John E Davies

A reducing hitch adapter also reduces the max cargo load for the rack by 50%. This is a very bad idea on the back of a trailer, but OK on a car if it has plenty of reserve tongue weight capacity. Plus an adapter will add even more slop in your connection. Also those Maxx Haul carriers are screwed together, do you really think it has a 500 pound capacity? Look for a fully welded rack like a Pakmule or Northbound. It will cost up to ten times as much, for a reason, it won’t fall apart at 60 mph… John Davies Spokane WA

Congratulations. i love your tow vehicle! Heritage Edition? “Daniel Boone, when asked if he ever got lost out in the wilderness, replied, "I can't say I was ever lost, but I was once bewildered for about 3 days.” John Davies Spokane WA

You can’t travel with the filter pitcher full of water, it will leak like crazy, but you could store it anywhere empty….just keep a small full juice bottle in the fridge for chilling and refill it as needed. Or a gallon milk jug. When you stop for the day, fill the pitcher and it is ready to drink in five minutes. John Davies Spokane WA

Re bottled water: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4376-7-cup-pur-water-pitcher-fits-neatly-in-pantry-affordable-filters/ John Davies Spokane WA

It depends. If it is always filled with chlorinated city water, that is fine. If you are filling from unknown wells, that can be very risky. Always use a basic filter at your inlet port, change it at least annually. Shock treat with bleach annually. In between, it’s up to you to decide if you want to dump or treat more often. What is your risk tolerance? On short weekend trips I fill up only at home with softened city water, and I leave the tank partially full until the next trip, when I run about 30 gallons of extra water through to flush it out. On long trips I try to choose my water sources wisely. For long term storage, I keep only soft water in my system to avoid mineral buildup. I no longer bother to winterize because my indoor storage stays warm. And with soft water I don’t have to use vinegar any more. Soft water sitting or flowing in pipes actually cleans them over the space of six months. BTW it isn’t a stupid question at all. John Davies Spokane WA

My 2 cents. I think Oliver chose to install the rear lines against the back wall for convenience during construction. It does allow removal of the fresh tank without disturbing them because they cross higher than the tank. “Overland” modded his lines by running them across directly behind the fresh tank, eliminating or bypassing the rear pipes entirely. I don’t recall if he directed hot air there too, but I would add a 2” heat duct off the main furnace plenum and run it along those lines so warm air dumps out into the cargo area through a BIG expanded aluminum grate... I think having the four fill ports sticking out out into the air is very silly, they need to be recessed with tight fitting doors. The double hull design is way cool, I like it a lot, but it is deceptive to advertise how well they insulate. The air gap is what provides the R value. There is a wonderful air gap between the cabin interior and the outside world, but all the appliances, plumbing, cargo, food and your clothes are PART of that gap. So they get ^%#*+ cold or blistering hot. Unless you open up all the hatches and doors. This is silly too IMHO. This is moot for me since I don’t winter camp, but I personally think that locating the lines along the back wall is beyond stupid. These trailers are full of compromises - design and quality vs cost and ease of manufacture - go look at a $300,000+ Earth Cruiser if you want to camp in arctic conditions without freezing worries. Those expedition rigs, and Nimbl (ex XP Camper) are each designed by a single individual who pretty much imply “This is what works anywhere in the world, we have tested it there ourselves, this is how it will be built, if you don’t like it, go away.” John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for posting, this is very cool! But %^*+! 😉 Please put a soft cotton towel under your whale tail. Or suspend it with a bungee cord under the coupler hole. Half of that Andersen weight is carried by the truck, after all.…. I used to weigh light aircraft, it was a task I greatly enjoyed. More than greasing the gear and wheel bearings. If you don’t mind, please post a pic of your hanger and what’s inside. As far as redoing it all on your hanger floor goes, why bother? It’s a trailer, not a piano. As I was told more than once by my supervisors, perfect isn’t needed, just good enough. As an anal compulsive that is hard to hear, and much harder to do. I can’t wait until I see your rearranged trailer wiring. LOL, here is my new compressor fridge digital control harness….. Isotherm’s “solution” during my initial smoke test: And my solution to their solution: We need more aircraft techs participating in this forum. I was lamenting to myself that I no longer have access to an avionics wire marking tool. John Davies Spokane WA

LE2 Ollies tow just fine with a TW lighter than 10%. The caveat being that your tires and suspension must be in good shape. Worn out bushings, worn tires and blown shocks are very bad news for stability. The last time I measured, my TW was 480 lbs with an “estimated” normal camping weight of 6000. I do not recall any Ollie owner ever mentioning instability, nor an accident caused by sway... John Davies Spokane WA

This type of edging has a spiral steel spring inside, no glue needed unless the material being edged is too thin. John Davies Spokane WA

MAX Burner - Nice job, neat and tidy. I guess Oliver has to skip small visual detail improvements due to cost and the extra labor involved. I protected my cover edges by wrapping the entire unit in stretch wrap, and storing it permanently on a garage shelf 😉 I love your shop floor. John Davies Spokane WA

Are they free standing other that the screws into the floor? You might consider adding a bead of adhesive along each of the curves to give it more strength, Please post some pics of the shelves with stuff on them. If you added stretchy cargo netting, you could fill them up and not risk having stuff tumble out, for example paper towels or boots. Thanks for posting. John Davies Spokane WA

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I prefer this brand of snap cap. John Davies Spokane WA

That is primarily an illustration of why a Jeep owner “airs down” when going onto loose terrain. Wider footprint, more grip, less spinning and trail damage, at the expense of slightly lower ground clearance... It also shows why the tires’ rolling resistance goes up when you deflate your Ollie from 80 to 40 psi. It’s interesting to see that the footprint doubles in area between 40 and 15, but the change is a whole lot less dramatic above 40 psi.,. My sweet spot is 42, because I do minimal Interstate cruising, but lots of back highways and less that ideal road surfaces, AKA POTHOLES. Hit a 3 or 4 inch deep pothole at 50 mph with rock hard tires and you will think your trailer exploded. This shows a main arterial route here in Spokane, where we get lots of freeze thaw cycles. It also shows why the center stripe paint gets worn off so fast, all those studded tires on cars avoiding the holes BTW one of the local weather reporters calls the arteries “artillery” routes. It’s a hoot. John Davies Spokane WA

I cut three inches off the bottom of my Andersen mount, I knew it would be an issue but I kept putting it off, until I nailed the pavement hard at a steep driveway, that shook the frame badly and jarred my fillings. That sort of extension is pretty common on HD trucks, but ideally there should be minimal steel hanging down so low. John Davies Spokane WA

LOL, those darn white 2” ones are really hard to find, I probably bought from that same Amazon vendor. I needed just one. So I have 24 left… they are grossly undersized for a 2” hole, I had to glue it in. In case anyone wants the link 2” hole plugs white, way too many but the only source John Davies Spokane WA

I looked over my first one today at a dealer, a TRD Pro. I did not see a sticker since it had been sold, but it was listed at $80k. I think it looks great from the back, OK from the sides and front. There are two butt ugly FAKE air vents on top of the hood, maybe they could be removed without requiring a repaint, hopefully they are just 3M taped on. A sales guy opened the hatch for me and said how very disappointed all his sales buddies are with the miniscule cargo capacity of an 8 passenger vehicle. If I had one, all center and rear seats would have to come OUT and a storage platform system installed. I am sure the aftermarket is all over this problem. I also think the turbos will be a long term maintenance headache, if they cannot be dropped straight down from the headers. Some pics: I wondered about the 33” spare tire underneath, it sticks way down, almost as far as the straight axle pumpkin, and will drag unless an owner adds some spring lift. The very pretty twin exhaust tips will be easily crushed too. No tow hooks up front or a place to install them. The breakover angle is horrible, but removing those boards would help some.. This isn ‘t a Land Cruiser 300, no way. Maybe we will see those in a couple of years. I can buy a lot of fuel for my LC 200 for $90k…. My daughter bought a RAV4 Hybrid XLE there today, the dealer is family owned, does NOT mark up prices or force unwanted dealer add ons. Woohoo, one very happy young lady… her first new car. We took up a better set of tires, Yoko Geolander A/Ts to replace the crap OEM “high mileage” ones. We still got 40 mpg on the 90 mile drive home. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks. The net is from Raingler. I love them, there are two in my LC200. I am a firm believer in restraining flying cargo or animals in the event of a collision. I had a net and a welded steel Milford Cargo Barrier from Oz in my old LX450. Here is the Raingler Super Duty net: https://raingler.com/collections/ford-f250-f350-vwr-heavy-duty-cargo-nets Your do most definitely need door and front seat drool guards from Amazon. Older or injured dogs need assistance getting in, steps or a ramp work OK. John Davies Spokane WA

This is important. You really don’t want your fridge to be constantly drawing down your Ollie batteries when parked. 40 to 60 amp hours daily, on average for my ARB 50 quart Classic. John Davies Spokane WA

You have a Ford, there are solutions out there that don’t require carpentry skills. BTW Baltic Birch 15 mm plywood is now $6 per sq ft! https://www.truckoffice.com/products/cargocrew/ John Davies Spokane WA

I think it is a bad idea for several reasons. A cargo tray and your cooler will be over 100 pounds empty. Adding a bunch of food will bring it way higher, that is a huge cooler. The factory bike rack is rated at 150 pounds cargo weight, I think. The rear of an Ollie is dusty, wet and mucky, not a place for your expensive compressor to be operating while towing in inclement weather or on dirt roads. The up and down motion will be severe, your food will be damaged and rearranged, eggs broken. The theft risk is incredibly high! Sun will beat on it and make it work extra hard. You can put an insulating blanket over it, that helps with heat gain but they are pricy. An ARB one is $400. 1Up makes a very nice tray, but it is about 50 pounds. Their “add on” tray for their bike racks is too small for your cooler. https://www.1up-usa.com/product/48in-hitch-mounted-cargo-carrier/ Inside your truck cab is the very best place, is there a reason you can’t strap it down there? It would be secure, cool, dry and clean. Plug it into your round power socket. Here are pics of a birch dog platform I built for my 2006 Ram 3500. Two 40 pound doodles up top, lockable gear storage under the right side, cooler area on the left. A soft “pantry” cooler on top of that with soft stuff. In direct sun I would put a sun shield over that window . John Davies Spokane WA

Did you cover this hole with aluminum tape? The outside vent “system” should be completely air tight. That prevents propane gas and air leakage into the cabin and also keeps out bugs. Can you post a link to the seal you used? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Two bungee cords, one at the whale tail shackles, and one at the midpoint of the chains. Simply drape them over the tongue. You can keep the rear one in place all the time, even when towing. Use the front one to secure your 7 wire cable to the top of the hitch when towing, to prevent dragging and damage….. John Davies Spokane WA

I would never use a router or die grinder inside an Ollie! A jig saw will go through that fiberglass without making very much mess, just tape down a vacuum hose near your cut. I did this one under the fridge with a jigsaw, it took some hand work near the duct with a hacksaw blade because I did not (yet) have an oscillating tool. It is hidden and neatness was not a priority. I just ordered this Dewalt at almost half off. DEWALT 20V MAX XR Multi-Tool Kit, Oscillating Tool, 6-Speed, Quick Blade Change for Multi-Tool Needs, Cordless (DCS356D1) Plus some generic carbide cutoff blades. EZARC Carbide Oscillating Saw Blades, Multitool Blades Quick Release for Hard Material, Hardened Metal, Nails, Bolts and Screws, 3-Pack I can’t justify the cost of German tools and their proprietary accessories (Fein) for casual home projects…. John Davies Spokane WA

“Besides the powertrain, the Highlander also needs the available AWD option installed with the Dynamic Torque Vectoring (TV-AWD) feature. This feature improves on both the responsiveness and stability of the Highlander. It does this by sending up to half of the power to the rear and then basing distribution of the rest solely on who needs it most. The third piece in the 5,000-pound puzzle is the drivetrain, specifically the available 8-speed automatic transmission. With these three things installed, your Highlander is ready to tow anything up that upper towing capacity of 5,000lbs.“ https://tractionlife.com/toyota-highlander-towing-capacity-specs-up-close/ John Davies Spokane WA