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Not too far from home, but had a great time in Appling, GA with a beach-side camp site at one of the few parks open this season, after last October's hurricane. Lots of paddle boarding, cycling, and swimming was done this week. Not bad for $25/day at Wildwood Park.

I finished my first visit to Idaho this week, and it was a great trip, though I wish I had more time. Coming from Jackson, my first stop was Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve where I managed to land a spot in the Lava Flow campground (FF and somewhere in the fine print, they warn people not to pull trailers past a certain number). The park is generally viewed by driving along a loop road, with some parking at various spots. There are opportunities to hike up and around lava formations, as well as climbing down into lava caves. It was very windy! I recommend the hike up the Inferno Cone (a stiff hill that is longer than it appears) where you can see the Great Rift, the Snake River Plain, the Pioneer Mountains and the Teton Range 100 miles to the east. Entry into the caves requires a free permit from the Visitor Center (with instructions from staff). The campground was okay; it's in a lava field so the sites are arranged around the landscape.

Starlink introduced the Mini Router in May, and it will hopefully address a shortfall in the Starlink Mini Dishy. I had ordered one on Amazon for $99.99, but it was a month out for shipping. I just checked the Starlink Store and wow!, they are only $40 with an estimated 3 day shipping! The Mini Dishy has a built-in router, which is great! However we often have to locate the Dishy further away from the trailer to get a treeless sky view. The shortfall is that the farther away the dishy is, the weaker the WiFi signal becomes, which in turn slows down the internet speed. Folks have addressed this in different ways, usually with a second router inside the trailer connected to the dishy with an RJ45 ethernet cable. Others have combined them with Pepwave cellular routers to enhance data use, but that’s getting expensive. The new Starlink Mini Router can be seamlessly connected wirelessly as a Mesh Node, or with an RJ45 cable. It comes with a 120 volt wall wart for power. Although I primarily bought this mini router to extend my home Starlink Gen-3 router WiFi coverage, I also plan to use on an upcoming trip with the Mini Dishy. In all honesty, I’m not sure how effective it will be in the wireless mode. It all depends if bandwidth will be lost in the WiFi signal boosting process. Starlink recommends a RJ45 wired connection for best performance, so I’ll let you know how it works out. Cheers, Geoff

I think the freshwater overflow must allow air in .

Rob, are you talking about the fresh water overflow port or the weep holes? When I overfill the fresh tank the excess water comes out of the overflow port behind the steps, never out of any weep holes. I don’t have any thoughts on why it doesn’t leek at only 80% full, but leaking only when pressurized usually indicates a leak somewhere. I had a plastic pex T-joint that came out of the hot water tank which had a small crack. It was fine until pressurized, then it was a steady drip. It took some time (and some blue paper towels) to find. Mike

I agree, although I think disc brakes add a “cool factor” and are likely much easier to service I have never had an issue with the drums or have no plans to spend the $$$ to replace mine. While in descent on some of the steepest declines (fully loaded to camp) out west such as Wolf Creek Pass and Teton Pass, I let the 6.7 Power Stroke diesel engine brake work its magic and rarely had to use my brakes. Very impressive to say the least. Suffice to say, Ford nailed it with the 10 speed and the engine brake in my experience. I do recall a time when there were folks being pulled over in Rocky Mtn NP and having their brakes checked with infrared thermometers, then were told to stand by and to allow their brakes cool. We were stopped very briefly and then waived through, they never even checked our brakes. Park Rangers obviously knew a little bit about the diesel engine braking system and they waived us on. Based on these experiences I don’t see a need for disc brakes ever with our present TV. With a half ton TV, I can see the interest certainly in the name of safety.

Geoff, Thanks for the info, look forward to your Mini Router camping report. We were just camping where they did not have shore power. Currently use an Anker battery to power the Mini dish when away from shore power and recharge Anker during the day with a USB to USB-C cable from our 12V system since our Ollie does not have an inverter and factory installed solar, we use a solar suitcase. Since the Mini Router has USB-C like the Anker battery, I could power it with the cable I use to recharge the Anker battery when away from shore power, if I'm understanding this correctly. Thanks, Bill

I bought an aftermarket Starlink Mini 12V cigarette lighter plug adapter/step up converter (12V to 36V) for about the same price. I tested it with the kit 15m cable and measured 35.6V at distance. I’m primarily going to use it when traveling with the SLM on the TV’s dash or magnetic rooftop mount. This was an Amazon purchase, BarBaren/Stargear. The converter is in keeping with the design of the wall plug adapter that comes with the SLM kit, which steps up 12V to 30V. EDIT: For additional savings, bundle pricing is offered wherein the subject adapter and a 16.4’ cable was acquired for an overall $18 price reduction; 12V adapter for $28.20 (reg. $38.99), cable for $18.79 (reg. $25.99). A bundle is also available for the adapter and a 6.5’ cable. I returned my initial purchase at $38.99 to take advantage of said bundle pricing.

I have a 2K watt Champion inverter generator that I just plug in to, I haven’t used a special plug. I guess I need to look to see if the Champion is “bonded to ground”, something I wasn’t aware of. Going on 10 years and still learning…. Mike

Manti - La Sal National Forest, Devils Canyon CG, Utah...45 degrees this AM (furnace on) woohoo! Spending the night in a hotel in Moab for 41st wedding anniversary and doing the tourist thing. We tackled some awfully wicked hiking trails today in Canyonlands NP and will need some time to recover tonight. John

I ordered a 2021 f150 powerboost in December of 2020, took delivery in may of 2021, other than normal maintenance, the truck has been great. I currently have 61,000 miles on it and 33,000 of those have been towing our Oliver. Avg mpg 24, city and hwy, towing about 12, varies quite a bit. My favorite feature of the truck is the aux power in the bed, with the ac running, the battery runs the trl for 42 minutes of every hour, the engine is off for 13 minutes, runs for 2 to charge the batteries and shuts off. I plan on buying another one sometime before 100,000 miles.

I can’t explain why the pump comes on every 30 minutes or so, but in the first year of ownership,my fresh water tank overflow leaked internally at that fitting. The fix Oliver came up with was to drill a hole in the bottom of the kitchen cabinet under the sink and tighten the hose clamp on that fitting. It only leaked when the tank was overflowing.

Bill, Yes you can power it with a USB-C cord, but I question if your Anker charger can handle the wattage. The router needs to be fed from a power supply rated at least 65 watts at about 20VDC. Most USB-C power supplies, and outlets for phone chargers, cannot handle that wattage. For example, some folks have replaced the Oliver USB outlets with USB-C outlets, but these are typically under 20 watts. The 12vdc cigarette outlets can certainly handle the wattage, but be aware of plug-in adapters to USB-C because most are low wattage. The Starlink power supply is good value at $45. You would pay almost that much for an aftermarket power supply and cord, but you would not get the quality that Starlink is known for. For the more savvy electrical folks, there are scads of 9-20VDC boost converters under $20 that can handle the wattage. These can be used for powering all sorts of electronics or appliances that use 120vac wall transformers. I've even seen them for under $5 on AliExpress. Cheers! Geoff

By “pressurized” I mean either water pump on or connected to city water. While there can be residual pressure even when the pump is off and there is no connection to city water, if there is a leak in the system, that pressure will steadily lower through the leak to the point where there is no pressure in the system.

@jd1923, WOW! I am so grateful for thorough explanations like yours so I can learn about these Oliver details of which I know nothing about! Thank you! It must have been a different Mark & Barb who had brake shoe issues; regardless, I want to have some knowledge to be prepared for possible future malfunctions. Your previous comment about your brake locking up put fear in me - now I know a bit about what to do. Thanks!

We were so lucky to travel the BRP in October 2023. We went North out of GSMNP, camped at Asheville KOA, Linville Falls RV, and Boone KOA before heading to West Virginia and home. We loved Black Mountain. So much devastation. We now need to complete the BRP from Boone, NC to Richmond, VA

Former trainee…😄

This was reportedly the result of allowing a trainee to do assembly work while unsupervised!🤨 The problem was actually discovered by a seasoned employee further down the line. They have a record of which trucks he worked on.

I’m glad that there’s disc brakes now available for the 3500 pound axles. To be honest I’ve never researched that. In the 8 years and around 75,00 miles we’ve traveled I’ve never had any issues with the drum brakes adequately stopping the trailer so have not searched for something better.

Yep, joule preservation is important when running naked, (power protection naked, of course).

This is a great question John, and it brings to mind that a lot of folks probably don’t understand the importance of bonded neutrals on RV generators. The NEC requires neutrals to be bonded to ground at all power sources so that any fault currents have a path back to the source. This assures that any fault current has a low resistance path to ground that can handle enough current to trip the breakers. Otherwise, the fault current will look for an alternate path to ground and there might not be enough current flow to trip the breaker… at least until someone comes along and completes the path to ground and gets a shocking surprise! This is particularly important for the Progressive Industries transfer switches because they switch both the hot and neutral wires. When the switch transfers to an un-bonded neutral, then it’s possible to create a situation where there is no path to ground. This is true for all Olivers, both old and new. Additionally, GFCI’s and surge protectors rely on the ground to detect circuit imbalances. Both the hot and neutral conductors pass through a Current Transformer and cancel each other out in a balanced circuit. However, any leakage to ground from either hot or neutral wire will be detected by the Current Transformer, which then instantly interrupts the circuit. This can’t work if the neutral isn't bonded to the ground. So it’s important that RV generators are bonded to ground, and most of them are. It should say so on the label, and the few that aren’t bonded, including Hondas, will say something like “floating ground.” If you're still uncertain, then just use a Generator Bonding Plug which are readily available for under $20. Cheers, Geoff

Hi Mark, There could be a number of reasons why the 25 amp Inverter breaker is tripping. However, assuming that the Air Conditioning and Charger are otherwise working fine, then the most likely reasons are the inverter settings, the breaker, or the generator. It’s helpful to understand that all AC loads (except the refrigerator) pass-through the inverter, and it automatically prioritizes current to the AC loads over charging. So when the 20 amp Air Conditioner is passing through, it throttles down the charger amps to prevent overcurrent. The inverter charge current demand is highest when the battery is discharged, so it might just be overworking the inverter enough to trip the breaker’s thermo element when running the Air Conditioner with a discharged battery. If the battery is not fully discharged, and it’s still tripping, then read on. BTW, if the inverter is turned-on while using shore or generator power, it only means that it will automatically transfer to battery power if shore power fails. Also, the generator neutral bonding will not impact the current or breaker, but it’s required by code. I have 4 troubleshooting suggestions. Items 3 and 4 will require some experimentation with the inverter settings and this is best done using the Xantrex phone app. These settings will not harm anything, but they will reduce inverter output to match the capacity of your generator. It’s a low probability that the 25 amp breaker is bad, but it is a possibility because the inverter should warn you and shut down when it nears it maximum output… before the breaker trips. A quick assessment can be made without an amp meter. If it’s tripping instantly, it means the magnetic short circuit trip function is probably bad and the breaker should be replaced. If it trips’s after some time, and it can easily re-set after cooldown, then it’s tripping on the thermo function and it’s probably okay. The generator is big enough to handle your loads, but it could be that the regulator is not working properly. Verify that it’s increasing RPMs when the load increases. You can also check the input voltage on the Xantrex display, it should be close to 120 volts. The inverter’s charger current setting is too high (Setting 24.) The default setting is 150 amps, but it’s not an amp to amp conversion. I’d set it to 30 amps and if the breaker no longer trips, then dial it up in 20 amp increments until you find a trip-less value. I had to change this setting on my inverter because it was drawing more current than my 2000 watt generator could supply, and I was getting low voltage brown outs. It would have probably tripped the breaker eventually, but the generator tripped first. I think I finally set it to 60 amps. The inverter’s AC input breaker setting is too high (Setting 28.) This impacts the load prioritization ratio. The default setting is 50 amps so you can start by setting it to 25 amps to see if that works. If so, then dial it up in 5 amp increments until you find a value below the breaker trip value. Note: I’d change settings 24 and 28 at the same time, then dial them up until you find a an acceptable value where the breaker does not trip. I hope that helps! Cheers, Geoff

Mark, Good going, you're narrowing it down! We now know that the breaker gets hot over a 60 minute period when charging the battery, and it trips as it should. It's important to know if only the breaker is getting hot, or the accociated circuit wiring too? If it's just the breaker, then it probably has some internal resistance and it should be replaced. You could verify that by swapping it with the other 25 amp panel breaker and re-test. If the whole circuit is getting hot, then that's an indication of something else. It would also be helpful to know If the breaker was tripping sooner than 60 minutes originally, and if you lengthened the time by dialing down the charge amps. You can go always dial it down more.

Geoff, Appreciate the information!!!!!! I'm going to get the Starlink Mini Router 12V power supply, too. Thanks, Bill

Hello. I have a 2024 F150 Lariat Powerboost hybrid. I bought the hybrid to get the 7.2kW generator with the 30amp plug in the bed. I have not yet used the 30 Amp setup, but have used the 20 Amp outlets in generator mode. It's a bit quirky - you need to leave the truck "on" for the generator to power the outlets. It's not smart enough to turn off the radio and it stays bluetooth connected to my phone. I've used it to power a portable refrigerator (IceCo). It's probably good to leave the AC on in the summer, as the cab gets hot trying to keep the inverter cool. I get between 9 & 10 miles/gal when towing the Legacy Elite 2. Wind direction affects mileage quite a bit. This is not much better mileage than I got with my 2006 Nissan Titan with a V8. Even when not towing the trailer, the mileage is probably about the same as you'd get with a regular V6 Ecoboost - probably due to the added battery weight. It doesn't run on pure battery very often. Only at really low speed on flat ground or downhill. Again, I didn't buy it for hybrid driving reasons - I wanted the big generator and 30Amp capability. I believe the Powerboost ONLY comes in the 5.5ft bed and crew cab, independent of the trim line. This is why there are no 6.5ft beds on dealer lots. I've had it 7 mo so far and like it. It is loaded with tech (most of which I don't need), but I really wanted ventilated seats. I'll post more once we've used the 30Amps for boondocking.

If you can't make it to Idaho and still want a mini-version of lava fields, you can always try Snow Canyon State Park. This park is located north of St. George, Utah with the lave field hike at GPS: 37.222005386630634, -113.64194019098785. There's also lava tubes and petrified sand dunes here. Bill

I hope so!😁

Rob - I'm on my third 3.5 Ecoboost f-150. I bought one the first year they were offered (2011) then a 2017 and now have a 2023. Never a single issue with any of the three. But, as you might imagine, I've not put more that 50,000 miles on the first two and now only have 12.600 on the 2023. Given you have a 2013 I'd guess that you know what a beast the engine is. Those twin turbos really make such a large vehicle fly! However, I assume you also know that there are reports of serious engine problems with those early models that have over 100,000 miles on them. The only other comment I have concerns the gas mileage - I had hoped for better MPG when towing (I get between 12 and 13 mpg on annual fishing trips from NC to the Rockies and back). Not towing I get 22 on the highway - 65 mph on rolling Interstates here in NC and more like 17 around town. Each of the three I've owned have had the 6.5 bed because I ordered mine each time. I did ask about why the 5.5 seemed to be popular and was told that the foot shorter bed provided for easier driving around town and was about all most people needed to haul mulch and kid toys. Bill

Oh, okay. In that case, @topgun2 had a good notion that it's leaking where the vent line connects to the top of the freshwater tank, However, that doesn't explain why the pump is cycling . . . unless the pump check valve is leaking by; back-filling the tank from the pressurized side, and then leaking where the tank vent is connected to the top of the tank. . . and it would only be noticeable when the tank is full! Are we getting closer? Geoff

I’ve been experiencing this for the last couple of years. About every 3rd camping trip, while connected to city water, I get and fast drip from the overflow. I go inside, check that the fresh tank is at 100%, turn on the water pump and turn on a faucet for a couple of seconds and the problem is solved. I bought a new water pump when this started, but I just haven’t gotten around to replacing the old pump since is doesn’t happen very often and when it does it’s a quick fix. I keep the water pump in the trailer hoping that it will threaten the old pump to behave, but it’s not working. Mike

There is an overflow as described in the Owners Manual. TO FILL THE FRESHWATER TANK FROM PRESSURIZED WATER: 1. Remove the cap from the freshwater inlet. 2. Attach a freshwater hose to an outside water source. 3. Attach the other end to the Oliver freshwater inlet. 4. Turn on the water source; fill until water starts to run from the freshwater overflow, which is located on the opposite side, between the aluminum steps and the refrigerator vent. 5. When the tank is filled, turn off and disconnect the outside water hose and re-install the water cap. The weep hole leak comes later. You have confused the weep holes and the freshwater overflow.

I’m going to order one to use with our Mini. It seems it gives a lot of flexibility to the Mini setup… if you can set your dish close to the trailer you may not need it but if you’re under trees and have to move the dish further away the router would ensure good speed. Mike

I will take a stab at this. By filling the fresh water tank until it overflows via the weep holes you now have a tank that is so full the water will tend to flow out of the lowest point. Understand too the bubble level at the front is NOT a perfect indication of true level until its calibrated to a known source. What I am getting at is unless you know there is water leaking between the hulls I wouldn't worry about it too much so long as it's coming out of the weep holes. However one way to check this is take your kitchen drawers completely out of the cabinets and with light in hand peer over to the outside of the trailer, backside of the cabinets at the floor area to make sure nothing is leaking into this area caused by a bad fitting. You could also prevent this by shutting of your water supply during fill up when tank indicator states 100%. On my Ollie even after 100% indication the water will keep filling for another few gallons until it overflows via the weep holes Hope this helps Rob

John, we run our dual fuel Maxpeedingrods MXR3500S on propane without any issues. I prefer propane vs gas - it's cleaner burning, more eco friendly and lower maintenance. However, with propane you lose energy output, on our MXR3500S the specs are: Peak Wattage: 3500W (Gas) / 3100W (LPG) and Running Wattage: 3200W (Gas) / 2800W (LPG).

Two little Ollies in a sea of 5th-wheels and Class-As!

GJ, didn’t you rule out option B in your previous post? Now I understand why we remembered disc brakes are no-go for Olivers with 3500 LB axles. Too bad OTT installed 3500s on some of hulls. Yes, just over $2K plus tax and delivery. But this and another $1K for HD springs and parts and I will be happy with a completely over-engineered suspension, carefree for several years!

What a great reminder -- the first time I heard about the Lock Picking Lawyer (here on the forum, naturally) I watched some of the videos, and THAT is when I changed up how I lock my Oliver!

That said my concern with the 10" drum on our stock OE2's is system fade and maintenance. Here is a good video if you are on the fence. https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Brakes/Dexter/T2HRCM10DAC.html?feed=npn&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=203665937&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItvmapLaPjgMVE7daBR1a9BpIEAQYASABEgIsJ_D_BwE But let's assume that such a system exists, and it will fit our tires and rims. Then for me, the cost matrix become a simple one: A. Upgrade to 5200's and roll on with drum's. Say $2,000. B. Keep our 3500's and do the disk brake system. Say $2100. C. Keep the OEM 3500 drum brakes as is. My pea brain says that I am not happy with Option C as I spend a lot of time in the mountains and need to pull over a bunch where safe and zap the temperatures of my drums. So Option C is not ideal. But that same bandwidth limited problem solver is on the fence as to the better option between A and B. But that question would warrant a separate thread likely titled "Disk or Drum What You Gonna Do".

The person that I know that changed his took the part number off the bearing and had Summit cross reference it. That's the same route I'd take if I were going to change them out. That's also who told him the Dexter bearing cross referenced to some passenger cars.

Our Alcan experience was seamless, they are that good. Dropped our Oliver off at 7:30 on install day, went and grabbed a great southwest breakfast in town at Cafe Sol. Gotta a call at 0930 just as we were finishing our meal that our 5 leaf pack, HD wet bolts, and HD shackles install was finished🤩. Lew and his crew knocked it out of the park. Worth every penny to have Alcan do the professional install and continue on our journey. Love our new running gear! Glad they got you squared away jd!

Our flag flys 24/7 here at our home, not just on holidays. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 🫡 Nothing like “Air Superiority” which wins wars.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Just got to love the labels on those springs!

I tried to help on Mark's Facebook post. I think your explanation is correct. I was trying to figure out why he has the inverter on. Using shore power at the power post or a generator the inverter shouldn't be on. I was getting hung up on this. I have charged our 2022 LE, Lithium & Solar without changing any settings. I have also run the AC without making any adjustments. When I use the generator it is being run on fuel. He is running his on LP.

Here are pics of Monarch Pass in June 2023. First time snow, 2 weeks later sunny and warm!

Doughton Park NC on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We head to the BRP to beat the heat this time of year. After the hurricane last year, many areas are still closed, but repairs are being made and areas slowing reopening. No electricity or water at the campsites but Ollie handles it fine with a portable solar panel. Directions to Doughton Park, take Rt. 21 to the BRP to the Park. Doughton Park Picnic Area: Air Bellows Overlook:

We've done a number of Alaska trips, never with the Ollie. Flew up 20 years ago and rented a small class c. Delivered several rentals from Indiana to Alaska over the years. It's a very long trip. Our favorite part of the trip had always been northern bc, and the Yukon. But, you can fly in and rent there, too. Not Ollie purists. We've rented campers on several continents, when expedient. Love my Ollie, but not shipping it to Europe, Australia, or Iceland. Rentals often make so much sense. Glad you had fun. May is a bit chiller, bit a great time to visit Alaska. Fewer bugs. Fewer tourists. Fewer fires. Good on you for great timing.

Thanks so much for the replies. No sooner had I written my post when a gust of strong wind ripped a neighbor’s awning into shreds! So our perspective changed on seeing that happen. We may try the reprogramming.

Us too, we never use our manual awning. Tried it once to know how to extend it, and since it was such a pain to do so, I haven't wanted to open it again. If we had the powered model, I would have used it on this rainy morning for a little protection at the doorway when we took our dog out for morning business. Also if we had the powered model, in a heartbeat I would rewire it to bypass the auto-retract feature. I dislike features that idiot-proof for idiots! People should realize when it's windy and know to retract a power awning when leaving the campsite. 🤣 Last time this subject came up, I offered all who complained of their powered models to trade for our dependable manual awning in like new condition. We got no takers.

After having Alcan install their springs and me installing Bulldog shocks and Alcan installing Dexter's beefier axles 4 months later I was ready to ride off into the sunset. Then a wheel lug bolt snapped off, who knows where, and I began having issues with the new wet bolts accepting lube. I talked to Lew and he said he would replace the lug bolt, no charge. No other issues along the way to Grand Junction. When the axles were replaced I discovered I was supposed to have retorqued the wet bolts after the original spring change, not just the axle u bolts. So after the the axle change 4 months later some of the wet bolts were pretty loose. After my first 50 mile retorque I discovered some wet bolts were way loose and when tightening I did not understand the need to keep the bolts stationary while only tightening the nut in order to keep the bolt's grease ports horizontal. So, no way to know where the bolt heads should be positioned to provide the horizontal position. Today, Tucker at Alcan did his magic...replaced the lug bolt and took all wet bolts out, turned them so the zerks were, per my request, on the inside so I don't have to take the tires off to lube. But I do have to crawl under the trailer to lube ...that's plenty fine for a few more years :) And he lubed the bolts so I'm good for another 3000 miles. Now here's the point for my post... I went to pick up my trailer and Tanner informed me that Tucker did all of this work at no charge! All of my equipment, wet bolts and bushings, were reused since they were newly installed and the labor rate was graciously not applied. These people are top shelf and we are very thankful to have them work on our Bessie :) John

True, and some don't do internet, but have email address. Jason E told me back in Feb. that he would send out emails for me as well to let folks know about it