Mountainman198
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Posts
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Posts posted by Mountainman198
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45 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:
Mountainman: Sorry for the off topic response.
GJ
No worries. I have a 1979 Husky 390WR that I would put on my tongue, balanced-out by a hitch-mounted Big Green Egg on the back
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7 hours ago, jdmmtx said:
We had the 4-leaf Alcan springs installed yesterday along with the 5200 axles. Not sure if we’re the first with this spring version but think we may be. We’ve only towed about 125 miles but so far so good. Will update in a week or so after we have traveled a much longer distance. GJ, one of the guys at Alcan said the 5-leaf spring weighs in at around 23 pounds, so, if that is accurate, I’d say the 4-leaf is more than 17. But I certainly don’t know for sure.
Glad you got what you wanted. Lew and his team are Great.
the springs you bought are just like the top one in the attached pic, minus the bottom most (short) leaf, correct?
Please keep us advised as you put more miles on the new suspension
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Interesting design, but the rear overhang is HUGE. Coupled with what appears to be low ground clearance, the departure angle would be really small.
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8 hours ago, John and Debbie said:
Hi Mountain Man, we just got the Alcan Springs in Tuesday. Lee said he has no competition in the USA. He said you were the first to get them, but he's done about 100 Oliver's since yours. How much stiffer are these 5 leaf springs versus the 4 leaf ones? We have about 10 miles on them so will be going under the trailer in 40 and 90 more miles. I have a big piece of cardboard to use when I torque them.
Initially, they are a bit stiffer but after 500 miles or so the ride softens. I dont notice much more stiffness now than stock ( judged by stuff falling off counters and beds while underway). There is less side to side movement of trailer going down the road than before. I am extremely happy with my Alcans after 10,000 miles.
Everyone has to come to their own conclusion about what is right for them. I have no idea if St Louis Spring makes a good product or not. It is merely an alternative to be investigated by those who want something other than stock or Alcan.
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11 hours ago, katanapilot said:
Has anyone been able to get leaf springs (like the ALCAN) in a slightly lower weight rating? I would like to do this modification, but like GJ, I am a little concerned about the additional stiffness of the ALCAN springs and the long term effects on the Oliver. I would prefer to do the ALCAN mod versus the PR4 Dexters, but I need to resolve my concerns first.
Try here. When doing my initial research for US made springs, they said they could re-create the 1,750 lb 4 leafs using US steel.
Saintloiusspring.com
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I do not believe Oliver offered a 2” receiver option again until just recently. Definitely not offered in 2021. If you bought yours used, perhaps prior owner had the smaller sleeve pressed out in hopes of using a 2” shank, however as I recall, there have been posts about owners trying this only to find out that the i.d. Was not large enough.
Please post pics so others can weigh-in.
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31 minutes ago, Rolind said:
This is what I use. I think I bought them at Home Depot or Lowe’s.
Exactly what I found at Lowes. I couldn't find my packaging. Thanks for posting
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19 minutes ago, topgun2 said:
Be a bit careful with these in that Oliver has used several different styles of these door retainers over the years. Before you buy - make sure that you are getting the correct grommets for your particular Ollie.
Bill
Exact match. I took the one from my door into Lowes before it rotted and fell off so I would know. Last one from Lowes lasted three years before falling off. Looks like I need to root thru the drawer for a replacement
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Bought a package of them at Lowes and keep in the junk drawer in the trailer. If I recall they were pretty reasonable
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10 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:A couple of Ollies spotted at a Cracker Barrel somewhere in NW Alabama last night -- they were both pointing to an eastbound destination.
Nothing good can come from this meet-up! Have fun at the Rally!
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4 hours ago, rideadeuce said:
I believe what he stated in the video is out of the 90 kWh battery only 69.7 kWh is available to maintain a huge buffer for those times when it is needed for increased demand when towing uphill, etc.
The example he gave for testing was Davis Dam. The truck towing 14, 000 lbs (2,650 lbs payload) could go up 3000 feet over 11 miles on a depleted battery.
Pretty sure these statements are directly from Ram as I have seen the exact quotes elsewhere in their announce media. Assume these quotes are for when vehicle is operating in Tow mode. Battery reserve would have much lower “floor” in normal mode.
Looking forward the TFL Truck test run towing the Ike Gauntlet. Hopefully they address the normal vs tow mode battery reserve issue when towing.
I love the series PHEV model for “EV” towing. I just wish they would make tow mode automatic when a trailer is attached (maybe this will be the case at launch).
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8 hours ago, SeaDawg said:
@Galileo, you may want to see the new 2026 ramcharger when it (finally) goes on sale later this year. It's a phev, but the gasser 3.6 pentastar V6 engine is strictly an onboard generator, not part of the drivetrain. Although it is gas vs diesel, it's a bit like what you described, and makes a lot of sense, to me. Charge while driving from the fossil fuel motor, and reduce the range anxiety.
I'll be interested in seeing talks towing test when they finally get their hands on one. Even if range is cut in half by towing, you'd still get 300 miles or so between charging (or, just filling the gas tank). Best of both worlds, if it works as stated.
https://www.ramtrucks.com/electric/ram-1500-ramcharger.html#overview
The Ramcharger appears to be a series hybrid which means that the onboard gas generator provides electricity to the batteries to drive the wheels when the drive battery charge goes below the predetermined lower threshold and stops discharging. This feature is great when you deplete your battery and then the generator kicks on to provide electricity. From what I understand the generator can only provide a diminished, set amount of electric to run the drivetrain. This is all fine for driving on flat land at moderate speed and not towing. But what about when you are towing up a significant incline and the battery has gone below its lower limit and the electricity output from the onboard generator is not enough to meet the heavy power demands of towing uphill? It appears the Ram engineers have thought of this and included a “Tow” mode which reserves a preset amount of battery reserve to be engaged along with the generator output in high demand situations. Good thinking. This is very similar to the “Mountain”mode in my Chevrolet Volt (which reserves electric for climbing when using the onboard gas generator.
But, what if someone forgets to engage towing mode and depletes their battery before starting to climb a long steep grade while towing? If the Ramcharger behaves like my Volt in similar conditions, you can quickly reach a point where energy demand outpaces the capability of the onboard gas generator, forcing the vehicle into reduced propulsion mode. I know with my volt the accelerator response and power is greatly diminished, placing the car into a sort of enhanced limp mode. Will the Ramcharger do the same? Will the reduced propulsion mode on the Ram be enough energy to tow a heavy trailer up a grade slowly or at all? Will the tow vehicle come to a stop leaving you stranded on incline? Who will be first to test this out and report back?
my point above is stated perhaps more clearly in this article, however it is still not clear whether the enhanced battery reserve is available in standard drive mode or only when the driver manually engages tow mode before heading out with a fully charged battery.
https://insideevs.com/news/751670/ramcharger-battery-size-usa-towing/
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I have Firestone airbags installed on my Tundra and have liked the way they perform (25,000 miles towing to date). Adjustability is key for my uses. 25 psi when towing eliminates jouncing in rear of truck. Happy Camper. Adjustability, price point (approx $400 at time of install) and ease of install were selling points for me. Very little leakage over 3 yrs.
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7 minutes ago, topgun2 said:
A very quick and easy "security" item is to simply purchase a stainless steel nut for the threaded post coming out of the back of the Ollie.
Still using the "wheel" nut that came stock, just double nut it with the new stainless nut. Not too many crooks out there carry a wrench big enough for that nut.
Bill
I did something similar by merely double stacking a nylon lock nut on top of the standard wingnut. All you are trying to do is slow down a thief since a serious one will merely use a big screwdriver or wrench and pry the spanner up 1/4” between the two tanks to free them to be pulled out.
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10,000 mile update on Alcan springs:
A year had passed since my dreaded roadside leaf spring break and 10,000 miles are on the Ollie with Alcan springs underneath so I thought I would provide my update.
Ride height - rear bumper rides approx 1/2” higher than stock
Ride performance - first 500 miles seemed a bit stiffer than stock with a few more items from counter and beds on the floor but the springs settled-in after that and there is no observed difference inside the trailer now (no additional stuff found fallen to the floor). Trailer tracks the same as stock, however visible jouncing (up and down) and side to side (roll) are observed to be less pronounced than stock. I also noticed when doing annual bearing maintenance that the spring shackles no longer invert when both wheels on the same side are jacked off the ground.
Overall impression - had I known that a heavier capacity, 5-leaf spring, made in the US with US steel and featuring a design with the second leaf which extended all the way under each spring eye was available sooner I would have swapped sooner, just as I had previously done with solid stainless lug nuts and US made Timken bearings. No regrets on the upgrade from stock springs.
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Never tire of this campground. Aguirre Springs, site #18. Campground was nearly empty so finally got what I consider to be the best site. Organ Mtns, NM. White Sands on plains below to left
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For those who are not on the Fiberglass Rally Facebook page. Oliver camp shown both at the beginning and at end of the video.
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We are turned up to Eleven (Ollies, total count) currently. Good to see old friends and make new ones.
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11 hours ago, Galileo said:
For those of you who have been less than impressed with the tiny, difficult to use remote that came with the Furrion DVD player - stereo that came with your Oliver - thankfully there is an upgrade available.
Though a Furrion dealer I contacted said that there was no full sized remote available, I looked on Amazon (where else?) and found this:
Universal FUTVRS1-BL Replaced... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094NHGK5B?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
for the money, it seemed worth a try - even though a vendor on Amazon I also contacted also said it “will only work with TVs”.
Oddly enough, this remote arrived with two stickers that said just “Remote”. They were stuck clumsily on the front and back of the remote. Since they were obviously crudely stuck on, I peeled them off. Sure enough, it says “Furrion” under the stickers. Dunno why they bothered sticking them on.
At any rate, the remote controls the power, volume, DVD player functions, AM/AM functions, input/output functions - and probably stuff I haven’t even figured out yet. I haven’t tried to actually tune the radio yet, but I suspect that will also work as well.
If you’ve been as frustrated with the tiny remote as I have, then you’ll enjoy this upgrade!
Thanks for posting this. Top of my list to order.
It also appears that this remote may also operate the rare fireplace option that some Olivers have installed (wink).
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This map is valuable in showing type and location of recreation across Arizona. E.g.Arizona Land Trust, BLM are shown as well as whether camping is allowed.
This map went out of print for a few years but I found a new version recently at a Arizona Tourist Information site.
It is a free brochure
I highly recommend carrying one of these if you enjoy boondocking in AZ
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Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge. Maxwell, NM. Just off I-25 but very quiet. Pit toilets and 5 (free) campsites. Only ones here
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10 minutes ago, jd1923 said:
They were likely getting tooooo many people living in their RVs for 14 days, then another 14 days. There are too many in AZ for sure. The economy is not getting better for many. We just pay for a few days here and there, so it looks like that's just $5 more per day.
On our recent trip to Ruidoso NM, we noted there is camping ANY direction just a few miles out of town. If you need hookups, that's an issue, but think BLM vs. State Parks, in most western states for a better experience!
Camping | Bureau of Land ManagementThis was one path of reasoning presented by the Parks team, however I never saw this issue at any of the parks from Dec-Feb. Must have been a larger issue during the other months.
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New Mexico State Parks will be implementing a new fee structure beginning January 1, 2025. For those who have been following this topic this is not news. If you have not been following, the rate increases can be substantial, particularly for non-NM Residents and may come as a surprise.
Most notable is the increase in fees for the non-Resident Annual Camping pass from $225 to $600. Passes purchased in 2024 will be honored til expiration in 2025.
If you are a non-Resident and plan to purchase the Annual Camping Pass for 2025 you may wish to do so yet this month so you will not feel the impact from the increased rate until 2026.
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New Windows
in General Discussion
Posted
This interior shot was posted on the Oliver FB page for their new Bluetooth speaker. Could this be the interior view of the new windows?