John E Davies
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Posts posted by John E Davies
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Get an AC voltmeter like this, leave it plugged in to an outlet and you can see what is happening. Your surge suppressor remote display also shows shore power voltage but it is probably hidden away where you can’t see it, and it constantly cycles through several modes.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B017AVBIVG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You can also plug this into the RV electrical post to check the campground voltage before connecting your cord.....
John Davies
Spokane WA
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How far do you have to tow it? It isn’t economical to rent a HD truck long term, Enterprise wants $2100 per month for a3/4 ton gas truck....
Do you have a friend with a big enough truck that can do you a favor?
Do you have to pay sales tax on used vehicles? Could you buy a cheap old bruiser for the short term, then resell it? Or trade it on your new one?
Call Oliver Sales and ask about delivery options.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Mike, thanks, that info is definitely missing from my ‘13 manual, and they also revised the max tow limit down a little from the 8300 listed for the ‘13. Mine says a sway control is required if the trailer is over 4409 lbs, yours says 2000. I wonder what changed, or if the lawyers got involved .... ?
BTW the 200 is a brute tank, the frame is fully boxed high tensile steel and 20% stronger than the Tundra’s. The body panels are thick high tensile steel too. The only concern with cargo and rear axle loading is the soft factory springs and the P rated squooshy tires. These trucks get really loaded down with overlanding gear and offroad armor and bumpers, and as long as the springs and tires are beefed up, no worries Mate.....
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Our Toyota Land Cruiser requires a weight distributing hitch for the load of a LEII. .
Mike, have you ever seen that in writing? The Owners Manual for my ‘13 does not say this but it does specify a max TW of 850 pounds, and requires a sway control for a heavier trailer. OTH the 200 needs the jounce control of the Andersen, definitely. But if your tongue weight is low, around 500 pounds AND you have airbags so you can level the back (and adjust for cargo weight) you don’t need the WD feature of the Andersen, and you can just snug up the chains to remove slack. They will still do their job but not bind up the connection to your truck or wear the ball as badly.
With a heavy tongue you need to crank down on the nuts.
This is with my new bigger 2 5/16” coupler and ball, lowered one hole in the mount, 10 psi in the bags, 500 pounds TW, and NO tension on the chains...it tows great and IMHO looks terrific. I do have 33 inch LT tires on the 200 so a stock truck will be an inch lower.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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That represents twenty minutes of my life I will never get back. I was replying to a thread, I hit Submit, and this popped up with NO warning.
I went back to the previous page and my post was gone. Not only is this really unprofessional, it pisses off people.
Thanks,
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Would you mind telling us the price range of a new RAM 1500 4×4 w/ 5.7 Hemi? Is that something Oliver owners would suggest for simply pulling an Oliver all around the country for the next 10 years and really nothing else? I suppose one should budget an additional 70k for new Oliver on top of the price of the truck. Any other top dollar items involved in the initial purchase?
This really deserves a new thread, Ram MSRP prices can be found at any dealer website. This one posts the lowest internet pricing in the USA. Most of his customers fly in and drive away.
If you want a truck that you can drive for ten years, get a Toyota Tundra or Land Cruiser. Any modern diesel truck (post 2007) or any other gas brands with tons of electronic doodads like active aero shutters and exotic suspension designs are going to be money pits over the long term, when out of warranty. Simpler is better. High quality is best. How many miles are you expecting to drive, annually?
John Davies
Spokane WA
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It sounds as if something is wrong, it should cool faster on propane. But you have to set the temp to max cold (fifth light illuminated). After cooling down and loading stuff, set it back to the desired temp. Have you been doing that?
On 120 volts AC it seems to take a long time.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Those are very good numbers, but if you do any mods like larger tires or a roof rack, expect them to plummet. If you tow in the up and down states like Idaho, they will be lower. (; Your trip home was essentially near sea level and dead flat....
How many gears are available in Tow Mode? Six? I would be interested in seeing the numbers for a long trip out west.
BTW my Land Cruiser gets 10-12 mpgs towing around the NW. Low single digits struggling up the 12% grades...
Thanks.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Well with 40 links of chain it does become heavy and makes it harder to stretch the chains. I have found that getting my wife to lift the chains in the middle can really help and gives me the extra length I need to get the wale tale off, or on the hitch ball when unhooking, or hooking up.
Hang a large 12” bungee cord over the tongue behind the coupler to support the chain weight. It can stay there all the time, either towing or parked.
Lighten the tension. With your full sized pickup truck it does’t have to be super tight like for a shorter SUV. Experiment!
Get a tongue weight scale and use it. If your Ollie tongue is 500 pounds you may be able to use zero tension. If it is 700 or more you need to reef down hard on the chains.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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How tight you have the chains determines if lifting the ball will give you enough slack. If they are tight as a steel bar you probably will have to reduce the tension. It’s simple geometry .... the slack has to be available. I am now setting the nuts to just remove slack when level, and I don’t usually need to fuss with the nuts.
Keep a little grease between the washers and nuts. That makes adjusting easier.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Mine has always done this, the big pin through the whaletail rotates while towing, causing the safety pin to hit hard. Over time it bends the pin, and also makes a rough burr on both sides of the small hole in the big pin, so I have to drive it out with a hammer and punch and file the rough areas away. The little pin gets harder and harder to install, until it becomes impossible....then I toss it and grab a new one.
Here are three pins, the new one is on the bottom and a really bent one is on top.
You can straighten the pin but it requires a vise. I have an idea about how to stop it, but I would like to see if this is common. I suspect it happens when the chain nuts are not very tight.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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That is a heck of a sale price..... if you want one, buy Right Now. That is a today only price and they may sell out.... https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B079JVBVL3/?coliid=IQOA7UNUKCHSA&colid=1X5H11EH41351&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
Thanks for the heads up.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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I have mentioned this in the past, but I will repeat it.....
Get a long 1” shank ball, intended for going through a thick factory bumper. Get the 7500 pound rated version.
Use a regular type 7500 pound ball mount, around 2.5” drop.
Buy ten grade 8 1” ID large area washers to go on the shank. Do not use regular soft washers.
Now you have the ability to tune the ride height in small increments by moving washers around, above or below the hole flange.
KISS. Works great, cheap, lightweight.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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[postquote quote=181407][/postquote]
I don’t think your payload figure is right. It should be around 4000 pounds with the Cummins. A dually is whole ‘nuther story....
Ram sure has increased the load capacity on the later trucks. My ‘06 3500 4wd Quad Cab SRW Cummins was 2800 pounds....
John Davies
Spokane WA
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[postquote quote=181362][/postquote]
I call it the Black Tank because it is black ABS (the others are translucent PVC), not because it has ever had any fecal nastiness inside it..
You also need to think about a future owner and the ability to easily put it back to a factory configuration.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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[postquote quote=181317][/postquote]
You can’t keep a dump valve in the circuit when putting fresh drinking water in the black tank, it has to be totally isolated from the grey so contamination of your drinking supply cannot occur by leakage or operator error. Valves leak, owners have brain farts and pull the wrong handle, it must be built totally failsafe.
To use your black tank, you must modify the vent system and completely remove the connection to the sewer outlet.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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[postquote quote=181254][/postquote]
Nice rig..... a standard U Haul utility trailer has an 18” ball height. Unless you have another trailer that requires a low ball height I would go with the 5 “ drop version so it doesn’t hang down too far.
OTH in your shoes I would use a cheap dead weight ball mount (7500 pound rated) with 2.5” drop, which will put the ball right where you need it. It won’t weigh anything and you can toss it in a Ram Box when not needed.
What is your payload?
Post pictures when you get your Ollie.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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So how many amps do you actually have, at the furnace itself? You need this or a similar meter that can read amps to a good accuracy
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O1Q2HOQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
You can use it to check other stuff like your brake system or inverter without disconnecting or cutting wires.
You may have undersized wire(s) (which is not impossible - my brake wires were undersized by a lot) or a poor or corroded connection at the furnace or at the power source. It sounds as if it is something relatively simple, but you are going to have to play detective, or string new replacement wires from end to end. If it runs when the system voltage is higher (shore power) but fails when it is lower (batteries) then it’s all about how much current is getting there.
The fuse box terminals (under the dinette) are pure junk, they rely on soft metal “ears” to make contact with the fuse tabs. The ears are easily bent out of position if the fuse is inserted carelessly, or at an angle. You can carefully squeeze the ears closer together for a tighter fit. Use a pair of mini needle nose pliers with tape or heat shrink tubing on the tips to insulate them, or disconnect the batteries first, or just be really careful with regular pliers...
My fridge twice wouldn’t run at all - the display went black - and I had to go down there and tighten up the ears. Loose fit equals high resistance equals low (or no) voltage. That box does not meet standards we expect from a high end RV. Plus the door is hinged on the wrong side so you have to lie down curled up on the floor to even see inside. @#$&* !
Good luck.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Notice the load capacity. With a full fresh 39 gallon tank (324 lbs) and no options, you have just 679 pounds left for optional equipment and your personal stuff. Do they think people are stupid enough to buy these? I guess so, and the trailers will all be well over gross weight.
My well optioned trailer has a cargo payload of around 1350 pounds with full fresh 30 gallon tank.
Yay Ollies!
John Davies
Spokane WA
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[postquote quote=180885][/postquote]
I think the spring would work fine but it isn’t necessary. OTH by eliminating the sag it would probably prevent somebody from saying ”Oh look the line is loose” and then going ahead and over tightening it....
I may change my load limit placard to include this info and to state that the line should be rigged when off the jacks then left alone.
The line has been well used and appreciated.
Thanks for all the kind comments.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Update..... when you raise the back of the frame by lowering the jacks, the hull flexes, which is completely normal, and the clothesline sags. Thus:
***** It is MOST IMPORTANT that you never remove that droop by further tightening the turnbuckle! *****
Doing so would probably cause damage to the front or rear attach points when you raised the jacks back up and the hull settled back into its normal shape.
Just saying... please use some common sense if you do this useful mod.
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Welcome..... I think Opus is a simply wonderful name. I don’t know exactly how copyright works for a commonly distributed cartoon character, but there are some great logos waiting for the front of your Ollie....
John Davies
Spokane WA
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Joseph is a very cool little town way back in the boonies of NE Oregon. Getting around takes lots time since there is the Eagle Cap Wilderness to the south and Hells Canyon to the east. The roads can be lumpy and tight and always have ferocious elevation changes.
Joseph is affluent, and nearby Wallowa Lake and the state park at the south end draw lots of visitors in summer. The lake area is highly developed with beaches, boats, aerial tramway to the top, and even a back country outfitter where you can ride a horse far away and far up..... the main street is very attractive, with bronze statuary everywhere because there is an art foundry in town (tours daily). You can buy your own statues, I saw one that was going for $147,950..... LOL. I did say “affluent”. It closely resembles the best Colorado ski resorts without the altitude or skiing... elevation is 4200 ft, the mountains go to around 10,0000 ft.
The 5 Peaks RV park is privately owned and on a quiet dead end street two blocks from the downtown stores and a quarter mile from the foundry. Six blocks away you can board a free shuttle bus that goes to nearby attractions. Full hookups, high speed wifi, cable tv, no restroom or showers. $40 per night. There are five older heavily shaded sites like this (ours is number 4) and five brand new ones in full sun. This is what greets you as you drive up. ....
Two days ago we drove up into the Blue Mts near Walla Walla to a spectacular fire lookout on Table Rock ....
.... tomorrow we are driving to Inmaha Oregon and Hat Point Lookout on the west edge of Hells Canyon, 6500 ft above the Snake River.
“Mouse” stays at home base for these side trips, they are far too rough, rutted, and brushy, and passing another vehicle while towing could be impossible. The days are long, the speeds low, and services are nonexistent. What fun....!
John Davies
Spokane WA
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tugging / bucking when towing
in Towing an Oliver
Posted
Just fix the suspension, it is probably shot. Without disassembly you will never know. The base Dexter teeny bolts and thin plastic bushings should not even be sold for any trailer except possibly for a small utility trailer that rarely gets used..., it is unsafe and a disgrace.
Until you overhaul it, and install an upgrade kit that can be lubed, you are just spinning your wheels, chasing other phantom problems.
I guarantee that several cross country trips have worn the suspension out. The 70 psi in the tires just amplifies the problem. They should be 50 or less.
Here is a shackle bolt pic I found online.
John Davies
Spokane WA