John Welte
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Posts
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Posts posted by John Welte
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12 minutes ago, MAX Burner said:
Right on, brother!
Max,
How common has it been to have a leaf spring break? I have been following this issue. We stay on good roads with the occasional pothole. I see a lot of owners who are switching out.
John
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13 hours ago, rideandfly said:
John,
Hate to be a Monday morning Quarterback, but did you add Coriolis Force?
And did Oliver account for an opposite force when we take our trailers to the southern hemisphere. A lot of us want to explore Australia with our trailers and we need to know how Oliver designed the frame. 😂🤣
John
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1 hour ago, MAX Burner said:
Just by way of an "UPDATE": We pulled into a nice Harvest Host location yesterday afternoon at the "BAR-Z Winery" in Canyon, TX about 20 miles south of Amarillo near Palo Verde SP. We've logged just over 1,400 miles since R&R efforts of the AxleTek and ALCAN spring packs. A prior-to-departure torque inspection revealed no more "U-bolt stretch" as the nuts met target torque specs.
For us, at least, our higher level of confidence in the running gear and general peace of mind knowing we've got 2k#-rated 5-spring leaf packs under our 3.5k# axles was worth the $'s, time, and effort in this upgrade, FYI.
Cheers from a couple "Happier Campers"!
Did you drive into Palo Verde? I was on a bicycle trip from San Diego to St. Louis and an Austrian cyclist rented a car and we all drove through it. I had never heard of it.
How is the ride for the trailer? Any stiffer? Any down side? We have a 2022 LE2 and I checked under the trailer for welds and leaf spring condition. All looks good.
John
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4 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:
I get the daily RVgeeks newsletter email and this morning had an article on Oliver trailers. It looks pretty well researched.
Mike
Good article.
John
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On 4/5/2024 at 3:01 PM, DavePhelps said:
This has always been a problem for me. Just how do you get those things out? It would seem you have to lift up and remove the glass but I can't do that either....
John, I also am in Portland and store my Ollie outside uncovered. Wish I had a cover but that's another story.
In the winter, I keep the trailer plugged in with one of those oil filled radiators going inside at its lowest setting. I leave the bathroom window open a crack, unless I know a big freeze is coming. And also have my shades closed, though you may want to try leaving them open an inch or two for ventilation. I also always have some short pieces of paracord stuffed in the weep holes of the windows to aid water drainage out of the track. This was talked about a while back and it really helps keep the tracks dry. Those narrow weep holes do not drain water very effectively, but the paracord sucks the water out like a lantern wick. Some folks use pipe cleaners, but I have lots of paracord so use that with great success. Keeping those tracks clean is also important as Topgun2 mentioned. It's one of my least favorite maintenance jobs! Still trying to figure out an effective way to do it. With all of the above procedures employed, I have never had a mold issue.As for getting the mold out, maybe a distilled white vinegar/water solution as an alternative to bleach? Hopefully someone will have a solid idea.
Good luck,Dave
I took a wet paper towel and ran it along the track. That seemed to take care of the fuzzy look. I will keep the night shades up a couple inches as I had them completely closed before. I did check the drain holes and they're free of debris. Thanks for your comments.
John
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4 minutes ago, topgun2 said:
John -
I assume that the attachments in your post above are pics of your windows. Please repost those in that I do not believe that the ".heic" extension on those files is an acceptable format in the platform we are using for the Forum.
Surely your location does not help given all the moisture you probably have. The solutions will all have to do with keeping those tracks clean and drained and a bit of moisture control.
Bill
Bill, I don't know why it posted as an ".heic". Since they all look the same, I just took a picture and added it directly.
John
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Out 2022 is stored outside uncovered with the night shades pulled down. We're on a camping trip at the Oregon coast and today I noticed all three sliding windows have mold/mildew (not sure if there's any difference) in the track. What's the best way to clean that? We haven't used any dehumidifier yet. What's the best electric dehumidifier? Should I keep the night shades up a bit for air circulation? Any other tips? We're in the Portland area and it's stored by the house so I have electric to the trailer.
John
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Congrats! I hope yours is closer than our first grandchild that lives in Tasmania, Australia. We just got back from a seven week visit there.
John
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On 3/20/2024 at 7:22 PM, Jason Foster said:
In the video you included, I have the same water pressure in the bathroom as you have in your kitchen sink, so definitely not normal. You might have kink in a hose somewhere.
My water pressure in the bathroom is the same as the kitchen.
John
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I hope I was successful in changing the map size. This post will be a test. Thanks for the guidance.
John
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2 hours ago, MAX Burner said:
Looks like one of our AS is in that pic! HA!
Kinda like Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo....
I was there! We rode our bicycles from San Diego to St. Louis that year. I remember cans of spray paint all over.
John
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On 3/15/2024 at 1:42 AM, Steph and Dud B said:
"High Quality," yes. Luxury? Not like many shoppers would define it, I think.
My sister has a Luxury Travel Van made in Canada that is high on bling, but in my eyes, is lower in function than our 2022 LE2.
John
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21 hours ago, rideadeuce said:
Got an awesome Glidecoat applied by GCI in Murfreesboro before our trip. Not cheap but looks better than the day I picked it up 6 years ago. I know there is already a lot of posts about them, just wanted to give them another thumbs up! Great job guys.
Link: https://www.cgidetailing.com/olivertraveltrailers
We had our one year old 2022 treated by CGI in November, 2023. Very nice and highly recommend.
John
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5 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:
One thing I haven't seen discussed much is the quietness of the Oliver cabin relative to other RVs. With the double hull and double-glazed windows our Oliver has the quietest cabin of any RV we've owned. For anyone who camps in crowded state parks, you know how loud the neighbors can get, especially on alcohol-fueled weekends. We were very pleased to discover that retreating indoors to sleep, with the windows closed, cuts off most of the noise from sound systems, barking dogs, and partiers. We've also been able to take naps in busy rest areas without being bothered by passing trucks, etc.
It works in reverse, too. One evening we were watching an action movie, pretty loud, and I went outside to make sure we weren't bothering the neighbors. Turns out, I couldn't hear the movie outside the trailer.
Definitely a selling point Oliver salespeople could mention.
I went outside to see how loud the movie was that I had going inside as it was late and the trailer is parked by the garage and is my "man cave". I also couldn't hear it. No worries for the neighbors. Good selling point for OTT to mention.
John
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10 hours ago, rich.dev said:
We have #1290. We're in Australia now, but do you know if the leaf springs that we have are 4 or 5 leaf? We mostly keep to freeways, but some freeways are dodgy. I am thinking of I70 in eastern Colorado. I am just wondering how serious the issue is with mostly freeway driving.
John
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18 hours ago, HDRider said:
I posted about my Oliver on another forum. Its small size and wet bath were the two most common attributes that made people look to other brands.
I wonder if they would still feel the same if they pulled a larger stick built trailer several thousand miles, then had the chance to tow an Oliver an equal distance. Also, I was hesitant about a wet bath until I saw how easy it was to keep clean.
John
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On 3/3/2024 at 1:45 AM, Rivernerd said:
I used my $27 Smart Sensor combustible gas sensor to locate a propane leak at a fitting on an outdoor propane tank at our church last year. Our noses smelled the mercaptan odorant in the propane to alert us to the presence of the leak. The sensor then isolated the source to that fitting, which was repaired. It works outside, as well as inside.
I now carry a Smart Sensor detector in our Hull #1291. Then I don't have to worry about whether the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio inside the trailer is within a dangerous range when searching for the location of a propane leak.
I have a gas sniffer unit too for #1290. It worked great to find my leak.
John
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5 hours ago, SeaDawg said:
@John Welte, I have to confess, I'm a bit jealous. We love Tasmania.
Hoping to get back again, and someday finish the big loop around Australia. We still have the northern section to complete the circuit.
With a grand baby due any day, it won't be this year...
Enjoy your time. You're with family there?
Tasmania has been great. Summer temperatures here in Hobart are between 70-75 every day with a breeze. I drove up north to the Bass Strait to meet a Facebook friend. Greener there. The Midlands was dry and warmer. Our son lives in Hobart and bought a house here. We're spending time with our granddaughter. Great times. Seven weeks this visit. We will be back. Driving on the left is easier than I imagined. Just look right when at a roundabout!
John
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4 hours ago, SeaDawg said:
I was curious, too, @routlaw. I looked up the 19' zone Peregrine (first one.) It listed at $139k AUD, which at today's rate is around $90k USD. Pretty good price, imo, for all they got.
We've had two wonderful camping trips in Australia. The variety of outstanding campers and features available there are amazing. But, they also have some run of the mill stickies available for those who don't or can't spend up.
The base price includes solar and lithium, but other options can drive it up. Wait list (looks like sold only in Australia) is around 10 months.
We're in Tasmania during their summer. I have been some nice rigs, but lots of stick built ones too. I haven't seen any fiberglass units.
John
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6 hours ago, Geronimo John said:
AMEN!!!!!! Got my vote for a mold mod. Hopefully it does not cost over a million dollars! 🙂
My guess is that the round exterior and by default, the round interior where the beds are is stronger than a squared off section would be. I remember the geodesic domes that were strong due to their shape. If it was square I would guess again that there would be more stresses on the corner. The round shape I believe is stronger. It's all a guess on my part. Maybe someone with a structural engineering background could verify yay or nay. More room on the bed in a rectangular shape would be nice, but I make it work for my feet facing aft.
John
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6 hours ago, Dennis and Melissa said:
Cool. Cuz I'm 1504. Can't wait.
Congrats to you. We are #1290, one of the last hulls made in 2022. We love ours. Hope you have miles of smiles to come.
John
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8 hours ago, MAX Burner said:
So... for those of you with "older" OTTs and want to know to what level your gelcoat has oxidized, try this:
Take off the Oliver Logo and find out! Which is exactly what we did this afternoon - a couple plastic razor blades, a heat-gun, some "Goof-Off", and a little elbow grease and about 45 minutes later:
The new graphic is from the movie credits - we've been to many of the places on the map and thought it fit our lifestyle...
The graphic is held in place temporarily with painters tape and will be fixed permanently after we have CGI do their magic in Fredericksburg during the eclipse rally.
Yellowing was apparent but not as bad as expected. Until the rally in April, we'll be using the same 3M anti-oxidizer that CGI uses to blend in the gelcoat with the Cyclo and bring it back to life.
Piece of cake...
Cheers, all!
CGI does a great job. Hard working guys.
John
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7 hours ago, MAX Burner said:
We use these values (screenshot from our maintenance and trip log):
Very helpful. Thanks.
John
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1 hour ago, dewdev said:
The Anderson link you provided seem a lot of $$$. You really do need to get the blocks to go under the electric jacks so the jacks are not out really long. As topgun2 said you can cut some 2x6 wood for using to go under the wheels to level the trailer when on camp sites that are not level. You will also want to get some wheel chocks. I guess if the $$$ do not bother you then your suggested link items gives you all the items you would need.
I have the Proven Lock system to lock up the bull-dog hitch. I recommend it. It cost a little more than what you are proposing but is far more secure.
Also, I did get the Oliver shower curtain. Their curtain not only keeps the compost toilet area dry but it can also extend to in front of the door so you can leave the bathroom door open during a shower. I like OTT shower curtain a lot and IMO works better than anything that I could have installed myself.
What battery (or solar) package did you decide on?
Happy camping. Time will go by fast now that you have ordered.
"I have the Proven Lock system to lock up the bull-dog hitch. I recommend it. It cost a little more than what you are proposing but is far more secure."
I have the same lock. It's heavy, but more secure than just a padlock.
John
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Newbies taking the plunge - Are we missing anything
in General Discussion
Posted
I second that recommendation. Wait until it's maybe 75% full.
John