[Smart Plug Conversion?]

We installed a smart plug on our old Oliver when I noticed elevated heat around the plug.  It turns out the interior lugs weren’t tight.  I don’t think the smart plug solves this, but I did like what it did outside of that: we carried a “smart plug extension cord” and then had dog bones for various connectors that felt more secure and water tight than using adapters on the RV style 30a.  So we could plug into 15, 20, 30, and 50a receptacles in a way that felt better than using the various adapters on a 30a cord set.  I did carry a spare “RV end” of the cord, so if I had to make a new cord it would be a 5 minute procedure.  

 

For us - we did a lot of winter camping in the PNW, and the solar did not produce enough for us to do what we needed.

[Modification to prevent bed tear down]

We have the basement door, and a factory vent + access door on the curb side in our 2019.  Another option that seems pretty good are the electric valves a few folks have installed so they can easily winterize/draw water in the boon docking port/etc...

[Ford F-250 crew cab 7.3l SWB 4x4, which tires?]

With the 10 speed transmissions, axle ratios become less important (lower first gear).

Also look at getting an F350 SRW.  Drives the same, but can carry more stuff (= more resale).

If it were me, I would have a hard time passing up a 2021 F150 eco boost with HDPP if gas made me content.  I don't want to listen to a V8 on mountain passes and since we live next to one, that would be frequent. 

[No Heat]

From the light code. you are getting it doesn't sound like the sail switch, but you can time the blower run just to be sure.  No light off would be the ignitor (spark) or gas supply (more than likely the valve) or the circuit board that makes them dance.

[No Heat]

Read a little more carefully, it looks like you are getting the flame sense falt. The thing to troubleshoot would be are you getting ignition and it is the sensor or is ignition not happening?  John's link goes into viewing the flame - but you should also be able to hear the light off.

[No Heat]

#1 problem with the furnace is the sail switch. If it blows cold for 30 seconds and then shuts off - sail switch is the culprit.

[Nature's Head composting toilet installation in an Oliver.]

The problem with low temps is it also isn't conducive to lower humidity.  So if you have semi-cool, moist air, passing over the composting medium, which is even cooler because its heat is conducted away by the basement floor, water vapor will condense and create the mess you described. 

We've considered a 12v RV tank heater on either the bottom or back of the composting toilet bin for humid/cold climates to help push out some excess moisture when we are boondocking and can't run the dehumidifier in the bathroom.

[Snow Chain Advice? Anyone use them? Split from another topic]

18 minutes ago, Susan Huff said:

 Our pickup is 4wd with snow tires, so it is exempt from carrying chains, unless we are towing.  We like to be able to go camping year-round, so towing is likely to happen during those 7 months.

Note that Oregon goes based on weight rating, not weight. If you have GVWR of 10,000lbs or under you are exempt (some older f350s do meet this). Even when not towing we need them with us as our GVWR is over 11k lbs - but haven't been hassled thus far but the passes have been clean.

[Coaxial Wiring Accessibility]

If you look at the tech specs for that antenna, it misses the 600 mhz band.  I am thinking of a separate antenna for band 71 if we swap the tower to t-mobile. Also you will want your antennas 45 degrees either side of vertical (think X or V  instead off a Cross or T)

 

 

Those flag pole holders may have some issues: wall thickness, diameter of top section, and no clamping to prevent rotation.  We used max gain systems with clamps but also looked at DX Engineering.  Either way you'll need some level of guying if you get too high off the ground.  You could potentially that mast with a guy mounted to the tip of the antenna(s) to provide directional stability.

 

 

[Snow Chain Advice? Anyone use them? Split from another topic]

I am in the "don't go if chains are required" camp and we have a fair amount of winter snowfall.  Our vehicles have Blizzak/Nokian tires on them - so if those aren't working it's probably not great to be out - and that just means we stay in the lowlands at home sometimes. We carry the autosocks, this model for the ollie and  another set for the truck.  Reports are they are effective when used for their purpose (snowed in pass) but quickly shred if you are using them in place of a winter tire around town.  We haven't been forced to use them, so they have largely been for compliance with WA/OR/ID/MT/CA/UT DOT regulations to carry chains (one of our spots is within one of the pass envelopes) - even on sunny dry days with no precip in the forecast.  If our AWD/4WD vehicles get stuck and chains are required for them to move, then it's probably a short amount of time before a semi flips/jackknifes and blocks the road anyways - so we'll find a place to stay put pretty quickly. 

Also note that for chains, most vehicles only have certain tire sizes that chains can be used with -- check your manual.  We went with the autosocks as they are smaller/lighter than carrying the minimum 3 chains for the truck and 2 chains for the trailer, and if we have to put them on and they fail, we are less concerned with them ripping things apart. 

  

[Coaxial Wiring Accessibility]

13 hours ago, Jairon said:

Thanks for the reply, WhatDa. I was wondering if the insulation would act like a big Faraday cage but now that I think about it, the current Oliver supplied WiFi Ranger is mounted externally if I remember correctly. I hope to use a simple hotspot setup most of the time but was going to use the coax to run up a large hitch mounted pole for a dual Yagi antennas when the signal is just too poor. The pre-drilled coax ports close to the rear only adds about 10 ft or so of coax and I can avoid drilling a hole out of the attic 😜

Wifi passes even without the wifi ranger (we have gigabit at the house and home base, so it is faster to connect directly than via WFR). Also note you probably want a Log Periodic or panel vs a yagi.  Yagis don't offer wide frequency coverage that you want - but many of the LPs are advertised as yagis.  600mHz band is key if you ever want to have T-Mobile service.  Also for LP/Yagi you need to pay attention to wind loading otherwise the pole will try to weathervane.  I am looking at a setback mount to prevent a crosswind from applying rotational force.
 

 

[Coaxial Wiring Accessibility]

They do, but you'd need to run more cable anyhow.  Instead of doing a cable run to bring the signal inside, you can also consider just putting a hotspot in an enclosure outside, right next to the antennas, for the lowest loss. 

[Double Pane Window Fogging]

None of the acrylics I have found match the Oliver window sizing. 

 

 

 

It wouldn't be too difficult to adjust the cutouts either by filling or cutting some more glass, but at that point you really have to hate the stock windows.  Thickness from ~1-3 inches are supported, which should cover the gaps in the hull assuming there aren't other problems due to varying distances or motion.

[Any ideas on warming the bathroom and closet?]

Semi-related- I've been thinking about putting a 12v tank heater pad either on the bottom or if the pressure doesn't work, the side of the composting toilet to help it continue composting while colder, and also to help it desiccate when there is extremely moist air.   

 

Also thinking of putting one on the wall near the cold spot, to prevent condensation there.

[Place to Live Best Situated for RVing]

3 hours ago, BackofBeyond said:

 

Our time in the PNW - well it was fun - not a place I want to live - my spouse rust's - she says. 

 

When we moved here, I told the Mrs. to make sure she washes out the moss behind the ears at least twice a week.

[Place to Live Best Situated for RVing]

We've lived all over the US/world.  PNW is hard to beat.  On the west side of the mountains there are hardly any ticks, poisonous snakes, hurricanes, tornados, etc... We may all face some sort of doom in an earthquake or volcanic eruption though. Boating is awesome here, fishing (Salmon, Cod, Halibut, Tuna, etc...)/shrimping/crabbing can be interesting despite the governments' attempts to ruin it. WA/AK have no state income/capital gains tax and fairly low property taxes if that matters.  Seattle/Tacoma real estate pricing is insane, and gets more insane by the minute, but there are plenty of places that would be awesome to crash outside the beehive:  San Juan Islands and the Peninsula are good bets if you don't like as much rain.  Pretty much any county except King or Pierce will be fairly reasonable.

[Trying to Understand Diff between “Tow Hitch” and “Tow Package”]

1. Try to get your hands on the buyer's guide, for 2021 it's here: https://www.fcausfleet.com/content/dam/fca-fleet/na/fleet/en_us/shopping-tools/brochures-literature/docs/buyers-guide/2021/2021_Ram_1500_DT_Buyers-guide.pdf
   1. Here are the options listed:
   2. Trailer Tow — Four- /seven-pin connector (XFK) • • • • • • •
      1. — Class III hitch (bumper; not available with Class IV hitch receiver) (XFJ) • • •
      2. — Class IV hitch receiver (included with H1 and H2 Equipment Packages, Tradesman Group, Trailer-Tow Group and Max Tow Package) (XFH)
   3. Trailer-Tow Group — Includes Class IV hitch receiver, integrated Trailer Brake Controller, 7 x 11-inch trailer-tow mirrors, Trailer Light Check, Trailer Tire Pressure Monitoring system, Uconnect® 4 with 8.4-inch display on Tradesman only and Trailer Reverse Steering Control (AHC)
   4. Max Tow Package — Includes max towing 10-inch axle with 3.92 axle ratio, Trailer-Tow Group, 18 x 8-inch aluminum wheels and LT18-inch OWL On- /Off-Road tires (available with 5.7L HEMI V8 with eTorque or 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 4x2 Quad Cab® only) (AJL/AJQ)

My Guess is you want at least Trailer-Tow Group, and probably the Max Tow Group in addition.

 

[Mileage towing LE2]

23 hours ago, BackofBeyond said:

I find this fascinating, not  doubting you at all.  However, the listed curb weight of the Porsche is about 4400 lbs. and a standard EII is about 5500 lbs. dry, , I am curious, does the tail wag the dog at all. In 28000 miles I would guess your more than happy.  Just interesting -  a cool sports vehicle pulling a cool RV!!!!

What I found when towing a car trailer with my Touareg, it towed better than an F150.  My guess for the reason is while there is a weight disadvantage, the "arm" from rear wheels to hitch ball was much less.  Also IRS with coils is generally tighter than live axle on leafs.

[Best 3/4 Ton Pickup to Tow an Elite 2]

I wouldn't buy a 3/4 ton truck for towing an Oliver.  Except that I did.  The 3500/F350s SRWs drive the same, cost the same, but have higher payloads.  I ended up with a 2500 because of supply issues during COVID.  With GM it is less of a tradeoff (GVWRs exceed 10k on the 3/4 tons) so I relented, but for some of the other Diesel 3/4 tons have less payload than some 1/2 ton trucks.

If I want gas, I would buy a 2021 F150 Ecoboost with HDPP, tow mirrors, and the 360 assist pack.  Yes it will require the Anderson. But balking at paying for that is a little silly given the cost difference between the F150 and a 2500.  This gets you: a built in generator that performs at altitude, a 36 gallon tank (maybe ~45 gallons if Transferflow brings their larger tank to the 2021), lane centering, blind spot that covers trailers, what looks to be great camera support both 360/trailer, the potential for fold flat seats in the truck, adaptive cruise with stop and go, automatic emergency braking, pro trailer backup assist.

On the Diesel route, I go GMC Sierra 3500 SLT/AT4/Denali with tech. Rides much better than the Ford Superduty, gets great mileage (at 60mph straight/level 22-23 naked and 17-18 towing), and can take truck stop diesel at full speed (30 seconds to full).  56 gallon extended tank from Titan should give plenty of range, otherwise there are 100 gallon aux tanks for Diesel. 

For 1/2 ton Diesels: in theory they could be great.  If I could get a HDPP F150 with a Diesel it'd be pretty compelling.  But they generally come with low payloads, smaller tanks, can't take a truck stop Diesel nozzle, and have weak payloads.  All from a truck that has roughly the same length/width as an HD when you get the 6.5'-class beds. Towing mileage is fairly close, but with 36-56 gallons in the HD vs 24 in the 1500.

[Outdoor lights “panic switch”? Security system?]

https://shopusa.shelly.cloud/shelly-rgbw2-wifi-smart-home-automation-1#220

 

These look like a great way to automate interior/exterior lights, complete with PWM capabilities for brightness.  Though sold as an RGBW controller, it is essentially a 4 channel, 45W/channel controller with support for REST APIs/MQTT.  I am going to play with one for control of the bathroom fan speed and light - then maybe try one for some of the exterior/interior lights.

[2020-21 HD Trucks]

On 10/15/2020 at 4:22 PM, Susan Huff said:

I'm just wondering . . . . we have always had pickups with full size (8') beds.  What do you gain with a short bed, other than easier parallel parking?  For how we use our pickups, a short bed is somewhat restrictive.

 

Ferries (50% more when you cross 22' - long bed is a few inches over and they do check/know) - we take them often to Peninsula/Islands, parking at airports (not a thing right now, but the overhang can make it tough to not block the aisle), parallel parking in cities, maneuvering in some campgrounds, etc...

The new GMC "short" bed has so much space in it (6'9" vs 6'6" and less carve outs for posts/etc...) that we really don't run out of space.  With sheet material (fairly rare these days), I drop tailgate and raise the multipro "step". If I need more room, hooking up the tandem axle cargo trailer becomes a cinch.  I wouldn't mind an 8'

On 10/14/2020 at 4:50 PM, BackofBeyond said:

Quite honestly - having to stop for fuel - usually around 1/2 tank is a relief.  I suppose if you could find a fuel stop with really low prices this would make sense. I would still be stopping - to stretch the legs and arms. The trip to AK - would have helped - but still never really had an issue. 

Could do as the AF does - just have a tanker follow along - fuel up on the run. 

It's not just the cheaper Diesel, it's less sketchy stations/timing when we stop for fuel that are a plus.  Outside of COVID, we make our lunch/potty stop based on where the food we want to eat is vs where the fuel is if we can.  Also stopping at a rest stop/pull off to go use the Oliver's facilities is often easier than going through a full fuel stop.  And while I like the idea of a 1000 mile tank, it's more for the days with a strong headwind, rain, hills, etc... that make fuel economy not quite the ideal I get on level 60mph days.  I'm sure ~$1500 for it installed would like a ton of savings to make up for it - so it's more a convenience thing in my book.

[2020-21 HD Trucks]

Titan recently released this gem for the 2020+ Duramax HD Trucks with 6'9" beds:

https://titanfueltanks.com/products/xxl-replacement-tanks/2020-gmc-2500-3500-crew-cab-short-bed-7010220

36 gallons to 56 gallons. Keeps spare tire and all the bed space. I think I could squeak out 1000 miles with the Oliver behind me on one tank.

[Keyless Entry Failure]

There are two things that keep the door closed - the deadbolt that is operated by key and the code on the RVLock and the door latch, which is operated by the handle and can only be locked/unlocked by key. If you close the door without locking, the latch is all that is holding it shut.  With ours, the latch has the door more tightly closed than the deadbolt.

If we lock the door using the keypad  (which closes the deadbolt), then try to open the door with the handle (the handle is not locked), the keypad will not open the door and the key on the deadbolt isn't great either at getting it open. If we push against the door, the door latch catches again and the code will work and the key will work much better. So in short, the deadbolt is fairly sensitive to loading for operation. 

We like the RV Lock, but it's one of those things that just survives in the RV world because there aren't better options that I have found.

[The Elusive 2200w Generator]

The dual fuel, inverter champion we got from Costco is quieter than all the Honda/Yamaha inverters I've run into at campgrounds.  I know you've been mostly looking at those, but I see quiet brought up a lot in your post so I thought I'd mention it.  It's a little bigger than the 2200 series you are looking at, but it also can power the air conditioner at Gros Ventre (6000-7000') without a problem and no voided warranty to be able to run propane. It's not showing in stock now, but it pops in and out of stock as they get shipments. 

https://www.championpowerequipment.com/product/100204-3100-watt-dual-fuel-inverter/

 

Here is the super-secret link to Costco, it will show you a bear if it's out of stock: https://www.costco.com/Champion-DUAL-FUEL-2800wt-Running--3100wt-Peak-Digital-Inverter-Generator%2c-Electric-Start%2c-RV-Ready%2c-Parallel-Capable%2c-CARB-%2526-EPA-Certified%2c-Low-Decibels.product.100284958.html?bvstate=pg:2/ct:r

 

Champion has been super-responsive to emails, and sent me the high altitude jet for free in case we need to run gas at elevation. If Champion stops being super, then it goes back to Costco. For us, the generator is pretty low-risk as we only need it for AC or brief periods to run the microwave or convection oven - we are 12VDC only when boondocking otherwise and the solar keeps up so long as we aren't running our laptops hard on a cloudy day.

[2020 Chevy Silverado HD 2500 Trailer ap doesn't know the Ollie is connected]

I have a 2020 GMC HD which is the same as far as components here are concerned - no issues with the Oliver directly connected (ie no adapters) - so either your truck has an issue or your connectors do.