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Overland

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Everything posted by Overland

  1. Overland
    I think the issue you may run into is since the bath fan is pulling air from the trailer, outside air needs to come in. And if the new vent leads to the hull space, then that air will probably come in through the weeps. In freezing weather, it would be working against you.
  2. Overland
    What I meant was that people are always asking about smaller vehicles but the discussion is typically limited to whether the vehicles can handle a trailer. I think it's important to consider the other advantages that they may be giving up by choosing something that wasn't designed with towing as a primary function. Sorry if it sounded like I was challenging you to a towing match - I just think it would be fun to have a competition in the parking lot at one of the rallies, backing our trailers through an obstacle course or something.
  3. Overland
    The blind spot detection on my F150 has been faultless so far, but the point isn't that these things replace anything. They add information. Just like while towing mirrors aren't required, you prefer having them because they give you more context to what you're seeing. So sure I could drive with just the side mirrors, but adding a rear camera and blind spot detection gives more info and more context, and a fail safe just in case I miss seeing a motorcycle or something. And all of that makes the experience of towing more comfortable and enjoyable. It all definitely helps my wife - she's not just comfortable, but confident when driving - and a confident driver is a safer one. The backup assist bothers people for some reason, and I don't know why. I truly suspect it's an ego thing. We should do a backup contest at the rallies - that would be a lot of fun.
  4. Overland
    Keep in mind though that the handling of the vehicle will likely change for the worse. Not dramatically, but when I went to larger all terrain tires on my X5, the handling wasn't nearly as crisp. You might be able to minimize the difference if you get tires with very stiff sidewalls, like Bridgestone KO2.
  5. Overland
    I missed that thread. Did you ever try John's idea about testing it with the dinette hatch open? If not, I may try that myself when I get a chance. I suspect, however, that the airflow would go counterclockwise, around the back of the tanks, since the space under the front entrance is mostly blocked (see the photo above). That might help keep the plumbing in the rear street corner warm but wouldn't do anything for the closet corner. I think the ideal spot for the return air would be beneath the closet door, with a duct in the closet channeling it down between the hulls. Then the air would come right down over the water lines and then travel the long way around the trailer, keeping the entire space warm. Alternatively, cutting the duct in that location would accomplish a similar airflow, and with warmer air. It would also give the benefit of positive pressure between the hulls, which would discourage the furnace from drawing outside air in through the weeps, as it surely does now. You lose the bath vent, of course, and it would be more difficult to regulate the air to the cabin. Details. It also seems like a ton of heat is lost into the back curbside corner from the furnace and plenum, both of which are completely uninsulated. That keeps the water pump area toasty of course, but it seems like some of that heat would be more useful elsewhere. It might be worth adding some insulation around the furnace as an experiment. In short, I think that there are some definite avenues for finding more efficiency in the system - it's just up to one of us owners to find the time and energy to put towards it.
  6. Overland
    I had glue residue from the floor in that groove, which attracted dirt; so I spent an hour or two cleaning it out with some solvent and a stiff brush. It still collects dirt, of course, but now it sweeps out easily and looks 100% better. After each trip, I mop the floor and if needed spot clean and go along the edge with some 409 and a paper towel.
  7. Overland
    I did mine this weekend. The insert I bought was 10" x 14", and like Bill, I decided to cut off the extra compartment. I paid extra for this one because they said that the bottom was bamboo and not MDF like the others. They lied, so don't bother - get the cheapest one you can find. I also got a similar 10" x 16" tray to go in the bottom. It fits well with about an inch to spare front to back. Instead of attaching the angles, I had some adjustable shelf pegs like these in my shop, so I just measured and drilled inside the drawer for those. I put some thick felt furniture pads on both sides of the tray, so it fits snugly and hopefully won't mar the drawer.
  8. Overland
    I think the only thing that might hold you back on gravel roads will be the big wheels and low profile tires. Just something to think about if you really decide to start banging it around - a bent wheel in the middle of nowhere is a bummer. Otherwise, looks like a great choice - congrats!
  9. Overland
    Ah, great to know their names. It was a bit of an owner's rally the factory when I picked up so it's all sort of a blur. They helped out with good advice on dealing with some delivery issues - super nice people.
  10. Overland
    Are the Nortons full timers with the bright green interior? If so, I met them when I picked up our Ollie at the factory. They keep their trailer meticulously clean - I was quite impressed.
  11. Overland
    Great photos, David. I gave up my SLR a few years ago, in favor of just the iPhone. There are times I miss it but the benefit of not lugging something else around has been worth it for me. I do agree on the post processing. I always shot in RAW with my Nikon and processed with Aperture. In fact I think Apple’s abandonment of the software (and it’s users) had a lot to do with me giving up the Nikon. I could never get used to Lightroom as a replacement. But I was really pleased a few months back to see that Nik tools have been revived after being bought up by Google and left on a shelf to collect dust. And I’ve been doubly pleased that the new version works perfectly with Apple Photos, reviving much of the utility of Aperture. I’ve been going back through my library from the past few years and getting good results with iPhone photos.
  12. Overland
    Go to your profile, click the gear to the right and scroll to the bottom.
  13. Overland
    I've been using the rejex, too, and so far I haven't seen anything special about it. I think this spring I'll switch to Duragloss and see how that works.
  14. Overland
    If anyone wants to pick up one of those GearWrench pass-thru socket sets, Amazon put them on sale today, cheaper than I've seen before.
  15. Overland
    The bath duct in the Elite II so useless at heating the bathroom that I wonder if it wouldn't be better just to cut it short and let it permanently heat that hull area by the door/closet. Another possible improvement might be to move the return air intake to one of the dinette seats. That way cabin air would have to be drawn through the hull to recirculate.
  16. Overland
    The CalMark cover is surprisingly soft. It's also pretty light, imo, considering the size. My wife and I put it on together so I don't know how hard it would be to do it alone - not impossible, for sure. Someone made a neat cover for their trailer out of PVC pipe. I can't remember who, or I'd point you to their post about it. But if I remember correctly, it was just a frame that formed a peaked roof and was tied to the awnings on each side. Then a tarp went over that so that it didn't rub on the fiberglass at all.
  17. Overland
    Congratulations! Several of us have fabric covers for our Ollies, so you could think about that. The CalMark covers are about $700 for the Elite II and are custom fit for the trailers. I don't know if that qualifies as high-end for you or not, but for me it's the best option at the moment. They're a bit of a pain to put on and take off, so they're best for people who put up their trailers for a season at a time. You could also just use a cheap tarp from Home Depot, if you don't care about the looks. I imagine that would be somewhat more cumbersome to use, and you'd have to make sure that it's secured well and won't blow away in a storm. I'd think it would also be more likely to scratch the trailer. Some people keep theirs under cover but not completely enclosed, and of course that's a cheaper option than a fully enclosed garage. Long term, the primary concern is just keeping it out of the sun, but of course in the short term any sort of cover will help keep it clean and free of gunk from trees and such. If it's just snow you're worried about, I might think that would make for a nice protective cover in itself. I'd also say that using a good UV protective wax a few times a year goes a long way toward keeping your trailer like new. I've seen a few older Oliver-owned units that look rough, but I suspect that's due to never waxing them, as I don't recall seeing any owner's trailers that didn't still look bright and shiny - even the oldest units.
  18. Overland
    That's the best I've got. You can open up the access hatches to try to get some airflow between the hulls and then crank up the heat. If you have a fan you could try to fit it in the forward dinette hatch and direct some airflow that direction. Here's a photo of where the water lines run. You can see that they're right up against the heat duct, so I still think that with time it will thaw. Door would be in the upper right, closet middle top and shower to the left. [attachment file=_JDA3205.jpg] Curious that Oliver runs the water lines on the outside instead of sandwiching them between the air duct and water tank. Always the possibility that it's something other than a frozen line, but it seems unlikely.
  19. Overland
    Likely. I had the same happen just a few weeks ago. Fortunately I still had a tiny drip in the cold line so I just left the tap on until it cleared. Took maybe 20 minutes. Maybe try closing the two main cabin vents and run the furnace. That would get the maximum warm air through the duct in that corner and perhaps the area will warm up enough to thaw the line. Fortunately I don’t think there are any connections in the pex there, so you should be safe from damage. I wish there were an access hatch in the bottom of the closet - if so, it would be a cinch to thaw a frozen line in that corner with a hairdryer.
  20. Overland
    Wow, UPS just dropped off a huge box on my front porch. I was just expecting them to send the fabric part of the blinds, not the whole thing frame and all. Kudos to AutoShade for top customer service.
  21. Overland
    Just remember that Ollies are great right out of the box. Modifications and extras are icing on the cake. And since your trailer will last a lifetime, and then some, you'll have plenty of time to decide what, if anything, you want to do.
  22. Overland
    I'm really liking what GM has done with their cameras on the new trucks. I also like that they're integrating some new features into an app for CarPlay, though I'm curious what all would need to be upgraded on the trailer's systems to take advantage of the app. Here's a short video going over the new system:
  23. Overland
    I can see that. I need to learn how to weld - could be a useful skill to have.
  24. Overland
    Oh O.K. I thought you were taking about something like these - https://www.amazon.com/IRWIN-11-Inch-Regular-Locking-C-Clamp/dp/B016E0OS2K
  25. Overland
    I'm curious what the advantages of running either two generators or a larger one would be, vs getting an easy start for the AC. I guess you can run the MW and AC at the same time, but that's all I can think of.
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