rideandfly

We were camping south of Denver CO Tuesday night. After watching National Hurricane Center's Florence Forecast, decided to start driving back home to NC Wednesday. Just arrived home a few minutes ago on Friday. Towed Ollie 720 miles Thursday from Kansas to Tennessee. Ollie tows like a dream!!!!! Stopped at a TN rest area today and a Cajun Ollie pulled in on our left. :)

Bill, Good write up! Sometimes would have same problem seeing a black hitch when backing up over black pavement with back-up camera. Also painted a white stripe for lining up with the back-up camera line making a one person operation. Painted ours with gray Rust-Oleum. Like your protective caps installed on the threaded ends of hitch bolts, too!

Reed, Yes, Seals would have fixed the problem after cleaning valve. Debbie soaked lower valve portion with blade for a day in water & white vinegar before cleaning.

Thanks! Agree, did not want a big mess. :( Flushed black water tank before starting the job and had trailer hitch high to be sure black water tank was drained. :)

Reed, Happy to see you back posting again! :) We had a problem with the cable handle shaft when the valve was opened, the handle shaft would come out of the bulkhead threaded fitting under the bed. Shortened wire 3/8" where it connected to the 3" valve. Works properly now. I may be off topic, but wanted to post how we resolved 3" valve bypass. Posted this in another thread, too. We purchased Ollie used and the black tank 3" valve was bypassing when we purchased Ollie. Tried Thetford drain valve lubricant poured in black water tank and adjusting/lubricating cable, both without success. Replaced blade valve and seals earlier this week following Valterra video instructions starting around 3:10. New Valterra 3" black tank valve body and seals: Valve located under dinette seat: 3" Black tank valve on RH side: Loosen 3" black tank hose to allow removal of the 3" blade valve: Removing cable mounting bracket: 3" Valve removed: Build up on seal surfaces contacting valve blade causing bypass: Silicone lubricant used on seals and blade rod. https://www.danco.com/product/0-5-oz-silicone-faucet-grease/ New valve/seals installed and working great: https://www.valterra.com/product/waste-valve-body-3-with-coupler-seals-hardware/?pcat_id=1445

John, Fine video and hats off to Southwest Airlines and Bill Murphy Jr. for their efforts. Agree, we enjoyed camping in TN for eclipse viewing and looking forward to the next Eclipse, too! Enjoyed learning about the eclipse and preparing for different shots with a point & shoot Canon Powershot camera with serious zoom using a 6' step ladder for a tripod.

Dwain, Welcome! First time we saw an Ollie, we really liked the layout and exterior/interior finish. Ollie is our third camper. We purchased our Ollie used 2016 and paid the original owners close to what they paid new in 2015. We never dreamed our Ollie would gain value, but it has and what a pleasant surprise. We always have folks interested to look at Ollie wherever we camp or stop. Ollie is pleasant to camp in and it's easy to clean inside/out. It's a dream to tow, very stable and not too large for maneuvering. There are many knowledgeable folks here willing to answer questions. We're happy we purchased Ollie and would do it again, no regrets!! Good luck in your search!!!!

Bill, After adjusting/lubing the 3" black tank valve & cable, it continued to bypass when in the closed position. Replaced blade valve and seals today following Valterra video instructions starting around 3:10. New Valterra 3" black tank valve body and seals: Valve located under dinette seat: 3" Black tank valve on RH side: Loosen 3" black tank hose to allow removal of the 3" blade valve: Removing cable mounting bracket: 3" Valve removed: Build up on seal surfaces contacting valve blade causing bypass: Silicone lubricant used on seals and blade rod: New valve/seals installed and working great: https://www.valterra.com/product/waste-valve-body-3-with-coupler-seals-hardware/?pcat_id=1445

Bill, Starbrite white marine silicone sealant/adhesive used. Here's the Oliver lens that was removed along with sealant and resealed with white marine silicone: Off Topic: Bill, Update, going to test 3" black tank valve for bypass next week after cable adjustment. If the valve needs to be replaced, will post photos/installation in your original thread about this topic, will see how it goes. William :)

Matteo told us he uses a swimming noodle as the blue cushion seen in your photo. His ladder is not fully extended in the photo, but top rung is extended with the cushions installed, like how it works. Just ordered a 1600E! :) Appreciate the information from everyone in this thread. :)

Will order one next week!!! :)

Tom, Have a habit of taking photos of stuff like that, from the job I retired from!!!! :)

Horace & Dianne, When we removed the complete fan assembly the cover was still in good condition after 3 years. Removed MaxxAir fan assembly while resealing roof mounting screws and roof flange. Disassembled the fan assembly for cleaning while it was removed, too. Like you said, it's not a hard job, even removing the complete assembly. In the following photos you can see the inner shell construction, Ollie is built well. Use laminated foam seat cushions under my knees to protect the roof, too. I'm careful on the roof @ 215 pounds.

Many silicone adhesive sealants are for compression gasket applications. After I removed what I believed to be 3M 4000 two times on the rear exterior Oliver LED lens above the rear window, did not want to remove it again since it's very tough stuff. Both times water leaked down from the LED housing, between the inner and outer camper shells around the rear window dripping from the bottom of the rear window onto the curbside mattress. Ended up using a flexible Marine silicone sealant to mount/seal the lens. This silicone is a multi purpose marine sealant/adhesive for above and below water applications (compression gasket) and it also bonds to fiberglass, plastic, wood, glass, metal, and ceramic tiles. No leaks for over a year since using marine silicone to seal/secure the exterior LED lens.

John, We have a emergency use Kaito receiver and they have many models available. It has better reception than Ollie's Furrion receiver. We use it for current WX info when we don't have internet/cell service and TV reception during dangerous weather conditions. http://kaito.us/ Rumline, Going to use the rock backup system. :)

Bill, The rear Oliver LED exterior red lens started leaking into the upper rear cabinet during 2016. Removed the the exterior lens and cleaned out the original sealant. It was tough to remove the original sealant. The lens was temporarily resealed with clear silicone and taken to Oliver, they resealed it during 2016 guessing with 3M 4000, it eventually started leaking again. Removed the lens and sealant again, decided to use a more flexible sealant this time. I used white Marine silicone last year, no leak issues since. The other Bill :) ,

RB, The Furrion blue LED was not operating at home or at any campgrounds at the time. Converted the Furrion cord into a 25' 30A extension cord with Camco plug and receptacle. Purchased new Furrion Faultsmart 30' 30A Electrical Cable during 2016, Blue LED works fine everywhere used, so far. Furrion has a 5 year warranty, don't remember seeing that when I purchased the new cord, probably missed it. Appreciate the information,

KWRJRPE, Congratulations on your new Oliver! We've camped at campgrounds when the 30' Furrion cable was not long enough. Carry an additional 25' 30A extension cord for those situations. Found this on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Extension-PowerGrip-Handles-55191/dp/B000BUU5YU/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534074791&sr=8-3&keywords=30a+extension+cord We've not used a 50A to 30A pigtail/dogbone adapter, but found this on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Conntek-14315-Female-Pigtail-Adapter/dp/B003YDY7YK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1534074154&sr=8-2&keywords=50a+to+30a+pigtail We started using a 25' 15A cord with RV adapter when at home to charge Ollie's batteries. 25' 15A cord: https://www.amazon.com/2883-Heavy-Duty-Contractor-Extension-Lighted/dp/B000KKLMO8/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1534075060&sr=8-9&keywords=15+amp+cord Found this 15A to 30A adapter to the camper: https://www.amazon.com/LeisureCords-Trailer-dogbone-connector-Indicator/dp/B074ZP2CCC/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1534073961&sr=8-4&keywords=dogbone+adapter+15+amp+male+to+30+amp Hope this helps!

We keep a 35QT Engel cooler for drinks and store visits in the Tundra. Started using 4 reusable freeze packs. On travel days keep 2 freeze packs in Ollie's refrigerator to keep everything cool without running Ollie's fridge and two in the Engel cooler. Place freeze packs in Ollie's freezer at night.

Scotty, Installed Firestone airbags on our 2003 2.4L four cylinder 2WD Tacoma for towing a smaller trailer, not Ollie. Connected Ollie to the Tacoma with 30PSI of air in the bags and did not have rear end sag using a 1/2" lift ball mount without WDH. Only move Ollie around the house with the Tacoma, don't take this rig on the road.

Foy, Another thought, did Oliver take anything apart to evaluate your axle position issue or have they corrected the problem? May want to look at the undercarriage again. If you don't find where it came from, check other vehicles that have driven over that area, too.

Going, Our 2015 Ollie Furrion speakers would work while watching a DVD played by the Furrion unit connected to TV by HDMI cable. Set TV as per following Oliver video instructions. The Furrion speakers still would not work while watching TV on antenna until I added audio cable between our TV & Furrion unit. Here's a thread and video: http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/help-with-tv-and-sound/

Welcome Tom and Linda, Congratulations on your new Ollie!! We may see y'all in NM or AZ if you head there, we will be in those areas during September, too.

Here's 10/17 CAT scales results. Tundra's weight with two souls on board and some gear on board. When Tundra was weighed, it had 12 additional gallons (6lbs per gallon) of gasoline on board compared to the Tundra's weight with Ollie on the previous day. For camping trips will have a couple hundred additional pounds of gear in the Tundra. Tundra's GVWR 7100 pounds GCWR 16,000 pounds Front Axle GAWR 4000 pounds Rear Axle GAWR 4150 pounds Following is Tundra/Ollie combined weight with empty Ollie water tanks. This Ollie does not have solar panels and equipped with two 12V AGM batteries. Currently working to further reduce Ollie's ready to camp weight. Working on decreasing driver's weight, too! :) Tundra's weight less 12 gallons of fuel with some gear and two souls on board 6108 pounds Ollie's weight in following scale results 4912 pounds by subtracting Tundra's weight of 6108 pounds from Tundra/Ollie combined weight of 11,020 pounds Backed into tongue weight by subtracting trailer axle weight from trailer weight 432 pounds When we purchased Ollie, towed it home with a 2013 Nissan Frontier with 4.0L engine. A vehicle pulled out in front of us on the way home resulting in an emergency stop, the rig stopped safely. This rig achieved 15MPG in the TN/NC mountain interstates. Negative, had too much rear end sag for my liking. Installed rear axle Timbren bump stops later. This modification got rid of the sag, but resulted in a harsh ride with trailer connected. Installed rear differential Firestone air bags on another tow vehicle, when towing yields a softer ride, in my opinion. Another negative, not as much power as the 5.7L Tundra. Tundra negative, factory installed brake controller with factory computer upgrade still does not work well. Going to install Tekonsha Prodigy P3 Trailer Brake Controller soon.

Welcome John and Susan! You will find many experienced campers here, hopefully will have all of your questions answered. Susan sounds like my Wife Debbie, after I research something and decide it fits our needs, she says "just do it"! :) Like your forum name too, since I'm a retired railroader! Best Regards,