Geronimo John

I suspect that OTT felt that the the "pain and suffering" of having such a switch inside far outweighed the inconvenience of going outside and flipping the switch on the hot water heater. Specifically: Activating this high current element is mostly concerned with your setup location. Do you have a 30 amp connection to power up Ollie's systems, or just 20, or just solar, or just a generator (Etc.). The power available generally determines if I'll even be using the hot water electrically driven. However, having a switch inside would allow a whole lot of others to just flip it on. The impact could instantly trip the breaker. That could have a lot worse impacts. Benefit/Cost Analysis Summary: Fail. GJ

Having an OBD reader opens up a lot of different settings that the MFG knows about but may not make available on your trim level. Many of those options are actually available for the owner with such a scanner. For my 2019 F-150 they include: Bambi Mode Transmission Temp Display in degrees F above the idiot light Disable Auto Start/Stop Turn off double honk when leaving the truck with keys in it... like hooking up Ollie Toyota likely has many such options that may improve your truck suites your preferences. Recommend you search the Toyota Forum for your truck's generation. For sure will not improve the engine braking vs a big block V-8, but some of those minor irritations can for sure be fixed easily. GJ

JD: I like your tree guard! I have had my RVC antenna whacked more than once. GJ

I have experienced 80 MPH winds there while setting still. I have experienced hundreds of times 40 MPH wind gusts. So if you don't want to see 80 MPH winds on the AC, you are now limited to running 40 mph or below. Just saying there are hugly strong wind gusts out west, and if the fasteners have cracked the cover, making those connections more sturdy by adding the SS fender washers would be a smart idea. Just saying.....

On interstate highway steep sections The Beast will go as fast as I want to pay for fuel. No exceptions. At Buffalo Mountain in Oklahoma, I drag Ollie up or down a somewhat improved gravel fire road four times a summer. It is an 8 mile trek with grades 7 - 11% with a rough section at 13%. When transversing steep grades on gravel at 13%, I am running slow, 4X4 low range center transfer case, with my rear locking diff engaged. I use transmission in manual mode and use gears 1, 2 or 3 depending on grade and road condition. I keep the RPM's at about 2800 to facilitate cooling of the engine, tranny and turbos. Being able to lock everything up and taking it slow has proven to be zero worries. GJ

About 60 years ago, my grandfather and I built a buss bar knife switch very simular to yours. I had totally forgotten about it until I saw yours. Well done! GJ

Have a 200 watt solar suitcase. Used it last year but just ran the cables thru the battery compartment gasket. WIll be installing the z-amp 20 amp plug in the door this summer. After last summer's use, if I were to do it again, I would have gotten two of the 100's. Easier to pack and would fit in more spaces on the move. Looks like I'll be getting a Mainstays silcon lid. Where did you find it? GJ

I'll try that out this summer! GJ

Not a dumb question at all! My generally doing the end of season black tank and dump line cleaning is at a military FamCamp dump station. I like to keep my stay on the dump station as brief as possible. With two hoses running full blast and the tank dump valve open, it gets a vigorous cleaning in about 3 -4 minutes. Poof I'm off station. Besides it's a blast inside that tank! LOL! GJ

Would some gorilla tape over the line of vent holes stick? Would be a lot faster! Cost beats $1.98! But alas likely less life span. GJ

I'm a Battleborn guy, so I have no idea. But I would bet Sherry does know! GJ

Since there appears to be space, what about adding a stainless steel fender washer with a rubber disk under it to seal? then use SS bolts to fasten. If you are really worried, then add some caulk that can be removed from around the bolt head. This would keep water away, and as importantly spread the load on the fiberglass cover from the fastening tension plus wind impacts when in Wyoming at 80 MPH. If the bolts need better grab to the hull, then consider RivNuts. GJ

With the twin turbo and ten speed transmissions, obtainable MPG is substantually determined by wind, grade and speed. The first two you can't change as they are what they are on any given day. So for a given day and highway, that pretty much means you can control only your speed. So picking a speed you want to run you can then play with the transmission gear limit seetting. I have done that enough on the interstates to know that any velocity under about 75 I lock out gears 9 and 10. If almost always keep my speed to 66 MPG or under, Doing so, I do pretty good on the MPG. At least until I get into Wyoming, where on most days, if you are not running well over that, you are the rock in the stream. It is there that I see that exponential rate of fuel burn..... GJ

I am just smart enough to understand why a reboot would allow the inverter electronics and capacitors to fully "Stand Down" overnight. Occasionally my fat fingers have typed in some inadvertent key strokes on my computer that put it into a tail spin and the reboot did the fix job. If you have no need to be in the trailer needing lighting or fans, you could just turn off your master DC switch (or pull the 300 amp fuse) and you will accomplish the same thing without the PITA of removing those massive DC input cables at the Inverter. Me: I would gladly sleep the night in the dark with the Master Switch off, and turn it on in the morning and fire off the coffee pot and microwave in the morning and thereby avoiding messing with those difficult to get to cables. GJ

Thank you for the testing and determination that it wastes a quart of water. I thought it was much more. So good news. However, with very few exceptions (i.e. going Lithium), just about every mod adds weight and complexity. I'm with the "Keep it Simple" group when considering mods. In this case the creative solution is really fun to see. But sadly we flush the toilet several times a day. So using a one quart plastic large mouth container to catch the cold hot water works great for the next flush. However this solution also adds weight (1 oz) and requires maintenance as well (cleaning). 😗

I have had the same experiences with the Toyota V-8's and 3.5 twin turbo's. The new twin turbo's are amazing. GREAT fuel economy when not towing. Good fuel economy towing IF you keep your foot out of the turbo's. I typically get 13+ to 14 MPG running 65 MPH on the interstates. But if I get in a hurry and start seeing much turbo boost on the gauges, the MPG drops off at what seems to be an exponential decline. It would be interesting to see a side by side TFL test of the Ford 350 vs 3.5 Ecoboost and the Toyota 5.7 and the 3.5 Twin turbo with the same loads running a mixed flat land/mountain course. Not to compare the Ford/Toyota, but rather their respective V8 vs TT V6's towing 7,000 horse trailers. JPR NOTE: Why a 7,000 pound horse trailer? I think that combination with less frontal surface area, but more weight would be a nice match for our OE2's with better aero and less weight. Just a SWAG on my part. OR maybe OTT could loan TFL Two Ollies for advertisement purposes! GJ

You may want to inspect the coils on the A/C. Not likely they are the source of your smells, as your trailer appears to have had only a few actual years use. But worth a check to make sure that critters didn't make a home in it. Likewise for the furnace, hot water heater and bathroom vent fan. GJ

Max: Nice set-up for using being able to super clean your black tank at home station. hanks for providing the amount of water necessary to get to the clear flow condition. It will cut down on the number of trips out to the clear sewer hose fitting. My very first purchase after picking up Ollie was a 45 degree clear fitting. They had them at the Hohenwald Walmart. In our case I need to do the full end of season black tank flush at a dump station or at an RV park with hookups. As Mike & Carrol and Steve; I use a clear fitting and a gray hose to the black tank flush valve and my white hose with a ball valve on the end through the bathroom window. I can control the inflow to the black tank from inside Ollie via the OTT OEM shut off valve and the ball valve on my white hose feeding water through the toilet flush valve that I have opened and held down by my military canvas tool bag. What has amazed me is that the process has never not yet created a spray out the toilet from the tank flush system when I have the toilet flush valve held open. (Hint: As there may be differences in your tank and its flush nozzle, recommend careful execution the first time. (Think images of a National Lampoon's Griswold Camping Toilet Repair effort) PS: My white hose never comes into contact with the toilet. GJ

The vast majority of times we have seen this it is a simple matter of the auto adjusters are way out of adjustment. They need to be adjusted on both sides of the trailer to the same point. I would certainly spend the time checking them out before changing out a brake controller. GJ

Steve: That someone was me. $4200 more exactly. Hence both our Prius and our Prius V now have Cat Shields plus a 9 ga expanded HDG screen below the Cats installed. GJ

The Prius line has the top of the line Cat resin. As such, the bad guys get a premium for them. Are they hitting the F-150's as bad as the Prius'? GJ

Seadog: We have a 2008 Prius, and a 2012 Prius V here in Hawaii. My wife's Prius Cat stolen. USAA had to pay 0ver $4,000 in repair costs as they also whacked out a chunk of the exhausts system. We bought two aluminum Cat Shields. I looked at them and thought they would slow down the bad guys about 2 minutes. So I also installed a full coverage 9 ga HDG expanded metal shield below the Cats. Give it about an inch clearance. No way the bad guys will do that again to our two Prius. GJ

Sorry, but I could not resist myself..... We all know that Toyota are bullet proof and require almost no maintenance. But I would recommend checking under the hood every three or four years or so. LOL. Seriously how did that bush get there and thrive? GJ

Art: I've been fortunate to often be further out west where there are AG scales that sit unused most of the time. Repeated weigh checks at different scales show them to generally be within 25 pounds or so. As a result, I have not used a CAT scale. I note from your CAT Scale certificate that they? / you? weighed the whole truck at one time and then the OE2 Axles together. Is it possible to individually weigh each of our axel sets (TV Front, TV Rear, LE) separately to get the three sets of numbers plus the total? Thanks GJ

Big Cat: Kindly first add to your signature block your trailer and tow vehicle info. It is kind to do so. I see from your profile you have a 2018 OEII. Same as ours. You have some really nice gear you appear to be adding (Solar, Litho's and 3,000 w inverter). Individually they are easy to replace like for like. But likely you are in an upgrade effort and that changes everything from a hazard perspective, as my above fellow owners have conveyed. If you are in an upgrade mode, I agree with the above posts in that this is not a simple plug and play effort. If you are not experienced, get some help. If you are a technical and can figure it out, then at least document your plan with specifics and post it back. Critical elements are cable sizes, terminal connection process (Solder, Crimp, Both?), fuse protection devices and their protection levels, MFG and model of all components need to be shown if you want real advice on the safety and effectiveness of what you are planning to do. The primary concern for the DC side is that you have a potential in your Litho's to sustain 300 amps each = 1200 amps towards the trailer loads. Instantaneous discharge can be MUCH higher. That mandates your verification that your trailer fuse is a 300 Amp fuse and that your cables are sized as such. Some other considerations: If you don't have a master battery cutoff switch, install one! I recommend the BlueSeas 350 amp model. Wear face shield and have have your fire extinguisher handy when working any electrical. Think through you use of the extra power from a larger 3,000 watt inverter. For example, are you upgrading from the stock 2,000 watt inverter to safely allow you to run A/C off your Litho's? If so, I strongly recommend that you install a separate power transfer switch dedicated for the Air Conditioning load. Otherwise you will ultimately overload the existing switch that is either a 15 or 20 amp 120 Volt rated switch. Just a matter of time before somebody turns on a heavy load (Think hair dryer or microwave) while the AC is running. The 3,000 watt inverter is much larger and heavier than the stock 2,000 watt unit. This requires special techniques for mounting. All of the above extra efforts are well documented in our forum by owners who know what they were doing. So, please be cautious and think of your entire electrical system before making modifications to it. Upgrades are not "just a plug and play" effort. GJ