Fargoman

I'm wondering why the original title of my post, "Who Might You Be?", was changed? I certainly didn't do it. The can has been opened, and the worms are not coming back.

Now that I have inadvertently 'outed' the owners of this LE2 with this post, in the hopes of learning whether they live in the Pacific Northwest, I suspect they might want to remain anonymous because of our discussion of their choice of tow vehicle. If they do see this post, let's hope they search the Forum for the many discussions about this subject and reconsider their choice of tow vehicle before they find themselves in a bad situation.

After all the discussions I've read on the Forum about appropriate tow vehicles, that was my first thought once I noticed that the Ollie is an LE2. There are quite a few long and steep grades on Interstate 5 between Redding, CA and the Eugene, OR area, with the highest point being at Siskiyou Summit (4310 feet) just south of Ashland. While some of the larger SUVs might have the horsepower to pull the trailer up the grades at a decent speed, I wouldn't feel comfortable on the downhills with a lighter tow vehicle.

While researching Harvest Host locations to stop enroute from Redding, CA to Salmon Creek, WA, I had the rare experience of seeing an Ollie that had stopped at Saginaw Vineyard in Cottage Grove, OR. Ollies are seldom seen in the Pacific Northwest, as they are a long way from their birthplace, but they do have an amazing ability to migrate.

For those of you whose trailers have a refrigerator fan, where is the fan switch located? My 2021 LE2 doesn't have a fan switch that I have noticed. If Oliver stopped installing a refrigerator fan after the 2017 models, does anyone know why?

Thanks for the information, Bill. Yesterday I began planning a trip from northern California to Canada to visit Banff and Jasper National parks, and was confused by the reservation system - it wasn't clear that reservations for the parks are staggered. As I've done on previous trips, I make reservations in the most popular locations first, and work backwards from those available dates. It doesn't always work out as I would have preferred, but being retired give me flexibility with scheduling. Reading comments on the earlier post, 'Anchorage or Bust', gave me the notion to visit Jasper. I'd appreciate any suggestions from anyone about places to visit and camp. My initial plan is to head northeast and enter Canada north of Bonner's Ferry ID on Hwy. 95, then proceed towards Banff. After visiting Banff and Jasper National Parks, the goal is to head towards Abbotsford BC then head south to the Vancouver WA area before returning home.

While traveling back to Redding CA on Interstate 5 from Vancouver WA, we saw a northbound LE2 a few miles south of Canyonville a little after noon today. I only had a few seconds to look, but the Ollie had what appeared to be bicycles on a rear hitch-mounted rack, under a black cover. We see few Ollies out west - I'm curious where the owners live. There were more travel trailers than I usually see this time of year heading north on Interstate 5 today, including three Escapes and six Airstreams among all the usual stick-built RV's. I'm guessing that the recent winter storm that shut down Interstate 5 north of Redding for two days created a back-up, and people were finally able to travel. We had to wait two days for the highway to reopen before heading home, but fortunately we were staying with family members in Vancouver, and had no reason to rush home. I was glad we weren't towing our Ollie on this trip.

Two weeks ago I finally got around to installing the replacement rear window in my LE2. I had planned to do it after Christmas, but decided to wait until we had a warmer day (low 60's), thinking that the butyl tape that seals the window would compress more easily when tightening the self-tapping screws that hold the inner and outer window frames together. It was definitely a two-person job. The hardest part was to properly align the inner frame screw holes with the slot in the outer frame that the self-tapping screws penetrate. After placing the window assembly in the hull opening, I opened the sliding window so I could temporarily clamp the inner window frame in place while I fiddled with aligning the screw holes. When I was ready to install the self-tapping screws, my wife held the window assembly in place from the outside of the trailer so that I didn't push the window assembly out of the hull opening - the butyl tape would not have held the window assembly in place against the force needed to get the self-tapping screws started. I waited a few days before caulking around the outer window frame to let the butyl tape compress more. I was able to tighten some of the self-tapping screws a bit more, and could see that the gap between the outer window flange and the hull had decreased a bit. I removed the original caulk around all the other windows (caulk on rear street-side window had yellowed within three weeks of delivery) so that all the windows would have the same type and age of sealant.

I have the Lithium Pro package with three Lithionics 12V130A-G31-LRBM8 batteries in my 2021 LE2. When I spoke to a Lithionics tech to clarify a question I had before performing the first 6-month discharge-charge procedure, he said it was fine to only discharge the batteries to RVC, not LVC as the manual states. I opted to disregard his advice and follow the instructions in the manual. I keep screen shots of the Bluetooth app to document battery conditions over time, for warranty purposes should a problem arise. I'm curious to know if anyone else with Lithionics batteries have received tech advice that contradicts written procedure.

After reading this post I decided to check the quick-links on my LE2. Each one was slightly loose, needing about one revolution of the nut to completely tighten. I bought two spares and will apply red Loctite to the threads on the originals. Issues like this are one of the reasons I read the Forum regularly - I learn something almost every week.

Thanks for all the good responses. Two questions: Are the windows secured in the hull only by the butyl tape adhesive? What's your technique for smoothing the caulking bead when using silicone or hybrid caulks that require mineral spirits to clean? I've only used caulking around the house that can be cleaned with soap and water, and use a wetted finger or a damp grouting sponge to smooth the caulk bead.

Andrew, Having to replace the bathroom window three times must have been frustrating, especially since your Ollie isn't very old, but now you're the window expert by necessity. I'll definitely keep your offer in mind when the new window assembly arrives.

Thanks for the input and offer, Andrew. Have you replaced a window on your Ollie, or another fiberglass trailer? My wife has some relatives and friends in the LA & San Diego area, so a trip down south could accomplish two things. I like your Ollies name - I haven't been able to think of anything novel yet.

Rivernerd, along with a replacement window assembly, I asked Mike Sharpe to send detailed removal and installation instructions so that I, or whoever replaces the window knows what to do. I'm not certain that most RV repair facilities are used to working on fiberglass trailers. If the process is not complicated, I'd consider doing the job myself, with a helper to give me 'constructive criticism'. 😄

AlbertNTerri, I did request a replacement window assembly, and also asked Mike Sharpe about recommended RV repair facilities on the West Coast, but he said they don't have any. I seem to recall reading earlier Forum posts about Oliver trying to establish such a list, but apparently it hasn't happened yet.