Geronimo John

Moderator, this is a tad off topic, but related. Please move it as you deem appropriate. Thanks +++++++++++++++++++++ John and Fellow Owners: Now that I in the TPMS group, I was wondering about current thinking concerning a rapid tire pressure loss event. What are your thoughts about this video? http://www.doityourselfrv.com/rv-tire-blowout-tip/ http://www.doityourselfrv.com/rv-tire-blowout-tip/ Geronimo John

I have owned a Honda EU 2000i generator for years and would run them 14 hours a day all week while on our Lake Powell House Boat two or three weeks a year. In over ten years it has never failed once. For my Ollie (May 2018) I will be getting their new EU2200i. It is 1" longer than the previous and 10% more power. Sadly it cost almost double the cost of the competition. But to me, having an absolutely reliable generator is essential. And having the extra 200 watts gives us options and will not be stressing the generator should we need to do long run A/C use as well.

I can foresee that not having a pick-up truck bed will eventually result in a storage space crunch. So to delay that time, I am trying to be very efficient in what and how much stuff I will load Ollie with. I know that I must have a grease gun and the special red grease that the EZ flex requires. Your very helpful post congers up a couple of thoughts: A. Your post said: "The first time I did it, it took a full 14 oz tube, plus a little more." is important. For the above reasons my preference is to use a small grease gun with the 3 OZ Red Grease tubes. If I have to load up 5 tubes or more of it for the first time, that's probably not real good. So, I have to ask the question: Why would OTT not do the initial grease load up on the EZ Flex while the trailer is at the factory? B. After your initial "cavity fill" of grease, how much grease do you now use per service? (Reason is to get a feeling if I can still use my smaller grease gun after my initial cavity fill.) Thank you for your post. You are the first I have seen to indicate how much grease we will actually need. Since my initial Ollie voyage will be at least 8,000 trailer miles, grease is on my mind. Geronimo John

Mark: what is the status of your 2 5/16" ball request? thanks, Geronimo John

I spent several hours trying to find the 3 Oz tubes for my mini grease gun. THANK YOU for the extra effort and this post.

thank you!

What do you have mounted above the lower access hatches? They look like a pair of long tubes. Thank you, Geronimo John

John D: First, really cool way to avoid deterioration of the under side of the Ollie! A. I assume you are standing off the rubber from the frame with the spacers to avoid corrosion of your steel sub-frame. Correct? B. Scrap used conveyor belting is very available. It is used at airports, warehouses, mining, bulk material yards, equipment rental places and many more. Just look for an conveyor in a yard and you will find the old belts piled up. The former users of it are generally very willing to just give it away. What happens is that it physically gets damaged and they usually replace a lot more than just the damaged section. So there is just about always a lot of good belt sitting there waiting to be cut off. Another quality idea and execution from John D! Thanks, Geronimo John

John D. Very excellent. Are new trailers being modified at the factory before delivery? Thank you, Geronimo John

My TV is a Sequoia. So I need to keep it either in the trailer or in the storage bay below. I'm not yet familiar with the "O" grills. Are you referring to the O Grill 900T made by Pro-Iroda? Thank you, Geronimo John

Do any of the above grills fit into the Oliver Elite II rear lower storage compartment area? Thanks, Geronimo John

Sorry for a follow-up question. The only difference in size between the EU200I and the EU2200I is the that new one is an inch or so longer. So, assuming that the Honda EU2000i is purged of all fuel, will it fit into the basement storage area at back of the Elite II? Thanks

Does the new Honda EU2200I have an internal fuel filter? Thanks

John D.: Once again you have gone above and beyond in the good advice category! Many thanks. New Ollie Owners. I checked out the videos and the Tire Traker TT500 comes in various capabilities. With a reasonably new vehicle with it's own tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), for the Elite II application I believe we would want the TT500-6 to be able to monitor six tires. They likely would be the four on the ground under Ollie and its spare. Having a spare sensor in the glove box is a good idea. I would suggest a slightly different upgrade. I would put all six sensors in play. Of course the five on Ollie, but the sixth one on the full size spare tire of my Sequoia ..... that also is a PITA to check the pressure on! This is value added as most of us do not bother to change out our spare tire sensor when we buy four new tires for the Tow Vehicle (TV). For peace of mind, knowing that my TV spare also is road ready would be very nice. That said, I agree with John D. that purchasing a spare sensor beyond the six they send with the TT500-6 unit is a good idea. How many of us have a son/daughter that helps with our set up? It would be good to have an extra sensor in the glove box to keep handy for when they back the trailer tire into a curb and eat the rear Ollie tire sensor. Or as John D. suggests, just to have an extra one should it be needed. The TT500 - 6 is $359 at both their site and Amazon. Extra sensors are $35, Sensor caps replacement is $5 for 12, or better get the Maintenance Pack at $29 as suggested by John D. Wishing you all a great season! Geronimo John Tire-Tracker-TT500-6-Tire-Monitoring.docx

"BTW, you will love the way your Ollie pulls behind the truck, IF it has the 5.7 drive train…. It’s a beast. My Land Cruiser does great. If you have an older 4.7 truck, then it is going to be very inadequate." John D: For her maiden voyage, I'll be heading from Ollie pick up in TN to OR, to ID, To UT, To TX, To NC, to VA, and back to Dallas. About 8,000 miles starting in late May. I'll let you know how inadequate the 4.7L Sequoia turns out. I'll also go with 60 PSI on the tires as suggested. Future upgrade: Tire monitoring system. If your observations are spot on, I'll be looking for a Land Cruiser 5.7! Thank you for all the thoughts and advice you have provided to the Forum, and wishing you many more years to continue doing so. Geronimo John

I had my cup of morning coffee and was checking emails. Opened the picture and laughed so hard I dumped the coffee. OOPs..... Oh wow, I have to add that truck to my Christmas list! For an Ollie II, I wonder if it would require an Anderson? LOL Too perfect. Thanks GJ

John: It looks like the 2013 LC is using the same drive train as the Tundra and Sequoia. The LC is about a foot shorter as well which is good for off road and I don't need the extra 12" for travel or hauling. It appears that the LC "body armor", suspension, and certainly the interiors are all significantly upgraded and optimize for off road. Great machine, but as you indicated, it's double the cost of a 2013 Sequoia with the same engine, transmission and a lot of other parts as well. As a TV the LC at 8500 Tow Rating works great. The 7400 Tow Rating of the Sequoia with the LC engine and trans sits pretty much right between my 2005 and the 2013 LC. I will put a few miles on the 2005 to get a better perspective on how the Elite II pulls and my unit handles it. For sure I am looking at the updated Sequoia, and maybe even to the LC as you suggested. Thanks for the get back and info. GJ

Rumline: Now that would really be a problem. Thank you for the heads up. I'll check further with USAA. But first, yes, I'm learning the system now.... Are there any USAA insured former Military Ollie Owners out there that have already worked this issue? Thank you all again! GJ

Sherry: Thanks for the 5 year ago warning. Very important to keep in mind. My TV is rated at GVRW 6700, Combined Gross Weight 12,000 pounds. Curb Weight of 5070 with all extras loads it out to no more than 5800. My decked out Elite II will weigh in at 5450 max. Combined with the max weight of the Sequoia loaded out with all gear is 11,250. Just under the 12K max. I will be using an Anderson. Total loads will generally be less as I will travel 95% of the miles pretty much with a dry trailer. G.J.

Thank you John. I had not thought of the Toyota L.C. Pretty stout vehicle. Come to think of it, I have not ever seen one broken down on the highway. Geronimo John

For this year, we will be using a 2005 Toyota Sequoia (4.7L V8) to tow our Elite II that will be hatched in May. I am a Mechanical Engineer and have well maintained this one owner vehicle. I have exclusively used only Mobile 1 synthetic oils and I believe, as a result, our Sequoia is mechanically still in very good condition despite having 215,000 miles. Our first trip with our Ollie will be coast to coast and back this summer chasing the Paragliding competitions across the USA. If we have the endurance, we will be covering just over 8,000 miles. And YES I will be using an Anderson. :-) I anticipate that by our second major trip (Summer 2019) we will be in a position to upgrade our TV. Hence the purpose of this post. We generally base camp at sites with maintained dirt/gravel roads. Then load up four adults with gear and climb up less kind roads to higher altitude paraglider launches. In past lives, we were tent campers and used a 1994 4-Runner, then a 1999 1500 Suburban, and for many years our 2005 Sequoia. All were/are 4X4, with center locking diff, a locker rear end, and off road tires. I loved the old solid axle 4-Runners for climbing; but they are now outdated and would be way too small for the Elite II. The Suburban was a bit too large and heavy for the off-road use. Our 2005 Sequoia is about the right size for us; and is good enough off road. But I do agree with several Ollie owners that our 2005 is a bit on the light side for long distance towing of an Elite II. I would love to hear your recommendations for a used SUV TV to tow an Oliver Elite II AND that has pretty good off road capability. Thank you,

Spike: The tow capacity is from my original brochure from Toyota. Yes, I have kept it all these years. I had a devil of a time finding the MFG max tongue weight. I did finally get this spec's off the internet. Frankly, I had a hard time with the 1300 pound number myself. Besides, even if the Sequoia could handle it, the hitch can't. I could find the Class III Receiver Hitch info. It is much more realistic: Trailer Receiver Size: 2 Inch Hitch Opening Towing Capacity: 500 Pound Tongue Weight and 5000 Pound Towing Weight Distribution Towing Capacity: 650 Pound Tongue Weight and 6500 Pound Towing This makes finding the right one pretty much a requirement I think. Thanks for the push back on the numbers. GJ

I again thank each of you for the considered responses and perspectives. Mentally I am having to re-calibrate to a 24' trailer vice a similar sized I/O tail heavy boat trailer. The tandem axles of the boat are well behind that of an Elite II due to the big block being near the transom. The impact difference on the TV of course is a lot more tongue weight (due to tail heavy I/O) and a higher propensity for sway due to side square footage of the trailer vs. boat. I think that the "Insurance" provided, ride comfort advantages, and limitations of my specific tow vehicle combine to make getting a WDH a good expenditure. I have the expertise to install it so I will be looking at the Equalizer 9000-1000 (With necessary mods to the Crowl) and the redesigned bolt on Anderson with no mods. I prefer no mods, but I also would like to see more time on the road for the new Anderson design field reports to accumulate. Good news is I have time to do both as my Elite II Egg does not hatch until mid May. Again, thank you all. I very much appreciate the great responses to my questions and look forward to the future with the Oliver Community. Mahalo, Geronimo John

I have posted updates to the below message in italics and bold. The responses from our community have been wonderful and very much appreciated. GJ Hello. This is my first post, so a bit about my background. I have extensive Idaho, Utah, and Colorado high mountain off road and heavy boat trailer experience. My vehicle of choice for hauling hang gliders and paragliders up mountain fire roads is my 2005 Toyota Sequoia 4x4 (4.7 (updated typo) liter V8, 7100 pound tow limit with a max tongue weight of 650 (Updated) pounds with a WD hitch). I have very little RV experience, but have owned a 23' inboard or years. Starting this Spring, I will be using this vehicle as my Elite II tow vehicle with my target trips almost all being in mountains with all types of road. As I am looking at options for my Oliver Elite II, the Anderson topic is very much on my mind. As I have not needed a anti-sway or WDH before, I would appreciate your thoughts on the below: A. Would you classify my Sequoia as a heavy duty or a light duty tug? (Updated: Consensus Answer NO. Get an Anderson) B. Is it safe to assume that Oliver new builds if specified to have an Anderson WDH, will have the new design Red inserts and "Whale Tail"? C. Is the Anderson designed to handle maintained (updated) mountain roads that likely will be causing a bit of trailer rotation and movement, not to mention switchbacks? D. Finally, with a limited budget, in your opinion, is the Anderson an expense that I should undertake with the above circumstances? (UPDATED: With my TV capability be marginally above the Elite II requirements, IMHO, a WD hitch is required. ) I thank you for your time and sharing your expertise. Geronimo John