John E Davies

FYI, open cell (no load) voltage testing of AGM batteries really tells nothing, the readings can be very close to each other, but the batteries can still be bad. The ONLY way to check the health of an AGM is to load test it. Any battery shop like Batteries Plus Bulbs .... Batteries Plus Bulbs Store Locator ....... can do it in their parking lot at no cost, in a couple of minutes. The batteries need to be charged as much as possible, and then disconnected from each other for at least six hours so they can reach a true resting state of charge. Also FYI, if you install a Victron Connect smart bus, program it, and assume that it is giving you correct numbers about the percent of charge, you are traveling uncharted waters if you first don’t verify that all are perfectly healthy. I had three bad batteries and one almost bad one, and my monitor was saying I had 100% capacity, but any serious load would simply kill the system, the inverter would start cycling on and off. Only lithiums which have onboard diagnostics give you true information. My recommendation to AGM owners: charge, remove and have load tested all your batteries at the start of each camping season. Regular “wet” lead acid battery cells can be individually checked using a hydrometer, which gives useful info, but they still should be load tested. John Davies Spokane WA

Current count is 33 people rescued from this campground..... https://www.wbtv.com/2020/11/12/water-rescues-underway-alexander-county-more-than-dozen-campers-trapped/ Always check your escape routes when choosing a campground. In the West, you need to keep wildfires in mind, not so much floods. The last thing you need is a remote spot miles back, with only a single access point. Scout out alternative routes - you may not be able to get your Ollie out the back way but you might get your TV and people out. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks to all veterans, I never served but I do have the deepest appreciation for those who did, and for those who never came back. Patriot, can you tell us a little about your dog companion? John Davies Spokane WA

Can I ask why? What can be accomplished there that is not already done here? How are spammers and obnoxious posts handled? Are there moderators? I try very hard to stay away from all social media apps. For those like me who are clueless about MeWe: .... https://www.google.com/amp/s/mashable.com/article/what-is-mewe-network-explainer.amp Thank you. John Davies Spokane WA

Your Cummins is rated at 52 db, but that is at idle or low load. Any idea how loud it is under a moderate load? My Yamaha 2400 is a stellar unit, but it is 75 pounds dry, no oil or gas, so it is a pretty massive thing to move around. I park it in the back of the truck and rarely move it. I just run it in place. When I do move it, it goes onto this: ...... https://www.harborfreight.com/automotive/lifts-cranes-stands/hydraulic-lifts-carts/500-lbs-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-61405.html....... and I trundle it to its parking spot in the garage. I can’t imagine lifting yours into a truck bed.... Also, Cummins is a long honored name in big diesel engines, I am rather surprised that they let Onan use the name, but it appears Cummins owns Onan. As long as it performs adequately and the customer service is responsive, yours should be fine if you can accept the massive weight penalty. I think though, that you will be happier with a different choice for long term boondocking. As far as following the cool air goes, we try to, but every now and then you get stuck in a wide open location, no cover, and blistering heat; the AC is a life saver. When it is like that, you have got to run that generator, or go find a motel with a trailer parking lot. I was in northern CA one summer, passing through and the daytime temps were over 110 degrees, no way would I have camped in that. That is why God made high mountains and forests and the USFS made the campgrounds. 😀 John Davies Spokane WA

Good news for Vets. “Entrance fees for the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and standard amenity recreation fees for the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation sites will be waived for Veterans and Gold Star Families. They will have free access to approximately 2,000 public locations spread out across more than 400 million acres of public lands, which host activities to fit any lifestyle, from serene to high octane, including hiking, fishing, paddling, biking, hunting, stargazing and climbing. Many Department managed lands have direct connections to the American military, such as frontier forts, Cold War sites, battlefields, national cemeteries, and memorials. These special places pay tribute to our veterans and serve as reminders of their courage and sacrifice throughout the history of our nation, from Minuteman National Historic Park where colonists stood in defense of their rights, to Yellowstone National Park, which was protected from vandalism and poaching by the 1st U.S. Cavalry before the National Park Service was established, to Mount Rushmore where modern warriors attend reenlistment ceremonies.” https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/80547/veterans-gold-star-families-get-free-entrance-national-parks-refuges-public-lands/ John Davies Spokane WA

JordanV ... You have neither told us where you live nor where you plan to camp.... if in the sunny West, in late spring, summer, or early fall then the lithium solar package will perform admirably. As long as you don’t cool with it. It’s all about solar exposure - getting the batteries FULLY recharged daily or at least every two or three days. if you don’t have it (you live on the Wet Side of OR or WA, for example) then solar doesn’t make nearly as much sense. How many sunny days per year do you expect when camping? My sister bought a teardrop trailer with solar, she lives in Portland OR and mostly camps under trees or where it is cloudy. I more or less told her that was a very dumb choice.... so she plugs her trailer in during storage. If you live where the sun doesn’t shine that often, just get the AGMs, realizing that they are not nearly as good in terms of how much juice you can get out of them. You will need to run your generator more often to keep them charged. You can always upgrade later to lithiums when those inevitably fail in two or three years. AGMs are not cheap however. It makes zero sense to buy new ones when they fail. As you can see, if you live in that upper left corner like me, your system is going to be pretty much dead in winter, and pretty OK in summer. Give us some more details about your location please..... John Davies Spokane WA

There used to be a very sweet little resident mop dog in the sales office, he may not be there any more (nearly five years ago), but at that time the staff seemed very dog oriented. Maybe a dozen doughnuts from Walmart and a big smile would convince them to watch your lab. Or at least convince them to go out to your Rebel and release him on lead every few hours. If he is like our Australian Labradoodles, he will get plenty of entertainment just watching the world go by, if you can park where things are happening. Or he’ll just sleep. Have you already figured out a way to protect your back seats and restrain him during travel? The Raingler nets are brilliant and easy to use, and go away completely when not needed. One will definitely work with a black lab 😀 https://raingler.com/collections/dodge-ram-trucks/products/2009-2018-ram-1500-quad-crew-and-mega-cab-barrier-divider You soon get used to looking back through the webbing in your mirror. It makes things much safer for everybody in a collision. You still need actual seat and door protection, drool won’t be stopped by a net. Add a canvas “pet hammock” and it gives you two completely out of sight areas behind the front seats where you can stow your purse, laptop or other items. I keep my bug-out backpack behind the front driver seat, held upright by the net with an aluminum carabiner, it works most excellent. Two pairs of windshield and side window sun shields ride neatly between the net and the hammock. John Davies Spokane WA

If you want to use the inverter to power your AC while boondocking, you will not be happy with either choice. You have to consider the batteries as a reserve. Take out a MASSIVE amount of electrons to run your AC for a few hours, then you have to ration your use and wait possibly days for the panels to recharge the battery bank. There is no such thing as a free lunch, it is pay me now or pay me later. Lithium power is great, but you have to stay within the limits and have enough power available to restore the system to nearly full charge, or you will end up with a very expensive depleted system. Unless you want to add additional panels to the roof - that has been done but it introduces other problems, like how do you get onto the roof. It does make a lot off sense to buy the lithiums to boondock, for sure. It is the latest and best technology (like disc brakes vs drum brakes). It makes no sense to run the AC off them unless you know for sure you will be plugged into shore power in the evening. Just bring a generator and run it when you need to be cool. The gennie handles all the load directly, without involving the batteries at all, and it is there as a backup for those times you are stuck in the shade, or the dreary days when your solar panels go to sleep. My personal preference is 200 to 300 amp hrs of lithium batteries and no inverter at all, but my wife likes her electric tea kettle and microwave too much. I have asked for a solar suitcase panel for Christmas, maybe she will get the hint....😀 John Davies Spokane WA

The basic drawback to carrying in the back of the Ollie’s cabin is that in the event of a collision, or even a hard stop, the mass wants to shoot forward, hard. All the stress is on your mounts and their attach points. I had a rear drawer failure (due to lack of proper latches) and the entire thing broke free and ended up against the bathroom door, with its contents everywhere. This was through normal towing dynamics, not even a panic stop..... In a truck bed, or on the back of the trailer, the load is restrained in that direction by the structure. The same issue exists with roof carry, in a bad collision the bikes rip off the roof and become projectiles. Yes, if they are on the back and things go bad, you lose rack and the bikes, but they will end up away from your direction of travel (and possibly under another vehicle.) So many factors, you just have to make a whole lot of compromises, and keep a very close eye on whatever method you decide. John Davies Spokane WA

Jim .... You must design any bike carrier for the worst case scenario, which is the total failure of your system. Are you prepared to trash the cabin interior if the bikes and their mounts bounce around unsecured for a few hours? I’ve carried bikes in a number of ways including inside a regular van, but would never for a second try that inside the Ollie, ignoring the fact that they get gross sometimes and will significantly block access to the beds, service items and storage. Where do you put them when you want to stay out of bad weather? Take a nap at a busy rest stop or overnight at a sketchy Walmart? Repairs to gelcoat are extremely time consuming and costly and it is very difficult to make them match.... I guarantee that it would crush your heart to open the door and discover the bikes tangled up in the smashed remains of your bath mirror. At the very least install a second camera inside so you can make sure they don’t come adrift. If I were forced (at gunpoint) to do this I would install a permanent second cargo floor in back, through bolted to the sidewalls, with flush aircraft tie down tracks from here. .... https://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/collections/track/products/versatie-aluminum-track-recess-mount-flanged-series-4-240012 .... if you simply want great adjustable tie downs away from the floor, regular tracks could easily be mounted to the sides of the bed platforms. I installed individual anchors in my closet but they are for really light use because the hull structure is weak there. I have considered installing tracks on the street side platform to secure cargo like my ARB fridge and plastic crates in place of the mattress, but I never got that far. One big reason I wish we could buy a “Propane Appliance Delete” option is that you could use the space freed up on the tongue for a strong cargo tray suitable for two ebikes or a small motorcycle. Please start a thread about your project with pictures if you get it figured out. John Davies Spokane WA

FYI, all factory truck backup cameras, and many aftermarket cameras, only work when in reverse. Typically they get energized when the reverse lights come on. This is not so great when you are zooming down the freeway in heavy traffic, and you are trying to switch a few lanes..... It is possible to rewire one so that it is powered all the time, and there is already an On/ Off switch inside the Ollie cabin. I don’t know if Oliver will do this, maybe a recent camera owner can comment. A Garmin BU camera can be viewed at any time, you just exit out of the map view and touch the camera icon to bring the image to the Garmin nav screen. As Mainic said, a camera is a highly desirable accessory, more so when you are flying solo. When backing into a campsite, it shows you that big rock or tree before you hit it. Otherwise you whack it with the bumper and yell, “what the heck was that?” John Davies Spokane WA

I did not see any difference in ease of alignment, at times it can be a real PItA...... You can easily do this, which helps significantly. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4242-how-to-make-your-andersen-pin-easier-to-insert/ John Davies Spokane WA

That is a 2”x5” wide beam, you can tell because of the size of the adjacent supports, which are square 2”x2” outside diameter tubes. In comparison, here is a 2”x4” beam, I used that size for my rear rack. I would have gone wider if I could have found the material locally. I don’t see any issues with mounting that steel receiver to the Ollie beam, though I do suggest you replace the unknown hardware with stainless and self locking nuts. And do use an insulator of some kind, as well as silver antiseize compound on the threads. It sure would be nice if you could find a stainless steel receiver, that painted plain steel one will always be a little disappointing, and prone to dribbling rust streaks onto your rack. In your shoes, I would try to find a fabrication shop that would custom build me a stainless one with a flange, like this: That would never rust or need repainting, and it would look 100% absolutely sexy cool.....! Finally, there is no need to sandwich the outside of the beam so that the hardware is visible, you can drill large holes underneath the beam to allow access to the nuts. This is plenty strong for your application, and much cleaner looking than external ubolts or through bolts. More pics here: .... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3263-how-to-move-the-factory-cargo-tray-to-a-rear-rack/ If my memory is correct, Pete “Bugeyedriver” had a very cool stainless bike rack custom fabricated, I think it had a welded up receiver. PM him and ask for pics and advice. .... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/profile/17-bugeyedriver/ Good luck, start a complete thread on your project with pictures please. John Davies Spokane WA

Update, Fix a slow drain or airlock, by back flushing. I like to drain the fresh tank at the very last when winterizing using air only, because it is impossible to avoid adding some more water into it from some of the lines. Unfortunately, the drain line gets air locked, because it shares a circuit with the water pump suction line and it does not want to drain. I had modified my fresh suction line so it goes in at the top of the tank, similar in function to current production trailers. I don’t know if they all share this issue, maybe mine is special 😀 Maybe this is why Oliver now says to not use air to winterize....? An easy fix: Connect the male end of a garden hose to a hose bibb/ outside faucet. Attach a garden hose shutoff ball valve at the female end (that attaches to this drain tool). Turn on the faucet fully. Bleed all the air out of your hose. Turn the faucet nearly off, so there is only a small flow. Turn off the ball valve. Please DON’T hook a high pressure hose to your trailer with the faucet wide open! A quarter turn is fine. Make sure the two inside service valves that connect the trailer water system to the tank are CLOSED. (Or you will just refill all the lines with water again.) Hook up the drain rubber elbow to the belly drain line, then turn on the water flow at the ball valve to force (back flush) water into the fresh tank. Let it run for a minute. Note - do NOT install a hose clamp where it attaches to the trailer, if there is a total blockage inside, or maybe you forgot to open the drain valve, it will just blow off instead of over pressurizing the drain line! This clears the air blockage, and if you have any manufacturing debris clogging your drain line, it will hopefully force it back to the tank. Turn off the little ball valve. Turn off the outside faucet, disconnect the hose and place that end in a low spot in the yard. Open the small ball valve and the tank will start emptying fast because the syphon effect works properly now, plus you have all that trapped water in the hose helping as it rushes out. Raise the tongue 8 inches so as much water will drain as possible. If your plumbing isn’t blocked, it should flow like this with a two foot difference in discharge height. This is a rate of about 1 gallon per minute. Once the tank is dry, level the trailer, close the drain valve and set the other valves to their “normal” positions. John Davies Spokane WA

RE roof rack.... even if you don’t plan on installing one, a “rack ready” canopy gives you a much stronger roof structure, important if you often venture off paved roads, the tracks allow you to quickly install crossbars in case you want to carry a boat or load of 2x12s, and it marginally adds to the resale value. It is super hard to add satisfactory crossbars to the truck’s roof, and I really hate the look of an external ladder rack, the kind that goes around a canopy. I don’t see myself buying a pickup anytime soon, but the rack option would be one of the first things I would look for. Does ARE’s warranty cover stress cracks from frame twisting stuff like bouncing around over potholes and water bars? Lots of fiberglass canopies self destruct and they aren’t covered for “abuse”. Thanks, EDIT: found this. Stress cracks in the fiberglass body that begin from a window, boot, door opening or from the base rail are considered structural or material flaws and are covered under warranty for as long as the A.R.E. truck cap is owned by the original purchaser. The exception to this warranty is when it is determined by A.R.E. or its authorized dealer that such stress crack(s) were caused from misuse, abuse, collision or competitive racing. If a stress crack occurs it should be repaired without delay to prevent future failures due to neglect. So, it looks like you are good for doing forest roads, just don’t post YouTube videos of you jumping ditches in your Tremor.... 😀 John Davies Spokane WA

Cool design, do you mind sharing the purchase price? John Davies Spokane WA

You need to purchase a ball mount, with a 2 inch diameter ball rated for 7500 pounds. A Rebel owner here can tell you how much “drop” you need for the top of the ball to be at the correct height, with the truck loaded for travel (the back will squat a few inches). The choice of mount depends on the individual truck, how high the receiver (hole) is, and other stuff like how stiff the suspension is.... Something like this, I do not know if the drop is correct for your cool truck. It might need 6 inches of drop since it is an offroad suspension with big tires. Somebody here can advise. John Davies Spokane WA

Mcb,I don’t see two unmolested bikes fitting into that narrow slot. Do you rotate the handlebars so they face fore and aft? Remove the front wheels? Do you add foam padding and strap the frames to each other? I also don’t understand how you can possibly get to the generator when all that stuff is loaded. It seems to me that a gennie has to be near the back, possibly on a slide so it can be run out onto the tailgate. I would very much like to see a few pictures please. Thank you. John Davies Spokane WA

Not necessarily facts - perhaps a typo on the label? I suggest that you contact Toyota customer service, give them your VIN and a picture of your door label, and ask them to explain where your missing 200 pounds of payload went. If in fact it is wrong, they MUST send you a new replacement sticker with the correct information on it. I expect that a Toyota dealer would have to install it, to document the process. Have you asked on a Taco forum if anybody else has a “too low” payload? I am not positive, but I think your your Toyota Owners home page should show all relevant data like payload for your VIN. I tried logging in to check mine, but the site is down. Give it a try, see what it shows. https://www.toyota.com/owners/home Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

Looks very nice. Is yours rated for a roof rack? How are you liking the Tremor suspension? Have you taken it on gnarly roads yet? How does it ride, with the bed full and empty? Maybe start a new thread about this..... Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Message Overland, if he doesn’t respond here, he has removed his black tank and cut all kinds of extra access holes in the floors. Keep in mind removing all the black stuff will affect resale value, if a buyer wants that regular toilet. Good luck, post pics please! John Davies Spokane WA

Wow, that seems extraordinarily low, Base payload should be closer to 1200 pounds on these trucks. What trim level and options do you have? If that figure is correct you are going to have troubles, no doubt about it. You will hit that payload wall, hard, and about the only thing you can do is travel with empty water tanks and maybe pull out your rear seats to gain an extra 75 pounds or so. Don’t fall into the “add stuff to try to fix it” trap RB mentioned. That rarely has a satisfactory outcome, and you can waste a whole lot of money messing around with what is in reality the wrong TV. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

FYI, with the same size tire, and the same load rating (10 sidewall plies, Load E), you can use the old chart, no worries. If there are any differences in recommended pressures between tire manufacturers, they would be so small as to be negligible. You should use tire operating temperature (and tread wear over the very long term) as an indicator and adjust air pressure as needed. And if your interior is showing signs of distress (utensils and dishes thrown around) then lower your pressure a bunch.... or don't drive so fast over speed bumps. 😉 Try 50 psi, lower them gradually from that to where the tires seem to be 'happy'. John Davies Spokane WA

With the chains tensioned hard it is not likely that your bar is flopping up and down, but slop there will definitely be heard on uneven pavement when the chains are fairly slack or the trailer is disconnected. Like Bill I use a (stainless, 0.025”) steel shim under the bar, but I thought that it was just me being really anal. Check the torque on all the visible hardware, make sure the chain mounts are in place and not moving on the frame. Check the two Bulldog coupler bolts! They can fail. Check your truck’s receiver mount hardware too! Make sure your coupler sleeve is not binding, the ball part should “self adjust”. The hinge at the front should be lubricated, not rusty, and also grease the ball contact area, even tho Andersen says not to. You can install one of these to 100% stop movement at the receiver, but it makes installing/ removing your Andersen a real PITA. OTH it makes it a whole lot harder to steal... Hitch Clamp .... This is the good one, a lot of its clones or other designs rust, bend, don’t fit, or have stupid names 😬. This is the brand you will find in most RV stores. I don’t use one with the Andersen but I do use one for pulling a dead weight rental trailer, to lessen the horrible banging noises.... John Davies Spokane WA