8 cylinder engine. Also many different transmissions too. What does your TV have? Makes a huge difference when going up/down serious grades. GJ

Sewer gas smell I suspect. She had quite a time and covered a lot of possibilities on that one. I hope it is as sometimes I have the same problem... with my Ollie gas, not my personal effluence.

You bet JD, these are called 1/2” hammer locks and are rated for 12000 lbs ea. To your point they make it much easier to attach safety chains. My Weigh Safe hitch is rated for 21,000 lbs. link -https://www.weigh-safe.com/product/weigh-safe-drop-hitch/?srsltid=AfmBOoolgTCwKhll9w1HP7E1phPvIgecdRRK__EUlWP7DPInx6CUJx0T

Ohhhh I think you got it Frank. It is from that side over the pump. That makes sense that it’s circulating water. I am switching it from Eco to Comfort mode depending on usage. I bet I left it on Comfort. It’s pretty jarring when you don’t know what it is. Thanks a bunch. The forum has been pretty helpful with stuff. Catherine

Please do and let us know when you get the chance. Thanks

It's good there is an option to turn off. I've rented cars that do that and cannot stand that at lights and other intersections. I would tap the gas to get the engine ready.

I'll chime in on the hammer locks: Patriot put me on to these a couple of years back and they are everything they are supposed to be as both Patriot and GJ state above. Perhaps the only downside I can think of with these is that they could be a bit of a problem to remove. But, why remove them? Bill

This was a JD discussion several years ago. Below are what was recommended for our OE2's. It is not likely, but should these bit the dust I would get the 12,000 pounders vs. the 7100's. It sure solved the getting under the TV on our F-150.

The following video popped up on my YouTube recommendation list a couple of weeks ago, showing a new Bluetooth enabled replacement panel for the SeeLevel II tank monitors. I thought that this would be a handy upgrade, so I called to place an order, and it arrived yesterday. Installation was simple. I removed the original 907-P3 panel (Model 907, with Pump switch and 3 tanks) by taking out the four screws holding it to the wall. Then I pulled off the three connectors for the water pump, and removed the Molex connector on the circuit board. The new panel is a 907-BTP7 (Model 907 with BlueTooth, Pump switch, and up to 7 tanks) and came with a new wiring pigtail. In the video, James shows using WAGO connections. But Oliver leaves very little slack in the wiring for the tank monitor, so there's not much room to cut the existing wires and connect the new ones. And, there's no need to do so. Since we do not have an LP monitor, nor an alarm, we only need the four existing wires; just in different pin locations. The above photo shows the original Molex connector, with, starting from the right: White, Blank, Red, Black, Blue, Blank. As shown in the attached wiring diagram for the new 907-BTP7 panel, all that's needed is to move the last three to the right one pin position, as follows: White, Red, Black, Blue, Blank, Blank. Push on the Molex connector, reconnect the three water pump wires, and replace the panel on the wall. Done, in under 30 minutes! Safety protocol would of course be to switch off the solar disconnect and turn off the batteries before starting, as the Molex pins are not insulated, and bumping them together could cause a spark or blown fuse. Download the SeeLevel app for IOS or Android, and follow the instructions to get it set up. Of course, we do not have an LP monitor, nor more than three tanks, so the ALT and LP buttons will not be used. Garnet used to offer a 907-BTP3 panel, but that was several years ago, and is no longer available. Now, the obvious question, is why would someone want this panel with Bluetooth? Oliver's fresh water tank, like most, has an overflow, so observing tank level isn't really needed for filling. And there are inline flow gauges for much lower cost. But if you're in line at a low flow water fill, with impatient people behind you, it might be nice to know your progress. or maybe you're in the shade, hanging out in your hammock, and suddenly wonder if the shitter's full. Now you can check! 🤣 I'll use it to watch how full the black tank is when I'm flushing it, and monitoring the gray tank when I'm back-flushing it from the drain outlet. It'll be easier than running back and forth between the monitor in the trailer and the faucet on the side of the house. And, simply because I enjoy fiddling with tech stuff like this. I see that the price has gone up considerably since I ordered on November 7th. It was $109.99, and is now $146.37. That's a 33% increase in four days! Here's the link if anyone is interested: https://shopusa.garnetinstruments.com/solutions/holding-tanks/c-709-btp7-709-btp7-display

Bill, you are an old school sort of techy! 🤣 @Steve Morris excellent post, well documented. Thank you. 😂

@Patriot questions… Link for hitch, weight rating? Also, what are the safety chain connectors we see in your last picture? Link! I need these. it’s difficult getting under there on our TV. Thank you, JD

Yep - same stuff I referenced above. Bill

What better reason do you need?😉

No need to remove - but - it would be helpful to many to know what the original "problem" was in order to reference it back. Bill

Installed, and loosely plumbed. The fittings on the end of the PEX that connect to the threaded “T” have questionable washers. So I’m getting more tomorrow. Next I’m going to run a PEX line from the diverter (top) back to the fresh water inlet, and add a SharkBite “T” to recirculate the hot until it actually gets hot. Then test the whole thing under pressure. I don’t want to get to Florida in January and find out I did something wrong!

Dave, nice hearing from you and glad your Q7 is performing well. Sounds like you and Kris are really putting on the miles! I retired end of September 😊 and Thea and I are now full timers, left Guelph end October to escape the Canadian winter enr to Arizona, currently in Texas and should be in the Quartzsite area in a week or so. I traded my Touareg TDI in on a Silverado 2500HD, loved my Touareg, it towed like a champ, but with us going full time it lacked cargo capacity. So far liking the Chevy but also missing the Touareg’s fuel efficiency and turning radius. Take care and happy camping, say hi to Kris.

Although hideously expensive, one could get an aluminum 30# propane tank, which, if I recall correctly, weighs the same (when full) as a steel 20 # tank. A lot of $$ though, but could be worth it for someone's special requirements. https://www.vintagetrailersupply.com/30-lb-7-1-gallon-vertical-aluminum-lp-tank-vts-169/ And yes, as has been mentioned, the Elite 1 will only fit 2 20# tanks. Running out of propane has never been an issue with me. The stuff lasts a long time! Dave

Never heard of a generator that could run on gas or diesel. Must be a misprint. There is a dual fuel gas/propane version of this generator. Champion Power Equipment 4000-Watt Dual Fuel RV Ready Portable Inverter Generator with Quiet Technology and CO Shield

Got to the Texas Rally at Inks Lake SP a couple days early. More pictures will be on the Rally thread. Spent the day today a Horseshoe Bay Resort. Adam used to play tennis tournaments here and, in the 10+ years since we had visited, they built 14 Pickle Ball courts. Marble Falls now has a brand-new HUGE H-E-B! We went to play PB today and found all the courts busy with a local tournament. If we had known, we could have entered the tournament but just spectators today!

Thank you. Currently still have the 4 6-volt lead acid that was installed when purchased. I will be watching lithium battery prices over the next few months for deals.

While camping in SW Florida right before Helene arrived my wife smelled a faint burning smell and 30 seconds later the carbon monoxide alarm started to alarm and we looked and looked but could not source the smoke. The alarm went off with furious fanning and opening all the windows in 92* weather. Just in case we moved the sentimental items out of the Oliver and after 90 minutes sitting in our idling TV we went back in. Nothing seemed wrong and wife was pointing at me because I recently swapped the Demonic for a Houghton. Anyways 3 days go by, nothing happens, then AC power is fluctuating then goes completely out. Smoke smell is really evident now and when I went to remove the power from the trailer I almost burned my hand it was so hot. Turns out the white cable was loose and creating a short that eventually melted the whole assembly. The shore power cord was equally compromised. I was able to find a replacement inlet at West Marine for about $125 and a new shore cord from Campers World 60 miles down the road (it was Sunday). So I will be adding opening and inspecting for proper torque on the wires leading to the cabin on our annual inspection list. Thanks Shane