Mike and Carol
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Days Won
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Posts posted by Mike and Carol
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8 minutes ago, jd1923 said:
Won't the same wirings for our hull, but the 2016 OTT User Manual did not have any of these drawings.
We’ve had to figure out quite a bit over the years. I’m glad documentation is now more complete.
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2 hours ago, Ronbrink said:
‘Very entertaining the squabbles they are’, as Yoda may have said it!
Yes they are. Thankfully the squabbles are congenial and so will probably continue. I’m over it… I have the Alcan springs (installed by Oliver) and am very happy with their performance. Mike
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16 hours ago, Galileo said:
I thought using the stabilizer jacks to lift the trailer - or even take much weight off the springs - was strongly advised against - if not outright “forbidden”. At least that’s what we were told at our delivery orientation.
These days it is. When we ordered our trailer it was a selling point. There were legal considerations for Oliver to change their policy on the onboard jack use. I’ve used the back jacks numerous times to remove wheels for various reasons. I even used them at Discount Tire when they were putting on new tires.
If you do use the onboard jacks, keep the trailer hitched to the truck. Keep the front jack down. If it’s for any lengthy work, use an additional jack to increase the margin of safety. Common sense goes a long way. Mike
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I’m sure everyone is aware of the flash flood we experienced here over the weekend. We’re soggy but okay. Our neighbors north in Comfort, Kerrville and Hunt didn’t fare as well. You’ve heard about the children’s camps along the Guadalupe River that were affected, there were also homes and a couple of RV Parks. I’ve learned that one RV park had all RV’s washed away, some campers got to higher ground, some didn’t. July 4 weekend, everything was full and the river came up so fast there was little time to react.
There is a huge first responder turn out, church’s, and private companies also. Our local grocery store chain, HEB, was one of the first on site with disaster recovery products, supplies and food. HEB was founded in Kerrville. I know some fellow Oliver owners have camped at Guadalupe River State Park just 9 miles from our house. I don’t have a status on the park.
Please keep this area in your thoughts and prayers. There are still a lot of missing people so the death toll will continue to rise. Mike
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7 hours ago, Snackchaser said:
I don’t hear much about a 2500 gas powered 6.4 HEMI!
When I bought our Ram 2500 diesel my son bought a Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi. They live in Durango and pull a travel trailer a little longer but about the same weight as our Oliver, mostly around Colorado and Utah. He’s very happy with the towing performance of the 6.4 V8. While I like the diesel I think I could be happy with the big V8. Mike
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Lots to celebrate today. Having lived in other countries it is clear to me that there’s no place like the US of A!
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5 hours ago, STEVEnBETTY said:
The next vehicle I order will be spec’s with a class 4 hitch, sometimes lessons learned can be embarrassing, but it happens🤷
We ordered our trailer in September 2015. I had a 2012 Tacoma which was just inside towing specs for the Oliver. A neighbor, who is an original Oliver owner, was hosting three Oliver owners passing through San Antonio in Jan 2016 for dinner. He invited us over. All of them told me my Tacoma was not a good TV and I should upgrade to a half ton. I resisted. We picked up our trailer in May 2016 and by July I was towing with a Ram 1500. They were right, I was stubborn and had to learn first hand why a correctly sized TV is important. I find myself now being one who gives advice and I always remember my stubbornness and that some folks learn best by doing not by just accepting advice from others. Mike
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16 hours ago, Snackchaser said:
Here's an easy way to provide DC power to the Starlink Mini Router which requires 9 VDC, 1.6 amps. I tested it for several hours today and it worked well.
Anker #323 cigarette lighter style car charger with USB-C outlet. 9 VDC at 52.5 watts (5.8 amps):
USB-C to 3.5 mm barrel connector cord:
Cheers, Geoff
Good info. My router arrives this afternoon and I’ll be testing it out. Thanks!
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10 hours ago, STEVEnBETTY said:
Thanks for your response, I guess more than anything else I’m disappointed in hearing members on this forum, disparage people’s attempts to do something different, I’ve heard for years now you need an Anderson hitch to tow an elite 2, you can’t tow with an ev, you need to completely revamp your suspension, because of a broken spring, you get the idea.
I share your disappointment when owners get into personal comments. Truck discussions, unfortunately, can be contentious leaving no room for alternate viewpoints. I am aware of a number of owners towing with a half ton and no Andersen. I’m interested in the experiences one of our new members will have towing with an EV.
I’ve towed our Oliver well over 100K miles. About half of that was with a 2500 (no WDH)and half with 1500’s/Tacoma (with WDH). Only 5K on the Tacoma, it was adequate but very limiting (payload, range without refueling, braking/acceleration, etc). The half tons (both Ram 1500 5.7L) towed the Oliver with ease. Mountain towing proved more challenging for both braking and having the high RPM’s going uphill. I still needed to be concerned with payload.
The 2500 with the 6.7L Cummins is an entirely different experience. Level towing is effortless with the engine barely above idle RPMs. Mountain towing is much better, very little braking going downhill (exhaust brake is wonderful) and uphill it may downshift to get RPMs up to 2500, but nowhere near the 4500+ of the half ton V8. I get the about the same mileage in the 2500 as I did in the 1500s. The bed is bigger, interior is bigger, and it feels much more stable.
We were camping in AZ and went by a Mesquite lumber store south of Tucson. I bought a fair amount of mesquite planks for some projects. Loaded them up in the 2500 along with our camping stuff and didn’t have to worry about the extra weight. Not possible with the 1500s, we were always near our cargo limit.
Diesels are more expensive to buy and maintain but for us and the amount of towing we do it is worth it. As the title of this thread states, you don’t need a 3/4 ton truck to tow your Oliver. You might not even need a WDH on your half ton depending on how it is configured. It comes down to personal choice. Mike
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23 minutes ago, Patriot said:
Texas was the state with the highest number of reported tornadoes in the United States in 2024, with 169 disasters reported. Iowa followed second, with 131 tornadoes reported.Apr 1, 2025 😟
Everything is bigger in Texas.
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1 hour ago, jd1923 said:
Later in life I've become afraid of heights, don't like 2nd-story ladders, don't enjoy gondola rides anymore and we're going to Telluride today! 😞
So, jumping out of airplanes isn’t on the agenda either? It’s been a few years since my last jumps but I still think I could do it, even as I’m in my 70’s!
I think Highway 550 is a scenic and exhilarating drive from Ouray down through Silverton. Traffic generally moves slow and the drive doesn’t have to be white knuckle. The drive around by Telluride is much tamer but also very scenic. You can’t go wrong either way. Stay in your comfort zone!! Mike
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We drive up and down 550 towing from Ouray to Durango frequently. It is easier with our 2500 but we also used to make the drive towing with a half ton. We’ve done the drive around by Telluride and Cortez, it’s also a very scenic trip that you’ll enjoy! Mike
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We like to stay at Ridgway State Park which is in the same area. Great location to explore Ouray, Telluride and even Silverton (nice drive down 550). We’ll be back in Colorado in August! Mike
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33 minutes ago, Snackchaser said:
A failing pump can cycle as if there is a slow leak because it's internally leaking from the low pressure intake side to the high pressure output side, even though there is no visible leak to the outside of the pump. A leaking pump internal check valve can also cause water to leak back into the tank, and potentially overfill again. If you think about it, all the water on the pressurized side, including the water heater and accumulator, can flow backwards through the faulty pump check valve and into the tank and you would only notice it if the tank was full and overflowing again.
I’ve been experiencing this for the last couple of years. About every 3rd camping trip, while connected to city water, I get and fast drip from the overflow. I go inside, check that the fresh tank is at 100%, turn on the water pump and turn on a faucet for a couple of seconds and the problem is solved. I bought a new water pump when this started, but I just haven’t gotten around to replacing the old pump since is doesn’t happen very often and when it does it’s a quick fix. I keep the water pump in the trailer hoping that it will threaten the old pump to behave, but it’s not working. Mike
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30 minutes ago, HDRider said:
Question - If the freshwater tank is full to the top how does air come in as water is pumped out? Put another way - How does a vacuum not form in the freshwater tank?
I think the freshwater overflow must allow air in .
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27 minutes ago, HDRider said:
When you say "only when pressurized", what does that mean?
By “pressurized” I mean either water pump on or connected to city water. While there can be residual pressure even when the pump is off and there is no connection to city water, if there is a leak in the system, that pressure will steadily lower through the leak to the point where there is no pressure in the system.
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Rob, are you talking about the fresh water overflow port or the weep holes? When I overfill the fresh tank the excess water comes out of the overflow port behind the steps, never out of any weep holes.
I don’t have any thoughts on why it doesn’t leek at only 80% full, but leaking only when pressurized usually indicates a leak somewhere. I had a plastic pex T-joint that came out of the hot water tank which had a small crack. It was fine until pressurized, then it was a steady drip. It took some time (and some blue paper towels) to find. Mike
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I’m going to order one to use with our Mini. It seems it gives a lot of flexibility to the Mini setup… if you can set your dish close to the trailer you may not need it but if you’re under trees and have to move the dish further away the router would ensure good speed. Mike
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10 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:
Either that OR you have been running power protection naked for ten years. Good news is that if so you still have a lot of Joules left in your Progressive Industries power filter!
Yep, joule preservation is important when running naked, (power protection naked, of course).
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I have a 2K watt Champion inverter generator that I just plug in to, I haven’t used a special plug. I guess I need to look to see if the Champion is “bonded to ground”, something I wasn’t aware of. Going on 10 years and still learning…. Mike
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4 hours ago, jd1923 said:
Would not want to be there during winter like Mike!
It was June!
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Here are pics of Monarch Pass in June 2023. First time snow, 2 weeks later sunny and warm!
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Looks nice, Ken. Enjoy the shade!
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Wow, sorry to see this happen. Other’s have had similar experiences so maybe they can advise. Once you get this sorted out a trip up to Grand Junction, CO to get a set of ALCAN springs installed might be worth the trip. Good luck, I hope this gets resolved quickly. Mike
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Made in USA leaf springs
in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Posted
I agree that the back and forth on the merits/drawbacks of the ALCANS has run its course so lets just let that horse head out to pasture. There may be owners who still have genuine questions and to serve them best I think we should keep this open. Mike