theOrca

This forum sure costs me money, and I don't even have possession of my Olly yet! I ordered both types of wheel bearings and the bearing seals from Amazon. The bearings came with QR code boxes that scanned and came up as valid. However, the 473336 bearing seals did NOT come with a QR code, In fact they are plainly labeled "made in Taiwan." The label does have the almost invisible "slash-zero" symbol embedded in the label over North and South America, but the latitude longitude lines have Chinese characters instead of the word Timken. I think I've been had! I will be calling Timken on Monday morning, and will post the results here. If these seals are counterfeit they are going back to Amazon...

Did not know they made such a thing! Will see if I can find one. The lines are not an issue. The issue is "production of propane vapor." Cold temperatures reduce production. Production in and of itself further cools the tanks and propane liquid... For any given tank size there is a minimum temperature beyond which no more "useable volume" of propane vapor occurs. That is why I wanted a valve system which could select "both" tanks, AND still have a usable BTU rating. Thanks!

Since some Oliver users evidently use their rig in extreme conditions, I got to wondering what the limits were for propane use in cold temps. It seems that 30# propane cylinders have a "gas production surface" limit which gets pretty iffy under about 10 degrees F. Using the furnace and fridge and hot water will tend to starve a generator that is trying to run off the same tank. An answer is to use two tanks at the same time (twice the gas producing surface area). That brings us to the problem with "auto switching" RV propane gas regulators. When a regulator lever is pointing to a tank, the BTU capacity of that tank is at it's max rated capacity. However, if that tank is at it's lowest level, and has auto switched to the other tank, the BTU capacity is at some significantly lower level. For some regulators, as much as 50% lower. There is a huge range of "full" BTU capacity among RV regulators! Some as low as 150,000 BTU. I picked two of the units with the largest capacity, and asked the companies what their regulators were rated at if the lever was placed in the middle position. The only one which answered was the "Fairview Fittings" company. Their Fairview GR-9984 regular is rated at 345,000 BTU. They state that the reserve capacity (middle lever position, or auto switched) is 260,000 BTU, which is actually more than some of the other brand's full rated capacity. There you have it. If you intend to camp in REALLY cold weather and want to use a generator, you might consider changing your propane regulator to a very high capacity unit.

That has to be a "male" racoon. He has that "what?" look on his face....

As I cleaned out my Airstream 23D in preparation to selling it, I realized that I might not be able to use my "Roto Chocks" on the new Elite II that will be delivered next April. Roto Chocks are no longer made, but pretty well last forever. I have both the Medium and Large sizes, so actually have some flexibility. There is also a pretty active swap and trade group of Roto Chock owners, so even if my sizes are wrong, I may be able to trade someone for the right size. Would someone please measure the space between your Oliver Elite II tires, crown to crown (i.e., right in the middle of the tire tread, front to back). It is probably a good idea to stick to 2018 and 2019 model years?!? That will tell me exactly which size Roto Chock I need to look for. Thanks, Bill

I actually found a local graphic guy who specializes in "cut vinyl." I have seen a bunch of cut vinyl graphics here on Whidbey Island. The WA State parks system uses them for all of their signs, and every ICSO patrol car has that style of graphic, i.e., no transparent back layer. Cut vinyl uses the vehicle paint color as the background. Thanks to all. I learned a heap about "graphics!"

At the moment all is on track to take delivery of a Legacy Elite II the first week of April 2020. The only item that Oliver is no longer willing to do is custom graphics (of any kind!). I would like to have a 22" graphic of my company logo on the front of my trailer. (The logo is what is shown on my profile.) I know that some of you good folks have had other companies do custom graphics for your rig. Could you please post links to the appropriate web site? Everything I find is limited to lettering or 3"x5" card sized dreck... Many thanks, Bill Simons Orca Consulting

John: Wouldn't your Fridge be on 12V when towing? I have to admit that I run my Airstream fridge on propane even when driving down the road. I am looking forward to the much safer use of 12V instead!

OK, time to fess up... Who was towing their Oliver North on HWY20 at 1445 local today, just North of Coupeville, WA? I must confess, two months ago I would not have even noticed an Oliver. Now my wife and I both stay alert for a sighting.

[quote . Is the higher ratio enough? Absolutely. To quote Admiral of the Soviet Fleet Gorshkov: "Better is the enemy of good enough."

Hi: I'm in Oak Harbor. Our plan is to order a 2020 model for pick-up next March. Just out of curiosity, how many days did you plan for, or actually take, to drive back? I'm going to be solo for the trip east and west (my other half sez "that does not sound like a vacation trip!") Bill

Thanks John! Amazon sez it will be here tomorrow...

Overland: WHICH Rejex did you use???

I have seen several mentions of "Rejex" for trucks/car/Ollies. I went to Amazon to buy some... Ah, WHICH Rejex? There appears to be at least 4 types. I think the Corrosion version does not compute, but which one to put on my truck and future Olliver?? Thanks, Bill

I am looking at the "Generator Box" options for an Oliver Elite II. The "Dimensions" page at Oliver University gives the side to side (I assume/hope they mean ID) measurement of the aft end of the storage tray, and the side to side measurement of the forward end of the tray, but NOT the front to rear measurement. Oh yes, they give the height of the sides of the box... Does anyone know for sure the front to rear ID of the storage tray? With that number I can do the geo-o-metry thing and find the info I need!! Thanks, Bill

I disconnect "city water" when the temperatures are below freeezing. I was pretty shocked at how many RV hoses tended to swell to 3" or more, (or rupture) in 90 to 100 temps, and "in the sun." The campground at Coeur D"Alene has new guests sign a release stating that they are aware that campground water pressure is 80PSIG, and that cheap hoses could go boom around 2PM. After that trip I bought two 20' sections of the 200 psig capable RV hose sold by <www.rvwaterfilterstore.com>. Stainless steel fittings... No worries now!