Jim and Chris Neuman
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Posts posted by Jim and Chris Neuman
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Jackson Hole has a serious lack of camping options near town. We came through winter before last and found only camping near town was a private, not particularly nice, RV park which went for the bargain price of $125. This was in late May and the Grand Teton campgrounds were booked full or not open yet. Get your camping arrangements done in advance! I recomment Grand Teton NP - it is beautiful.
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Regarding your Maxair issue. Mine also died and I contacted Maxair with the same result... they sent me a new board explaining possible conflict with Lithiums. Replaced the board to no avail. Closer inspection revealed that there was no power to the hot lead where it connected to the fan. Fuse was good and the bathroom fan, which is on the same circuit, was fine. Determined that there was likely an issue with wiring itself and, after discussing the problem with Oliver, I ran a new lead (an adventure in itself) to the attic where the wiring was accessable. Problem solved.
It appears that Oliver tied the Maxair positive lead into the wire leading to the bathroom fan and this appears to have come undone in a totally inaccessable area between the upper hulls. Ran a new tinned two-wire cable back to the attic along the port side of the AC unit using a wire snake... an adventure in itself.
Note to self and others who may be listening... particularly those involved in manufacturing - NEVER bury a connector in an area which cannot be accessed.
I was hesitant to send the trailer to a service center for repair as Oliver suggested might be necessary as my faith in the abilities of the average knuckle-dragger working in RV service is not high. I had mental pictures of getting my trailer back with holes poked here and there in the inner hull in their attempts to run a new line between inner and outer hulls.
Jason in service was good enough to point me to the right wires in the attic by providing a schematic of the wiring from the attic to the fans in the head and the Maxfan. That revealed a possible source of the problem and suggested a fix.
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We have a heavy 12'5" telescoping ladder which lives happily in the closet of our Legacy II. It is one of the heaviest versions I have seen at around 34# but is rock solid. Can't recall the brand. All telescoping ladders are not created equal and I would avoid the light / cheap ones. I do make a habit of tying a 25' length of 3/8" nylon rope at about awning level on the ladder and running the lines fore and aft to front and rear tralier frames. This will keep it from sliding over sideways. I have done this faithfully on ladders for many years after learning painfully that it was a good idea. Pad the ladder where it contacts the awning or side of the trailer to avoid scoring your Oliver.
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We now have towed our Legacy II over 22,000 miles since we picked it up in May of '21. Our tow vehicle is a 2021 canopied shortbox F150 FX4 3.5 Ecoburst with max tow package. This truck has plenty of power and has pulled several 11,000' plus passes as recently as last month. The truck has yet to struggle on any thing we have taken on in every lower 48 western state. Your 2.7 will not have the pull of the 3.5 but I doubt you will find traffic stacking up behind you. The only thing I have beefed up was the rear suspension with the addition of air bags to cut down on porposing as we anticipate a trip to Alaska in the near future.
Our truck is rated for about twice the weight of a loaded Legacy II and is set up a bit beefier than many F150's and we make it a habit not to load the Oliver heavily or carry too much heavy junk with us in the pickup bed. We do use an Anderson as the hitch load is North of 500 pounds. I believe you will find your truck is very well matched to the Oliver II.
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Just today I lost power to the rear / streetside jack on our Oliver. Checked fuses & found them all good. A close look revealed a wire had come loose from the back of the switch. Crimped the female fitting on the loose positive wire a bit to increase tension on the switch as it was still a bit loose when re-attached and now all is well.
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1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:
I upgraded to the 2 5/16" Anderson/Bulldog when I purchased my OEII. The next year I upgraded to the newer design. I now have 19,000 miles on my 2 5/16" Anderson ball.
I use a spray can of Lubriplate spray white lithium grease on the ball for each hitch up. For me, it is best to wipe off the grease from the ball at each un-hitch to prevent my accidently getting jeans/leg greasy.. We just finished up our 2022 Summer/Fall TX to Alaska voyage (12,709 miles) and found nothing of concern with the ball or hitch.
With my 2019 F-150 EB Lariat FX4 we have zero sway worries. That said, I am considering a set of air bags for next year.
GJ
Those AlCan frost heaves are a real joy, aren't they? Spoke with a friend today who recently had the frame of his trailer (conventional construction) break in the yukon.
Put a set of air bags on my F150 FX4 and am pleased with the result. Set at about 50#, they tame the porposing greatly.
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7 minutes ago, CRM said:
They're readily available in the electrical dept at any Lowes/Home Depot and on Amazon.
Must of looked right past them recently in a Lowes. At your suggestion I also found them on Amazon. Thank you!
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I have been using zip ties for years on my sailboat. They are a fine way to make a light fastening but do have the drawback of degrading in sunlight to the point where, after a season or two, their resistance to abrasion and breaking is seriously compromized. Replacing these plastic ties would be on my annual to-do list. I have looked for UV restant zip ties but no luck so far ... would like very much if someone here could post a source.
In this application stainless or monel seizing wire would be a superior option.
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No need to replace the bolt if you bugger the bolt threads, it is a simple matter to run a thread die down the bolt to clean up the mess.
On stainless it is helpful to coat threads with an antisieze (I use lanolin) in order to help eliminate the galling that is common between stainless bolts and nuts.
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I have an F150 with the 3.5 Ecoburst. It gets an average of 12 mpg highway in the mountain west while towing the Legacy II and 21 - 22 mpg highway sans trailer. Owners of F150's with the V8's I have spoken with report about the same while towing and less without trailer.
What kind of milage do owners of diesel pickups tend to get while towing the Oliver? The Ecoburst requires 87 octane gasoline which is an upgrade from the 85 octane standard in many states.
It would be hard to believe significant money would be saved with such a switch.
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Been over the Beartooth many times with no issues. Twice with trailers lighter (3000#) and shorter (20') using a Dodge Dakota and a Toyota Tacoma. Both times were coming in from the north and were a breeze. I have seen larger, heavier trailers towed over the pass but do not know if the drivers regretted their choice in retrospect. Am not sure I would be concerned making the uphill pull coming in from the North towing our Legacy II with our F150 but would try to do it at off-peak travel time of day. Snow or heavy precip would cause me to re-route. Heading North out of YNP would involve a lot of elevation loss and give the brakes a serious workout. Would think twice about traveling that direction on the Beartooth without a heavy, capable TV.
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Thank you for the heads-up!
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Bears are a lot less likely to cause trouble than people. I fear for this mama and her cubs if she is teaching them to seek out food in campsites.
Hope it does not turn out badly for them.
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Unlikely that there is any leak potential unless the shell is seriously damaged. If there is just a gelcoat flaw, water will not penetrate further into the chopper gun layup. If there is structural damage under the gelcoat you can often tell by taking a small brass hammer and lightly tapping the area surrounding the crack as well as the cracked area itself and listen for a change in tone. Hard to explain the sound but fractured fibreglass has a distinct (hollow) sound as opposed to undamaged glass. It is really not too hard to repair a damaged section of glass and there is a ton of how-to info available on the web. It is very difficult to get that repair to exactly match the original color unless you can get Oliver to send you a bit of the gelcoat they use in manufacture.
My first step would be to talk to Oliver for their recommendation. Your 2021 Oliver layup should still be under warrantee.
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Today, getting to Alaska is a snap as the roads are pretty good. I have made the trip eight times from the West Coast and, while it was a bit of a challenge many years back when most of the route was gravel, today the entire route is paved with the exception of short sections on the Cassiar and even that is not a problem if your tow vehicle is up to the task. On the last trip I did not even lose a windshield, which was a first for me!
By all means take your Oliver to Alaska. Think ahead, make sure you are prepared and then enjoy yourself ... the trip is spectacular.
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Just discovered the beginnings of a single-occupant wasp nest under the rear streetside compartment where the stabilizing jack lives. A bit of looking around revealed a gap in the inside of the jack post alongside the mounting bracket where it pierces the outer hull. This gap is just short of 1/4" wide between the jack tube and mounting bracket which has not been completely sealed against bug / water entry. There is sealant going part way around the post on the outside of the jack tube but the median (more difficult to access from inside the trailer) portion of the tube was unsealed leaving a gap of about 1/4" wide x 3" long which allows easy bug access. Turns out both rear jacks share this bug access point due to a lack of sealent. Easy fix from underneath the trailer - just forced up silicone caulk from below.
Any other entry points anyone is aware of on the Legacy II's? Screens over fridge, heater & water heater vents are obvious and screens are available at the Oliver service dept. - we had them put on when we picked up #770.
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When you get to the beautiful Provincial Park on Boya Lake, check out the amazing beaver dam to be found at the end of a short hike out of the park. It is amazing... massive - makes me think beavers must use backhoes and bulldozers.
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Vancouver Island is spectacular! Living literally within view of Vancouver Island, we have had the opportunity to visit the island a great deal, both by boat and by land. With only a week available you will only be able to scrape the surface. Victoria is a must followed by a visit to the outer coast near Tofino - great camping but weather is likely at that time of year ... luckily you have an Oliver. Vancouver Island is big - the largest island in North America. Those two areas will give you a feel of the island but there is so much more.
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Topgun2
Would love to hear more about this dimmer switch! DIY'able?
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I looked at this when I bought our 2021 F150. Came to the conclusion that, given the very small battery storage of the hybrid, you would probably not see much highway MPG help from the electric motor. I have not read any reports from actual users as to whether or not my concern is valid. The hybrid would give you more horsepower but that is kind of unnecessary as the standard 3.5 Ecoburst has more than enough power to handle the Legacy II.
For what it is worth, I get about 11 to 11.5 MPG on average in the mountainous west where I live. The big tank is a plus and, at the time I was researching this issue, the hybrid had a somewhat smaller tank than my standard FX4 max tow package.
A GREAT truck. Have been very pleased. The only downside is that the softer suspension, as compared to 3/4 tons, results in a bit of squat in the stern and some porposing. A set of air bags cured that issue.
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I just measured the plate on my Legacy II - it measures .125".
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I like John's idea of fabricating a larger plate. I would go much thicker than .032" (which is more like a foil than a plate). A 1/8" (.125) plate would be more appropriate and although 6061 is an excellent alloy for the application, it is a bit overkill and difficult to obtain in small quantities. Easily found 6063 or a variant is more common, less expensive and very much up to the task.
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I can confirm this ramp will not work with the Legacy II. I tried mine out with no luck - one tire on ramp & the other stayed on the ground.
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Yes they do. Our 2021 has the vents even though we chose lithiums.
I would think, from a liability standpoint, it makes sense to leave them in place. If a change is made to standard wet cells, lack of ventilation could result in an explosion.
Easy to add a layer of insulation inside the cover panel eliminating the ventilation and providing additional insulation to the lithiums in freezing weather. My plan is to use closed cell foam insulation attached to the cover with velcro so that the insulation can be easily removed.
Our low temp over the winter was in the mid teens F and the battery temp never got below 40 degrees F. That with a small space heater set on low in the main cabin. We powered up the battery heating pad although I do not know if the BMS ever sent power to the pad.
Also kept the Truma heater on during cold weather.
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Rescue devices
in General Discussion
Posted
We use SPOT when we are sailing. Two years ago we took the Light Beyond, our 35' sailboat, from Washington to Glacier Bay in Alaska. Cell coverage was limited to near a very few towns & even then was poor. Have done the Alcan 8 times and found cell coverage spotty at best ( & expensive as a Canadian plan is necessary ) SPOT or Garmin allows different levels of anywhere communication depending on hardware & plan. Money well spent.