John E Davies

I looked but I can’t find one, I am pretty sure I took a pic when I was working on my Garmin camera install in that location.... there are other junction blocks in the electrical bay below the rear dinette seat too, where you would expect them to be. That back one is a surprise. John Davies Spokane WA

I would really like to see some pictures of your wiring behind the switches and round access panels, not of the neat and tidy split-loom covered runs that are out in the open. My trailer #218 was a rat’s nest, to put it bluntly, and entirely unacceptable. I had a forty minute conversation with an Oliver manager about this three years ago. I was assured that he understood my concerns.... and I had hoped that this was no longer a problem. As customers we should not expect the wires to look like an aircraft harness, but we should expect and demand that it all be reasonably neat, with proper length cables, and secured so it does’t flop around. Even in the hidden areas. If you open up an access panel and you are greeted by a nasty mess, it makes you feel bad about the rest of your trailer.... Please let’s see some wiring pics in a new thread. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

I am not positive if there is a rubber gasket under the drain. That might be your leak. I would be really interested in seeing pictures of this entire repair. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

My ‘13 200 tows just adequately, it is stock except for 33” LT tires and rear airbags. It has the six speed tranny and 3.90 gears. It would do great with lower 4:30 gearing like the Tundra, about a $2000 upgrade using takeoff ring and pinion sets. There have been a number of discussions, search and you should find them. Would I buy another to replace this one? No, I would get a 3/4 ton gas pickup and scrap the Andersen. John Davies Spokane WA

https://blog.gaiagps.com/plan-where-to-fish-with-usgs-streamflow-and-gaia-fishing-maps/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=march-newsletter-2-premium Here are a couple of screen captures from my app: This isn’t just for fishermen, river boaters and waterfall lovers will find it useful too. John E Davies Spokane WA

Check online at the Ford forums, there may be a dealer setting, or a simple hack that can activate the camera when going forward. It may be something as simple as bypassing a sensor. For example, GM Start Stop mode in some of their cars can be bypassed with a tiny plug and play box that connects at the “hood closed” switch. The car thinks it is being serviced so it stays running all the time. Ha ha! Take that GM! John Davies Spokane WA

I am a Ram fan, have you driven any of these trucks yet? That will answer a whole lot of questions. If you can find a dealer that is operating normally. The Rebel is pretty nifty. Also do not discount the 3/4 ton Ram with its wonderful rear coil or air suspension. They drive really nice. I also took a new Power Wagon (6.4 Hemi truck motor) for a short spin and was gob smacked..... I have never towed with one but for general driving the new 8 speed is absolutely fine, the much lower first gear (than the old six speed) really gets the truck moving from a stop. Where do you live? Dennis Dillon Ram (Boise ID) does mostly internet sales - buy online, fly in, drive home. They still have tremendous deals, (no price negotiating) and best of all they post their prices. But I suspect they are mostly locked down right now. https://www.dennisdillonchryslerjeepdodge.com/new-vehicles/#action=im_ajax_call&perform=get_results&page=1&type[]=New&year[]=2020&make[]=RAM&model[]=1500 Rams already use a ZF, I am not sure what you meant. It is a great transmission. I had a loaner 2018 Ram 1500 V6 with this tranny for a day, and it was very impressive. https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a23367341/automatic-transmission-best-zf-eight-speed/ John Davies Spokane WA

You really need to clean out the rusty crud in the threads, a wire brush is probably not enough. You can buy a 3/4” NPT (National Pipe Thread TAPERED) tap and carefully run it in and out of the hole. Be careful not to go in too far, when it starts to get a lot harder to turn, you will be cutting away new metal, and that should be avoided. https://smile.amazon.com/CMT-NPT-PIPE-TAP-88-0034/dp/B00I3P4R3K/ref=sr_1_12?keywords=3%2F4”+npt+tap&qid=1585244469&s=hi&sr=1-12 Video how to chase threads Or if you have some tools, you can pick up a $2 steel pipe plug with no protruding hex head, and make your own thread chaser. I found an old plug in my junk box, put it in the vise, and uses a hacksaw to cut angled grooves. The grooves are needed so the rust and crud will have somewhere to go as you turn it into the hole. I use water from a squirt bottle as a lubricant. This is actually much easier to use than an actual tap, since you can just stick a 1/2” drive extension into it. Flush out any debris with your rinsing wand and dry the area before installing the replacement anode rod with a couple of wraps of thick plumbers teflon tape. It will not leak. Try not to leave any loose crud in the tank or it will gradually travel to your water pump screen. Clean and lube your tool before you put it away or it will rust.... LOL. Mine already looked like that. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

How big are your doodles, and do they stay where they are supposed to? We have two 40 pound Australian Labradoodles, who are not obedient enough to not get in the way constantly. Ollies have a rather narrow isle width, think about having to work your way around larger animals while doing chores. Consider dealing with a muddy or soaking wet animal after a night potty break. Consider what to do with them when the weather is foul and nobody can go out..... We normally try to leave them at home with my daughter, it makes everybody a lot happier. Well, except for the daughter ...;( A used Airstreams is a risky purchase. Do your research well, Google loose rivets, water leaks, rot, floor replacement, hail damage, polishing aluminum, screwed together interior, etc. Ollies are impervious to all those “features”. Welcome to the forum. What does your user name signify? Are you a chemist like my favorite muppet Beaker? I can imagine some really interesting exterior artwork for a new Ollie.... John Davies Spokane WA

I am glad you figured it out. Pictures please, or it never happened..... 😀 John Davies Spokane WA

Your surge suppressor detects high or low voltage in the “shore power”. With a too small extension cord that is way too long, your big heater kicks on, the high load drops the voltage, the suppressor disconnects. That is what is supposed to happen. Low voltage is perhaps not as damaging as a high spike, but the lower the voltage, the more amps a device has to use to operate, and it may cause great distress on motors especially. Motors have a very high “start up current”, as much as five times the normal operating current. That is why we use “slow blow” fuses in certain places like the electric jacks. They can take a very high current for a short while, until the motor is running normally. Does your heater have a fan motor? If the heating element is 1500 watts, that plus the high start up draw is enough to lower the line voltage past the safe threshold. I think you might be able to get away with a 150 ft cord, if it has12 gauge or larger wires, and a 500 watt heater. Not a 1500.... no way. But as suggested by others, a professionally installed RV power center will be the final answer, especially if you want to ever run the air conditioning. That is a pretty pic of your Ollie, would it be possible to move it as close to the house as possible and use a shorter cord? That might make all the difference, until you can get a permanent RV post installed. BTW a 500 watt heater will keep your Ollie toasty, normally there is no need for a big unit. I don't recall if you mentioned this already, but you do have other AC devices that are operating, for example the converter/ charger which is maintaining your batteries, and the AC heater in your fridge and water heater. You should try flipping OFF all the other AC circuit breakers except for the outlets (maybe marked “Microwave”). That might remove enough additional load to let this work properly. John Davies Spokane WA

I would not hesitate to purchase a used Ollie that was no more than say three years old, that was low miles and has had regular maintenance and cleaning/ waxing. I suspect that most owners do not actually keep a usage log, so determining actual miles towed, what kind of towing - freeways or dirt roads, over chemical deicers - and past maintenance might be difficult, especially if there was a previous owner before the current one. You can tell a lot about how a unit was cared for and where it went by inspecting the frame, suspension and gelcoat for damage, eroded paint, rust, rock chips etc. This kind of damage won’t destroy an Ollie, but how the owner(s) took steps (or didn’t!) to reduce long term damage should be fairly obvious. I looked under one Ollie and I saw neglect, pure and simple - a rusty mess. Stay clear of a neglected one. Unless you are a savvy, mechanically talented buyer, any used unit more than a year old should have a full top to bottom pre-purchase inspection performed by a qualified Rv tech. The seller might offer one, that is fine if it is recent and they can provide a printed copy to you before you arrive to look at it, but if there has not been one, the buyer should pay for it and arrange the details. IMHO. https://www.camperguide.org/rv-inspection-cost/ Sellers, having a complete inspection done, performing any necessary maintenance like bearings/ brakes, and being prepared to hand a buyer a copy of the report and any service records is a quick way to make a sale. Who wants to wait three to six months before your rig is gone...? John Davies Spokane WA

Here is an example, the HF Predator 2000w generator. Nice manual supplied, 102 parts listed in the diagram (but no engine parts). But wait..... NEITHER THE MANUFACTURER OR DISTRIBUTOR MAKES ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND TO THE BUYER THAT HE OR SHE IS QUALIFIED TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS TO THE PRODUCT, OR THAT HE OR SHE IS QUALIFIED TO REPLACE ANY PARTS OF THE PRODUCT. IN FACT, THE MANUFACTURER AND/OR DISTRIBUTOR EXPRESSLY STATES THAT ALL REPAIRS AND PARTS REPLACEMENTS SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN BY CERTIFIED AND LICENSED TECHNICIANS, AND NOT BY THE BUYER. OK, how about this “Available Parts” link...... Ten items listed...... hmmm. John Davies Spokane WA

It’s not just QC, it is after sale service and parts availability. A “Hong-wu SRX Max Gen Sunrise” will have a very short warranty, the service line will always revert to voice mail telling you to email, and they won’t answer those. When you ask for a replacement part like a simple switch, assuming you could get an answer, they will tell you it is unavailable and you will have to source one for yourself. If you need a major part like a control board or piston, forget it. “Sorry, these are disposable utensils and are not meant to be repaired.” Here’s looking at you Harbor Freight. Read the warranty, read online user reviews for followup service and parts. Yamaha warranty 3 years. Honda warranty varies, 1 to 5 years. .... http://cdn.powerequipment.honda.com/pe/pdf/warranty/pwl50623-w.pdf Harbor Freight standard warranty: 90 days, extended warranty expensive, must buy at local store. Parts? Amazon sells all sorts of Honda generator bits ... https://www.amazon.com/slp/honda-generator-parts/hy6z9gy68zp25un ... and the big brands have well established dealer networks and independent online parts suppliers. If you take your Honda generator to Joe’s Small Engine Repair, he will fix it and the replacement parts will be on his shelf. If you bring your no name unit he will laugh and shake his head..... John Davies Spokane WA

One oil change every four years is risking internal corrosion. If the machine is parked in a dry environment that may be OK but if you run it even one short time, you should consider changing it more often. A full synthetic is better. An inductive hour meter/ tachometer is a super easy mod to monitor use and engine performance. I change the oil in my Yamaha every 50 hrs or at the end of every camping season. When parking your machine every time, pull the cord slowly until you feel resistance (compression) and then stop. This places both valves fully closed so moist ambient air cannot get into the cylinder and possibly cause rust. John Davies Spokane WA

I like Hondas in general, my old push mower is simply amazing. I try to buy power equipment with Honda motors whenever I can. But I like my Yamaha 2400 way way better than I did my old EU1000i. One thing that really bugged me about my old Honda is the shut-off switch. It was a single knob that killed the spark as well as the fuel. So the engine would continue to spin through quite a few revolutions (heavy flywheel) before it quit. Which meant it was sucking raw gas into the cylinder since the spark plug was dead. It never would restart in one pull, like a Honda should. My Yamaha has a fuel shutoff valve so you can let it run until it stalls, emptying the carb, then turn off the ignition. It always starts on the first pull. It’s a little thing, but in the real world it makes a difference in the unit’s usability. I used to swear a lot at that little Honda generator.... I used to trust the Honda name more than I do now, some of the motorcycles have had unacceptable problems, like the crankshaft replacement recall on my daughters CB300F, which required a brand new bike to be stripped completely down.. . That pissed off a whole bunch of owners. John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t know that there is a consensus....l think the main thing is to do the lubrication regularly. I use a cheap automotive chassis grease, a freshly bought tube so that the oil has not separated yet. I live in an arid climate and it is extremely rare for me to tow in heavy rain. If you often have to tow when the road is flooded, a high-end synthetic waterproof (marine) grease would undoubtedly be better. Don’t forget to visually inspect all the shackle hardware, and if you have never checked them, put a torque wrench on the nuts while holding the heads to prevent them from spinning, you may find a couple loose. Check the axle ubolts at the same time, I think you will find some loose ones there. PS, if you haven’t done the Dexter brake backing plate recall, do it while you have the tools out. John Davies Spokane Wa

This is news to me, would you please elaborate? Are there good reliable brand names? I am generally very distrustful of no-name clones on Amazon, what are the good ones? Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Until you have checked ALL your outlets using a gfci outlet tester like the one mentioned above, which is also great for use in your home, and until you have replaced the gfi, we can’t offer any more suggestions. There is no way to bypass the basic troubleshooting steps. “The Commercial Electric GFCI Outlet Circuit Analyzer makes it easy for anyone to detect wiring errors on standard and GFCI protected circuits. This GFCI tester features a proprietary 1 LED readout to easily understand wiring conditions without multiple indicators or charts to decipher. The CE-GFI6500 includes GFCI test function to test GFCI outlets and standard outlets wired in parallel to GFCI circuits (bathroom, kitchen and outdoor receptacles require GFCI protection). “ Or just change the GFI if you are stuck at home . If that doesn’t correct the problem, you will have a good spare to throw in the drawer. If you don’t want to buy one, take one out of your house to use as a test unit. BTW my fridge acts like yours. I sometimes have to power it off before it will switch over. I think it is a design feature, not a bug ;( John Davies Spokane WA

Here is a continually updated STATE by STATE guide of closures and restrictions, courtesy of Campendium (a great app)... "Some parks and campgrounds are closing or changing their procedures for camping due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. If you would like to add info or a place to this list, please submit closures here: Campendium Form. During this time, campground policies are changing quickly. It is wise to call ahead before traveling to your destination." Campground Closures and Responses by State There is a long Corona Virus (Covid-19) discussion in the GENERAL FORUM .... please post general info and chat there. ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4016-sars-cov-2covid-19-and-travel/ Thanks, John E Davies Spokane WA

Also ... Try another similar high load like a toaster or hair dryer. Try another outlet. If it keeps tripping, then the GFI (AKA GFCI) outlet is bad or there is a wiring fault. GFIs are simple residential type devices, relatively cheap and easy to replace, just make sure you unplug shore power or turn off the inverter before removing one! OTH I would not buy any old "no name" brand that is on Amazon, something like this would be fine. Maybe buy a spare to have on hand. If you carry a spare, you can be sure the part will never fail again.;) Leviton GFCI Oh yeah, many of the heaters have rated power like 1500 watts. In my limited experience that cannot be relied on. My little box heater on Low is more like 400w than the rated 700w - it draws a little more than 3 amps. Your built-in surge suppressor, if you have one, will show you the actual amps drawn on its remote display, which is pretty handy when troubleshooting weird stuff like this. John Davies Spokane WA

Folks please stop quoting entire long passages, including pictures, it wastes bandwidth and also makes it harder to understand what you are referring to. It is very easy to edit out all the extra dross. Thank you. Back to topic, my (healthy) wife and daughter could not enter a pharmacy in NZ yesterday to buy saline for their contact lenses, toothpaste and a few odds and ends, because it was posted “If you have been in New Zealand less than two weeks you are prohibited from entering for the safety of our customers blah blah blah.” How does a traveller in a foreign land “shelter in place” if they have no way to access local resources? They entered four days before a restriction was put into effect. Very troubling. And this sign is a great way to drive the last nail in the coffin of your economically critical tourism industry. If the owner were truly concerned, he would have asked patrons with the sniffles to please put on a mask from the box provided... Washington State is shut down now, but grocery stores and pharmacies are open. And Homeland Security says large bottles of sanitizer are now safe to carry onto a plane, which means they were always safe. Grumble grumble. I hope everyone is well and remains well. John Davies Spokane WA

I think we need to understand that what the factory tells brand new owners is tempered by their extreme caution and liability concerns. Just like the sudden change from saying these three heavy duty jacks could be used to level the trailer, or raise a tire clear off the ground to change a flat, vs the new theory that all they can do is stabilize... Nothing about how the jacks are constructed or how they are mounted to the frame have changed, only the wording in the manuals. Use common sense, watch closely what your are doing, stop if something doesn’t look right, and think about consequences. John Davies Spokane WA

BoB, thanks for that info. I think that a local authorized bearing supplier, if you have easy access to one, is the way to go for real peace of mind. At least with a guy in a real brick and mortar store , you can go back and talk to him if there is ever an issue. These shops have a good reputation to maintain, unlike a shadow Amazon "store". Remember that Timken is a wholesaler, they never sell direct, so if an online store calls itself "Timken" be uber-suspicious. John Davies Spokane WA

Is there a reason for this? The jack is rated for 3500 pounds. My tongue weight is less than 500. I routinely lift the back of my TV up QUITE a way, until I hear the jack start to slow down, to get a little extra chain slack (or ocassionally to level the trailer without having to disconnect it). It has never been a problem, the only thing I can imagine being a danger is if the coupler should somehow disconnect, but the forged Bulldog is extremely robust and quite capable of lifting some serious weight. I would never try this with a $20 stamped steel unit.... The static loads experienced by the coupler and hitch in this situation are really, really low compared to the normal dynamic shock loads of towing down a bumpy road. If you ever tow up a sudden "transition" grade, like onto a very steep driveway, the Andersen chains will actually lift the back of the truck way up. It is not really desirable, but it won't bust anything. For this reason a 4wd tow vehicle provides some security if the back tires break traction. (I was stuck completely on a slick main road for this very reason in a RWD Suburban with an 8500 pound trailer in tow, with an equalizer hitch. How very embarrassing!) If I am playing Russian roulette, I would like to know the reason.... Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA