MAX Burner

@FLYnGATOR - FYI: Just like Mossey @mossemi noted above, the "Zamp" SAE (through the battery hatch) connector is a piece of cake to install. There's several owners that have integrated this solar connector in various locations around (usually) the street side of the OTT to better access the battery compartment. IMO, the battery compartment hatch is the most effective location. It will likely take you longer to assemble all the tools and parts on your workbench necessary to complete the job than actually installing the SAE connector. HA! Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.... (OBTW: we like pix!) Cheers!

Matching paint scheme - sweet! Awesome looking TV & OTT combo, Bill! Congrats on the new rig...enjoy!

Never took one off, but we installed an OEM curtain traveler track... To remove, unscrew the small stainless screws at the ends of the track. The track has a double sided tape to help secure it to the gelcoat - pull track off slowly, use an orange plastic razor black so as not to scratch the gelcoat. Use "Goof-Off" or a similar adhesive remover for the remaining residue. Clean and wax when done - easy, peasy!

Same here - our fresh tank sensor never reads >94%... We use the readouts as just a "ballpark" sense of the condition of each of the 3 tanks - for that, they're fine for us.

@Half Fast Hugo - Great feeling having the OTT tucked away in its purpose-built hangar, right? Congrats!

Very clean install JD! Thanks for the awesome step by step chronicle of your upgrade - definitely on our radar for a future project!

Personally, money not being a factor, the bigger the better (BIB). This being the case, it would be a 1-ton maxi crew cab 4x4 w/8-ft bed for us. Most likely a F350 Tremor - my buddy has one and it's impressive. Very versatile for our lifestyle. If the beast is solely used for a TV, we'd double the size of our Casablanca "hangar" for the massive truck. We owned a RAM 3500 for many years and it lived outside - not the best situation. Our RAM was my EDD (every day driver) - one needs to "plan ahead" when maneuvering through the city with that long-ass rig, for sure. But for hauling loads of yard waste, gravel, or generally heavy loads it was a wonderful rig to own. Maintenance wise, it was very affordable - OTOH, fuel costs were a downside especially after 2020 when diesel jumped 2 - 3x. The pros and cons list is a long one - but with money not an issue.... BIB, seriously.

We echo @Mike and Carol's comments above. As reported in another thread, we replaced our 12-month old Monroe shocks after we replaced the axles & leaf springs last May. I was surprised that 3 of the 4 Monroes were toast after only 8k miles - but we were not in a position to acquire a set of Bulldogs (in Hohenwald at the time) so we replaced them with OEM Monroes. We've logged just north of 6k miles since May and we function-checked the OEMs at the 5k-mile point - all good. We also checked axle U-bolt nut torques at the same time - all within specs. I'm thinking with the max travel of the axle set being approximately 4-1/4" (2-1/8" up and 2-1/8" down) that the longer stroked Bulldog (4.69") option would be fine given the slightly higher lift with the Alcans. Also, I believe that any higher rated leaf spring will tend to dampen the OTT load at a lower frequency and shorter stroke when under tow as compared to the OEM 4-pack 1,750# springs. This may allow the shock absorbers to last longer, IMO. Regarding towing the Casablanca with upgraded running gear: Like Mike mentioned, no appreciable difference observed in towing during this last 6k+ miles - other than a general overall "solid" feel and less "porpoising" at slower speeds over rougher roads. We reduced the electrical trailer brake gain from 6.0 down to 4.5 due largely to the 12" drums' greater braking action. The OTT always pulled like a champ, anyway - its, quantitatively, a more "confident" towing experience and a "peace of mind" in the overall running gear with the upgrade. Bulldogs are definitely on our radar screen for a swap-out probably when the 10k-mile point is reached on the existing Monroes, FYI. Cheers, All!

FWIW: For us, every road trip is different in terms of load-out and corresponding payload weight. It all depends on what we're planning to do on a particular adventure. Since we sold our 1-ton RAM 2 years ago, the days of throwing anything we "think" we would need in the 8-foot bed are long gone - as we never even came close to maxing out the payload limitation on the Big 3500. With he TUNDRA, we're limited to a measly 1400lbs cargo weight - it is what it is. So, we developed a simple spreadsheet that we fill-out before each departure which calculates how close we are to the 1400lb max limit (...remembering that this includes a full gas tank). Our list of cargo items is all inclusive with a measured weight for each line item - obviously, we don't take all these items (they wouldn't fit), but only calculate the weights of those loaded for a given trip. For example, the items listed below indicating "0-lbs" were not brought along with us this time. This is a screenshot of the spreadsheet for the current trip we're on now: We simply go down the list and insert the weight associated with the item (column D) if it's being brought along. If we're not boondocking, like on this trip, much of the heavy items stay in the Man Cave at home. Even if we're in the BD mode - the volume of space under the BakFlip bed cover usually limits the weight we can carry anyway. We typically run 75 - 100lbs less than the maximum allowed cargo weight, FYI. Kind of a PIMA, but I believe "weight and balance" is a necessary planning activity just like back in the day when instead of pulling a travel trailer, I was flying aircraft....

A couple knuckleheads enjoying a sunrise near Palo Duro Canyon SP this morning.... Then we had some visitors... IMG_2333.MOV Gotta love 'em! Cheers! A & D

Exactly correct! Or in another mode we'd be: CCXXVI

Like @jd1923, @Patriot, and others - we keep our Oliver on the premises so it's little hassle to "keep things just so." We will rarely fill the fresh water holding tank with "city water" of unknown pedigree. That said, we sanitize the fresh water system 2x annually and travel with a Berkey water filter for drinking purposes, FWIW.

Some recent and random shots of Monument Valley, Canyonlands, and Arches... Above - the mittens at MV... D had to talk to a guy about a horse... Monuments everywhere... Don't lose the Knucklehead! Colorado River way down there... Arches are everywhere.... Enjoy your adventure to the Great Southwest! Cheers!

Great planning! Y'all will love this route - don't forget to hit the "Four Corners" when you're in Monument Valley... Send pix! Enjoy!

so @Patriot ate

@aaronorange; We always top off at home prior to departing. We have filtered and conditioned well water from our property and the Casablanca really likes it. No build-up in Pex and at points of usage. We also carry 2 x 6-Gal water jugs filled with house H2O in the TV and use the boondock water pump mode as needed - on short 3 - 5 day trips we do not connect to water bibs. FYI... Hope this helps out. Cheers!

I heard of this back in the day. This is a procedure used when a fridge is move from Pt. A to B on its side or back - when it arrives at the destination, its placed upside down over night before using it... The ammonia repositions its volume when upside down. Who knew?

AWESOME! Welcome to the OTT Family - we love pix, so get out on the road and start posting your new Oliver adventures! Cheers!

Our Alcan "before and after" height measurement raised the Casablanca by 1/2"-ish, FYI... However, we've got a 12-foot door so we've got a way to go before height becomes an issue - maybe re-mount the axles in the "sprung over" mode? HA!

This is exactly what I learned when coordinating with Jason for our axle upgrade, fortunately for us, Jason had D52s in stock so we didn't have to wait for a Dexter special order lead time and were able to buy them direct from OTT. But if you could get your "as built" sheet from Dexter it would certainly be worth the wait for D52s with your 50.0" SC. IMO.

What a surprise when D and I were screaming around a left turn in the Jemez Mountains of northern NM and spotted that "oh, so familiar" big red Texico Star prominently fixed on the nose of Mike's and Carol's Oliver at a local service station! D poked me hard in the ribs and shouted over the roar of the engine downshifting to an appropriate gear for what will become a serious "bat-turn", "Look! There's Mike and Carol!" HA! Sure enough, we circled back and pulled into the station to say, "HEY!" After blasting out a, "Hey, MIKE!" -- it was clear from his 2,000 yard stare that Mike had no clue who was addressing him from atop a big Beemer, so, like Mike described above, I introduced myself and the look of recognition appeared on his face and we both laughed! I'm certain that this will likely remain as our most exciting "Oliver Sighting" ever! Small world, for sure! Cheers!

I suspect that the lighter rated springs oscillate at a higher frequency and travel more than they would with stiffer leaf springs causing the OEM shocks to wear out sooner than expected. Our new Monroe's lasted less than a year before replacing them when we upgraded to the D52s.

You are correct, sir.

@rideandfly - Steve and Talii's Hull #50 has SC 50.5" D52's w/disc brakes and upgraded Alcan springs --- FYI.

@rideadeuce: Looks great, Mike! OBTW: we love your ship's clock and humidity(?)/barometric(?) gauges on the rear bulkhead - nice touch!