DavePhelps

Wow, quite a thread for gaskets! Sorry this has been an issue. I have the older style lights and have had no problems. Don't know if this has already been tried, but if I had this problem, I would first clean the gaskets with denatured alcohol and then coat them completely with whichever quality paste wax you use on your Ollie. Two coats minimum. If that didn't work, then I would consider the silicones. Hopefully Oliver will find a replacement as those currently used are pretty bad. Dave

Good luck to you Buzzy. I totally get your need to back off a bit. You put a huge amount of energy into the "Oliver Project" I hope to see you around here once in a while. Maybe we'll cross paths at some awesome campground down the road a piece. Be well! Dave

Me too. We just have a few trips with it, but the system does give a lot of piece of mind on the road and works very well. We got the EEZ system: http://eezrvproduct.com/t/tire-pressure-and-temperature-monitoring-systems-tpms-3 We got the sealed sensors and not the flow through type, for the reasons JohnD mentioned. I would also recommend replacing the rubber valve stems with rigid metal ones. I popped off both tires and took them to our local tire place where they swapped the stems out and rebalanced the tires. Maybe Oliver uses metal valve stems now, but am not sure. A bit of an extra expense but glad we did it. Dave

I have never heard that the Oliver jacks should not be used for leveling. They are more than up for the task. I also try to limit the jack extension with lego style blocks which work well. If battery use is a worry, then you can always manually crank them down with the supplied hand crank. But with our Elite, power usage is minimal and has never put us at a disadvantage. YMMV. Dave

It seems that every time I give my Ollie a wash, I get water in the interior. Since I'm not inside to see at the time, it's hard to tell where it's coming in. All vents and windows are closed! So, are there certain areas I should be careful around? Like the A/C, or Refr. vents, or....? Maybe the BT/GT vent on top, or even the fan(s)? In the past, I have had water come through the LED lights in the bathroom, and around the speaker over the dinette just next to the bathroom wall. Today, after a mid winter wash, I had a puddle on the floor under the main table (trailer was pitched front up slightly) and water was dripping out of the rear passenger side seep under the trailer. There were no signs of any drips from above.... This only happens when I wash. It has never leaked in all the heavy rains we have had here. Kind of a mystery to me. I would appreciate any tips or advice. Here in the Northwest, if I don't wash fairly regularly, my trailer will turn green! Someday, I'll have covered storage, but for now it sits outside. Next time, I'll have my wife sit in there when I wash and maybe she'll see something. Dave

John, Question to you or anyone about the link you posted to Suspension Specialists, great info there btw. As far as maintenance goes, is it recommended that the U-bolts be re-torqued every so often? And if so, does anyone know what that torque number is? According to that link, the torque value is based not only on the diameter of the bolt, but its grade as well. So a 1/2-20 U-bolt could have anywhere from a 36 ft.-lbs to 129 ft-lbs depending on its grade. I have no idea what grade U-bolts are used on our rigs. All I know is that I have a 1/2" bolt with (I assume) a 20 thread. Would like to keep up with any maintenance on the suspension. Thanks. Dave

Overland, One option you may want to consider if you need more panels would be to have a set of auxiliary panels set on the ground and plugged in to your system with an Anderson plug. http://www.4wdadventurers.com/showthread.php?568-DIY-Guide-to-Anderson-Plugs I see a lot of remote panels like this and it gives you much more versatility of where you can camp and still get good solar charging. In many of the forested camps I am in, the trailer may be in shade but there is full sun just 20' (or less) away. Out come the remote panels. If your spot is in full sun and you don't need the extra juice, they can stay in your TV. Yes, I suppose they would be more vulnerable to theft in some remote camps, but I think this is the way I will go. Probably a couple of 100 watt book-matched panels and 20' or so of heavy gauge cable. So far, with just our 200 watt rooftop array, we have never had a lack of power. But our power needs are not too great. Just a thought.... Dave

I decided to go with a two canister system and it has worked very well. I ordered it from: https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/index.htm This is a great website and business. You can learn a lot there, at least I did. They also sell the best hoses I've come across. Our first filter is for sediment, the second is a carbon filter that is rated to .5 microns. Plugged into the spigots at all our camp spots, the water flow has been more than adequate. Although not in the picture below, I have since added a wye to the outflow side of the system so that I can fill water jugs more easily. Currently, we don't drink from the onboard tanks but have separate water jugs for that. The tanks are probably fine and no doubt we'll do that some day, but old habits are hard to break I guess. Plugging the filters into the "City Water" and "Fresh Water" inlets has been very easy and works well. I have not yet tried siphoning through the filters using the on board water pump. I hope this will be doable. The stand is just a piece of plywood I drilled two holes in that the filter housings drop in to. Keeps connections off the ground and stores flat! A pretty simple setup and replacement filters are available everywhere. Dave

Buzzy, It seems like each trailer has its own set of issues. My upper doors have worked great and I'm wondering if you have an adjustment issue. Are your reveals equal between the door and frame? There is adjustment there and you can move the plexiglass door up or down by loosening the hinge screws. The latch strike itself which is attached to the upper cabinet opening is also moveable in or out. If your door is opening in transit, that would tell me that either the latch is not engaging the strike enough, or that the strike is too far from the door not allowing the latch to fully engage. I would try raising up the door. If there is still slop with the door moving in and out, I would then move the strike to get the best closure. There is the possibility that the hole in the door for the latch was mis-drilled, but I assume they use jigs over there that would make this occurrence a rarity. My smaller Elite has smaller doors, but the location of the latch should be the same. The distance from the top edge of the plexiglass to the top edge of my latch is 11/16" (on mirrored side). They are all exactly the same. I'd fuss with the adjustments before bailing on those latches. The compression latches used on the closet and pantry are much bulkier and heavier than the others and I think they would be a pain for those smaller doors. Get after those latches with a shorty screwdriver and see. I think you'll get them to work fine (I hope!) I had to reset all my kitchen cabinet drawers as they were all crooked....ughh. All the slides had to be moved. My shades also would come loose at the bottom and flop around in transit. All fixed now and still loving my Ollie! There's always a few gremlins to exorcise when you get something new! Oh yes, get some 220 wet/dry sand paper, dip it in water and ease those sharp edges!! I also eased all the sharp edges on my rear bumper and exposed frame parts outside (we're talking 1/16" radius here) That bumper was dangerous! :^) Good luck. Dave

Mike and Carol, these are good questions and I hope other more experienced Oliver folks will chime in as Winter can be a great time to be out traveling so long as the roads are in good shape. Driving home last March from Tenn. we encountered mid 20's temps between New Mexico and Eastern Oregon. At RV camps w/hookups, we always disconnected the water hose each night and switched to the on-board tank and pump. This is best all around as even with a heated hose, the base of the frost free spigot will freeze and that could potentially damage it. At night, I always left the water heater on as well as it is more exposed to the exterior. In fact, it is very well insulated on the interior side, by design, to prevent heat loss. But the flip side of that is that no interior heat from the trailer will keep it from freezing if it is turned off. The legality of driving with the propane turned on varies state to state. I tried it for a while but finally decided it just was not a safe practice. That's something you need to decide for yourself. When driving, I turn the fridge to DC and let the batteries keep it cold. Since you are driving, and not in the trailer opening it very often, and it is COLD outside, we had no issues. This worked well even in the summer when it was hot out. When driving, the DC power comes from the Tow Vehicle and we always arrived at our destination with full on board batteries. As far as the furnace goes, that's not an option for us, but it would have to be really cold out for a moving trailer to freeze up in a days worth of driving. What with everything sloshing around, the tanks being enclosed, and the trailer being somewhat insulated. How cold is really cold? HaHa! I suppose one of us will find out someday! But I would dare to say that you would have no problem with the temps you described. We had no troubles in the mid 20's at night. Although daytime temps did warm up to the mid 30's, so that is potentially warmer than what you will be experiencing. Use your laser temp sensor ( you have on right?) to spot check the tanks and vulnerable fittings like the brass backflow valves, etc.. Hopefully, the more experienced will have something to say about this because it's important to know the limits of your equipment. Chains??! Man, that would be awesome but I'm not quite there yet! Have a safe trip. Dave

Steve and Tali, This is a pretty good description of the conversion I stumbled on to: http://roadslesstraveled.us/trailer-electric-over-hydraulic-disc-brake-conversion-fifth-wheel-rv-upgrade/ I would much rather have disc brakes myself but may wait a while and see how the stock drum brakes work out. So far, they're just OK. The hard part will be finding a good mechanic to do the work and of course coming up with the extra $'s. But they would be so sweet to have, especially for traveling in the mountains (actually, everywhere now that I think of it!). Good luck with your quest, and if you get them, be sure to let us know! Dave

Coy, I finally took a 1-1/2" ABS coupler and cut it in half, which gave me two rings about 3/4" wide. I then clamped the rings in my vice and cut each into two pieces. The ID of the coupler is a bit more than the diameter of the jack rod, but when you cut them in two, the saw kerf reduces their diameter when clamped together on the jack rod. Fine tune with a belt sander or file. I actually made the rings just a bit smaller than the diameter of the jack rod to get positive clamping when I tightened down the hose clamps. The ABS is flexible enough in those small pieces to conform to the jack rod. My jack on the door side of the trailer was installed crooked. Wish I would have caught that during pickup. It leans in towards the tire a bit. Making an already tight situation even tighter.Maybe you can see it in the pic. It is a close fit with the spacers, but I think it will be OK. I've tried to visualize how that shackle will move but don't see how it would interfere or contact the jack pad. If they move at all it would be in a very shallow arch as the springs compress (and lengthen), and the swing length would be pretty minimal. If someone else has a different idea about that, please, I'd sure like to hear about it! Right now, with the spacers installed, my jack pads are 11-1/4" off the ground. I finished off the job by capping off the zerks with a rubber snap cap. They worked great and hopefully will keep the grit out of my zerks. https://www.amazon.com/Brake-Bleeder-Grease-Fitting-Rubber/dp/B01DAVCD3M/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1479081388&sr=1-1&keywords=brake+bleeder+screw+caps Not the best pic. The jack pads are actually about 1-1/2" away from my tire! Clearance between jack pad and shackle is 1/4" to 3/8". Pic of the "split ring" made from a 1-1/2" ABS coupler. Hope this helps. Dave

Bill, That is a great idea! Yes my jack rods are also 1-3/4" diameter. The stainless split collars are very expensive in that size. I may cheap out and use SS hose clamps on a split piece of black ABS pipe if I can find the right size. It sure will make raising the jacks a lot easier not having to keep looking if I have enough clearance with the shackles. Thanks again. Dave

Thanks for the links Bill. After all the effort to get the Dexter kit installed, I think I will leave it as is. I really like how heavy duty the setup is. Since the longer shackles that came with the kit probably lifted my rig 1/2" +/-, I'm hoping that will somewhat balance out my levelers not being able to be fully raised. Time will tell! Dave

Bill, the new shackles have a center to center measurement of about 3-1/8", with an OAL of 4-5/8". The original shackle has a center to center measurement of 2-5/8" with an OAL of 3-7/8". It's a pretty big difference. I was going to measure to see if the new, larger shackles gave my Ollie some extra ground clearance but forgot to measure before the install. I wonder how much those shackles move around while traveling, I can't imagine too much. I want to be sure to give my jack pads good clearance. Those shorter shackles you mentioned would be shorter than the original ones. The new ones are part 018-022-01. Thanks again. Dave

Well I just installed this kit on my single axle Elite and all came out very well, but it did take some fussing around. The hard part was getting the mounting holes to realign with the spring eyes. There is very little play and everything has to line up just so. Took some messing with the jack and a pry bar to get everything to go together. I cleaned out all the openings in the spring eyes and spacers/bushings with a wire bottle brush, and pre-greased everything before putting it all together. I didn't need the ball joint press noted above, but instead used a 9/16 x 4" bolt with a washer to drive the bronze bushings home. A couple I could almost push in with my hands so this was not a big issue. It's pretty sweet and way heavier duty than the stock setup. I also went with the standard zerk setup as I could get my grease gun on them without going to the 45 degree zerks. I plan to get some zerk covers (little snap on rubber caps) to cover them up since they are so close to my tires and all the dirt and crud that they will be subjected to. One thing that was a surprise is that the shackles are quite a bit longer (as well as twice as thick) than the factory ones. As a result of this, I can not raise my rear leveling jacks all the way as the jack pads will hit the shackle. It is a matter of only 1/2" or less from being completely raised so I'm not too worried about it. I think there is still plenty of clearance back there. Everything is pretty tight on the little Elite! Very glad to have done this. Especially as we will be on a lot of rough unpaved roads. Dave

What you are seeking is a horizontal alignment between your TV and trailer. Level is nice but hard to achieve in the field. What you need is a flat surface (does not need to be level) between the front tires of your TV and the furthest rearward tires of your trailer. When hitched, look at your setup and sight down the middle seam of your trailer (or any prominent horizontal line) and compare it to the same on your TV. The lines should be parallel or very close to it. Both should also be parallel to the ground. You can measure or just go by eye. If you have to measure, level your trailer as you mentioned, stick the dumb end of your tape measure up in your hitch (where the ball would go) and measure down to the ground. This is the same measurement as the top of your hitch ball should be on your TV. Be sure to allow for your rear end dropping when the trailer is hitched up (tongue weight). My E-250 drops about 1-1/2", half tons will probably drop more. Sounds like you may need a ball mount with a shorter drop. Important to note however that if your TV is really squatting (low in the rear) under the load of the tongue weight, you need to address this first, as your TV should be parallel to the ground , or close, while hitched. Only then can you proceed with the rest of the process. Hope this helps. Dave

Raspy, I have a 2015 Elite, and it has the 5200# Dexter axle. My trailer has about 4000 miles on it and I recently did a bearing repack and brake adjust (that's a different story), so I think the brakes should have worn in by now. When I picked the trailer up at Hohenwald, I could not get the brakes to lock up there either but I didn't understand enough of how they worked to bring it up, and no one asked either. Now that I understand how they work a little better, I was hoping the brake adjust would help, but it hasn't. I also had to get a new controller as the first one was defective! Ugh, it has been a process! Since I don't own a multimeter, I can't measure the voltage arriving at the magnets while braking, which I assume should be the same, or very close to what my controller is set for. There could also be a grounding issue somewhere. That tester John mentioned does sound good, but I think I need to find a friend who has a meter to do a more thorough diagnosis. Either that or take it to a brake specialist and let them look at it. Though I'm still searching for a good RV mechanic I can trust with my Ollie. Dave

John, Thanks a bunch, I'll be ordering that Tekonsha tester. Dave

Thanks everyone. John, would not a multimeter tell me everything that this tester would? I know that a multimeter is more $, but it has the advantage of telling me the voltages that are present. Don't have a meter yet, but maybe now is the time to get one. What do you think? Thanks. Dave

I have been feeling that my brakes could be much more assertive when braking. I am using the Tekonsha P3 controller. Since this is my first experience with controllers, I have been learning on the fly. According to the setup instructions that came with the P3, by incrementally increasing the voltage from the controller to the brakes, I should eventually be able to lock the brakes up using the controller's manual control lever. Then, I am supposed to back off from that voltage for best effect. My problem is that even at the highest voltage, I cannot get the brakes to lock up. So I'm wondering if any of you have gone through this procedure and were able to lock up your brakes during the setup phase of your controllers. I have not yet taken a multimeter to the brake magnets to see if they are getting the proper voltage but I suppose that is the next thing try. Someone mentioned that some brakes are designed to never lock up and I'm wondering if the Dexter brakes are like this. Thanks for any advice. Dave

Don, Perhaps this is not vital to do, but after having the 'city water' back check valve freeze and break while at the factory (luckily we discovered it before leaving), I would not take any chances. Any air you blow through the black tank rinse port will just blow any collected water in that line into the black tank. No need to open the gate valve as the air will just exhaust out the vent on top of the trailer. Shouldn't take but a few seconds to blow that out. Dave

Grayson, since the water supply outlet of the water tank is set slightly above the bottom of the tank, it is very hard to completely drain. Certainly it will never drain completely when the trailer is level. I have to tip mine up quite a bit to get most (but not all) of it out. See the pic I too was told not to use the onboard jacks for extended periods of time, so I'm going to make some wood ones from scrap. I believe the best place to locate them is directly under the spring/axle connection and not just on the axle tube. You guys with the dual axles might have some more figuring to do. Don't forget to blow out the black tank rinse inlet. I will probably also unscrew the exterior shower head and blow those lines out as well. Luckily here in Portland, we don't get the prolonged freezes that you folks up in the NE get. Thanks to Buzzy for getting this thread going. You've put down a lot of good info and it's appreciated and a great help to all of us new to trailering. "Belt and suspenders"... it's a good thing! Dave

I don't have a cargo door on my Elite, but on my battery box door there is a cable. One side is riveted to the trailer body and the other has a small aluminum plate that has been tapped for two screws to hold the steel 'catch' to which the cable attaches to. The aluminum plate is then glued to the door. Sounds like your door has insulation on it? That could be a complication but if you have an aluminum plate like I do and it has come off the fiberglass door, then I would use this adhesive to glue it back on: http://www.westsystem.com/ss/convenient-repair-packs-provide-a-quick-fix/ All this may or may not apply to your situation, but just in case.... Prep the area well. Get all the old adhesive off, sand the area well including the back of the plate, and wipe down with MEK. I would also drill a few extra holes in that plate to act as keys for the epoxy when you glue it back on. You could even countersink the holes just a bit (on the unglued side) for a dovetail effect. Use the adhesive filler that comes with the kit when you mix up your epoxy. West System epoxies are great products and are available at West Marine if you have any in your area, or probably even on Amazon. It is kind of a difficult design problem having the door drop down like that. What Oliver need to do is glass that aluminum plate right into the door when they make it. Relying on adhesives after the fact is not so great a long term solution. Good luck. Dave

Does anyone know if the black tank rinse has a built in back flow preventer? Should this be a concern? I'm not as worried about my water hose, as it's dedicated for the task, but I am concerned about the water supply where I hook up to. Also regarding the sewer hose (the big 3" hose). I am getting rid of the supplied hose for a better quality, and longer one. What length hose do you all use? The factory hose was just barely long enough for more than a few times, but I don't want miles of the stuff either... Thanks. Dave