Geronimo John
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Posts posted by Geronimo John
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Cedar Forks:
Your three files really simplify our understanding of the water systems in my 2018 Olive Elite II. I hope that you don't mind, but I combined the three files and reformatted them a bit to fit on one page.
Geronimo John
Note: My eagle eyed wife corrected my misspelling for Boondocking...
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We have the twin beds as well, and decided to go with a simple 6" memory foam mattress. on top of the stock one. A few minutes with a butcher knife and it was customized to the radius drawing of the trailer. Amazon: Zinus M-FMS-600N 6 Inch Memory Foam Mattress, Narrow Twin, $96.
Our thought process was that we sleep on a four inch over our mattress/box spring, so go with the 6" and the stock mattress. It worked out very well and we did not need a bank loan to pay for it.
One suggestion is if you go this route, have Oliver shorten the height of the back seat cushions that lay on top of the mattress against the wall and around the corner to the center cabinet.
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I'm open to solar down the road when the technology for "Nap of the roof" installation comes about. I cover lots of miles each summer, basically coast to coast and then back to Dallas; so wind resistance (and appearance) are my two stopper points.
Having solar panels that are direct adhered to the contours of Ollie would eliminate almost all the holes and the wind resistance. The manufacturers are not quite close enough at this point in time. So, for now anyway, its a 2200 watt Honda EU-2000, four batteries, inverter and eazy-start for the A/C.
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@ John D:
Thanks for the good read. Posted within is a link to "How to Wash Your Car Show Style". To save readers time, the YouTube link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOt--yizRoc
Before watching this riveting and informative video, I recommend having a full cup of coffee (AM) or beverage of choice (PM). You'll know why when the video is over. :-).
I thought I knew all the ins and outs of the two bucket approach, but learned a bunch. So, thanks John D!
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My Ollie is on the road for over 100 days during the summer and washing while traveling is essential. Whether you use Rejex or Meguires Flagship Marine wax (Very similar to Rejex, but quite a bit less costly) about once a week, a wash is essential. Upon arrival at a Military Family RV Camp, I make it a point to politely ask the park manager his policy on washing of RV's. At military FAMCAMPS, it is OK about 90% of the time. However, rarely is it permissible to to wash the Tow Vehicle (TV).
That said, the etiquette question still comes into play. How you wash your trailer makes a lot of difference. Some suggestions on etiquette washing that I follow are:
If the trailer has mud on it, don't wash it at the FAMCAMP.
I don't wash Ollie if there is any possibility of disturbing others.
I try not to waste water (and protect your trailer's finish) by using a two bucket approach.
I use absolutely the minimum amount of soap necessary if any!
I use biodegradable soap and use it very sparingly.
I make sure that is no runoff from my parking area.
I make near zero sound when washing (No conversations, music, high velocity water noise, bucket bumping, are examples to avoid.)
I wash Ollie at a reasonable hour, not when the neighbors are asleep.
If there is any doubt, or if I do not have explicit permission, the I won't wash Ollie.If I can not wash my Ollie within these parameters, then I'll either go to the base car wash before arriving or when departing the FAMCAMP.
If not at a military FAMCAMP, then I follow John and SeaDawg's advice.
One final thought: Never, never ever wash anything outside of your rig at a Walmart Super-center or other establishment which has been so kind to allow us to park overnight. Frankly etiquette at these wonderful locations should be taken to an extreme, and deserves a separate thread.
Welcome to our Oliver Family!
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John D:
I have enjoyed your "How To" on the efforts to protect the Mouse. Craftsmanship is supreme, and it certainly keeps a ton of potential damage away from your hull. Again, thank you for posting the additional pictures. After last summer's trans USA tour with our Ollie, I saw the light when I found road spray/grime on the front left and right side of the trailer. I know I need better protection than what I had. As a result, for some time I have wanted to ask you about your systems:
A I was wondering what aerodynamic impact you have felt as a result of the installation of your system?
B. It would be really fun to see pictures of it from the side at highway speed! Hopefully to assess the turbulent airflow impacts on the mud flaps. This would be helpful so as to:
Gauge the probable angle of deflection of debris as it travels down the underside of the trailer.
Optimize location of the flaps at speed.
Assess the effectiveness of the as weighted flaps at speed. Possibly to optimize the hang angle by increasing/decreasing the lower edge weighting.Over time, I will emulate some, if not all of the systems you have so painstakingly designed, fabricated and installed. Thank you for doing so and for sharing the details in the "How To" section of our forum! Unfortunately, it is very likely that my efforts will be over several years. Would it be possible for you to rank order the systems installed or purchased (Stone Stomper)? By doing so, I can emulate your efforts in the order of most effective first.
Stone Stomper Gravel Guard under the tongue of the Mouse.
Truck rear tire mud guards
Stone Guard in front of the Mouse step.
Transverse stone guard behind the steps and in front of the twin axles
Trailer rear mud guards
Other?John I again thank you for your efforts here on the Oliver Forum. You consistently offer from the heart advice and many good ideas.
Geronimo John
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I'm on board with KountryKamper. Have the same set up.
Due to wind, I use our curb side awning sparingly. During storms, I retract it leaving about 42" exposed (at a high angle) as a rain shield so that we have a dry zone at the entry side. I use the Anderson Hitch as an anchor, centered up under the middle of the awning with two 550 Para-Cord lines up in a "V"shape to the awning. These lines are tight so that any uplift is first seen against the dead weight. If really strong winds are in order, I fill two five gallon buckets with water and dead weight them against the awning at the top of the two poles.
If I had extra cash to burn, I would not get a second one. But if it showed up on my trailer, I would likely only use it only to replicate the above to give a dry path to the basement and outside shower.
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Dwain:
First, welcome to our Oliver Community! I'll leave the tour and travel recommendations to other that know all the stops and routes better than I.
I do recommend that you spend a lot of time with the Forum and Oliver University. A lot of time. You can search just about any topic you can think of.
Please plan on spending a couple of days in your Ollie somewhere near the Mother Ship (Hohenwald) WITH your wife. Remember they are not staffed weekends. But Phil is always available by cell to new pick-up owners. He is a dream come true. Plan on spending ALL day with him on Thursday. They pay for the first night camping... use it. Then travel a few miles, southeast, but not too many. You'll have a lot of question and being nearby should a problem not be solvable, a quick trip back there on FRIDAY is essential. You would want to be close so that if they have to do some work, they can do it on Friday early as possible.
Be sure to get a tire pressure monitoring system and a good air gauge.
John
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Hawaii no sales tax, but $550 a year to register.... for a trailer that will never see a single sunset in Hawaii it seems a bit high.
I'm looking into going "Out of State Registration" and pay sales tax in Texas on my now used Oliver and import it and pay $56 annually to register it. Long term a good investment.
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@Yukon:
If you use the attachment, and have a 5500 pound trailer weight reduced by the 10% that the tongue is carrying, then per that attachment you only need to carry 1237 pounds per tire. That is off the chart, but is about 30 PSI. Not Recommended by the vast majority of the owners.
What is recommended is that you get a Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Set the pressure with COLD tires that have been in the shade. The majority of us seem to be using a number in the mid to a bit higher 50's. Like KountryKamper I have used 60 PSI in the past and will be lowering it to 56 or 57 PSI this season. Having a TPM System has lots of advantages, but I encourage you to Search the topic as there are only about 200 posts with lots of answers and opinions that certainly make for a good read. But on the subject of having one,I have not heard one Ollie owner that has one that would run without it. We pretty much all think it is an essential safety item.
You will also read in that search why you want to be well above the Michelin minimum settings. As well as when you will want to lower the pressure off of the 50's due to road conditions.
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@Carnivore:
I strongly recommend you get the inverter, and if it is not standard by now, the Soft Start Kit for your A/C. The inverter converts battery power from 12V to 110V so that you can make coffee or use the microwave and not run the generator early in the day. The soft start kit on the A/C lets you run your A/C with your Honda EU 2000. I do recommend the Honda EU2200 (It replaced the EU2000) as it gives you some spare capacity and makes running the A/C less of a full load chore for your generator as well. With both you have to manage your 110V power usage and your battery charge level and charging efforts. Remember to keep your refrigerator on "Gas".
We purchased our Oliver with the standard batteries and the inverter. We often boon-dock and use a Honda EU2200 during the day to charge up. We can function well with the basic system (Inverter and 1,000 AH marine batteries), but have to watch our power use in the morning. When these batteries die, I will replace them with four 6 volt ones as I have the gear to make new cables to do so. If budget is an issue, then the batteries are something that can wait and be done a few years down the road.
When you go solar, then you will need the "Full Monte". What some owners do is go with the inverter and standard batteries, then just before the 12V batteries die, get the Solar added with the 4 AGM 6V ones. I would be curious to know what Oliver charges for a retrofit of solar vs. getting it during original build. Then discount the battery costs as you would be getting them anyway (assuming you waited until the marine batteries were worn out).
Beyond cost, the primary reason that I did not get solar is the drag that the current ones certainly add to the slick hull of the Oliver. Last year the "flexible" panels that were on the market would not "Bend" enough to follow the roof curves. I know that down the road they will become more flexible. If following the roof curves, the air drag would effectively be eliminated. That's when I'll jump onto the Ollie solar team. (We have 27 panels on our home in Hawaii and love it!)
Lots of options as the above owners have mentioned. Good news is that any option Olive offers is already planned for and key wiring is in place to facilitate it's installation down the road. This certainly played a role in our option selections.
Welcome to the Oliver Family!
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@Overland:
I believe your batteries are 1,000 amp hour, not 100.
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We carry a couple of 5 gallon collapse-able fresh water containers and have never not found a place with good water. Using the freshwater dip tube we up-load the water into Ollie. When boondocking I try to park Ollie with the street side to the "Bush". This allows me to put on a swim-suit and have a hot shower outside. As such we save gray water tank space.
Where and when we can, we use campground or restaurant facilities for the toilet and use Ollie's only at night. The above generally lets us stay about ten days at a site before we need to dump.
One of the Owners mentioned putting a cup of Downy fabric softener in the black tank and half a cup in the gray tank. This with a single chemical pod from Walmart keeps our tanks really fresh, as well as the valves lubricated.
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Thanks Bill!
I had not invested any brain cells on the 12V system isolation breaker, so I am glad you answered.
For the eight month "winter" of my Oliver, to eliminate any power draw from my batteries, I disconnected the battery cables at the batteries. Sounds like I could save some time by just pushing the red button to kill ALL the 12 volt power in the E2.
Do you see any issue with that approach?
Thanks,
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@John D: If you like the sensor, could you put the sensor in a freezer zip lock bag and tape it to the underside of the trailer. The zip lock will not effect its temperature readings and would keep it dry.
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PS to Geronimo John's Engineering Perspective:
Sorry, I failed to mention some other key perspectives:
The longer the wheel base of your tow vehicle, the better it will handle your towed load. However, of course this "PRO", has some "CONS" as well. Really long TV's are a PITA to park and maneuver. The compromise for some owners with a need to favor people loads is to go with something like the F-150 Super Crew, 145" wheel base, with the 5 1/2' bed, or Super Cab with a longer bed if their needs favor cargo.
In my original post, I (and several others) mentioned the importance of knowing your payload, and the specific ability of your truck to haul that payload. Along those lines is another required decision to ponder. That is how many people do you need to accommodate and/or how much weight you need to have inside the truck when towing.These considerations, along with those I (and many others) have posted previously are significant components of "Doing your homework" for the truck that will fit your needs best. As stated by others, cutting yourself short on TV capacity (Payload, Axles, Bed Space, Butt Count, Leg Room, FUEL CAPACITY, etc.) likely will result in a TV selection that will not serve you well for the duration. The important issue is that only you know what will work for YOU. So like Smokey the Bear ("Only you can prevent forest fires"), only you can determine your TV specifications. And knowing the basics before even looking at trucks is what "Doing your homework" entails.
Again, good luck.
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A few thoughts from a Mechanical Engineer's perspective:
With the advent of ten speed transmissions, the importance of getting a 4.XX rear end simply is not anywhere as important as it used to be. For example with a Ford 10 speed transmission, while towing an Ollie II, you will not generally be using the top gear or two. So depending on the rear end you pick, at high speed you may be in 7th or 8th gear. Pick an higher number axle and the transmission will simply run in 8th or 9th gear. Pick a lower number axle and you will be running 6th or 7th gear. Point is you can now get an axle that works really well for daily use as well as towing. For the Ford F-150 3.5L, many people are getting the 3.55 locker axle where they can use all ten speeds then daily driving, but also have the ability to drop down and keep their engine exactly where they want it based upon the trailer and cab loadings and the grade of the highway. In the past with 4 or 5 speeds this was impossible.
When doing your test ride, make them as long as you can. Be sure to consider the daily ride of a 3/4 ton vs. that of a 1/2 ton. I really preferred the F150 with the FX4 package ride over the F250. After a few hours in the super duty, my butt was ready for a transfer! But loaded with about 9,000 pounds of trailer and its tongue weight, the F250 ride was excellent. So knowing your likely tow vs daily driving needs is important.
Look at the curb weights of the trucks you are looking to buy. Remember having extra weight has pros and cons. The pro's are that the heavier the truck, generally the better it feels on the road when hauling a loaded trailer. In my case, one of the reasons I chose the mostly aluminum F-150 was to save hauling another 700 pounds of dead weight around. Above a certain point, weight is simply a extra load that you just don't need.
As mentioned above, all the 1/2 ton trucks have pretty limited payloads. This likely will be fine with Oliver in tow, but not if your also plan on loading up the bed with ATV's or other such toys. So sit down and study your truck payloads to determine which class works best for your.
Good luck!
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Viair 450P-RV I also use it to winterize and inflate our paddle boards
At $450 it must be really good!
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@ Tom & Cheryl:
I also use Meguiar's M6316 Flagship Premium Marine Wax and purchase it via Amazon. However I purchase it in the 30 ounce bottle. Saves a bunch.
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I had my Ollie outfitted with the larger Bulldog and Anderson ball. Ran 8,000+ trailer miles last summer and was pleased with the reduced wear rate of the larger assembly. If I were buying another Ollie, I would go with the larger set-up again.
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@Tom and Cheryl:
I vote with you on the Telesteps ladder. I am 250 pounds dressed out, and very much appreciate the attributes of the OSHA compliant Telesteps 1400E Telescoping Extension Ladder. This past summer I used it to build lean-to walls that were 48' long by 12' high. This project along with washing and waxing Ollie for over three months worked out very well. The project put me up and down this ladder many dozens of times a day for weeks on end so I know it has excellent durability.
Beyond being well made, this Telesteps has three good attributes:
It fits nicely into the back of the large storage cabinet at the entry door.
As ladders tend to walk off some times, not having it in my truck is a distinct advantage.
At 18 pounds vs. the Yesker's 26 pounds, it takes less of a toll on your back if moving it a lot.It performs well and I would buy it again should it become necessary. However if you are over 250 pounds, I would suggest John D's Yesker as it is rated for 300 pounds.
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Mike and Carrol:
The suction cup style 14" KES refrigerator towel rod does not appear to be available. Would the Yohom 17" Stainless Steel Vacuum Suction Cup version fit?
I am asking as I do not have access to my OTT in Hawaii.
Thanks,
Alternate Plumbing Diagram
in Mechanical & Technical Tips
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