John E Davies

Your Ollie does not have a 24 volt system, it is 12 volts. The two 6 volt batteries are tied together, and each pair is tied to the other. It is a series/ parallel arrangement. If you plan to mount panels permanently on your roof, you need bigger stand-alone panels, not a portable one with its own onboard charge controller. The portable units are designed to be temporary and you just clip them to your battery terminals. I think you need to do some reading about solar, there are a number of excellent videos and sites describing what is needed. The Renogy suitcase unit in either 100 or 120 watts, with onboard controller, would be perfect for your needs. When folded it does not take much space. If you added an outside port and suitable plug onto the panel harness, you will find that much better than clipping them to the battery posts. There are flexible plastic (folding or rollup) panels designed for expedition vehicles, and while they are super compact and weigh only a few pounds, they are four or five times the price of a rigid glass set.... John Davies Spokane WA

The problem with relying on a very small solar panel is that, while it might maintain four large batteries with adequate sun exposure, if you drop in to check on the trailer and run some stuff, say the furnace, while you are doing things in there, you might deplete the batteries further than that dinky "maintainer" can deal with. It is intended to keep one or two fully charged batteries topped up, NOT recharge four of them... it only puts out 1.5 amps in the best of circumstances. I would suggest a 100 to 120 watt folding (suitcase) unit, so that it will recharge during storage, as well as be useful on camping trips. The larger size will also make up for degraded charging due to the grey days and much shorter hours of winter, a partially shaded panel, dirty glass, etc. Bigger is always better in this situation - it gives you some reserve capacity. Portable solar for RVs John Davies Spokane WA

I bought one of these decades ago from Napa and I am sure it was not overly expensive at that time. I have it on a pneumatic (one hand operation “KaCHICK!”) high quality gun with a flex hose, and with the swivel action I can get on just about any fitting, as long as it isn’t obstructed. The locking feature is the key, many swiveling couplings will flop around as you try to engage them. This unit will go from straight ahead to angled back on itself. Very solid action, no leakage. I don’t know of a LOCKING alternative that doesn’t cost so much, maybe a ranch or farm supply like North 40 or a bearing supply house? The parent company is SKF, the bearing manufacturer... I had Oliver install all the bolt heads facing in, so that they are more easily accessible, but there is no escaping crawling on the ground.... for sand spurs I suggest a very large piece of cardboard. Life is too short to waste tears over poor quality tools. The vast majority of cheap Chinese grease guns are garbage. John Davies Spokane WA

Well, that is news to me, I am sure it will be fine. Is there a manual adjust or is it auto-leveling? It should take care of any rear sag but that Andersen will still be valuable. I grew up in West Nashville, and left around 1982.... has it changed any? 😉 John Davies Spokane WA

Mac, I expect you will want your Doodles in the second row, consider this excellent cargo net to keep them restrained, the seat backs will restrain your rear cargo. When not in use you can unhook the top, roll it up and lay it on the floor. Raingler Sequoia Behind First Row Seat Cargo Net We carry two 40 lb Australian Labradoodles this way and it works great. We added seat and door protection to reduce the Drool Effect. John Davies

Mac..... Cool, I think the Sequoia has a bullet proof drivetrain, and it comes with the great 4.30 gears, but you will need to add a good brake control before you pick up your Ollie, and I am pretty sure you will need the Andersen hitch to keep things steady. The Sequoia tow rating is lower than the Land Cruiser, mostly because of the softer springs and independent rear suspension. If the rear squats more than a couple of inches when fully loaded you may want to consider aftermarket rear air bags to stiffen the ride and level the truck. And keep the tongue weight as low as you can. Please update your profile so we know where you live and who you are.... i am guessing with a November delivery that you are In the southeast. Enjoy your new toys. John Davies Spokane WA

Can you please tell us what the new limit for Attachments is? I am sure everybody would like to know. I don't see any way of determining that at this end. All I see is the list in descending order by date and a total number, not how much storage is left. Will a user get a notice when he is approaching the limit? BTW thanks for promptly taking care of things. I like the new forum so far. EDIT: Never mind, I tried adding an image and it said Max File size 511MB. Is that for real? The Drag File feature is very cool and long overdue, it is quick and easy on a Desktop computer. John Davies Spokane WA

Another issue, all of the links on this page work are now broken... is there any way to bring them back so that I do not have to painfully reconstruct the entire page? https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3244-john-e-davies-how-to-threads-and-tech-articles-links/ Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Well, this is a huge issue for me, I hope this new Attachment Limit is not permanent feature.... I would post a screen shot but I am no longer allowed to post pics. I have use up 141% of my Attachments. There is a 488 MB limit now, which is not actually very big. I am a prolific image poster and if I have to start deleting old ones to free up room for new images, then it will destroy any value in those older tech posts. Comments? Is this temporary? I hope? John Davies Spokane WA

It is nice to have a large spot on the tray to mount things, but I caution you not to rely on Command Strips for critical stuff like wiring. You need a strap or some screws with nuts underneath. You don’t want that box to pop loose and start flopping around..... Do you know what the amp rating is for your cutoff switch? I could not find any specs on the Harbor Freight website. If you decide to upgrade in the future, the marine grade Blue Seas units cannot be beat. You can get locking versions. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the images, I was are of the off-level info - that is pretty widespread knowledge - but I do not remember reading anything about permanent equipment damage. That may just be one of my many brain farts. John Davies` Spokane WA

I never knew that really serious damage will occur over time to the fridge, a “death by a thousand cuts” accumulation of damage, for a couple of reasons. http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=106056.0 I always just assumed that the efficiency would be lower when off level during the time the flame was burning. This just reinforces my absolute hatred towards propane RV appliances. The fridge especially. I sure hope mine dies soon so I will have a better excuse to put in a 12 vdc compressor unit. Will I stop traveling and parking for a while off camber with the propane on? Nope. Here is a question ..... why is this not mentioned in either the manufacturer manual or the Ollie one? Has anyone ever been told this during orientation, or at a Rally? John Davies Spokane WA

Tunnels, ferries and refueling your TV are the places to be concerned about. The first two are a moderate risk if there is an accident and gas is released into a confined space. Kaboom! For a short tunnel at high speed, I would never shutoff the bottles. For a long slow one, certainly. WA State Ferries, the big ones, require you to use EPA approved cans for flammable liquids (only ten gallons allowed) and you must turn off your permanently mounted RV propane supply (regardless of tank size), and flag the regulator so that it is obvious to an onlooker that they have been secured. An dock attendant will ask you and visually check for a flag. I have never seen one actually touch a valve knob. I use a piece of red surveyors tape, dangling out the access hole. The little ferries here, on remote lake crossings, have the signs but nobody ever checks. It is a lot more casual. When refueling, there is a very small risk that a pilot light could ignite spilled gas vapors. The fridge presents the biggest risk since it is closer to your TV. Use common sense, stay at the pump and don’t spill fuel; I think you are a lot more likely to ignite fumes with static discharge than from a hidden pilot flame fifteen feet away.... I have two jerry cans on my rear rack, I remove them and fill them carefully at the pump, so if there should be an accident it would not immediately envelope the trailer. Just think about what you are doing and don’t screw up. Millions of RVers keep the propane on when traveling and fireballs are not that common, if you are in a serious wreck you probably have lots worse things to be concerned about. Everyone has different risk tolerance, do what makes you feel comfortable. John Davies Spokane WA

I agree about blowing out the outside lines and shower head, a small compressor like this one - which puts out nearly 6 cfm - would work fine, and as a bonus you can air up your TV or trailer tires with it. Or an air mattress or inflatable boat. https://www.4wd.com/p/smittybilt-5-65-cfm-air-compressor-2781/_/R-DSBP-2781 I tend to shy away from inexpensive pumps but I have had one of these for several years and it is fine for occasional use. The tiny glovebox sized “high pressure” pumps are to be avoided at all cost. Most are less than worthless.... John Davies Spokane WA

12 volt heaters big enough to do any good would use a ton of current, especially if you are also using the fridge that way! Why don’t you want to use propane while traveling? Fire risk? John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the comments, I had thought about an automotive airbox and filter, but mounted inside the closet. It would take up a lot of room there but would be out of sight and away from water. It would be nasty changing the filter there! One like on my old Series 80 would work great - it had a monster paper filter and a swirl design, and a rubber duckbill on the bottom for grit to be dumped manually. It was rather large though. The problem with hanging a paper filter outside is water damage - a rainstorm would destroy the filter element and wash mud inside. External snorkels on trucks use a water separating design in the horn, that could help. The Donaldson unit is ideal because it is reasonably compact and centrifugally separates and dumps most of the dirt before it ever reaches the filter element. John Davies Spokane WA

Just a suggestion ... whenever any owner opens up a hidden compartment like this, be sure to use nylon wire ties to secure dangling wires and hoses. The factory still has not learned this, it appears. This “rats nest” is very disappointing to me.... Loose wires and lines flop around, chafe, loosen or break electrical connections, start water leaks and just look untidy. Five minutes with ties makes things secure and you won’t worry so much about failures down the road. Adding split loom would be even better, but more time consuming and not absolutely needed. John Davies Spokane WA

Well, I thought I would post an update, I found the two really BIG dirt entry points .... the waste drain pipe grommet was hanging free about two inches away from its location. That was letting in vast amounts of dust into the cabin and electronics. The rear exit hatch was missing about nine inches of rubber seal along the bottom. That was an easy fix.. Both those locations are at the low pressure area behind the trailer, so at speed on dusty roads dust is highly concentrated there. Since fixing those two areas dust has not been so bad. In regards to the filtration intake..... up near the roof is still the best spot for a stock Ollie, but it is vulnerable to damage from a tree branch or passing bird and it requires some stout mounting brackets bolted through the fiberglass hull, not good. With my Stone Stomper, 95% of the dust is channelled below the A frame, so a much lower inlet would be practical, and it would look a little less exotic. It might even be possible to hide everything within the doghouse, but that would mean eliminating the cyclone pre-filter. I don’t think the pre-filtration would be needed in this case. John Davies Spokane WA .

LOL Raspy have you seen this? That is as far as I ever got with the design, I need somebody else to build and field test it, to make sure the components, Donaldson filter, fan and airflow works, before I cut holes in my Ollie’s hull..... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/cabin-pressurization-system-to-prevent-dust-infiltration/ Realistically, since I fixed my two huge air/dust leaks (the sewer waste pipe grommet and the missing emergency exit seals) I have found the dust intrusion to not be nearly as much of a problem as before..... have you located any particular leaks on your new trailer? Sealing openings and plugging seal gaps will be a great start. John Davies Spokane Wa

Interesting but it’s just a very silly and needlessly complicated design exercise. If you have a huge level open area to deploy it, fine. If you camp where there are pesky things like trees, bushes, and rocks, and uneven terrain, you couldn’t use that party area. The website has zero content other than the video and computer drawings. Their facebook page has some videos of the first prototype finally being built, after 12 years..... it looks neat but the wood interior is crude. https://m.facebook.com/Romotow/ https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-romotow-offers-adventure-with-room-to-move-183870841.html I give it one star, and I am being generous. If they build them like an Ollie and it doesn’t cost $200k, then the rating will go up, a little. John Davies Spokane WA

I try really really hard to never visit the big National Parks, but in my limited experience the campgrounds are way too out of date for modern campers. Most were designed in the fifties and sixties. The access needs to be modernized with many more level sites that are unblocked by big trees and boulders. Glacier is a disaster if you have an average sized trailer. The inability to reserve a spot makes it really stressful at any Park. Who wants to tow a trailer far far into Yellowstone, only to find that there is nowhere to camp, because they all filled by noon, and there are no pull-offs along park roads large enough for your TV and trailer? Yuck.... I would hate to see commercial Branson or Dollywood “attractions” and luxury full hookup resort camping, like the IMHO ridiculous state parks in the East. But improving access for trailers and adding more reservation sites would be highly welcome. The MASSIVE crowds and horrible infrastructure require permitting and metering the number of visitors for the most popular Parks. There is no way around that. Small Parks and National Monuments that nobody ever visits, like the wonderful Great Basin NP, can stay as they are, no worries. No crowds and no problems camping. I would gladly drive ten times as far to visit Great Basin, than to visit a nearby busy one. John Davies Spokane WA

Woohoo, I have never read about these, the big ones start at close to US$100k and go way way up from there. https://bruderx.com/brochure/exp-6/ Hates: too luxurious, outdoor kitchen, $$$$$$. No insurance company would touch this if you actually used it as designed. Loves: exotic self leveling long travel suspension, can tow with one flat tire retracted, built in cabin pressurization system to keep out dust, super strong chassis and cabin design, roof solar not obstructed by normal sized cargo loads, built in rear recovery winch, seems as if it would be ideal behind my Land Cruiser. I am amused by the video showing it screaming around offroad, then the pretty blonde opens the rear galley and all the pots, pans and dinnerware are neatly arranged, upright, and unbroken.... John Davies Spokane WA

Do you know that you can save $20k or are you hoping? Ollies do not depreciate like stick and staple trailers. There are no pricing guides for used Ollies, dealers have no clue about their value, and sellers never post actual selling prices in their classified ads. The used Ollie market is a big mystery until some actual data can be collected and listed. Considering the loss of warranty and the pricing I would probably hesitate to buy used. Oliver customer service is stellar, even to a second owner, but I always feel lots better with a warranty in writing. You never know what things will be like in ten years or more....But that is just me.... I am a bit of a grinch. John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, thanks very much for the great info and pretty pics. I have not been under there yet to cap off my toilet line, but this encourages me to do it. I like your annotations, looks like you use Photos in IOS. The notes really make the pictures more helpful. Where would one get a thin long socket tool? Home Depot? Is it a standard size? Thanks again. John Davies Spokane WA

I can’t add to that, but I do suggest, if you have the Natures Head toilet, to find the unused water line that goes to the small ball valve on the floor behind the toilet. Cut and plug the supply line under the sink close to where it tees off the faucet cold water line. That way you will no longer have to winterize that pesky section of unused plumbing. It really should have been done at the factory when the NH was installed. If you have a regular toilet, then never mind. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA