John E Davies

No worries, we live for questions.... The bumper drops down for access to the sewer compartment, so no, it cannot be solidly integrated with the frame. The bumper is a chunky 1/4" thick rectangular beam with huge pivot bolt at each end. The part that actually drags the ground is the rear cross support for the floor in that sewer compartment. Here are a couple of pics. Show them to your son and he could advise you. And this is what is in front of the bumper: If I were to do this, I would make a steel bracket that wraps around both sides of the frame (a flat bottomed U shape) and install it where it says "Main Frame Member" in the second pic. That cross channel is 1" high, so the roller would extend down about 2 inches below it and offer decent protection and also be very strong, being attached directly to that massive frame member. The compartment cover must be able to be removed for access to the water tanks, so it must be trimmed away to clear any roller brackets If you get an Oille and install rollers, please post a thread about it with pics and dimensions. Maybe your son could offer these for sale as an owner installed kit. A welder for a son, I wish I had one 😉 John Davies Spokane WA

No, not in this world. You weld the roller bracket to a suitable steel plate, and then bolt the plate to the frame, taking suitable precautions against corrosion due to the dissimilar metals. It is something any decent welding shop could do, tho I wouldn’t trust just any old shop to install it correctly. John Davies Spokane WA

The theoretical angle calculations for a self contained RV are far different than for a trailer being towed, where you can have a situation where the tow vehicle front axle will drop down into a deep depression or rut, forcing the tongue of the trailer upwards, and this is all going on independently from what is happening back at the trailer wheels. The real worry is not smaller holes or drop offs, but protruding rocks or ledges that can’t be avoided. The variables are so many that I don’t think these angles are useful numbers. For a single vehicle like a Jeep, they certainly are important - dragging expensive hard parts over fixed pointy rocks is to be avoided as much as possible! Rollers can work great on smooth pavement if properly located and with proper (really strong) mounts, but on an unpaved forest road they will just dig trenches or get completely stuck, and not do anything at all to protect the frame or a low hitch. They are a band aid fix at best, ideally you raise the frame higher by altering the suspension so that dragging simply won’t occur. Or buy something other than a LE2 If somebody wants to do a project and add rollers, these are my choice, welded to stout steel plates in the back corners, bolted to the frame rails. They are plenty strong and hopefully won’t be a nuisance by hanging down too much. The roller brackets are just 2.375” high...... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RVYCSK/?coliid=I1A99Z99XZLVXI&colid=1X5H11EH41351&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it John Davies Spokane WA

Mike, thanks for the pictures! Are there any large turnouts along the access road where a discouraged Ollie owner could turn around? IMHO this is by FAR the most important consideration when taking a sizable road trailer down a single lane track. A downed tree can often be removed if you have a big enough chainsaw, but a deep bog or washout can’t be crossed. This is my big worry, followed by discovering that there are no remaining camp spots after dragging “Mouse” across a nasty road for miles and miles. And miles.... John Davies Spokane WA

I have no idea about your CG but it sounds like a very delightful adventure. Deflate your Ollie tires to 25 psi and be sure to have a reliable and fast way to reinflate them afterwards. Consider a rental Wrangler or side by side ATV if you want to enjoy the 12,000 ft passes, far scenery, precipitous shelf roads, mining relecs and ghost towns of the high country. It is gorgeous, weather and smoke permitting! Your Ford is not an appropriate vehicle for this. A stock Land Cruiser with proper tires or a short modified 4wd pickup would excell on the easy routes, The hard routes are in fact HARD, for (experienced) short wheelbase only. As always, bring survival and self recovery stuff. John Davies Spokane WA

The tie downs are probably not needed with a 1 Up rack but they are definitely needed with most other brands of bike racks. The tracks would offer multiple locations for straps, so you don’t have to hook them around the bumper or frame. The actual clearance from the ground of the low receiver Is less important than the fact that the trailer’s “departure angle” is drastically reduced. I guarantee that the low slung mount will be a big problem on rough uneven forest roads. Simply because the angle for the stock LEII is already marginal. John Davies Spokane WA

Sorry, sometimes I assume everybody knows what then heck I am talking about. I apologize. I meant an adjustable ring tiedown rail, which is what aircraft have for securing cargo so it won't shift. Some truck and car manufacturers offer this for bed storage. You can change the position of the anchor point in seconds with no tools, and good quality ones have a very high load rating, up to 1000 pounds per anchor. I really like these: ..., http://www.macscustomtiedowns.com/category/VersaTie-Track Here is a short section which I added to my Ollie cargo rack (old style), which I moved to the back of the trailer.: And here is a fixed mount, it works the same as the track but has only the one position. I have also added these inside the closet to secure my ladder and chairs. Note the fully welded stainless ring. It is much stronger and will not fail like a common weak eyebolt which is simply bent into a circle, but not welded. I hope that helps. John Davies Spokane WA

Can you not use a fiberglass canopy? That will keep all cargo secure and out of sight. Not to mention dry and clean.... Leer and A.R.E. are the two best brands, if cost is a factor you can find a nice used one. I bought a used mid-range Leer for $600 and the store paint-matched It to my truck for an extra $200. A cab height model looks best, but a raised one will give extra head room for wheeling in bikes and cargo. John Davies Spokane WA

They could sell you the factory over-the-bumper rack, with its 1.5” receiver installed, and offer the 2” receiver and mounting hardware as a “universal accessory“. If they did not install it, they would have ZERO liability. This is such a very simple and affordable solution. I do think that the rack cross beam should have some built in anchor points for guy ropes or straps, to limit sway. Anchors are fairly easy to install, but built- in aircraft style tiedown tracks would be very nice. John Davies Spokane WA

Simply put, it is not. An LEII will occasionally drag the frame (actually the aft-most small cross supports for the bumper compartment floor) and this low slung hitch will make things much worse. For uneven surfaces you must position the receiver above the bumper. If you drag a $600 1-Up rack over a ledge it will be a costly repair and it might even dump one or more of your precious bikes onto the ground. Here is the double rack, imagine lifting several thousand pounds of your trailer by dragging the low point..... ouch. If that lower bolt sheers off, the rack will come crashing down. John Davies Spokane WA

😳 Towing at 75 mph in “D” will certainly result in really bad fuel economy and constant transmission downshifting on grades. The Owners Manual talks about this. All those extra shifts drive up the oil temperature and wear out the parts. Plus it is dangerous and in many states you can't go that fast. WA Interstates for example are posted 70 mph cars, 60 mph trucks (and RVs). If you normally drive 75 you should do some serious thinking about what might happen if you suffer a tire or bearing failure, or a car or animal obstructs your lane and you have to do a quick maneuver or slam on the brakes. I am sure the tires on Ollies are adequate at 75 under very ideal conditions, however most standard trailer tires have a max speed rating of 65 mph. I am sure you have seen “that guy” in a big lifted pickup doing 85 with a 25,000 pound toy hauler in tow, passing everybody. That is a disaster in the making. I hope that you have and pay attention to a trailer TMPS. Be safe. John Davies Spokane WA

Even more important: “Note: Using this adapter will reduce the tongue weight capacity of your hitch by 50-percent.“ It is not an appropriate solution, even for a small Elite. Your 1-Up trays could be removed and mounted in back of the Ollie, depending on how heavy and how many bikes you have., plus it would require a custom mount. John Davies Spokane WA

Mac, what year was your Sequoia? Transmission? Tire diameter? Your constant shifting and transmission overheating may be due to towing in Drive instead of a lower gear as recommended by Toyota - 4th (direct drive) for a six speed tranny, 6th for the eight speed unit. The 5.7 liter engine and drivetrain is really overbuilt and pretty much bullet proof, unless operated incorrectly, but peak torque occurs at 2800 rpm and it absolutely needs to rev when working hard; high rpm keeps it in the middle of the torque curve and provides extra cooling air via the fan, which is mechanically driven. Or perhaps you just experienced an unusual failure of some kind..,, I think the 5.7 liter Sequoias share the same 4.30 axle ratio as the Tundra, so that is terrific. I really wish the Land Cruisers were specced this way. I monitor transmission pan and torque converter temps digitally and they certainly spike on steep grades but even with my 3.90 axles they never get anywhere close to dangerous values. Please elaborate. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Soooooo, can you not mount a larger spare tire in back, without the fiberglass cover? As we all understand, a completely naked spare looks so much better. 😀 Discussion starts half way down here: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2016-how-to-spare-tire-and-wheel-lock/ John Davies Spokane WA

May I ask why you picked Bogachiel rather than one of the Pacific beach campgrounds like Kalaloch? I have driven past Bogachiel but never stopped there. For those who don't know, that is a rain forest campground with lots of trees and ferns, and lots and lots of rain. The forest roads and small bridges wash out frequently. John Davies Spokane WA

I wanted to especially thank all the moderators who handle the increasing amount of traffic here in the Forums. More Ollie owners and more members equals more potential friction, and sometimes things get said that shouldn't be said. Everyone makes mistakes, that is expected. I do greatly appreciate it when intentionally harsh or overly aggressive posts are removed promptly. Bravo. The same for spam posts with links to other websites - they are usually taken out very quickly if flagged right away. Sometimes I post in the wee hours of the night if I can't sleep, or I am in a hurry and my words do not come out exactly as I intended. I hope that anybody who might take offense understands that no harm is ever meant. Once written, words are hard to take back. John Davies Spokane WA

This 17 foot single axle Viking appeared in Craigslist. It has a big aluminum box, a battery and a big junk generator, all bolted directly to that thin sheet metal bumper. Do you think it has any tongue weight at all? OTH it is probably very easy to push around by hand.... I especially admire the craftsmanship of the generator rain cover, the secure supports for the shore power cable, and the battery cover held down by the license plate! I wonder if he tows with the cable there? Perhaps so he can run the AC while moving, with his dogs and children inside? John Daves Spokane Wa

I think you will be no worries with that much lift. My truck has the stock suspension except for 33” Ridge Grapplers, load E, and rear Firestone airbags. The tailgate would just barely smack the top of the Bulldog coupler (the latch). I ended up buying a Plus 3 (3” longer) Andersen stinger to get lots of clearance. I am not sure they sell those any more, but it was an online catalog item for a while. The larger ball and coupler would normally make for even less tailgate clearance, but your lift will definitely take care of that. Your stiffer suspension should completely negate the need for airbags- I am a little jealous of that suspension,. But I decided that I would keep my 200 as close to stock as possible. I had a 1996 Series 80 (LX450) that was fully farkled, and when my son totaled it, I vowed to not fall into that bottomless money pit again. I did remove the Old Codger running boards from the 200, first thing tho... Do you have a brake control installed yet? My 200 has the trailer light receptacle way over to the right. If yours is the same you need to make very sure that the Ollie harness is not too short before you leave Hohenwald. I route mine straight to the Andersen stinger and secure it there with a bungee cord, and leave a large enough free loop of cable to not bind in a tight left jackknife situation. This is the 2 5/16” ball and coupler showing the turning loop and the longer mount. Note that I cut off about 3” of my Andersen mount that would normally have been hanging down. If you discover that your mount does not come down far enough, I am sure Service will swap it out for a taller one. Have fun, I really want to see pics. EDIT: I apologise for using an odd motorcycle term that may be meaningless to many.... Farkle: Fancy Accessory, Really Kool, Likely Expensive. John Davies Spokane WA

Penetrating oil. I love PB Blaster, it has worked great for me for a looooog time. https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-16-PB-Penetrating-Catalyst-11-Ounces/dp/B000I2079E Any auto parts store will have it. Let it soak half an hour and I bet they will come out. If not, insert the Allen wrench and tap on it with a small hammer to shock the threads. Some silver (aluminum based) anti-seize on the threads will prevent future problems. John Davies Spokane WA

I think that there is only the one big bolt. But personally I would feel much better if there was a second one, for redundancy. The safety chains are connected to the extendable part of the tongue, so if the one bolt should somehow depart, then the trailer will take off with only the breakaway cable connected. It will activate its brakes, hopefully, but I would not like to experience that.... OTH with the Andersen installed, those parts should stop a major disaster. As far as torque, I don’t know except that the nut should be really tight. Movement between the two parts should not be a problem unless it rattles on rough roads. Again, the tension of the Andersen chains will stop that. Maybe an Original Ollie owner can chime in here. John Davies Spokane WA

Peter, congratulations on your new Ollie and thanks for the kind words. They are appreciated. I hope your 200 works out for you. What year is it? I found the stock Load C tires to be too soft, the ride was very nice indeed, but towing was a little uncertain in inclement weather, bad roads and crosswinds. LT Load E tires stiffen things up, at the cost of some mpgs and comfort. Are you getting the Andersen? It is needed. Have fun and post pictures. If you have a later truck with the 8 speed, I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on it. I have always thought that the 8 speed with a ring and pinion change (Tundra 4.30 takeoffs) would make a simply stellar combination. My 6 speed with 3.90 gears is lacking a little. LOTS of great towing info in this long thread ..... https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/towing-with-a-200-series-toyota-land-cruiser.932343/ John Davies Spokane WA .

I found a great carry solution. This is the Dewalt box I mentioned above. Unfortunately the depth was a little short, I had to get out the grinding tools to make relief cuts for the handle and bar brake. I was concerned about the steel teeth wearing a hole in the side of the box, so I made a stainless guard to cover them. I am pleased. I don’t think I could have found a more useful way to compactly carry all the “stuff”, including bar oil, spare chains, gloves, glasses and a bunch of cleaning rags..... the saw is tool-free, so it is easy to attach the disconnected bar and chain, which ride safely in the included bar cover. The bar oil is in a 20 ounce MSR fuel bottle which is very tough and leakproof. It just fits. .... https://www.msrgear.com/stoves/stove-accessories/msr-fuel-bottles/msr-fuel-bottles.html John Davies Spokane WA

In the Ram you should be able to turn off the Auto wiper mode in the Settings menu. This is for 2017 but I expect it is similar for your new truck. Enable or disable rain sensing wipers On my 200 the default cruise setting is Radar, whenever you turn on the switch. To go to a normal type you push the stalk forward and hold for two seconds. Unfortunately it doesn’t remember your choice so every time you turn on Cruise you have to do it again. Normally I leave it on Normal for an entire trip. Toyota USA - I prefer to choose my OWN speed, thank you very much! If somebody is going slower I just want to go around him, not slow way down and poke along watching his rear bumper..... John Davies Spokane WA

LOL my Land Cruiser had them, and they were awful. They were either too delayed in starting, or the speed was all wrong. I disabled them after a month. Fortunately it is very easy- you just unplug the wires to the windshield rain sensor and tuck them up into the front lip of the headliner. I wish there was an easy way to disable the darned adaptive cruise. I hate that too and have to manually override it every single time I want to use the Cruise. John Davies Spokane WA

“Powered by Lithium” Cool.....Where do they put the electric motors, in the wheel hubs? Can you drive the trailer remotely (back up and self park)? Range and top speed? I am not really interested unless the trailer can go camping by itself, when I am locked at home. Seriously, if it is a factory lithium option I might be interested in a retrofit when my AGMs die. Depending on the $$$$$. John Davies Spokane WA