topgun2

I'm a bit surprised that one of our more qualified electrical members hasn't chimed in on your initial question with help. There are a number of reasons that are possible for your problem. If you simply move the slide switch in your picture to the "bypass" position then you will feed electricity directly from the campground pedestal to your Ollie without protection. If you decide to try this then I'd suggest that you turn off everything that you can - i.e. run the fridge on Propane, turn off the solar panels, turn off the air conditioner, unplug the microwave, and even turn off the furnace so that if there is a "problem" with the electricity being provided via that pedestal you don't ruin something and/or compound the issues you may be having. Have you checked the pedestal for polarity, grounding, voltage regularity, etc.? Have you checked your shore power cable - connections ends and for signs of wear? Bill

Just goes to show how lazy I really am! My six inch by 11 inch wood blocks are either placed on their sides (6 inches) on on their ends (11 inches) depending on how much room I have. Certainly as Mike points out - the less you have to extend the on-board jacks , the better - whether that be for leveling or for changing a tire. Bill

Actually it was JED above that suggested the Lego blocks and they are good to have on board. Having said this - I've only actually used my legos one time in the last seven years! Bill

Most travel trailers do not have disk brakes. There are several members of this Forum that consider our drum style brakes to be "garbage". However, over the years these drums and brakes have done the job in a simple, cost effective manner without major difficulty. If one keeps them clean and in good repair they should give you years of trouble free service. Having said this - there is little question that disk brakes perform better over a higher range of conditions as opposed to drum brakes. But, RV's are not sport cars or airplanes. Nor are they normally subjected to the same kinds of wear and tear as even our daily drivers. Bill

Depending on the situation - a single Andersen leveler may or may not be enough to get that tire off the ground. Therefore, Frank C's suggestion of carrying some form of "blocks"* (certainly these can be "lego" style that JD mentions)** in order to take lateral "pressure" off the onboard jack is worth considering. Also, as per Frank C - keep the Ollie attached to your tow vehicle and clock the opposite side. Try to find as level a spot to do the repair as possible - most roads and their shoulders are sloped such that if the flat tire is on the curbside it will require you to lift more weight than necessary. Finally, if there is any doubt then call for help. The couple of hours that you might save by doing the job yourself is simply not worth the possible negative outcomes. Bill *I carry both wood blocks and lego style blocks. The wood blocks can be had free either around your own workshop or by "scrounging". ** note - these lego style blocks can also be used for help in leveling the tongue when the throw of that jack is simply not long enough to get your Ollie level from front to back. Or when the Andersen's need a bit of extra help. Or when your outside grill can't find a level spot. Or when .....

Unless someone here has the specific details as to which hulls got which axles at which time - there are a few Ollies that received axles other than the 3,500 pound ones that are the norm - I'd suggest a call to the Service Department. They can look up your specific build and tell you what you have. Bill

This whole sub-topic about battery fires is no joke! I had a laptop charging in my office here at home and at about 10:30 pm I heard what sounded like a 22 rifle going off. I rushed down the hall from the master bedroom to find that the individual cells of the lithium laptop battery were exploding and about 30% of the office was on fire. Thankfully I was able to unplug the charger and we had a fire extinguisher handy to get the fire out. Yes, insurance covered the damage (minus my deductible of course) but it took the better part of six months to get things back to normal. I no longer leave my laptop, or any other re-chargeable battery unattended. Bill

Many of these "locking mechanisms" are adjustable as to the length of the rod that holds the metal tab which slides onto that thicker block you installed. Pictures certainly would help us determine if this could be done in your case. Bill

Or, try: winter + camping If you don't think that it will get below the mid to high 20's overnight then I'd not do anything different with regards to the Ollie. For temps below that there are various "degrees" of prevention that you can take to include keeping access doors open so heat gets to the area between the hulls, actually placing heaters between the hulls, placing temp sensors between the hulls that have an alarm function in the event it gets below freezing there, etc. Have a good time in any case! Bill

Anyone know of a source for these rubber dampers - mine are badly cracked and since I'm replacing the fan I might as well replace these also. Bill

Now - that's what I call a "short-timer". It will be great to have you as a full fledged, card carrying member of the Family. Bill

Maybe the answer is the difference in the distance from the sun (Florida versus Colorado altitude) and/or the difference in atmospheric pressure? 😄 Bill

Sorry that the Jury Duty thing got in the way of going to the Expo. And, sorry for the way you are being treated by the Expo management. But, thanks for doing your "Duty". Bill

There should be some nice "Fall leaf color" up on the Parkway starting this week (October 4th). And, the weather forecast is for nice sunny days with cool nights - mid 30's probably upon the Parkway at over 6,000 feet. I'm only about 20 miles from the Pisgah camp ground - if you need something send me a PM. Bill

As long as you have your cell phone "on" and have cell service the "Severe Weather" ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.severeweatheralerts )app will alert you to virtually any weather related issues for your location (tornados, hurricanes, t-storms, floods, mud slides, earthquakes, etc.). Bill

Sailors of sea, sailors of land - welcome! A "number" of years ago my wife and I drove through Albuquerque on our way to a hiking trip out of Silver City, NM and stopped at a motel for the night. When we got up the next morning the sky was covered with balloons! It was either the first or second year of the festival and we did know a thing about it. Have a great time! Bill

Elbow grease?😄 Used fabric softener dryer sheets with spray wax/detailer of your choice. Bill

remains of Ian

Indeed. For about $1.50 each get several (Similar to these). I stuck one on the tongue like Rideandfly, one by the Ollie's door and another one right under the bath window. I thought about getting bigger bubble levels like John Davies but I simply didn't like the look and since I always get out of the truck to take a look around the area I'm pulling into anyway, these smaller levels don't really cause me any more work. Having said this - I do have my "eye" (read that I've got a price set on Camel, Camel, Camel) for a LevelMatePro like AlbertANDTerri have, but, I'll need to get a decent smart phone first 😏. Bill p.s. they do sell those simple bubble levels with a white base that matches the Ollie better versus the black base.

Being only 60 miles further west of Patriot here in western North Carolina, we hardly got any rain at all. Seven inches were originally predicted for us but as of right now we have only received .23 inches with hardly any wind. The "luck of the draw" and the whims of Mother Nature I suppose. Even so, one's heart does go out to all those that are having the misfortune of being in the path of the storm and it is so heartening to hear that both SeaDawg and Mossemi are OK. Only hope that others of our Family of Olivers have also weathered the storm. Bill

No "secret" Ollie rally that I know of but I do remember when I saw my first Ollie in the wild. I waved like crazy and honked my horn - to no avail - but the look on the face of the lady in the car next to me was priceless. Guess she thought that I had lost it. Camping at 40 degrees in that little camper really shouldn't require much heat with one or two people inside it. The Oliver is going to be sooooo much more comfortable. Bill

Sure - but did you ever think about all those poor thieves out there that now have bad backs? 🤣

LisaC - Now that you have your own Ollie you get a certified, official, and hearty WELCOME TO THE FAMILY! Hope that the troubles you're having with the batteries has a simple fix - I'm sure that either (or both) the Oliver Service department or Lithionics can get it straight for you. Bill

Indeed - the jack fuse holder for my front jack is located right under the jack head at the front of the trailer. None of the three jacks have ever given me any problem but I do complete annual maintenance on them each Spring. Bill

to leave Dodge