Geronimo John

@ JD: We think alike. I carry the Ruger SP-101 for hiking, but modified it to have larger grips. For larger targets is the Winchester Defender (Pump) 12 GA Magnum. If needed, I have an Utah permit as well. That said, this is a bit off topic.....

I do as well. Having the ability of turning on the rear view camera during the day is handy as well. It has answered my question of "What is that idiot doing behind me". Just turning on the trailer lights give him/her a warning as well. More than once it was a 47 HP VW Bug drafting behind Ollie.

Ride and Fly: As our Ollie is often on mountain fire roads, I have had my concerns about the latch as well. Good idea. Do you bolt both sides, or just one? OWNERS: I am going to use "Blind Flange Nuts" (BFN) on mine so that I am not fishing for the washers and nuts behind the frame. For those not familiar with BFN's, below is how they work: A. With the battery slide tray locked with the Oliver slide lock, dill a bolt diameter size hole through the battery slide tray and the stationary frame of the unit. This will assure that you have them properly aligned so that the Oliver slide lock and your supplemental bolt lock work together for bolt insertion and travel. B. Remove the battery tray and drill a slightly oversize hole into the frame to accommodate the BFN. Your hole should ensure that the splines of the BFN "dig in" to the frame material. This gives a tight fit and aids crushing. C. Insert the BFN into the larger hole. I D. There are two ways to "crush" the BFN onto the stationary frame: Use a BFN Crush Tool. I use this when at home. Make your own BFN Crush Tool. I do this when "on the road" as I don't need to carry around the Crush Tool. Start by getting a longer grade 8 bolt (with all threads) and grade 8 nut that have the same threads as the BFN. You'll also need some washers and lubricant. Finally you'll need wrenches. Put the nut on the bolt and then your lubricated washers. Insert the bolt/nut/washers though the frame and through the BFN. With one wrench, hold the bolt steady. Then tighten the nut against the washers. This will pull the BFN bottom (BNF threaded section) towards the frame. In doing so, the center section of the BFN will be crushed forming a second "flange" on the back side of the frame that keeps it in place. Remove the bolt from the BFN. E. Reinstall the tray, lock it, and insert a bolt and lock washer to fix the tray in place. On final thought: It would be handy if you procure BFN's and bolts that use the same wrench size as the terminal bolts. Would save having more tools laying around hot terminals than absolutely necessary. ZAP! FLASH1 OUCH! Geronimo John

Sherry: I am using solid CONCRETE blocks. But the idea you are conveying is correct. Cinder blocks have no place under anything important or heavy regardless of how they are stacked. Good input.. I especially like your idea of burning the ground contact ones! Some innate pleasure in seeing termites bite the dust. 🙂 Thanks

For over 50 years I use cut sections of treated lumber (Recommend washing them with soap before handling). Cheap and replacement over time is easy. I started out using 2X12 treated lumber on the base and then a stack of 2X6's above. what I soon learned is that when used in soft ground, the trailer weight through the 2x6 stack would break the larger base. Maybe I should have used better wood??? While on the road, I did not have an easy way to replace the broken base 2 X 12's. So I was forced to use two 2X6's as a base. i placed them side to side, and then stacked 2X6's turned 90 degrees to the base ones. Have not had any issues this way. The icing on the cake is that NOW, all of the dunnage can stack side by side in my front tub milk crate. However, this past year I noted that during our annual 8 month storage, termites were infesting the ground contact 2X6 boards. So much for modern "treated" lumber..... My fix was to purchase three concrete blocks at Home Depot. They are about $2 each, Store SKU #679311, 7" X 7" X 4". i have placed them exactly where I want the trailer to sit each year. Once the jacks are over the blocks, I still use a single 2X6 as a slip pad just in case the trailer gets moved while on the jacks. I leave the foundation blocks in place while using our Ollie, and have a great target to back the trailer into the dark barn. (For new Owners,: You need to almost always provide slip pads every time you use your electric jacks! Many jacks have been destroyed by forgetting to do so, and then forgetting to raise the jacks. The more elevation used by your slip pads, the less jack you have extended for leveling of the trailer. So, WHEN you do forget, (as 95% of all experienced owners have done at least once I would wager) the less probability of damage to your jacks. Why did I say "almost"? Some places we are forced to use have elevation changes that make their use not advisable. When this happens, I leave my Ollie hitched and only partially level. I then put a sign on my seat that says "JACKS UP?"

The only purposes for the black flush (BF) valve that I can think of are: If a jack ass wanted to, he could hook up a hose to your BF hose bibb and flood your trailer with poop while you are away. If the black check valve in the BF line were to fail, black water could end up on your hands when you remove the BF hose bibb cove. I would wager that a significant number of the owners leave it open anyway..... On the positive side, not having that valve makes flushing your black tank faster by not having to go inside to open/close it. Either way, the odds are so low that it would appear that the cost of the BF Valve was not worth the extra.

I average three months a year in our OE2. Sure lots of the above thoughts and ideas are great to dream about. But for the boondocking and high mileage that we cover, our OE2 is just about perfect. My only strong issue with the design is that the A/C noise is horrible. This issue is not a new one for Oliver as it comes up again and again. My hope is that Oliver is looking at a retrofit A/C units (Heat not required) that is substantually quieter than our existing units. The goal would be for them to offer it as an improvement for the next model year, and as an upgrade to existing owners when our "Hammer Mill" A/C units wear out.

I store my Oliver in a 95% dark barn in Oklahoma. I wanted a cover that would provide insect and bird protection. I went with the ADCO cover, but the one received was larger than I needed. Circumstances required that I use it anyway as my summer flight back to Hawaii was just a day away. When my too large cover had a warranty issue, Ichose to go with the next smaller size stock ADCO Cover. They sent me a replacement at no cost. The one sent and shown is their 3840 stock number. I did a quick install of the cover just to test fit it. I was not trying to make a perfect install, just wanted to make sure it would fit. Hence the imperfect strapping alignments. For an off the shelf cover, it is still a bit larger than the Elite II requires, but gets the job done much better than it's bigger brother did. I would be interested if any Oliver Elite owner has tried their next smaller size. Likely to be too small I think. Yes I would order the 34840 ADCO again. If I did not have a barn, I would go with a metal carport with this ADCO cover. NOTE: I install my cover and set up the trailer so that the ground points of contact are the tires and three jacks. I do not need to use the ADCO provided wheel covers as it is a 95% dark barn. The jacks are all on 6" concrete blocks. This combination makes it harder for ground pests to get into a position to do any damage. So far, after two winters, no issues.

So far, after 30 days, Dexter appears to be stonewalling me on this topic. Despite repeated calls, they have not even acknowledged the issue, or graced me with any sort of reply I have a list of four Oliver Owners that have had this problem. As mine is a two time failure, so we have six incidents. Once I get back to Hawaii, I will have the time and resources to work this "more vigorously". In the mean time, if other owners have had this issue, please PM me soonest. Thank you GJ

From BHNCB: "If the EZ-Flex center bolt is not properly torqued to the 65-75 ft lb specification, the steel center bushing that is supposed to provide the lubricated pivot point for the two individual arms, will not be held stationary allowing it to rotate directly on the un-lubricated center bolt. The center bolt now becomes the pivot point for the entire equalizer assembly as a single unit. This un-lubricated bearing contact will tend to rotate the center bolt, which will in turn eventually loosen the prevailing torque locking nut." One additional technical input that I learned from Jason this morning: The Center Bolt flanks (not the threads) should have "Never-Seize" applied during re-installation. Doing so helps prevent the dry Center Bolt from becoming the pivot point vs. the (wet) steel center bushing" that BHNCB discusses above. Today I spoke at great length with Jason, and also Dexter (Nikki). She has sent up to the Dexter Senior Manager (Mr. Sean Cantzler) the failure of the center bolt locking nut not holding torque concern. From BHNCB, I think I understand that the EZ Flex center bolt and frame tabs form a simple crush connection. Since there is plenty of room on either side of the frame tabs for a longer bolt, why not change out their shackle bolt Center bolt with longer bolt (with Never Seize) that uses either double nuts, or better a castilated nut with a cotter pin? This would eliminate the single point of failure that at least four of us have had to deal with... fortunately by the Grace of God without injury to ourselves or family. Geronimo John

Thank you for sharing your experience with the EZ-Flex. I think a call back to Jason and Dexter is in order......

My EZ Flex heart bolt also came loose in 2018. The nut was no where to be found, and only two threads of the bolt kept the EZ Flex from droping down off the frame mounts. Fortunately a disaster was avoided by my going dead slow up a steep grade. Had Ollie been moving faster and gone "Negative" .... the EZ Flex heart bold would have fallen out with potentially disasterous consequences. When I talked to Jason and Dexter, neither had any knowledge of such an event happening in an OE2. Now it appears that there may be at least two of us. Back of Beyone: Please confirm that it was the heart bolt that failed. THanks, GJ Other Owners: If this has happened to you, or know of other incidents, please reply to this issue. Thanks, GJ

Our only suggestion is to update the A/C to a wisper quiet one. Oliver has done a wonderful job of building a super quite trailer, which all goes out the window when the A/C is used.

When we were growing up in the south, "PoP" was expensive so we mostly drank “Sun” ice tea. My mom made it very diluted so us kiddos could drink all we wanted. It kept us hydrated and was effectively a low caffeine low sugar beverage. When camping, she would make it in advance and put it into cleaned out 1.75L bourbon bottles (without labels). They were heavy glass so they kept the tea cold in the cooler and also poured really easy as they had a handle too! During the summer of 1968 (I was 16 years old at the time), we were on the Tchefuncte River camping and water skiing. The retired couple that was camped next to us seemed really nice. But as the day passed, they became quite agitated with us. We could not figure out why. Each time the ski boat returned we would run over to the camp table and guzzle about a pint of weak tea in our Red Solo cups. When the bottle was empty, Mom would bring out another one from the "Ice Chest". Each time, the retired couple would get even madder. Then a State Trooper showed up at our camp site. I had just finished water skiing and ran past the officer and poured and downed about a pint of our weak tea. The officer asked if he could have some, and I poured him a pint into a Red Solo cup. He tasted it and then loudly said "Wow, this is really good". The retired couple were at this point pointing at the officer and us and were now cursing about how shameful it was "In broad daylight". The Officer ignored them and we talked for a few minutes about water skiing on the Tchefuncte river with its alligators and poisonous water moccasins. After several minutes, he went over to the couple and suggested that maybe they should just mind their own business as drinking weak tea was just fine. The look on the retired couple's faces was worth a million dollars. Those folks were packed and gone in about 60 seconds.

@ J.D. Yes. I had one for about 15 years and used it a lot. It was the type with a center stinger. Never had a problem with it. Usually hauled about 80 to 90 pounds. Should I need one for my LEII, I would get the type with stingers on both sides. As you stated in another post, there are significant dynamic loads back there!

Thank you WhatDa!

This topic is intended for determining maintenance/replacement info for all small batteries in the Oliver Elite II. I do not have access to my trailer (In OK) as I live most of the year in HI. As such, I can't go look. I have also looked on the OTT site and not found such a list, or for that matter much info about this topic as well. Hence this RFI. As such, with your assistance, I would like to compile a list of small batteries that need service, what size they are, and get a consensus of their service life. In this regard, where it is possible to do so, I remove all small batteries from their devices when the trailer will not be used for months on end. This is why I am suggesting a 24 month service life for those listed. The following are some that I am aware of: TV Remote 2 each AAA? Change Every 24 months Furion Remote 2 each AAA? Change Every 24 months Smoke Detector 1 each 9V Change Every 24 months Propane Detector ????????? Dexter Brakes Do we have a separate battery in addition to being tied to the 12V Buss? Any Others? Thank you for your inputs!

I agree with The Shackelfords that the WD-40 Specialist Dry Lube PTFE Spray would be a good selection. I found it at Home Depot in a large 10 OZ can for less than $7. This lube is dust and dirt resistant. It is my go to lube for bike chains, table saws and other equipment that tends to gather gunk when in use.

Wow John, you read my mind I had been looking for the service procedure and was not having any luck. thanks for taking the time to post this wonderful "How To"!

Raspy: My grandfather also hated running generators. Seems he had a neighbor that left their camp generator running 24/7, when the norm was to use them only during daytime. His solution was to give his neighbor's generator a shot of CO2 gas from a fire extinguisher that needed to be recharged. It shut down the generator and we all could sleep well.

Buy it by the case, it is a lot cheaper!

RB: Should your L6811 actually Be L68111? Thanks

We have a 2019 F-150 Lariat, 3.5 EcoBoost, FX4, Max Trailer Package, Anderson WDH. Have about 17,000 trailer miles mostly out west in the Mountains where we para-glide. My truck performance stat's mirror McMac's above so no need to repeat them. I must haul Ollie up steep grades, but not even close to John D's 18%. Generally mine are remote not paved, and 13% grade is what I see as a max grade on the truck computer. With a 6,000 Oliver EII, it is no problem going slow using the "Crawl" mode and 4wd. I have one section of 12 - 13% grade that I do 3 times a summer and I have no issues with this rocky, sometimes slick mountain road. However, last summer I had to come down this road after rain, lots of rain. I knew it was going to be a sloppy run and set up the F-150 using all the tools it had. Low range and locked the transmission into 2nd gear, locked the rear axle, 4X4, and set the crawl mode to about 6 MPH. At several really slick sections I manually lightly worked the trailer brakes to keep the speed to the set point and also to keep Ollie behind the truck and going the same direction. All the engineering worked better than expected. If I were to find myself in the same situation again, I would have: Waited a day if I could have. Dumped fresh and gray water tanks Loaded more stuff from Ollie into the truck and especially its bed Reduced air pressure in all tires by 10 to 12 PSI My grades are: For cross country running A+ For mountain paved roads A For sometimes graded mountain fire roads B+ If I were looking to purchase a new TV, I would get the same rig again. Geronimo John

John D. Very well said. Mahalo!