Pat Maundrell

In my 65 years of Trouble-Shooting why Mechanical things fail, one thing has become very CLEAR! That is there is alway a reason, you may not realize at the time, but it wasn't caused by chance! From what I understand of the Link Failure, I wouldn't rule out Poor Quality of the Link or Incorrect Chain Adjustment. Today, with parts coming from all over the world, the quality of material is suspect until proven otherwise. I would suggest getting a replacement Link from a reputable company (not the local Hardware Store) and make sure it was made in the USA/Germany! When I first noticed that Andersen used the added Link to make the Chain long enough, I wonder about that decision! A Chain of the proper length would certainly be a better and stronger. Remember, a chain is only as strong as its weakness Link! I'll have to ask Andersen if they can provide the correct length for Olivers, it will probably take a Special Order of 100s of Chains.

I called Andersen today and told them the above story and ask them for their recommendations/comments. They told me "there is no problem applying small amounts of Lube to the Treads! They did however add that it may make the area a little dirty."

I considered any possible "negative consequences" of applying some Lube to the treads and I even thought about adding Torrington Bearings to replace the Flat Washer between the Nut and the Bushing to reduce friction, but the Lube did the job! IMHO, the most important consideration should be, is the Hitch adjusted correctly, i.e. correct amount of weight transferred to the Front Axle of the TV! I guess it is possible to over adjust the Hitch because it is easier to turn the nuts, but the same situation applies when you use the Trailer Front Jack to rise the trailer to make adjusting the Nuts easier. I accidentally stumble on how sensitive the Adjustments actually are. As I mentioned before, during a 1 mile Test-Road Trip the Front End of our GL 450 felt LIGHT, I pulled over and turned both Adjusting Nuts 1/2 turn tighter. To my complete amazement this made the GL 450's Front End and the complete vehicle feel firm. You could actually feel the Trailer's Weight being spread out across both axles of the TV. Note, my wife felt this also during the trip! I will call Andersen Hitch to get their comments.

You are 100% correct! In all serious, you should have 9-15% of your trailer's weight on the Tongue. In my case, our Tow Vehicle's TW is limited to 600 LBS, so I have to be careful not to exceed this. I am in the process of added a Bike Rack Receiver to our Oliver as we speak, and will observe the 100-150 lbs limit. The original plan was to install a Bike Rack there for one 65 lb ebike, the second ebike had to be stored inside the TV. A percentage of this additional weight, let say 150 lbs (Bike + Bike Rack) will be subtracted from the TW. However, because this added weight is behind the Trailer's Axles, (leverage) it will increase, so the actual weight the Axles sees, could easily be 250 lbs. I haven't done the math yet, but it will probably mean 50 lbs (of the 250 lbs) will COME OFF (leverage again) of the Tongue Weight. Currently our TW is 580 lbs. This could be good news by making room, weight that is, for our Honda Generator to be permanently mounted on the Tongue.

Funny you mentioned that. I did notice where you stored your Ladder (liked it) and the thought went through mine that I may have to redo my closet layout to make room.

Our Zip Dee Chairs are close to 25 + years old and we are still using them everytime we go camping. We did however just get new Dark Blue Sunbella covers for them to match our Oliver's new color scheme. Since we wouldn't leave home without them, we had to find a convenient place to store them. The attached pics shows our Chair Holder, which also holds our umbrellas inside the closet. The first pic shows just the Holder & umbrellas, second pic show the Holder with 1 chair, the third pic show the Holder with 2 chairs and the Sink's Cutting Board slide next to the chair. The original plan was to use Velcro to hold the Holder to the Closet's wall, but it fit snugly without velcro. I put a little Teak Oil on the Wood Arms Pads and Waxed the SS Frame, they look new, good for at least another 25 years. BTW, these chairs are the most comfortable chairs we have ever used. Now onto the next items on the "Honey Do List," a Bike Rack-Teak Table (with ComPass Rose) for the Dinette, Teak Pantry & Microwave Counter, and of course finish the Teak Nightstand Pull Out Table, just to mention a few!

Good idea, I think I may use your suggestion in the final Table.

BTW, Youtube does a good job of showing these techniques.

This is a good question. If you looked at the surface of the fiberglass under a microscope you would see that it would appear ROUGH/COARSE, (Peaks/Valleys) think different Grades of Sand Paper-Fine/Medium/Coarse. When the surface gets Rough, due to either environmental factors or lack of proper maintenance, the LUSTER/SHINE of the surface declines! The other down side of the Rough surface is that it attracts stains more easily from all sources by acting like a magnet for the dirt to stick to. The only way to remove stubborn type of stains, after all other cleaning products/ method have failed, that I know of is to level the surface by removing the Peaks/Valleys, i.e. changing the surface from Coarse Sand Paper into Fine Sand Paper! This is done by Wet Sanding, and progressing through the various grits of paper and finishing with differents grits of Rubbing Compound, top off with Waxing. I have personally used these methods to restore Fiberglass surfaces on several of our Sailboats to bring the boats back to be the "Pride of the Fleet!" This will also work on most Painted surfaces on vehicles.

First Road Trip comments. Overall our GL 450 and Oliver proved to be a very nice combination! I was somewhat worried about the TW (Limited to 600lbs) but actual TW measurements using a TW Scale show 580 lbs loaded. The combination worked exceptionally well, smooth and straight as could be. Unfortunately we were in a hurry and found ourselves cruising at 70-75 MPH, which is to fast, IMHO. We were getting 13 Plus MPG and found more than enough power through the mountains of KY/Tenn. We need experience the normal problems Hitching Up, but after several attempts we settled into a workable procedure that seems to work. Our Anderson Hitch has the newest Updated Parts, i.e. Bat Wing/Ball etc. The first Test Drive ( 1 mile) did produce a Light Feel in the Front Axle of the GL 450, so I tighten the Chain Adjusters exactly 1/2 turn tighter. To my surprise this produced a very satisfactory feel/ride. I noticed the previous owner did not have any Lube on the Chain Adjuster Threads (dry) which made them very hard to turn. I put light grease on the threads which made them easy to turn, even when fully loaded. I was surprised that only a 1/2 Turn made a Night & Day difference in the Weight Transfer to the Front Axle of the TV, I wouldn't have expected this! I was very skeptical about the Anderson Hitch when we were first introduced to it, but after using it for a while I guess it is OK. However, if another option was available I probably would take it. This is because of the difficulty Hitch it up! Other WD Hitches are easier to Hook Up in my opinion.

The below pics show the bottom of the Pull out table, note the Finger/Prop Cut outs, and the Underneath Support Prop required when the Table is exceeded to 19 inches-not required at 15 inches. The pics showing the Table extended is at 19 inches, we don't use it at that position, not needed, 15 inches is perfect.

Let me be clear, sadly the problem is 99% me.

One more thing, currently the Top get screwed down with 4 Stainless Steel screws for security, the buggies are redundant. The finished version will have a SS Hinged Top and 2 locks.

Thanks, but the problem is between me and my Cell Phone.

It held in by friction, you have to exert a little effort to Pull it out. It stayed put for 2500 miles.

As far as the Dinette Table is concerned, I've already consider the same idea there, it shouldn't be a problem. Of course the Pull out Table on either the NightStand or Dinette Table won't be on the same Plane.

I am trying to send more pics but I am having trouble. The Pull Out Table relies on friction to keep it in place, It is a tight fit, although adjustable to your taste. The Table is 13 inch wide and can be pulled out 15 inches without any additional support. It can also be pulled out a total of 19 inches but does require a support prop underneath, which rests on the Basement Door wall. Hopefully I'll figure out why my pics aren't working, they show all of this.

Good suggestions. This box was done in a hurry so I could try it out during our first Road Trip. We found it to be very useful and convent! The second generation will be better, maybe different material and dimensions to fit the Honda Generator for intermittent usage. Additionally a Marine Grade Hinged Top with Lock. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the TW was still within our TV's limits.

Our TV has a 600 lb Tongue Weight Limit so we thought that any additional storage would be out of the questions. As it turns out, the used 2019 EL2 we bought already had the Storage Basket on it so we tried it out. We added a Wood Enclosure to secure out stuff and then measured the actual weight using a Tongue Scale. The empty TW was 480 lbs and included 2 half full LPG tanks and about 30% full fresh water tank, which I was encouraged to find. I remeasured the TW again before our first trip with the Storage full of Chocks/Levels/Hoses/some tools etc and found the Loaded TW was at 580 lbs, perfect! I need to redo the Storage Box and include a Top Hinge and rodo the dimensions so our Honda Generator fill fit when required. Of course all the other stuff will have to be temporarily relocated inside the SUV and cooling/exhaust vent added.

One of the features we like about the EL2 Twin Bed layout is the ability to sit in the "Stateroom" and enjoy the 180 degree views through the windows while having something to eat or drink. Of course you need a table to do this, i.e. a Lagna Table is one solution. We decided to try another approach, but will keep the Lagna Table option as a Backup alternative. The attached picture shows the prototype (not the final finished model.) I wanted to try this idea to see if it was feasible before I committed to more expensive wood etc. Our plans are to add a "Nautical Theme" to our Oliver, i.e. Teak Table Tops with Compass Roses etc. This pictures shows our inexpensive Pull Out Table made out of 1/2 inch plywood with Teak Trim. So far it has exceeded our expectations, although maybe a little small to have a meal at.

I became an expert at our Sailing Club, for my ability to bring back to life the most neglected Fiberglass Sailboat imaginable! It has been my experience that the most important ingredient is often the most overlooked and it free. Any guesses? It simply Elbow Grease! Your best defence in keeping your Oliver looking like new is to keep it Clean, I mean really cleaned, then Waxed and Polished with a Power Buffer. In extreme cases Wet Sanding maybe required before various levels of Rubbing Compound and then Waxing/Polishing. It called Detailing!

I plan on attending, Hull 466, Section G.

You couldn't have said it better! However, most people aren't aware of these forces! invo

I am struggling with the same questions! Remember the 100/150 lbs weight limit includes the Bike Rack (1Up = 47lbs) plus the Bikes, an ebike is around 70 lbs with Battery (-7lbs if battery is removed) Let's do the Math, 150 lb limit- 47 lbs Rack, - 63 lbs for one e bike= 40 lbs to spare! No room for 2 e bikes. The average weight of a normal Adult Bike is 21-29 lbs, so we could carry 2 regular Bikes without a problem. We need e bikes and are thinking of getting 2 Folding e bikes and carry one of them on the Bike Rack and the other inside our SUV. IMHO, this is the most practical solution for us, because it takes advantage of the Reserve Weight Capacity of both the Trailer/TV. BTW, several things to keep in mind when considering adding weight to the "Rear of an Trailer," be it a Bike or Extra Cargo. Generally speaking, is much more than a simple question of, Will the Bike Rack Handle the Weight? The actual weight on the Trailer's Rear Axles and the Bike Rack Components can be is much higher than the real weight of the objects! This is because of the leverage, caused by the distance the item is behind the Rear Axle, in this case suspended behind the Bumper. In other words, the 100-150 lb limit is greatly multiplied! This is one reason why so many Bike Rack Manufactures make Heavy Duty Model for use behind Trailer. The forces are considerable! Often this weight is underestimated and can lead to either component failures or a Serve Case of Trailer Sway and accidents!

I thought if the ebike were Class 2 (limit to 20MPH) then they are permitted on "Off road Trails," Class 3 are not. Isn't this correct?