John E Davies

Good post, I agree entirely. I think extended warranties may make sense for car or trucks, where the dealers are skilled and located all over the place - especially for turbo diesels that are likely to have very expensive out-of-warranty problems. For a travel trailer, nope. No way. John Davies Spokane WA

How far is the storage area from your house or an outdoor 120 volt outlet? Can you run a small extension cord across to that spot? If you shut off all inside breakers except the converter, that cord should easily handle the current and it will keep your batteries in great shape. Make sure the batteries are fully charged before you put it inside, otherwise the converter may draw too much power for a small cord to safely handle. It will handle a maintenance (trickle) charge, no worries... Install a Victron smart bus; it allows you to check on the battery condition from fairly far away via Blutooth. It provides great peace of mind and saves needless trips to go check in person. Here is “Mouse”, I checked the battery condition about a minute ago while lying on the living room sofa 50 feet away. Once I checked and it was down 96%, alarmed, I went out to see why and I found out that I had accidentally turned off the converter breaker instead of the one for the water heater. John Davies Spokane WA

Sherry, good post. All I can add is that you can buy “tick repelling” clothing, it has permethrin built in. It will eventually wash out so you should not wash it too often. https://www.rei.com/s/permethrin-insect-repellent-and-clothing I try really hard to avoid brushing against bushes and low tree branches when hiking. Sometimes I use my cane to wack a shrub before I go past. I have NO IDEA if that helps knock ticks to the ground, but it sure makes me feel better to think so! I really hate ticks. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks Bill, pretty pictures, here it is on Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/43°51'42.0"N+110°17'39.0"W/@43.8617956,-110.2969969,2759m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d43.8616667!4d-110.2941667 Whenever I see horses and also know that there are bear, moose, deer and free range cattle around, I think TICKS. Is that a problem this time of year? John Davies Spokane WA

OK, this one is really disturbing. Real Time Air Quality Index Map Here is Oregon. Anything above 200 is very uncomfortable, above 300 is nasty dangerous. Tap one of the icons and up comes a pop up window with stats. John Davies Spokane WA

That bottom joint has a massive rubber gasket, if kept clean of debris it can’t leak. Even if it did, it would not matter since it is OK to introduce a little fresh water in there. Urine is a whole other thing, that is bad. When parked long term I usually have to run half a cup of fresh water from the sink faucet down into the coir every few weeks because it starts to dry out on top when not in use. But I live in a semi-arid climate. It may not be an issue where you live, but it will be if you visit the desert west. You do not need a shower curtain, but you will need to always rinse and then dry the walls after the last person showers, and also the floors, including behind the toilet. I use a California Water Blade followed up by a towel. And thanks for the kind words. John Davies Spokane WA

Here are a couple of useful tools to track wildfires and the nasty smoke they generate. Windy for Android and IOS. https://windy.app/ Many layers, the base one is wind direction and strength, you can show all sorts of extra info like Air Quality, the cool thing is that it will predict four days into the future and you can play the video to watch the smoke move. So you can plan a move, or get out the HEPA filter and crank it up to High. This is what the AQ in my area will look like in 24 hours. Fire Mappers. This is just one of several wildfire maps. https://napsg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=6dc469279760492d802c7ba6db45ff0e&extent=-13924858.7766%2C5724880.0296%2C-12970924.6636%2C6317419.8728%2C102100 Here is a big one along the CA / OR border. It shows the perimeter and also “hot spots” which are thermal readings from space. Clicking on the fire brings you a pop up with info on size and % containment. In addition that site has locally produced fire maps with evacuation routes and road closures, and other useful links. Stay safe. Washington suffered over the Labor Day weekend with more acreage burned (330,000) than in the previous 12 entire fire seasons combined. Hurricane strength winds did not help, all fire fighting airplanes were grounded due to smoke and impenetrable dust. Here is what the west coast will look like Sunday..... Oh my..... John Davies Spokane WA

IL_Travelers.... your GMC will most likely be fine but you need to check your available payload. Subtract the canopy and aftermarket accessory weights and all your people and their stuff. The Andersen weighs around 65 pounds. Figure “about” 650 pounds tongue weight for an LE2. This is quite variable due to options like the bike rack, or folks carrying a heavy generator. Mine was 720, Is now 480 since I relocated the tray to the back,, and it tows better with the much lighter tongue with no signs of instability. While your lack of power may be noticeable when you get into the mountains, the lack of payload might be an immediate hassle, depending on what you have already added to your truck, if you might have to tow with a full black tank (located near the front), and if you plan to bring along lots of tools, bikes, cast iron cook sets or cases of ammo. 🙂 The fresh and grey tanks are centrally located and don’t have a major effect on TW. If you don’t already have a tongue weight scale, consider getting one like the excellent Sherline 1000 pound unit... You can ask Oliver to weigh your trailer tongue “as delivered” but that won’t be real useful for when it is actually loaded for a big trip. If you are patient you might be able to buy one for about $125. Sherline 1000 price history John Davies Spokane WA

It is actually too heavy (131 lbs dry) for the Ollie tray which has a recommended max cargo weight of 140 pounds. Add an extra 35 pounds for gas and oil, plus maybe a hard cover or locking tray and a heavy power cable, and a lock...... Oops. Way over the limit. In addition, you need to consider the effect of that extra tongue weight. If you have a HD truck, no worries. If you have a light duty one, that will possibly overload the rear suspension and definitely limit available cargo payload in the truck. With any light duty TV, keeping the ball weight as low as possible is beneficial for many reasons. The LE2 is small, but it is a chunky trailer, way heavier than it looks. It’s a mini tank when specced with four batteries and lots of options. Welcome to the forum. Please tell us what truck you plan to use. John Davies Spokane WA

Bumping an old thread. This is a reminder that in the northern high plains and the Colorado Plateau you MUST be prepared for winter weather, even as early as Labor Day. This is happening while the SW is broiling (121 degrees in LA County.) Sep 6 - Going to the Sun Rd in Glacier Np closed due to winter weather conditions near the Pass, opened a day later. Early snow to the Rockies: ... One of the Earliest Snowstorms on Record to Blanket Front Range of Rockies With September Snow, Including Denver As I type at 11:00 AM it is just above freezing in Browning, near East Glacier. Brrr.... John Davies Spokane WA (63 degrees and falling)

Replacing the gas unit with a 12 volt compressor one can almost double your inside storage volume. Carrying a similar portable unit in your TV also works VERY well, if you have the space and are willing to deal with extension cords or a portable solar panel to keep it running when parked long term. I have used our medium sized (50 quart) classic ARB fridge for many years, but it only goes along on longer trips, over ten days. I plug the 12 volt power cord into the Ollie solar port with a 25’ extension cable. https://arbusa.com/portable-fridge-freezers/ If I ever get around to replacing the “Dumbetic” gas fridge, I will probably stop carrying the ARB one, since it won’t be needed. John Davies Spokane WAs

I agree about installing it in the cabin. Drag all those pesky, disorderly small ground cables out of the box and put everything together at a bus, then attach your Smart Shunt nearby. Run one big cable back to your battery negative post. If you have an inverter, you must use an appropriate gauge for the high current. OTH if you are going to do that, you might as well do it for all those positive wires too. It makes the battery area way better. John Davies Spokane WA

I watched the first couple of minutes of that video, then I turned it off - what a couple of idiots. I did switch to their actual offroad review video, which was not a drag race on a dead flat dry lake bed, and it confirmed what I already knew. ... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WtzJ3OfJLNo A heavy diesel truck with a big payload rating simply cannot work as well off pavement as a gas truck with a light one. Good articulation over uneven terrain equals comfort for your people and your cargo, since the body is not constantly lurching from side to side and lifting tires off the ground. Soft long travel suspension equals comfort on choppy surfaces like washboard and unexpected ruts. You can drive much faster (not towing) in comfort because the suspension can work easily and it is not limited by excessively massive springs. If that stuff is irrelevant to you, then the PW should not even be under your consideration. A Tremor would be a fine choice if you need to carry a camper or UTV on the back, or just gotta have those 1000 foot pounds of torque. I would buy a PW in a heartbeat over any other pickup, but I have to admit that an 8 liter Hemi gas engine would make it better..... but no turbos for me. Maybe a supercharger running at 4 or 5psi if it could tolerate regular gas. Sometimes you may find a station out in the middle of nowhere that has nothing but Regular. If you want a diesel with big payload that is a Not A Ford, and also want to get off smooth surfaces, consider a stock Ram 2500 (rear coil springs) Cummins 6.7 In the trim of your choice, and then add a high quality aftermarket suspension from Carli. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the forum Watch this loooong but excellent Oliver tour video, then decide if you want to make the trip. I don't think you need to be there in person unless you really love the smell of uncured fiberglass resin. Which I do....;) I have never been in the factory, but would like to. Factory Tour From The Ground Up John Davies Spokane WA

There should be another one under the table, facing toward the back of the trailer, squat down and look there. We need to know your model and hull number. John Davies Spokane WA

Since you are there, go into Walmart and buy a 120 volt outlet tester specific for GFCI testing. Once you get power back, you can check all the outlets for correct wiring and ALSO test the GFCI one to make sure it is not defective. It is common for them to go bad, if so just replace it with a new one. Any GFCI tester is fine, it should look similar to this one with the Test button: Does your inverter power on properly? Does the green light at the wall switch come on? I’m sorry we are all asking this question, but some folks might not know it is necessary.... it doesn’t come on by itself. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the forum. You are correct about your older Tundra..... the 4.7 is a great motor but it is pretty anemic for pulling the bigger Ollie, and the lack of gears makes it worse. You would probably be fine getting your new trailer home to Florida at delivery time but further explorations will require better reserves of, well, everything - power, brakes, payload and safety technology. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks Bill, what raised my gorge was the fresh water hose bibb that was underground (in a below grass pit) right next to the sewer connection. Don’t they have health inspectors in TN? John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the info. Is Fall Hollow RV Park still open? I only spent one night there, it was not at all appealing, but it is very close to town on the highway to Columbia. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t, let me poke around in my records to see where I got it. It wasn’t Amazon. It is similar to this one, maybe an earlier version. I have had it for four years. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Home-Zone-5L-Small-Trash-Can-With-Lid-And-Foot-Pedal-Removable-Bin-Stainless-Steel-Garbage-Can-Oval-Waste-Basket/666807586 It works fine, you can operate the lid with your left heel when sitting, or while standing you can use your right toe or reach behind with your hand and lightly push down on the rear hinge. All these will pop it open. EDIT: I can't find a purchase record, that is weird because I keep everything.... Sorry, I came up empty. John Davies Spokane WA

Try it now, for some reason it was a Draft and never was published. I think it is fixed, let me know please. And thanks for bringing that to my attention. Time Lapse Sunset, Upper Sunshine Reservoir, near Meeteetse WY John Davies Spokane WA

I personally chose not to do a winter delivery but our return route would have involved some significant “risky” areas. Plus I did not want to tow over deicer soaked highways and I am a firm believer in never towing over packed snow or especially ice... Your southern route through NV and up the I-5 corridor should be fine. Just make sure the roads are dry and ice free. There is nothing quite as gut clenching as exiting a dry, plowed Interstate, only to find you are on a sheet ice offramp ending at a stop sign.... Where do you plan to camp enroute? Do most dump facilities and campgrounds close for the season as they do further north? Try to keep the truck and Ollie rinsed off at least weekly. Preferably more often... And bring chains for TV and Ollie, in case you get caught by surprise. John Davies Spokane WA

http://rvwanderlust.com/how-to-protect-the-front-of-your-rv Airstream interiors are easy to modify, how nice..... and they also fall apart when taken off pavement, literally. Owners have found overhead cabinets completely pulled away from the walls. Do not expect any RV cabinet with a dozen tiny self tapping screws to be even remotely sturdy. If you replaced them with machine screws going onto steel nutserts in the frame ribs, then they would be greatly improved. Ollies don’t drop cabinets onto the floor, though earlier hull numbers will spit a drawer’s contents or even an entire drawer across the length of the cabin. Disturbing (and a little funny) indeed, but not so much as a completely failed cabinet or vanity..... and the drawer problem is super easy to correct. John Davies Spokane WA

I used them for a year, behind a Ram 3500, and I was very unimpressed. Most folks do not adjust them correctly “Aussie fashion”. They should sail at a 45 degree angle to the road at your typical cruising speed. You can’t really tell if that is happening, unless you have a chase car, but you can adjust them so they have about a 20 degree static angle back. When the are set correctly, they deflect stones downward to the pavement, not straight back at the TV. And onto the the top of your bumper and the back of the tailgate...... If you add a strip of rubber ( I used the three inch cut off pieces from trimming the flaps) at the TOP of each flap, when you rotate the flap to 20 degrees the extra strips will rest against the bumper and seal that huge gap on top, stopping a lot of the small stuff from getting past that direction. That also stabilizes the whole assembly a little. I had to add two slopper stoppers to keep down unwanted motion, it was pretty floppy without them. They are really bad on undulating gravel roads, they must be low to the ground to be effective, but every time you drag them into the ground in a dip, they send up a ferocious rooster tail of gravel back onto the trailer. IMHO they should be removed entirely for low speed forest roads where they might drag. Or you could rotate them up close to horizontal. I still have mine, I keep them handy for a future trailer rental or other non-Ollie use. Do they compare to Stone Stompers plus trailer chassis guards for effectiveness? Not at all. If a SS is a 10, Rock Tamers are a 3 or 4. They are probably the best alternative solution out there, just set them up right and be aware of their limitations. John Davies Spokane WA

I forgot one more thing, in Spring I carry a 110 volt Makita 16” chainsaw plus 75 feet of cord, that I can run off the generator, for when I come around a turn on a forest road and find a tree down across the road. I have no winch (you don’t really need one with a 200, as long as you are cautious, and have a shovel and Maxx Trax), so this method allows me to clear a downed tree, or cut firewood, quite easily. It is more clunky than a gas saw but the saw is silent and relatively mess free, and there is no gas/ oil mix to carry. I really should carry the saw all season long, because you never know when a williwaw will come through and trap you in your camping spot. Aaaaaaand, if you wanted to carry a small automotive battery charger, you could recharge a dead truck battery from the generator in a couple of hours, so you don’t have to call for a tow truck. Assuming you have a cell signal or an inReach. But I carry a lithium jump pack, so I don’t need a charger..... I have used that pack in the wild one time, on another truck. The driver was very grateful but I refused cash. Honda vs Yamaha is an individual preference really, but I think the Blue is definitely better. Honda has had a lot of recalls lately that are worrisome.. John Davies Spokane WA