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From across the lake

Good day all! Wanted to share my hull number and the selected name of my Apex 23 that I’ll be picking up Oct 7th at the Mothership if all goes according to plans. In honor of the hull number I’m choosing a name taken from the writings of Thomas Jefferson (who was born in 1743) along with a “tongue in cheek” nod to part of military career as an Infantry Officer. His “Cannons of Conduct” contain 12 wonderful recommendations about how we should live our lives that I wholeheartedly agree with. So hopefully all will welcome myself, my pups and “Cannon Fodder” to the group. Cheers! Douglas

Dan, you are correct and if "two techs" made such statements, the were absolutely WRONG in stating such nonsense! See PDF page 11 of the Andersen Installation Instructions which I have also captured in the picture below. It states first hand-tight and then use socket and tighten to 3-4 more threads showing. The WDH only works from the chain tension. If you kick on the chains properly adjusted you should hear a bass note hum from the tension! 😎 I used the Andersen before we upgraded to Alcan Springs. My older Dodge 2500 is borderline, owners manual stating it's needed when over 500 LB tongue weight or 5000 LB tow weight. The Oliver exceeds both numbers. The Oliver would cause our rear to sag 2" and the Andersen when adjusted would bring the height back up to perfectly level (see pic). Without the Andersen we would have serious porpoising. Turns out the Alcans allow the Oliver suspension to manage itself eliminating the porpoising, so we stopped using the Andersen WDH after the suspension upgrade. First thing to do for your 9K LB 2500 series EV truck is to remove the Andersen WDH! CAUTION: If you remove the Andersen WDH also replace the ball hitch <OR> if you continue to use the same ball mount provided by Andersen, lock the base with the collar pin. If not there is only a circlip holding the hitch ball in place. If @Douglas Rink is towing with a 1/2 ton truck then it is suggested but a waste of money for the 2500 series truck. Anybody need a good used Andersen WDH with a new 2 5/16" ball and cone? Andersen-WD-Hitch-Installation.pdf

Hope to see ya all soon. Coming from So Cal. I may have an extra spot as our friends (#073) may not make it. I'll post again real soon

We use Progressive, but not the online application. Find a local independent agent, I applied online years ago and costs were double. Was with GEICO for 10+ years, but they became extremely annoying. We run full coverage when we're traveling and then when I know we'll be parked at home for a few months, a request to my agent and he changes coverage to COMP only which saves about half the cost for that period of time. We own more cars and trucks than drivers in the household, so we always have 1-2 vehicles on comp coverage only. I had to file a car accident with Progressive recently. They want you to use their app, take pics and a movie showing the damage. In a few days they reply with a settlement and set it up to pay you electronically. Same day I had money transferred. Then it's up to you to get quotes where you want it fixed. If quotes are more $$$ then you'd have to communicate with an adjuster for approvals. Given you'd prefer to go to OTT that should be OK with most insurance companies. They likely would not pay travel expenses, so the Oliver would have to be cross-country towable to get it there or transportation costs may be exorbitant! Ours is insured for stated value equal to the actual cash we paid for our used Oliver plus all (documented) upgrade costs kept in a spreadsheet. When buying new you have a current receipt for cost paid, but without a stated-value policy, if totaled they will deduct depreciation as they see it. Congrats on your new Oliver Apex, it's only 3 weeks away! 😎

@Hokieman Not sure what to explain in regards to the shackles and wet bolts being heavier duty than Dexter parts. They simply appears bigger/larger. Once you get over the fact that the wet bolts could possible spin over time due to no spines in the shackles, all is well, I guess. As to why Oliver is using Dexter parts with Alcan springs, I'm not sure. If they are, I can only think of a few reasons why: They have tons of Dexter spare parts and want to use them up & save $$$. Or they are making a less than desirable decision to save $$ and use Dexter parts with Alcan springs. 🤷‍♂️ The parts will be fine I'm sure. Most of those bolts & shackles had held up pretty well. Oh sure, a few reports of broken ones over the years, but only time will tell with pure Alcan parts. Again, a business does not stay in business since 1971 if they make crap parts, I would think. Us men can be so darn anal detailed oriented with our data-point comparisons that it surely creates super long threads. 🤣. It's like our chess games but with RV parts. 😉 I spend much of my time in recent years ensuring I know how to retire and if I did a good enough job with the portfolio (I think so). And now whether or not I want to go thru a full RV Tech school to have a better foundation, or simply goof-off in early retirement. Decisions, decisions.

I believe if we were ever to mooch-dock with family, I'd use the wet bath inside or better yet borrow the family shower in the house! 🤣 I use the outdoor shower boondocking when miles away from others, and yes we're always "in the dirt." I thought of an outdoor shower mat, not like the one Steve showed but something perforated. But the issue with either kind is afterwards you have a big dirty shower mat to clean. Too much trouble. I wear water shoes when showering outside. They get a little dirty on the bottoms and I take them off as I'm stepping on to the camping carpet. When they dry out, just rub them together to remove the dried dirt and put them back in the truck. Also, where we generally camp the shower water is absorbed very quickly in the ground, rarely creating puddles or mud. 😎 I also use water shoes in public showers at campgrounds for health concerns.

The shower hose I purchased was a stainless steel hose on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0dgsEMfQ &nbsp; It was very straightforward..open the street side access hatch and a little teflon and you're golden! I have had it on there for five years and it fits just fine and hasn't bound up inside the compartment. Here are a couple shots of the suction mount. It's a ratchet style with two additional suction cups below it for some added strength.

Thank you both! I’ve definitely been impressed with and feel incredibly welcome to the group. Answers to your questions: 1. Home is Clover SC (just across Lake Wylie from Charlotte). 2. There were a few options for the Apex and out of those I chose the rear hitch for my bike rack, and the Anderson weight distribution hitch. I’m also having an OGO composting toilet installed (prefer over the brand Oliver offers). 3. I decided to go with the Oliver for the two main reasons of their quality build and 4 season capability. As I prefer to camp more off the beaten path having the Apex model option sealed the deal. I’ll be at the Rally in October and hopefully will meet y’all there!

In June we had our Dexter OEM axles upgraded to 5200's. Our replacement 2400 pound rated Dexters were retained. No reason to replace them after just a couple of seasons. What I did learn of interest follows: As of that time, Alcan has replace abut 300 sets of OEII springs at their shop. They have also sent to other Oliver owners about 450 sets of springs. Both 4 and 5 leaf. They have also sent a bunch of 5 leaf springs to Oliver for use in the new Heavy Duty suspension, and sent four leaf springs for the other 90% of their customers. I specifically discussed with Alcan the repair method for spun spline bolts. He stated that the Hex Head Washer approach IS the best solution. He also stated that the second best solution is to weld a spacer washer and try to create a new splins. I asked if it was his trailer which he wouldl do: He stated the Hex Head Washer approach is how he would do it. I asked what he thought about the Dexter 1750 rated springs: He stated they are too light for a 6K trailer full time loaded. I am glad to hear that OTT has gone with the suggestions made about 30 pages ago..... GJ

Please take before and after movies, pre and post Alcan upgrade. 😎

Nice shower! Being a man, and given our usual boondocking spots, I'm out there showering in underwear without a curtain. Chris showers inside but I'm outside whenever possible so I don't get the entire wet bath wet! When I do shower inside, I empty the room and then end up hosing the entire wet bath clean too! Most people do not realize dumping grey water is allowed in the National Forests wherever dispersed camping is allowed and when 200 ft from a water source (see USFS Dispersed Camping publication). I'm not certain, but I apply this rule to BLM lands as well. The high desert critters and bugs eat it up and by the next day you wouldn't even know it was there. Drain slowly so not to cause erosion, and an outdoor shower is a small amount of grey water let go slowly. 😎 USFS Dispersed Camping_stelprdb5196126.pdf

Hey I just got it and already did a Tennessee trip this year! 😅 Anyhow still working, close to retirement so one big trip is all that can be managed

Both doors clear the front basket when the trailer is straight behind, but one door or the other will stop at the basket if not close to straight. The van probably should be discussed under the Towing an Oliver topic. I've gotten several questions about it recently due to its appearance at the rally. I'll probably start a Sprinter van as TV thread sometime soon. On Tuesday night 5/6 the park was maybe 10-15% occupied. There are about 100 sites, but less than half are premium waterfront with the large concrete parking pads. I didn't notice a swimming beach area on the lake. There's a swimming pool though. More info here: Roosevelt State Park

Keep an eye on the OTT "For Sale" section of our forum. If you find one you like, check out the owner's posts. It is amazing what you can learn about the history of their trailer as a result, and about the owner's skills as well. To you above list of upgrades if purchasing an Older OEII, I would add upgrading the Invertor to 3,000 watts, a Victron Orion DC-DC 12-12 30 amp charging system, and of course a 350 amp BlueSeas Master Switch and Victron 712 Smart Shunt to your list. Maybe adding solar or at least a solar suit case or two if it does not have solar already. Each of these efforts have been done by many owners and how to do DYI documentation here is off the charts helpful. To do the project listed, you will need normal tools, plus assorted hand power tools, a hole saw of the proper size, dedicated cable cutter, and a hydraulic lug crimp for starters. First spend some time with your used Ollie and try to understand all of the systems before doing any DYI mod. Please take the time to really study each project and look at all the different ways of doing each of them well before buying anything. Questions? First search the web. Then Google search the web. You'll get more items to digest as their search engine seems to be better than ours. If you still have questions then ask them on one of the threads for that mod. Just know that there may be several threads for a given topic, and each of us posters generally like our way the best....but some times the other thread has a better. And most importantly, looking at them all you likely will come up with an even BETTER way for that DYI effort. With our new Houghton A/C and 3 ea Battleborn 100Ah batteries and 3,000 watt inverter we can run our A/C for almost three hours in hot conditions. We routinely charge our BB's with a Progressive Dynamics 60 amp charger. When we need to run longer and do not have shore power, our Honda EU2200i generator works great. Some owners have the older Honda 2,000 w inverter and it is equally successful. However, some other brands of 2K generators will not pull the load. Lots of posts on this topic! IMHO, only for special needs situation is there a need for a super expensive and heavy 3,000 watt generator.... On the other hand, if you are Full Timing, and you discover some gold nuggets, then the Honda 3000 watt inverter generator would be the best on the market. Then you have a lot of power flexibility. I recall a recent post about this generator and that it fits in our front aluminum basket. GJ GJ

We’ve camped in 100+ temps often, normally when we’re trying to get out of south Texas to cooler areas. The old Dometic in our trailer does fine keeping the interior cool, although it is a bit noisy. Texas heat usually includes a fair amount of humidity. Western Slope in CO will have significantly less humidity. We camp there often since our son and family live in Durango. Mike

Our previous Dometic Noise Maker A/C, and current Houghton are both 13,500 BTU. Both were used over the past five years at Tinker AFB, OKC OK. in 108 degree full sun conditions. Both of these A/C's were cycling which tells me that they had a bit of spare capability in them. Note that I did keep the sun side window shades drawn, and had the awning extended about 3' for some wall shading. Did not go beyond this distance due to local thermals passing by occasionally. If you buy a used Ollie, plan on replacing the Dometic Penguin II A/C. New OTT offers a much better A/C now. GJ

You might check your inside connection of the outside faucet. The inside collar broke. One end is metal and the one that broke is plastic. I think the metal end should be the inside trailer connection. It is under more stress. Oliver might want to revise the build instructions. The plastic end was connected inside the trailer. Honestly, neither end should be made of plastic. Hopefully this is a standard hardware store buy. We are on the road, where these things always happen!

Update for anyone out there wondering. The trailer is in the shop at Bretz RV in WA. Truma needed the issues confirmed by a certified rep, of course. They thought it was part A, and it was confirmed to be part A. However, the shop reached out to order part A, and Truma is saying they don't sell just that part, so now there is a debate about whether we have to buy a new furnace! The warranty is 2 years, and the trailer was built in 2023, so that is nice that it recently expired. At this point, no idea when we will get her back, and we have a departure date of next Saturday for a long long trip. urgh.