MAX Burner
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Posts posted by MAX Burner
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We've just returned from a wonderful trip to the cooler climates of northern NM - Eagle Nest Lake State Park to be exact. As expected, the higher elevation of the Rockies produce predictable afternoon T-Storms. We received the typical on-again/off-again 25-30 minute rain every afternoon through mid-evening, FRI - SUN.
Laying in the rack Friday night while listening to light and sometimes heavier squalls pass through the area, we hear a rather loud "BANG" - believe me, if I could hear it; it must have been loud! The sound was similar to an RV door slamming shut, but much louder. Grabbing the high-power LED hand-held and self-defense protection, I go out to carefully investigate....
All is cool in and about Casablanca, however, looking to the 5th Wheel nearby, it's clear the couple neglected to either "tip" their awning or retract it all together. Thought that this would go without saying, but leaving a level awning deployed after hours is asking for a Big Problem. The 20-foot canopy collect enough water during the evening to snap the drive-control rod freeing it at the forward edge, destroying the forward/rear support arms, and collapsing the awning.
We had an interesting chat with the couple over some coffee in the morning. They're new to RV'ing and mentioned that the awning caper is just another example of "how they roll." Wow.
There was no way the awning would be retracted with so much damage to the support arms, not to mention the broken control rod in order to get the rig back to TX. We explained they would need to remove both control arms and slide the awning from its track (about 15' off the ground).
So, we offered to help since they had no tools or a ladder. We got them road-worthy after about 45 minutes of effort. But now what to do with the 20-foot awning roller? He decided to cut it into thirds with my hacksaw and drove it to a local landfill. The awning was salvageable, but they mentioned they've found one on Amazon along with a couple new control arms.
Oh, well... at least there were no injuries!
Pay attention to WX and Awning positioning, right?
A & D
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(Apologies in advance - not trying to HiJack the thread).
UPDATE:
After a wonderful short trip to the cool WX of northern NM, we returned yesterday after a 335-mile round trip. The maintenance done on the Bull Dog last week appears to have remedied the issue of it rotating on the rear through-bolt as described earlier. The Bull Dog position remains unchanged relative to the Sharpie mark after the trip. We'll pay attention to this by double checking the torque values on the two attachment bolts.
Cheers, all!
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30 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:
Regular cleaning and maintenance goes a long way with an Oliver, some 2016’s still look and feel new. Mike
We couldn't agree more with @Mike and Carol, FYI. We do a top/bottom, port/stbd, fore/aft cleaning inside and out after (and many times during) our trips. It's a good way to mentally keep track of gelcoat issues, general conditions and anomalies that our OTT's acquire after/during use. Like Mike mentions, such attention keeps our "older" Ollies looking and feeling like new....
You know you're doing it right when random comments by Ollie admirers say stuff like, "We can't believe your trailer isn't brand new!". Just say'n....
"Ravel'n On!"
A & D
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13 hours ago, Rivernerd said:
am quite particular about ensuring that the trailers I tow sit level when towed. Placing the top of the Andersen hitch ball at 23-1/2" off a level floor, with a Tundra, will result in a level towing position for an Elite II, if both the truck and trailer are properly loaded.
@Dave and Dana: FYI: We roll the same as @Rivernerd regarding attention to TV/OTT level when towing. Our 2" Andeerson ball height is exactly 23.75" off a level surface when the TV is properly loaded. The Bulldog is 23.25" above level surface.... Our Tundra squats about 1.5 - 1.75" when coupled. We've added AirLift suspension bags which help reducing "porpoising" while towing, extend suspension life, and can fine-tune level conditions, if necessary. We're running them with approximately 23psi. Hope this helps out.
Cheers, Amigo...
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We've got Foy's drawer organizer - real game changer, for sure! Strongly recommend this item... just say'n.
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OMG, we watch "The Long, Long Trailer" several times a year - always while camping, though! It cracks us up - we do not, however, collect rocks like Lucy does! HA!
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Eagle Nest Lake State Park, NM...
Where's Magnus?
He's love'n the 60F temps (so are we for that matter)!
His FAV spot - right under the Ollie steps!
Red River, NM - 8,600' near Eagle Nest - great weekend romp!
He's spent... Oh, well... charge up his batteries and go again in the morning.
Cheers,
A&D
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19 minutes ago, Patriot said:
He got a full refund as promised by Active Start.
Whew! That was a close one! Glad they stood by their promise...
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On 9/7/2022 at 12:12 PM, Hokieman said:
I use a Levelmate Pro also. I was worried about the screws inside the closet so I used vhb tape. Occasionally I check with bubble level, it’s still stuck in place.
We installed our LevelMatePRO yesterday using 1/4" stainless screws and small washers. We had originally used velcro to mount the LMP thinking that it would make battery changes easier - NO JOY. The velcro wouldn't hold it in position and we got erroneous data on the app. Double-sided tape might be another solution - but that would likely be messy after a few battery change outs.
It's still in the same position just below the closet door bulkhead near the main hatch for easy access to the on/off slider switch.
The jury's still out on the functionality of the unit - but we're leaving today for a long weekend trip away from this triple-digit heat, so we'll report back after a few days of testing it.
"Ravel'n-On!"
Cheers...
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We're getting kitted-up to head out to Eagle Nest, NM tomorrow to escape the heat wave. During a routine light inspection this afternoon, Magnus has OK'd the LED Bumper mod.... Apparently, we're good to go, according to "Big M."
WOOF!
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1 hour ago, rich.dev said:
Yup that’s true, same as the Proven Industries hitch lock, if they want it they will take it…..t’s just a good deterrent!
Exactly right on! Securing our toys is a matter of increasing the bad guys' task time to defeat our measures. However, without a means of detecting and assessing their efforts with some sort of an alarm system - their task time can be as long as the time we are away from the trailer to get what they want.
The Proven hitch lock slows them down considerably - and provides a deterrent for those thieves without tools. If, the they bring proper tools to this caper, the deterrent factor goes away. For that matter, with a pre-drilled $130 Bulldog coupler, the bad guys only need to remove the two through bolts, toss the Proven-locked coupler assembly, attach their Bulldog and drive off. Having just removed our Bulldog this week, guess it'd take less than 5 minutes time before pulling chocks and driving away with a $75k+ Ollie, not a bad investment.
Regarding the battery compartment lock, given the value sitting on the battery tray - some thought could be given for an engineered locking mechanism for the battery tray latch. Making the latch lockable would further provide a reasonably cost deterrent and simultaneously increase their task time. Again, if they bring tools....
Just our $0.02 worth.
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On 3/27/2020 at 2:17 PM, BackofBeyond said:
It is not much help - but I have offered rv space on my property to a few traveling Oliver owners.
@BackofBeyond: We have done so as well, Russell. We've got an easy drive-through, flat parking adjacent to the "shop", 30Amps, filtered/soft well water, and dump - and a hearty welcome any OTT travelers in our vicinity.
Cheers!
A & D
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9 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:
Things still need to be tightened, lubed, adjusted or replaced but that’s to be expected because we tow and camp all around the country.
Having owned sailboats, motorboats, airplanes, and now TT's - we've learned that maintenance schedules should be developed, maintained, and executed. Otherwise, having such toys becomes the proverbial "hole in the water, air, or ground" that you're just throwing money into without benefit.
Cheers to the Ollie Family!
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@Clint and Kris: Hey welcome to the OTT forums! No experience with SUMO springs - although we're using Air Lift bags on our TUNDRA. They've eliminated all the "porpoising" and are easy to adjust for a level tow, FYI. We'll be up in MT, SD, ID, WY, and CO 8-23AUG... Love it up there!
Cheers!
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@SeaDawg: Respectfully request to split this thread off to a "Screen Door Protection Modification" thread.
We took SeaDawg's advice and fabricated a Lexan protective barrier on the screen door mounting it with Velcro. $17 Lexan sheet 18" x 24" at Lowe's and about 3 feet of white 3/4" Velcro - easy peasy. Much better than the $80+ Campco option - and no screws! Magnus will be impressed this weekend when we plan on trying it out up in Eagle Nest, NM. We gotta escape from this heat wave...
Cheers!
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@SeaDawg: We've only had them installed for about a month or so. They have yet to be tested in windy conditions, but the effort it takes to open and close the main hatch is equal to a few pounds of force. The door just stays wherever you place it - we're thinking its going to be a nice upgrade in those cases when you're exiting the Ollie and not realizing the wind has kick-in and now being able to control the door.
Cheers to all!
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3 hours ago, rangered said:
I will post more information after the install.
Can you post some pix of the SOB install, just curious... This sounds very promising. Thanks for the post!
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23 minutes ago, rich.dev said:
….and no more fly away door!😊
Bingo!
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31 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:
or just buy a piece of plexi, round the sharp corners a bit with a file, and attack with heavy duty velcro.
Great idea! The plexiglass should meet our needs even better - thanks, @SeaDawg!
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We bought this one on Amazon - seems to be working out just fine... We've had it on 6 trips. Fairly strong ratings. We're looking for a lower screen door protector - Magnus has walked through a screen door at our house and don't want to repeat that drill in the Ollie! HA!
Cheers!
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How do you guys like the "feel" of the door after installing the Lipperts?
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Nicely done - very clean install! Thanks for sharing your mod with this thread...
Cheers!
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FYI: The 2 Lippert friction hinges we got from Amazon last month came with 1/2" white-painted sheetmetal screws. We pre-drilled into the doorjamb and into the door - no issues...
We really like the "feel" of the main door and screen door when opening and closing. The Lipperts will definitely reduce door damage in heavy wind conditions.
Thanks for sharing the information about this mod - we're very happy with it.
Cheers!
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@topgun2Hey, Bill:
If ya'll make over to Cody, be sure to take at least a half-day at the Firearms Museum there! Well worth it!
Safe travels!
Cheers,
A & D
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Be Aware of Afternoon Thunderstorms in the Rockies.... Pay attention to AWNING Positioning!
in General Discussion
Posted
Concur 100%. Don't EVEN mess with Mother Nature...
We never leave the awning out if we're not within line of sight.