Leaderboard

I have received a few direct emails and though the below direct email might be helpful for other interested in Vortex Coatings. Hello Doug, Interstate Coatings Applied the Vortex to my Oliver. Interstate is a small operation. The owner is Calvin, He is a construction contractor and owns the coating shop. I worked with Calvin and his shop operator setting the color match and planning. I have two phone numbers Calvin's cell phone: 541 815 1506 shop number: 541 280 5618 Interstate coatings 1532 S hwy 97 Redmond, Oregon 97756 Vortex application dealers seem to have a wide range of skills and experience shooting fiberglass and color matching. The guys at interstate are good guys and did a great job. I dropped the trailer, they dis-assembled the trailer, pulled the propane compartment (access to bolts through the bathroom vanity), shot the trailer nose and propane cover w vortex, then the matching automotive paint (requires several hours of drying time between the two operations) and re-assembled in one day. the process could require overnight drying for the vortex before paint based on environmental factors.You can contact Vortex to get a list of dealers in your area if Interstate coatings is too far from your home. I recommend finding a shop the has experience applying vortex to fiber. vortexcoastings.com vortex phone: 785 833 6720 Best of luck

Another option that does not require this. Just use a funnel to poor the required amount of bleach/NCI into the hose (while holding it up right of course). Then connect the hose to the port and start running the water.

(And my wife says -I- spend too much money on stuff from Amazon…) 😂

That's a great price on the LT225/75R/16 Michelins. Believe one of the local installers for Tire Rack can be Discount Tire, for those who like Discount Tire.

We're using this.... but it has a hard time turning around when it hits the end of the aisle. The dog stays off the floor when it's running..... Scotty

@bugeyedriver has a similar coating on the front of his trailer. It is white and provides great protection. Mike

This is exactly what I’ve been doing. No issues. Mike

We’ve towed now for 10 seasons, 100K+ miles. We have quite a few nicks and chips on the lower front of the trailer. When the CGI guys refresh my ceramic coating next time I’m going to have them put their film on the front. Mike

I do as well. Using the white hose of course! GJ

Hey all, I purchased a 2022 legacy elite 2 last summer hull number 1018. So far I have used it about 40 nights and have made a few small adjustments to make it as comfortable as possible. The reason for my post is i would like to go to a rally or do a tour with some other owners but have noticed a majority of other ollie owners are significantly older than i am. My vision would be to tour Wyoming, Montana, or Utah and make stops centered around mountain biking, dirt biking, rock climbing, hiking, and kayaking/fishing. I guess this is a feeler to see how many of us would be interested in something like that. I hope everyone has a good week and those on the road have safe travels.

We have spent a good deal of time on the opposite side at Green River Lake area which is amazing to say the least. Rough ride to get the Oliver in but we have done it twice now. Lander has been on our short list too but have only driven by that part and its been quite a few years now. The Winds are fantastic.

JD, On a side note...I thought I was wasting my time and money with our dc to dc install last year at the Q, as I have barely used it the past year and a half but I sure am happy I did as we've had so many cloudy days since getting into Canada on our way to Alaska. Each day we travel we get them charged back up in a respectable amount of time. Of course we mostly boondock as you know. I only used 6ga so don't get things through as fast as you but I still have plenty to satisfy me. John

As with most things, I'm sure this is true. However, I believe in the acronym "Anything But China" (ABC) whenever possible. Often, China is the only choice. Current management is changing that now, if you know what I mean! 😎 For 30 years, I've purchased a lot of tires from Tire Rack. I can understand the draw to Discount Tire because they are everywhere you may need them on the road, but I find them over-priced and difficult customer service. Tire Rack includes a 2-year Road Hazard and include installation in your purchase and choose a local shop, ship them there and get a contracted installation rate. The other thing I like about Tire Rack is they are the only company that lists "Country of Origin" at the bottom of the Specs tab for every tire they sell. @John Dorrer if your friend with the new Oliver is still in the market for tires, I strongly suggest these at this price! (EDIT: these do not come in 15" so will only work for older Olivers with 16" wheels.) Michelin Agilis CrossClimate LT225/75R16 These had MSRP of $260 each but are discontinued for the new version, on closeout for $189. I have these tires on our Oliver because it came that way. These are great tires for the Oliver, designed as a high mileage commercial van tire. I've towed our trailer about 300 miles on rocky Arizona dirt roads. The rocks on our roads are sharp. I know this because once I got a 4" cut into a rear dirt bike tire. We have about 18K miles in the last 2 years, and I have no idea how many miles prior owner(s) towed and the tread and sidewalls look like new with DOT codes 2420 (6 years old). They are Michelin, and according to Tire Rack, Made in the USA! Anybody need new Oliver tires?

I think lander would be an excellent spot for a get together. Sinks canyon has a really nice paved trail along the river, and the mountains have plenty of options for more fun and challenging rides.

Welcome @Douglas-Stickler to The OTT Forum and we wish for you a new Oliver in your future! This is correct and what @Steve Morris with his favorite Land Cruiser wrote "with the 5.7 V8, and it is just adequate" is also correct. The 200 platform, an LX or the Tundra would work, but sorry not the GX. We have a wonderful '08 GX470. Three years ago, after purchase of our Oliver, I setup our GX with a REDARC brake controller thinking I could use it as our tow vehicle. When I got home after a test tow, first thing I said to my wife is "We need to buy a truck." She nodded in agreement. Besides payload capacity or 4.6 vs. 5.7 towing power, there is another major issue. The wheelbase on the GX/4Runner 120 platform is just too short! Any porpoising movement in Oliver creates a BAD pendulum effect on the short wheelbase of the GX. The Andersen WDH helps a little, but using it strains the suspension front to rear. It feels awkward and uncomfortable. After driving just a few miles on an in-town highway, I returned home and detached. There is no way in the world I would tow down the mountain where we live in our GX pulling an Oliver. Chris drives our GX every day. After I restored it, she lets me drive it on occasion. 🤣 Hope you can keep your GX and purchase a 2500 series truck like we did!

I am on my first repack of my Timken bearings after 13,073 miles and 14 months. I have noticed that the Front Axel bearing show they got a little warm. The rear axel bearings show no discoloration. I used CV2 grease which is a Light or Faded Red color see picture below. The front axel outer bearings are the worst with a darker areas on the bearings surface there is no pitting or galling. The grease in and around the bearing is a light gray color. The grease has not thickened at all. still the same consistency as the original gear. I had repacked the Chinese Dexter bearing every 6,000 miles, and never saw the darkening, but had pitting and galling on those bearings. I'm I over tightening the bearings. My Procedure for setting the bearings. 1. As I'm tightening the bearing I slowly turn the hub for the first 15-20 ft/lbs to make sure everything is seated. After that I no longer turn the hub. I finish by torquing to 50 ft/pounds per Dexter. 2. I then loosen the nut making sure the Hub does rotate at all. 3. I then I hand snug the nut, and then back the nut off about 3/32 of an inch (probably about 1/32 of a full rotation. 4. I lock the nut in place with the retainer. I check the hub and tire temps during and 50% of my stops, and always after coming dow a mountain pass. They are always within about 5-10 degrees of each other. The highest temps have been around 130 degrees and mostly running around 115-120 degrees. I use a bearing packer for the bearing and alway push through about 1/2 of extra grease so I know that there the bearing is full of grease. I putt about 1/8 of an inch of grease around cones and 1/16 in on the axel. I try not to over pack the hub with grease. After pressing the seal in place. I put about a 1/16 inch of grease on the inner surface of the inner bearing and pack a little extra grease between the seal and bearing. I do the same type of procedure for the outer bearing. After making sure the hub and outer bearing is fully seated by hand I add little each grease before placing the washer in place. There is also slight discoloration on the spindles where the bearings ride. This is consistent among all spindles, and there is no pitting or galling. I check the hub and tire temps during and 50% of my stops, and always after coming dow a mountain pass. They are always within about 5-10 degrees of each other. The highest temps have been around 130 degrees and mostly running around 115-120 degrees. Also I had my tires balanced about 18,000 miles ago and I always make sure the weight is still in place on the inner rim when the tires are removed. I have the Cooper Discoverer HT3 LT Tires, and just replaced them with new tires due to age (6.5 years). Lastly I do have the Alcan 5 leaf springs and am using the Dexter Shoulder wet bolts, to insure I can easily grease the bolts and the shackles and Ez-Flex moves without restrictions. Should I be worried about the discoloration. Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to included any information related to the Dexter assembly. This is the worst bearing sets. The other front axel the discoloration faded 1/2 way up the rollers. This is the CV2 grease. Thanks

This was sensible on a cost basis 5 years ago and before. LiFePO4 batteries used to be expensive. Today you get far more usable Ah/$ going with LiFePO4 batteries over 4 "golf cart batteries!" Watering batteries doesn't have to be a thing anymore, OMG! 🤣 But what do I know? I really dislike connecting to shore power. With our recent upgrades, we travel for weeks without the need to plug in! Our DC-DC charger alone allows us to produce more Ahs in 5 hours towing than you have in your entire system after being plugged in all night, and that's if your batteries were brand new. Really, take a good look at LiFePO4 today! You'll save money outright on an Ah/$ basis. When you figure 10-year vs. 5-year life, the savings truly double! Lead acid only belongs in the tow vehicle as a starter battery, not anymore for deep-cycle storage.

Spray cleaner of your choice (Fantastik, 409, etc) and an old toothbrush - then a few paper towels. We keep a “Dustbuster” in the trailer for routine cleanups. Keeps the grit buildup to a minimum. A long-term fix -might- be to fill that awkward gap with some kind of caulk. That way there’d be no gap to collect crud. I’d be very careful with acetone or any petroleum or solvent based liquids. I think you’d risk eating away at the flooring adhesive or even the flooring itself.

Thanks for trying to help everyone. I wish Oliver would let us owners have and electrical diagram so we can tell where all the relays and circut breakers are hidden. After countless hours of testing and looking around I finally found a breaker hidden at the bottom of the trailer below the negitive ground terminal on the outside of the battery box. There are two switches on the breaker. One is on the front side and easy to see but, the other is underneath the breaker and is a swing arm thats hard to see. That was the one that popped. Everythings is honky dory now. Thanks again for trying to help....I really appreciated it.

Every couple of years I clean that area with a bit of acetone on an old rag. Be careful and do not get too aggressive with the acetone. Good luck! Bill

Galileo, Plugs should have a fairly tight fit in the receptacle and they will not easily fall out. However, we have all run across worn out, or poor quality, receptacles that the plug will not stay in. When a plug is loose in the receptacle, it means that the electrical connection is also loose! It’s one of the most common causes of fire. Loose connections have a high resistance that create heat, and/or arcing. It’s best to replace the receptacle. Otherwise, bend the plug prongs outward just a bit to improve the connection and the holding friction. Hardwiring is okay, but it shouldn't be needed. Cheers! Geoff

I believe that it is a shame that we have to be so surprised by a company that really does stand by its product. However, it is really refreshing to hear about those who do. Thanks for letting us know how these guys have treated you. Bill