John E Davies

I love snorkels, I put one on my 200 last year, not so much to go fording 5 foot deep rivers, but to disguise the big crease my wife put in that fender at the grocery store .... But it gets the air intake completely up and out of the dust, and lowers the inlet air temp by a few degrees. The one on my Series 80 dropped it by up to 60 degrees, an amount you could actually feel. In the 200, it is more like 20 degrees.... Mainly it helps us find the Big White SUV in a sea of other big white SUVs in the box store parking lot... It does generate a whole lot of What The Hell Is That Thing questions. John Davies Spokane WA

Some storage facilities prohibit working on your trailer, you have to haul it away to do any maintenance or cleaning. It would be smart to study the contract. And decent inside lighting would be a big plus. One of the Ollies we looked at before buying was located inside a large UNLIT warehouse, We had to use flashlights to study the outside features, I can’t imagine doing anything constructive in those conditions…. My RV bay has bright white sheet-rocked walls and ceiling (they reflect the ambient light) , three decent sized windows facing south , and excellent LED daylight spectrum lighting. Even with the big entry door closed, it is EVENLY illuminated. My aging eyes appreciate the lack of shadows. I had a Sea Ray 250 Sundancer years ago, I stored it under an exposed but roofed RV unit with 15 amp power. That worked OK but the driveway was gravel, so it was always filthy, and I worried about collisions….. It looked great parked in front of my house but I could not store it there. John Davies Spokane WA

There are countless Web articles on “RV winter storage”, Google that term, watch some videos. Bottom line is, how much time (and money) are you willing to dedicate to keeping track of your Ollie? An uncovered commercial parking spot will require frequent visits to clear off snow, ice, or leaf accumulation and make sure everything is OK. An open but covered one with power is lots better, a fully enclosed one is WAY better (and the risk of collision damage or theft drops to near zero). A fabric cover offers protection but has its own risks and major hassles, such as making sure it and the hull are clean before use. You have to balance convenience, cost, location, drive time and security against your own preferences and worries. We had an owner here who had to drive six hours round trip to visit his trailer! It can be a tough and potentially very expensive conundrum, depending on your climate and home location. I feel sorry for owners who cannot store their Ollie at home, things are a lot tougher when it is far away... I live in a private development; of the thirty houses here, about 12 have attached, fully enclosed RV bays. Which is the main reason we picked this spot….. being able to use your Ollie as an emergency shelter during a power outage, or as a guest bedroom, or even walk naked out to your Ollie in a blizzard - if you wanted to 😳- is priceless. I don’t even bother to winterize, the temp there has never dropped below 38 degrees. Plus it saves many thousands of $ in storage and travel costs. Where are you located? It helps us to give better recommendations if you will add that info, and your tow vehicle, to a signature. John Davies Spokane WA

They will operate at very low temperatures, they just cannot be reCHARGED at those temps. Which is why you put them in a climate controlled box, or heat the cabin enough so they will accept a charge, or use a battery warming mat. If you winter camp with the water systems dry and no cabin heat, then lithiums are definitely a no go. Lead acid batteries are not good performers in these conditions, I am not sure where you got that idea….. Long Way Up was such a disappointment, but the stunning scenery made up for a lot of the lame “range anxiety” drama. “Oh look, it has finally warmed up some, now we can increase our speed to 40 mph!” Keep in mind that they were all driving prototype vehicles, including the backup Rivians. It was a huge publicity stunt. Long Way Round is definitely worth watching if you have not yet done so. Or better yet, Dust to Glory. Woohoo. John Davies Spokane WA

Have you considered putting a slightly smaller driven pulley on it, that will provide more low end boost? I assume that there is some kind of internal blow off protection to keep it from getting too high. I have no experience, but I am surprised that you are not seeing tons more low end power. Boost from a supercharger is pretty linear. I think you should put the truck on a dyno to make sure it is running as designed. I want more power but I will probably do it with gears, if at all. I need to be able to run cr@p gas. This chart doesn’t help much, can somebody post one that shows down to 2000 rpm? John Davies Spokane WA

Can you apply a UV protectant to slow down the damage? 303 seems to be the one that is most hyped, I have tried it and it seems like Armorall, I am not at all impressed. OTH this is terrific and I use it mostly as a tire dressing and to wipe down rubber and plastic parts in the engine bay to keep them looking new... It does not stay shiny and become a dust magnet like silicone based products. https://www.griotsgarage.com/product/vinyl+rubber+dressing.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search I highly HIGHLY recommend it, I just don’t know if it will help the keyboard cracks…. If that is due to the manufacturer’s poor design or his material choice, it may be like putting lipstick on a pig. John Davies Spokane WA

I agree that 100% pee will be a big problem. It is super easy to clean a portable tank, I let mine soak overnight at the end of the season with hot water and some of the old style discontinued Cascade dish detergent (now sold as Fryer Boil Out). The yellow hard crusty deposits vanish. I guess you could clean a permanently installed black tank and the plumbing going from the toilet to it with the same method. However there is a strong possibility that this design would screw up the tank dump valve quickly by wrecking the seals because of those hard deposits. Lots of grey water from the sink would definitely help, along with some mineral oil or (expensive) valve lube. BTW we never use the sink in the head, other than to add water to the toilet media every now and then and to shower with, we do everything else from the galley one. We welcome Ollie pioneers, do the mod, report back here and let us know how it works after a couple of camping seasons. 😃 John Davies Spokane WA

Well, mud is one thing. If he suffered a serious break down up there, or a medical emergency, it would be a whole ‘nuther situation. He appears to be alone. Hopefully he has a satellite communicator as well as Search and Rescue insurance. …. GEOS SAR50 John Davies Spokane WA

We may or may not get into Canada August 9, the border employees there are talking about a strike, but for sure we are not taking the Ollie on the Dempster, this is pretty amazing, the guy has more nerve than me to tow a Casita with a poorly prepped Jeep Liberty, in inclement weather. Here is the Dempster: Here he is tossing buckets of water from a stream so he can get in….. Rough Road Ahead: My Yukon Challenge The condition of the two lane highway under construction, at the beginning of the video, is mind boggling. I would have u-turned and gone back, unless the Ollie was not in tow, in which case I would have proceeded, with fingers crossed and butt clenched. Enjoy, John Davies Spokane WA

If clearance is an issue, you could easily saw off a few inches of the tip and drill a new hole. Mine clears fine, but I have a 3" longer "extended" Andersen stinger. John Davies Spokane WA

I had been keeping my eye on this phone, I found out it is now discontinued due to poor sales figures. I just ordered a 256 GB Verizon model for $600. Regular street price is around $850. For those who love a small phone that you can work one handed and slip into a pants pocket, this is a great choice, it gets stellar reviews and takes jaw dropping pictures. The only down side is a short battery life. It is actually SMALLER than my current 6S. If you can get by with “only” 64 GB it is just $450. I wanted a big memory so I can load lots of GAIA maps. My current phone has just 32 GB. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Verizon-iPhone-12-mini-256GB-Black/678825703?selected=true John Davies Spokane WA

This mod is now OBSOLETE, instead of grinding, just buy one of these hitch pins with the great big handle. Thanks to all the Ollie members who suggested this. John Davies Spokane WA

That is intended for an automotive battery, with a tapered top post. All Ollie batteries have screw-on terminals, a completely different style. This is the type that Oliver used to use on their factory lithium batteries. This particular one is a Bussman, a medium quality brand. Not as good as marine parts, but definitely better than the Chinese clones... Why don’t you just have Oliver Service install one of these onto your AGM batteries? John Davies Spokane WA

tripmushrv, please be extremely wary of cheap no name China made components like those. Not only are they possibly poorly made, they have no customer service to speak of. For something as critical as a master cutoff switch, buy a quality marine (boat) part like most of your system. Switches like these require modifying your wires, are you skilled enough to make high quality crimps, or willing to pay a shop for the work? If not, buy the type that attaches directly to the battery positive post, no additional wiring is needed. I do not care for them personally, for a number of reasons, but many owners are happy with them. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5450-how-to-battery-master-cutoff-switch-under-the-rear-dinette-seat/ John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks, those are interesting pics, do you think the damage to that drain nipple was due to rough handling when the AC was installed? If you have other pics showing the removal process, I would like to see them. John Davies Spokane WA