John E Davies

Do you mean 300 pounds at the back? That seems a little steep but I guess you could work up to it gradually until you put it in the ditch, then back off 50 pounds. LOL. I weighed everything I normally carry (I had no clue my four rubber chocks, ratchet straps and heavy cable lock are 23 pounds!), I measured and poked around online at the metal suppliers. I can make a very sturdy rack similar to the new factory bike rack option, but with my front cargo tray bolted on top in the center. Weight of the structure should be about 50 pounds and the normal load would bring the total to about 155. That is two full gas cans and an empty water can, plus the loose items I mentioned. For kicks I threw four sandbags that I use to hold down a portable canopy onto the rear bumper top. They weigh about 175. The tongue weight dropped from a measured 580 to 530. If I unbolted the empty front tray in my experiment, it would have been about 510. While moving the EMPTY tray back there has minimal effect on the tongue load, when you figure in the cargo weight it drops the tongue weight by around 200 pounds. That is pretty major and even if I can’t entirely eliminate my Andersen, it will make the hitch and truck happier, plus I will get more angle when backing. I do worry about smacking the tray into the truck. Not counting my labor, but paying for some welding, I hope I can get this done by next spring for $300. I am a ittle confused by the quote Oliver gave me for the new Gen3 bike rack delivered..... $950. Something doesn’t seem right for a design with no welding whatsoever. The Sherline 1000 pound hydraulic scale is really nifty .... combined with a digital one stolen from the bathroom for the small items it tells you a lot. It is not super precise and you have to average several readings, but it is way better than just guessing. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks, I am away from home and will wait until later to work out the math. Maybe I will just unload the tray and load 125 pounds of steel weights into the rear bumper compartment, and go for a test tow without the Anderson tensioned. That would probably be the quickest way to see if this would do what I hope it would. Now I just need to locate somebody with a barbell weight set I can borrow... or a couple of small anvils. LOL. John Davies Spokane WA

Yep, pickup truck bags are usually fast to install. On a truck like mine it takes more work since they go inside the coil springs, about three hours labor. This is a big green star for a pickup truck. You can replace a bad bag quickly, if it should ever fail. As long as you keep the minimum pressure in them, 5 psi for Firestone, they should not have a problem for many years, unless you smoosh a sharp stone into one. John Davies Spokane WA

This is a very trick truck, and at first glance it looks as if the 3.0 turbo diesel with its 440 ft lbs torque would be a great choice for an Elite II. But maybe not. It’s all about engine cooling. With the front mounted intercooler dumping tons of heat into the radiator, the designers just can’t keep that engine cool enough. And there isn’t enough room for a monster radiator like in a full sized pickup. Interesting article discussing the engineering changes that make it very different from a regular Wrangler: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/los-angeles-auto-show/a25345880/jeep-gladiator-pickup-diesel-tow-rating/ OTH.... It would be fantastic for the smaller trailer. Especially if the Elite was lifted a little. OTH ... you could get the gas V6 and drop a supercharger on it.... that might get 400 ft lbs torque without the cooling issue, but it would eat gas like crazy. John Davies Spokane WA

Looking for input. I have the front cargo tray and twin 30 bottles. With full propane the tongue weight is 720 lbs with a full load of gas and water in jerry cans. This is using a Shurline 1000 pound tongue scale. I use an Andersen and 10 or 12 psi in the rear airbags. No worries. If I build a rear frame mounted cargo rack like the factory units, bolt my Ollie cargo tray to it and carry the full cans back there, the tongue weight should drop significantly. Say the rack weighs 20 pounds, the tray weighs 16 - I would remove 116 from the front and add 136 to the rear. Can someone tell me how much the ball weight would drop to, maybe 550? Have those of you who carry heavy ebikes or other stuff in back actually weighed your trailers tongues with a scale? I am trying to figure out what a safe minimum weight would be. If I can drop it significantly I might be able to eliminate the Andersen and pump my bags up to compensate. And use an offroad coupler. My truck is rated at 850 max tongue, dead weight. But it moves around too much the way it is now with the chains disconnected. Note I haven’t weighed the axles. I think the trailer weight is normally 6000 pounds with no extra fluids up front, so my current tongue weight is about 10%. I guess I could remove the tray this winter, shift it and the cans to the top of the rear bumper and weigh the tongue to see what happens, but I was hoping for an easy answer.... there is probably a formula involved. Thanks for any comments. John Davies Spokane WA O

The amount of sway control entirely on the weight bearing down on the friction cone. There is no reason you could not lightly tension the nuts, say one thread past removing the slack and contact with the bushings. That would give you some sway control with minimal load on the parts. OTH all the Ollies tow beautifully with a dead weight hitch and no sway control. Why would you want to go with a more expensive and WAY more complicated setup for no real benefit? The only reasons to use the Andersen with an Ollie Elite II is to lighten the tongue load (transfer some weight to the front of the tow vehicle) and secondarily to control jounce on choppy roads. You either need it for that purpose, or you just leave it off entirely. If your TV is borderline, like a long wheelbase light duty pickup, you can run the Andersen fairly conservatively. As long as the rig seems stable you don't have to really crank the nuts down super tight. That gives a little more range of motion. It really does not like offload however - getting the trailer all twisted in relation to the TV is very bad. I loosen my nuts entirely if I have to venture into a rough field, for example. John Davies Spokane WA

Juat a recommendation, install an hour meter to keep track of run time for the recommended 50 hour oil changes. I added a combination digital hour meter/ tachometer that also shows engine rpm when the generator is operating. Rpm is good to know, if not exactly essential like the hours run. The OEM Yamaha meter is excellent but you can use a generic version for a fraction of the cost. Installation is super easy. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FOOAXY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 John Davies Spokane WA

Oliver specs the coupler height of a level Elite II to be 23.5 inches. If your truck is fully laden and you then add the expected tongue weight, that is where the top of your ball should sit. That is with a dead weight setup. With an equalizing hitch, when tensioned you can expect the ball to lift back up “most” of the way to the initial point, but this is not set in stone. It depends on the adjustments on the trailer.... if you do have an Andersen, you should set up the hitch to your satisfaction, then use the airbags to fine tune the truck and trailer. Then maybe tweak the nuts again since raising the truck will lower chain tension. ... . It is a balancing act and takes some experimenting. When you are happy with the alignment and towing feel, measure the amount of the adjuster shaft sticking out past the nut, so you can quickly set them right the next time. Getting the trailer and truck both dead level (or the truck slightly high in back) looks best but may not be possible. It can also be very frustrating, which is why I like a dead weight setup if it is possible. Your airbags can do minor adjustments to raise it, but extra air essentially stiffens the rear spring rate, so be wary of inflating them to the max or it may ride very harshly on choppy or potholed forest roads. On my Land Cruiser with Firestone bags I can feel the ride difference when changing the pressure by 3 psi. 10 psi or more is very dramatic. Max rated pressure is 30 psi. I run 4 psi empty and either 10 or 12 psi towing depending on the tongue load in the cargo basket. But this has soft springs so it is probably less noticeable with a HD truck. I do strongly suggest an onboard pump with remote control. You probably will want to be able to rapidly adjust pressure when connecting and disconnecting the trailer. I use a mountain bike hand pump. It takes a few of minutes to air up, maybe 25 strokes each, but just a minute to air down. Was that too much info? If so I apologise, I do run off at the mouh. John Davies Spokane WA

Oops, you are 100% right, I was thinking of a different model. Thanks for the correction. 2.8 amps is more reasonable. John Davies Spokane WA

The furnace fan uses about 7 amps DC, which is a fair amount but the run time depends entirely on the thermostat setting. Keep it at 65 degrees and your system will run often. Bundle up in a warm bag and turn it down to 45 and it will not be a worry. We stay at 65, just because we can. We spent way too many decades shivering in the wee hours of the morning. No more of that silliness. Yes, a backup heat source is prudent, we ran dry one time. It was very embarrassing for the person responsible for system maintenance, me, and it generated a good deal of noise from the Other Half. I do not plan to let it happen again. Since that fiasco I have been pondering an Olympic Wave radiant heater but I have not figured out an acceptable fixed mounting location that is both away from the beds and dogs, and out of the traffic flow. This type of heater uses zero electrical power but does need good ventilation, which could be a worry in rainy weather. Any mounting suggestions are welcome. ... http://www.rv-travel-lifestyle.com/radiant-heater.html https://www.amazon.com/Olympian-Portable-Catalytic-Camco-57331/dp/B000BUV1RK?th=1 John Davies Spokane WA

It is very rare occurrance, but if it happens to you, you might be even more unhappy if you haven’t got the equipment to stop it. https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2018/11/26/diesel-engine-runaway-nightmare Stuffing a rag into the air inlet is problematic for a number of reasons, but a long blast from a “halon substitute” extinguisher will shut it down fast without damaging the engine (any further) and with no messy corrosive powder residue. https://www.amazon.com/Amerex-B385TS-2-5lb-Halotron-Extinguisher/dp/B00CMUMW5C/ref=pd_cp_328_1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=AZZZYTKYR8BGM5JF2EGC&pd_rd_wg=0VgoS&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=BzRL0&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=49387179-f1f4-11e8-b007-a7b99bbf58ac&pd_rd_i=B00CMUMW5C&psc=1&refRID=AZZZYTKYR8BGM5JF2EGC Amerex makes great extinguishers, they are commercial quality and can be refilled after use. I have a bunch around my house. Real halon extinguishers are more effective, but very costly. They are made with recycled halon, the manufacture of which has been banned for over twenty years. Like the R12 refrigerant, when the supply is used up there won’t be any more, so the cost keeps climbing. https://www.h3rcleanagents.com/support_faq_2.htm You can use your fancy high dollar extinguisher on a regular fire, no worries, but it just is not a good idea to squirt a dry chemical one into your runaway engine.... So, who carries an extinguisher, or two, and do you carry one like this? Have you even thought about a runaway? A blown turbo oil seal is all that is needed.... John Davies Spokane WA

I did not mean to be discouraging. You can still enjoy the great convenience of your microwave and inverter, or you can just leave it all turned off when the sun is not out. If you understand how it uses power you can have popcorn or hot coffee at the appropriate time of day so that the batteries stay happy. Just cook the big evening meal outside on a propane grill or on your cooktop. John Davies Spokane WA

You can’t run a conventional air conditioner unit off your inverter, it requires a generator of at least 2000 watts (110 VAC), preferably 3000. In an Oliver the air conditioner circuit is never tied into the inverter system, just to shore power. There are a few very high end RVs (XP Camper for example) that offer a DC powered mini split (residential style) system that can run for perhaps four hours off a big battery bank, but that will pretty much drain it completely. For a 20 minute lunch break on a blistering day, that works fine. If you had a second alternator, you could run that type continuously while driving. If you want to run the AC for eight hours straight, which is necessary if you are camping in full sun on a 100 degree day at say Colorado National Monument (scrub trees and zero shade), you need that generator. Or you can flee the area to a 10,000 ft forest service campground with full shade... Or try to find a commercial CG in the hope that it might not be fully booked. This is the main reason western owners carry a generator in summer. Not because there is a shortage of sunlight for their panels, which is an early Spring/ late Fall concern when the sun is so low in the sky and the day length is so short... sometimes you just get stuck in a hot setting and it is really hard to find a shore power outlet. Your inverter is NOT your friend, it uses huge amounts of power. For an Ollie it draws 75 amps DC to run the microwave, the worst offender in the trailer. Even running the outlets to operate say a small fan is very inefficient. It is much better to invest in a good DC powered marine fan that uses perhaps a third as many amps, straight from the batteries. https://www.redarc.com.au/faq-tech-tips/inverter-current-draw With solar you could cook a couple of frozen dinners in the microwave using the microwave at noon, and with good sun exposure your batteries will recover by dark. Try that at dinner time and they might go flat overnight, depending on how much power you are using in the dark. On a grey day in Fall, your inverter is indeed a battery killer. Your generator lets you run off shore power in the evening to top up the batteries while you are nuking those TV dinners. Inverters are neat but they are horrible for conserving energy. When in doubt about your batteries, leave it off and boil some stew on the propane burners John Davies Spokane WA

This shouldn’t be a deal breaker. I too hate the foam, it is ridiculously soft. I can squeeze one of my cushions with very little effort and bring my fingers close to my thumb. Crazy! They sure are light weight though.... I only have four to worry about at the dinette, I was planning to just get some much denser foam and cut out new ones with an electric carving knife. .I don’t know why they make them so darned squooshy, I hope you can get this figured out to your satisfaction. If you plan to order new, see if they will substitute a better foam.... John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.americantrucks.com/everything-about-the-ecoboost-f150.html Those of you with the older Direct Injection engines, have you had carbon issues and how often was a visit to the dealer required for intake cleaning? DI engines are highly efficient when new, but they do eventually foul intake valves.... John Davies Spokane WA

Do you mind telling us where those places are? Around here none of the Corps or Bureau of Reclamation campgrounds, which are my very favorite type, have any sort of hookups. And only a small number of State parks do, at $40 per night.... and those that do are in the heavily populated parts (Seattle, Portland) and weekend reservations are mandatory in the summer. The Corps sites are usually $9 with the Geezer Pass, and half that after September... i have to admit that here in WA the state parks away from the Coast are in disrepair and are a very last choice for us. The ones along Puget Sound are crazy busy, and expensive, but a pure delight to visit. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

I did this successfully, 6 gallons of 50/50 vinegar and water, using the onboard pump. I let some solution bleed out through the relief valve to clean it. After three hours I drained, rinsed with the wand, and flushed twice using the pump to remove any remaining vinegar. It cleaned out the tank beautifully. The only issue was that the acid solution coming out the drain discolored my concrete driveway. Rats. I did not expect that. I did not think the pH would be low enough, with the garden hose running over it. I was wrong. Do it over gravel, not grass since it might kill the lawn. John Davies Spokane WA

My guess is you live east of the Rockies. With practically no easily accessible public lands, it is really hard to find campgrounds there that don’t have full hookups. There is no need to have solar as long as you are OK with the very high nightly cost of that kind of highly commercialized “camping”. If you plan to travel west you will find most non- commercial places (National, State and local parks, public lands) have no hookups, or perhaps a very limited number of power sites. Here solar makes extended stays possible without running a generator. It is a polite, completely silent way to do real RV camping without disturbing other people. Your truck won’t recharge your batteries enough on a short drive if you are using much power from them. It will usually be enough over a day of towing. If you want to fully use your 110 volt system including the microwave, you MUST have a 2000w inverter, a big battery bank and the solar array to keep them charged. You could delete the microwave, which is a real battery killer, and then you could get by on a small aftermarket inverter, two batteries and maybe a 100 watt suitcase solar panel, or a generator run for an hour in the evening. If you don’t have any need for 110, then skip the solar, inverter and quad battery system entirely.. But you simply cannot count on having a power hookup out here..... last year we camped with hookups maybe 10% of the time, but shore power is definitely nice on a blistering hot day. It would be interesting to see a chart showing trailers sold with solar, and where they ended up. I am guessing, but I bet only 20% sold to eastern owners have solar. The owners there that do have it most likely travel extensively in the other half of the country.... John Davies Spokane WA

LOL, one could argue that, but it was a 5.0 V10 tdi with 8 TONS of ballast and they towed in Low Range.... the V10 was an absolute brute but a nightmare to own. To do just about anything to the engine you had to drop the entire drivetrain. “Seriously, parts were scarce but the main thing that made me sell it is no one could work on it and even the knowledge base online was scarce. It was terrifying to own as a DD because you literally could have a part fail with no warning and struggle to source parts and a reliable mechanic to do the work within weeks.” https://jalopnik.com/the-volkswagen-touareg-v10-tdi-was-more-of-a-nightmare-1822934503 Really, that is not a vehicle you should be using as a poster child. John Davies Spokane WA

There are three schools of thought about rock damage.... Do nothing, maybe add mudflaps on the truck, live with the damage. I suspect most folks in this category live in the East and rarely venture off a hard road. Add mudflaps on the truck and coat the front of the trailer (bounce off any stones). Probably a good tactic if you might get off pavement once in a while, but there are still risks to trailer and to vehicle (ricochets). Isolate all the carnage underneath the trailer: add mudflaps and frame protection on the trailer and a Stone Stomper up front. Works great on the worst surfaces except sticky mud or freezing rain, which will overload the fabric. I am Door Number Three, but I tow on gravel frequently and do not want to worry about a three hour trip on loose ranch roads. How fancy do,you want to get, are you prepared to spend some cash, can you do the fabrication yourself, can you live with a constant minor PITA to stop almost all the damage? If you aren’t really anal like me, then the third option is probably overkill. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/how-to-stone-stomper-gravel-guard/ http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/how-to-rear-mud-flaps-for-the-ollie/ I was told by the Stone Stomper owner that other folks here in the USA have ordered them, but I sure haven’t seen a pic or mention of it anywhere. If you go this route you will be a member of a very small club.... After about 6000 miles of use I think the SS is the absolute best protection you can get. I won’t leave home without it. John Davies Spokane WA

You can count on reduced fuel economy. You are headed into 45 mph west winds tomorrow with up two feet of snow. Do you plan to hole up somewhere? Got chains? They might shut down the Interstate. Posted an hour ago: A Major Winter Storm to impact western Wyoming for the holiday weekend... .A strong winter storm will impact western portions of Wyoming as well as Sweetwater County Friday and Saturday. This storm is expected to produce significant snowfall, especially Friday night and Saturday morning. ...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM FRIDAY TO 11 AM MST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Heavy snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 9 to 22 inches expected. Winds gusting as high as 45 mph. * WHERE...Teton and Gros Ventre Mountains and Salt River and Wyoming Ranges. * WHEN...From 11 AM Friday to 11 AM MST Saturday. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel could be very difficult to impossible. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning or evening commute including Teton and Togwotee Pass. Good luck. Stay warm. Take lots of pictures. John Davies Spokane WA

They may give you one of the cheap cylinderical regulators that is not adjustable and in reality just restricts water flow. It works but I would rather know what the pressure is and not restrict flow... one of these screwed into a disposable blue Camco water filter works great. Hook it up at the trailer, not the faucet, and you can add a 90 degree brass elbow at the outlet end, and lay the hose on top of the bumper to get keep it all off the ground and out of the way. It allows access to the rear compartment without tripping over the hose and other parts. It looks cool too, if that matters.... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YJLAIK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 John Davies Spokane WA

I am not a cold weather camper, but I want to throw in a caution about RV appliances in general. They are nowhere as reliable (or efficient) as home units - always have some sort of backup heat available in case the furnace quits or you run out of gas. The latter does happen even to an experienced RVer. A nearly empty bottle may not have enough gas pressure to work well in arctic temps, keep them topped up. I would feel safe with a generator and a small 1500 w electric box (forced air) heater, which stores away nicely in a cabinet or on a closet shelf. The generator is something you should definitely have anyway, for charging on a dim overcast winter day or when your panels are blocked by shade or snow..... I am not averse to winter camping, I just don’t want to cosmetically wreck my Ollie from caustic road deicers ... if I lived in a southern state I would be out there now. John Davies Spokane WA

Color printers really like to be run often, not necessarily every day, or they will clog up. Ink in general is a PITA and costly. In your situation I would be looking at compact or portable laser printers, for B&W only. I am a big Canon fan but it appears that they are getting away from laser units. One big benefit is that generic replacement toner cartdiges are dirt cheap and they will not clog. If the pages start to streak, you can remove it and shake it sideways a few times to resistribute the toner powder. Easy. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_review-rank?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=n%3A1064954%2Cn%3A!1084128%2Cn%3A172574%2Cn%3A9424016011%2Cn%3A172635%2Cn%3A172648%2Cp_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A5875824011%2Cp_n_feature_six_browse-bin%3A5662335011&qid=1542827056&bbn=172648&sort=review-rank How about this little Brother? It is only 14” square by 7” high. https://www.amazon.com/Brother-EHLL2340DW-Monochrome-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B01D1GDCMM/ref=sr_1_19?s=office-electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1542827116&sr=1-19&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A5875824011%2Cp_n_feature_six_browse-bin%3A5662335011 Two pack of toner $20: https://www.amazon.com/LINKYO-Compatible-Cartridge-Replacement-Brother/dp/B00S0BENC2/ref=pd_bxgy_229_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00S0BENC2&pd_rd_r=ac21a5bd-edc0-11e8-b84d-d3ea889372c2&pd_rd_w=HV60u&pd_rd_wg=ziPea&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=MB0J82FFXDAB5A1NRAJ2&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=MB0J82FFXDAB5A1NRAJ2 Brothers are OK, at that price you just throw it away if there is an issue out of warranty. The LINKYO cartidges are excellent. I use them exclusively in my Canon. If you needed to print in color ocassionally while yravelling, stop at a Staples and get it done cheaply. As far as power consumption, I have no clue. But for a few short periods of printing it can’t be much, certainly WAY less that running the microwave for a minute. John Davies Spokane WA

Agreed. It is inadequate in all ways; on the other hand the upcoming Gladiator pickup with the excellent 3.0 diesel/ 8 speed will be fantastic.... For an Elite only. It would pull a II but it would not have much reserve capacity for high mountain towing. The folks at the forum further published a trove of tech detailsthat, while not surprising, confirm that the Gladiator means serious business. According to their inside sources, the JL Gladiator will offer the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 (with eight-speed auto or six-speed stick) or the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 (auto only, available in 2020). It'll tow up to 7650 lbs and carry up to 1600 lbs payload, both "best in class," and offer the same transfer cases, axles, optional electronic diff lockers and electronic front sway bar disconnect that are available on the JL Wrangler. https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/future-cars/a25097901/jeep-gladiator-pickup-photos-wrangler-truck/ Now that is COOL. Especially if Oliver would offer a sturdy, lifted, independent, long travel, off road suspension for the trailer. Oooooh!..... my heart! John Davies Spokane WA