John E Davies

We are headed out on Sunday for a 16+ day trip that was going to include SW Colorado. I am going to cancel our reservation at Ridgway State Park (Ouray) and instead we will jst play it by ear. We will be mostly in NW CO, hopefully the winds will blow the smoke to the east. If it clears up we may dash down to drive the Alpine Loop and some of the high passes, as planned. I have smoke sensitivity and really must stay away from Durango. I really hate how the fires are so bad these last few years that they ruin camping conditions in much of the desert West, through much of the summer. Not to mention the lost homes and possessions.... John Davies Spokane WA

The Ollie is capable of cold weather use, no problem there, but I STRONGLY discourage its use in areas where highly corrosive deicers like magnesium chloride are sprayed on the roads. They will disfigure and wreck your beautiful frame and wheels. Mine gets parked from the time the snow flies until March, when the nasty stuff has been washed away into the ground water. If you have an indoor heated storage area with water and drain, you might be able to keep the frame from corroding, but you won’t stop the cosmetic damage, which occurs within days or hours of exposure to road spray! When traveling, you just can’t rinse it off fast enough to stop the damage, since most outside car washes are closed. If you want to visit the ski areas, you need a four season fiberglass truck camper like a Northern Lite. Your four jacks will turn nasty, but unlike your trailer frame, they are easily refinished or replaced. I do wish the factory advertising mentioned this; “Four Season” can be highly misleading. OTH they don’t show any pictures of an Ollie moving down a winter highway. According to a study funded by the Federal Highway Administration, corrosion costs U.S. businesses an estimated $276 billion each year. It is estimated that the costs associated with corrosion caused by anti-icing chemicals have increased more than tenfold in recent years. A University of Idaho study indicated that the U.S. transportation industry spends more than $23 billion annually addressing the problem. For any company hauling freight, this equates to unacceptable costs for repairs attributed to corrosion and the potential for premature retirement of equipment.. http://www.fleetequipmentmag.com/chemical-attack-preventing-corrosion-caused-by-road-de-icers/ Good thread: .... http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/cold-weather-winter-camping-tips/ John Davies Spokane WA

This is unusual. I was unable to get them to ship me a board when mine burned out. I was told that I would have to deal with a local shop, to have them work with Suburban directly. The local shop, after my waiting three weeks to get in, diagnosed the bad board, and told me the factory part was going to take up to six weeks to arrive, which in mid-summer is an intolerable wait time. They were ready to install an in-stock aftermarket board at my cost (at 20% over MSRP) plus charge me an additional shop labor fee. I paid for their diagnosis (I had already told them the exact problem) and installed a used board myself. Sometimes things just do not work out. It was no fault at all of Oliver, but the ideal situation for an owner is to be able to visit the factory for service and repairs. They try very hard to accommodate, but the further away you live from TN, the more likely you will encounter predatory RV shops who just want your money. After the warranty period for the appliances, one to two years, you are on your own. I am sure a claim for a significant hull or frame repair would be a major hassle, one best carried out by visiting Hohenwald. I do all my own servicing. I cannot imagine traveling long distances and being tied to shops en-route and paying $100 per hour for the easy stuff like lubrication or winterization. It simply boggles my mind. This is not meant to warn you away from Ollies, they are great trailers, no doubt about it. You just need to be aware of the sometimes frustrating logistical issues you might face. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, it can really simplify things. John Davies Spokane WA

We had a great tme, boondocking for three nights. About 1800 people attended, most of those spent at least a couple of nights. The Ollie did great, it attracted some attention, mostly from old folks in smaller trailers. The real Overlanders did not pay it much attention. UBCO 2x2 AWD e-bike from New Zealand. Road legal, 30 mph, 400 lb capacity, $7000.I loved it, but it is too slow to ride in traffic, and too powerful to ride on bike paths. It was designed as a silent stealthy utility bike for sheep farmers. It has a huge battery that can charge power equipment like drills. Colorado “Baby Duramax” with fully tricked out suspension, bumpers, lights, ute tray and a $35k popup camper. 18 mpg as shown. The interior is crude but the trucklet will be very popular for overlanding. View of the front camera display on our Land Cruiser, showing the beginning of the easy off-road tech course. (They filled in the nastiest deep pits and regraded some of the berms, from the Advanced class.) The display has moving guide lines showing where your wheels are pointed and where your track will go. Very cool offroad tech! Jac getting instructions from the Aussie “director” running the course, who was doing a great job in keeping folks’ vehicles on their wheels and unblemished. I did not take a lot of pics, my phone is not that great and there is a huge amount of video and still images available online... Jac drove our 200 through the easy offroad tech course while I took pictures and worried. Here is a cool video. Check out her smile at the end. John Davies Spokane WA

“Mr. Hill, a good wash and a little rubbing compound, most of that damage will buff right out....” Seriously, a milk crate works great for transport, a wire steel one especially, the bottle squeezes in tightly, but you still should either wedge the bottle in place with other gear or tie it off securely when the bottle is full (and the center of gravity is much higher). The amount of energy stored in 5 gallons of compressed flammible gas is staggering. Why are we talkng about this in a generator thread? John Davies Spokane WA

I have the Attwood Air Command, the 16K BTU model, which uses two small variable speed motors instead of one monster motor. It starts and runs fine off my Yamaha 2400 watt generator without needing an Easy Start, and it pulls about 11 amps running. It runs fine off a 15A circuit if there are no other large loads. It is EXTREMELY quiet outside, whisper quiet, amazingly quiet. Inside is another story, the fan is obnoxiously loud and the fan stays running when the compressor kicks off. I saw no mention of this in their advertising...they claim “2X quieter, as low as 66dB” . http://www.atwoodmobile.com/images/air-conditioners-brochure.pdf I don’t see any way to avoid the high noise, you are living several feet from the high-speed moving parts and rushing air flow. A ducted system, or a unit mounted as far forward on the roof as possible, makes more sense to me, rather than having it right over the sleeping area! This is an interesting article. .... http://www.beginningfromthismorning.com/mini-split-ac/ I am not aware of ANY small RV certified unit that would work reliably in our small trailers and withstand the rocking and jostling without fracturing the copper freon lines. There are DC coolers out there but they consume an enormous amount of battery power. .... https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/finally-a-real-12v-air-conditioner-indel-sleeping-well-cube.142600/ I keep a large bag of earplugs for the very rare ocassions I have to sleep with the AC running. John Davies Spokane WA

I considered adding a replaceable filter under the main fan, but then you have dust and debris falling into the cabin when you change it. The big negative is that the shape of the Max Air cover and the rear-angled inner “flap” serve to suck air out of the cabin while underway, passively. I seriously doubt that you could get enough backwards airflow to pressurize the inside adequately. Ideally you would use a ram air effect for the incoming air, such a forward facing scoop on the end of the inlet snorkel. Unfortunately they function only at moderate to high speeds and I need a system that will operate while barely moving. A reasonably high flow axial fan sucking the sort-of clean air from above the dog house should work great, as proven by a large number of Aussie “outbackers”. The filter used is not HEPA but it is highly efficient at separating particles centrifugally before they even approach the filter element, and you routinely dump the dirt out of the bottom of the can through a rubber valve, by squeezing it. Adding a cyclone pre-filter at the top opening increases efficiency even more. I have given this lots of though over the last three years, I really don’t see a really effective alternative. This is the test bed for air filtration, the bull dust of the Outback.... if it is ineffective you either destroy your engine or go through dozens of filters. Getting the intake up high is the answer. John Davies Spokane WA

MountainApple, I am sorry for your distress and anger. It is understandable, but I do think your expectations for a medically clean interior were perhaps a little high. I have found significant fiberglass particles in many of the nooks and crannies of “Mouse”. These trailers are not “dust proof” either, in spite of the high quality bulb seals and adjustable latches. Even if you stay on paved roads exclusively, there will inevitably be some infiltration as you drive. It can be stopped, or at least dramatically decreased, however, please look at this thread. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/cabin-pressurization-system-to-prevent-dust-infiltration/ I would love to see a factory engineered option for this system, with integrated ductwork. I won’t hold my breath waiting.... I have allergies and carry an efficient HEPA room filtration unit when traveling in forest fire season. I hope adding this system will help my symptoms. There is no reason you couldn’t run the system while you are inside the cabin, to filter incoming air. If you feel like being the ground breaker for this mod, please post pics and commentary and I will gladly follow your lead. Otherwise I will figure this out off-season. Good luck in your duct cleaning. John Davies Spokane WA

Found more dust, I had not looked under the streetside bed in a while, this is dust accumulating under the floor from driving on gravel roads. I am convinced it comes in the dozen half inch drain holes and maybe around the septic drain area. I can seal the latter, but can’t plug up those drains. I hope to build this filtration/ pressurization system over the winter. It should not be difficult or costly and I hope it will stop this infiltration in its tracks. John Davies Spokane WA

“Check your brake adjustment lady?” Easy access to those screw adjusters: An appalling look at the floor STRUCTURE, random widths of thin pine boards. There is a lot of rust on those frame rails, but I am surprised that they were painted at all: Full story, the trailer “started to sway and she lost control”: ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5894941/amp/Washington-couple-wreck-tractor-trailer-20-minutes-purchase.html I still want to see pics of wrecked Olivers, but nobody has posted any. It’s nearly noon, we are parked at a Lake Wenachee State Park campground, waiting until we can check in to the nearby NW Overland Rally at 2:00 pm. I will post a few pics in a new thread, but I will have limited cell coverage. I do not expect to see many trailers like the one pictured in this thread. It’s a little breezy at the beach, with breaking waves and steady 20 mph winds. A very pretty spot when the wind dies down. It is not a lake that is friendly to paddlers. John Davies Spokane WA

Frankly, the 4.7 V8 and the 4 speed tranny are inadequate for that much weight. They would be just acceptable towing an Elite. The difference between your current setup and the brute 5.7 engine (6 or 8 speed) will astound you. Do you know anybody with a Tundra, Sequoia or Land Cruiser 5.7 that will let you try it out with your Ollie? You really need lots of torque for the grades, 400 ft lbs or better, and lots of gears so you don’t drop out of the peak power band. IMHO the 5.7 gets the job done, but in no way will it equal an equivalent powered diesel motor. With the Toyota 6 speed transmission, you tow in 4th (direct drive) with 5th and 6th reserved for empty cruising. The later LC gets the 8 speed trannie, you tow in 6th, with 7th and 8th as overdrives. Plus 1st gear is way WAY lower so you theoretically should get better acceleration from a stop and a much better crawl ratio if you have a 4wd. HOWEVER, they changed the axle ratios from 3.9 to 3.3, so the trucks struggle with heavier loads unless you change the ring and pinions. I wish I had the 8 speed with 4.88 gears, it would be pure magic for acceleration, towing and rock crawling. The Tundra does not get an 8 speed, I don’t know about the Sequoia, probably it does not. You can futz around and regear your axle(s) - it will cost a minimum of $2500 for two axles - and maybe get a marginally better towing experience, but IMHO you need another truck. Just trade it in on something with a more more modern and powerful drivetrain. You really will be a lot happier and much safer. The 4.7 motor is a fine thing, it could be supercharged for double its current power, but it makes no sense to spend that kind of money on an old vehicle.... https://dustrunnersauto.com/2uzfe/ This might be educational: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/new-8-speed-transmission.914500/page-3 Sell it and move on. John Davies Spokane WA

If you want to add a bunch of general lighting inexpensively, these LEDs work great, especially if you paint the walls and ceiling satin or gloss white. I have four evenly spaced along the 16 ft high ceiling of my 16x43 RV bay and they are way better and WAY cheaper than commercial fluorescents. ... get the 5000k. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0145Z0CPS/ref=twister_B01AXDSYCO Nice garage! I have that exact Werner platform ladder. It’s a beast. I hang it (and my other ladders) vertically on the wall when not in use. John Davies Spokane WS

If you want to add a bunch of general lighting inexpensively, these LEDs work great, especially if you paint the walls and ceiling satin or gloss white. I have four evenly spaced along the 16 ft high ceiling of my 16x43 RV bay and they are way better and WAY cheaper than commercial fluorescents. ... get the 5000k. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0145Z0CPS/ref=twister_B01AXDSYCO Nice garage! John Davies Spokane WS

Sorry, this is way off topic.... ShallowGal, how do you keep their safety harnesses from ending up in a huge tangle? I tried your setup with Zadie and Zack - within five minutes you could hear gross choking sounds because they had wrapped their leads tightly around each other several times. I solved it by installing cargo nets in front of and behind the rear seats, eliminating the harnesses, so they can move around relatively freely but not get propelled out of that area in a crash. John Davies Spokane WA

I did not even try to get reimbursed. It was made very clear that it was a warranty claim between me and the heater manufacturer. Oliver really has nothing to do with it. Same with all the other appliances, 1 year warranty, deal with the part manufacturer as needed. Or just you or a skilled friend fix it yourself;( in the end it saves so much worry. BTW my water heater has been working fine since I swapped out the burned board for the free used one the tech gave me. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks, that is more than I would spend for a little convenience since I have no need for leaving a valve open all the time. Maybe if a cable goes bad, I would consider upgrading to eliminate it. OTH it would be nice to get rid of the nuisance cables in the storage areas. I worry about kinking one. I may just remove my black valve entirely, cap it off and put the it into my spares box in the garage. (And convert the tank to fresh water storage at the same time, two stones with one bird.) John Davies Spokane WA

Those are nifty. This is amusing from the Owners Manual: ”Mount switch in a compartment close to Auto-Drain. Insure switch cannot be pushed accidentally by articles stored in the compartment.” I think I would use a safety toggle switch, with a flip up guard. Accidentally dumping could be pretty annoying. What is the cost? John Davies Spokane WA

Ken, here’s how I secure the harness on my 200. I am using a +3” Anderson bar to gain clearance for the Stone Stomper support bar, and it needed just a little extra length. It is defiinitely important that everyone makes sure the harness is not stressed when jacknifed to the left or right, depending on the location of your tow vehicle socket. The 200 receptacle is way over to the right underneath the bumper, a strange place for it.... Ken, can you post some pics of your truck and trailer in a new thread, with some comments? Or you can add them to my “Land Cruiser 200 Towing Thread” if you like. ...http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/land-cruiser-200-towing-thread/ John Davies Spokane WA

EDIT 03/07/21 Here is a rear J Box: ... https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5271-how-to-junction-box-for-the-7-wire-trailer-harness-under-the-front-dinette-seat/ I did this a while back to get a little extra reach, I added an 8 ft harness assembly , cutting off the excess Oliver harness. I will just post pics and if you have any questions I will answer them. It is really straight forward, I liked how I could sit down in comfort and work on the box with it clamped to a milk crate. When completely wired, I just moved it back under the A frame and stuck it down with 3M VHB tape, and secured the cables. The Oliver and Hopkins wire colors matched perfectly on MY trailer, there is no guarantee so you must check the diagram and/or use a meter. https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Hopkins/HM20087.html?feed=npn&gclid=Cj0KCQjw37fZBRD3ARIsAJihSr2jOZrEUWhhM8c-BzUk0FIRPKP91TUs7m8NtRYESlC3fWdjnLhiUUsaAtVtEALw_wcB https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Pollak/PK52248.html Be very careful cutting away the outer insulation, the wires are laid in a spiral and it would be easy to cut them. Use GREAT care! [attachment file=139739] Here's the placard for inside the J Box cover: [attachment file=Oliver Junction Box wiring placard.docx] I like the ability to troubleshoot the wiring without cutting anything, and I can add extra circuits if I need to, like for my future electric-over-hydraulic brake booster..... Cool. NOTE: the box is weather resistant, not completely water tight, though the lid does have a nice rubber gasket..... I added a couple of small drain holes in case any moisture gets inside. It is important to NOT blast it directly with a pressure washer. John Davies Spokane WA Oliver-Junction-Box-wiring-placard.docx

Thanks for the kind comment. I want to strongly emphasize that you can’t tell by how the trailer is acting if one or more of the brakes are working unevenly. Even if my one grabby brake locks up hard on pavement, smoking and flat spotting the tire, the trailer stays straight and true. Only by stressing them on a steep descent and then measuring the temps can you truly know how they are working. A TPMS that shows temp will not be accurate or have a quick enough response to do this. It might just show the TIRE as running slightly warm. We need to focus on the drum temps. I hope a number of owners will do this and check in here. I expect this is not unusual, just under reported! These temp guns were once well over $150. Now they are so very cheap it makes sense to have one in your glovebox or map pocket for quick checks on the road. ...https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Laser+temp+gun I actually have two, one in my shop that years ago cost $80, and one that I carry, the latter was free from Harbor Freight during a promotion. It is poor quality but functionally the two are identical. If you buy a cheap one and it eventually quits, toss it and get another..... John Davies Spokane WA

I like to remind people that a combination that works “fine” in Florida will not necessarily work OK when climbing in 100 degree temps, 10,000+ feet elevation, 30 mph headwind and a 12% grade. Difficult terrain compels you to to have lots of reserve capacity in your TV, that cruising up the I-95 does not..... This brings up a question. Do any of the new small displacement diesels and EcoBoosts maintain sea level power at high altitude? I had a 2000 Saab 9-5 Aero Wagon (gas engine) that would do that. On boost it was a rocket, even at 10,000 ft. But off boost it was so gutless up high I would stall it leaving a stop sign (manual transmission.) Do these new motors perform well up there, or does the power bleed away? John Davies Spokane WA

It makes me really sad to see such shoddy work from the factory techs. There is no excuse for that. It is a result of the person not caring at all about the quality of his work. But more upsetting, it was not inspected and corrected afterwards. Two fails, bad news. I am not impressed. John Davies Spokane WS

You are discovering the frustrations of picking a TV. I originally wanted a self contained "offroad capable" camper, and I finally convinced myself that I was going to get a high quality truck camper (Northern Light), put it on a 3500 diesel pickup and go exploring. I bought the truck first, a very nice low miles 2006 Laramie Cummins 5.9, then discovered how horrible it was on rough highways, and it was even worse on potholed forest roads. I put a set of $1200 aftermarket Corbeau suspension seats in it but it still beat us up. I was faced with the unpleasant realization that a truck with a 1200 pound diesel engine riding over the front axle would never ride smoothly enough to please my back, even with a $5000 aftermarket suspension. My wife hated EVERY single aspect of that '06 Ram, and it made for some pretty tense vacation drives. We decided that we would get an Ollie, park it instead of pulling it everywhere off pavement (using it for a base camp), and we tried pulling it for a season with the Ram. While it was effortless in terms of power and braking and got 16 mpgs towing/ 22 empty, it never felt right and I could not venture off-pavement without turning the two dogs into quivering wrecks. I decided that a TV that performed "adequately" on the highway and did REALLY well (empty) on rough roads was way better than a stellar TV that could just not get off the pavement.... After another jarring trip, my wife showed me an ad that popped up on Autotrader. There was a white 2013 Land Cruiser with tan interior (a rare combination, my favorite) at a local dealer, and would I like to go look at it? My son was visiting and he is a real car nut, and like me, he loves Land Cruisers of any vintage. He is always ready to go watch his dad make a fool of himself or to help him buy another vehicle. The truck was luscious inside and out and I could not believe how well it drove. It had a brute of a drivetrain (381 bhp, 403 ft lbs) and best of all an 8300 pound tow/ 800 hitch rating. I was smitten, and we traded the Ram in on it on the spot. Land Cruisers do not stay long on dealer lots, you have to act very fast. The 200 tows very well considering its short wheelbase, and it pleases my wife in every single way. That is SO important. When running solo, it can tear down a potholed forest road at 40 mph and not shake you around, and it will just go anywhere, without any effort or drama. Point and shoot, you are there.... If it fits, it can go. Rodger, you need to understand that you can not have decent offroad performance and great towing ability in the same vehicle. The requirements are diametrically opposite. A long travel, loose and comfy off-road suspension with lots of ground clearance is the LAST thing you want when towing up to 3.5 tons at freeway speeds. So your basic dilemma is: do I ... Pick a short wheelbase truck that will easily get me around in the CA desert, in comfort and safety, but will struggle with a heavy tongue weight and have hardly any payload left over for all my stuff..... Or pick a long wheelbase truck optimized for towing, and have to suffer from a really harsh ride offroad and get stuck or broken down because the setup is far from ideal.... Buying a long wheelbase ZR1 would be very smart in terms of easily towing an Elite, but it is entirely the wrong choice for exploring and boondocking away from the crowds. A difficult decision, made worse by your lack of direct experience offroad. Can you join up with a local Jeep or Land Cruiser 4x4 or Overland club and ask to go along on some rides? That would show you where your personal limits are, and might help you to choose a combination of TV and trailer that will suit your future needs, so you don't end up regretting one of the purchases. I love my 200, if I did not have it I would probably be looking very hard at a lightly used (no offroad) Power Wagon. https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a30282/the-dodge-power-wagon-is-an-irrationally-wonderful-tow-vehicle/ John Davies Spokane WA

Very good comments, I never replaced any linings. It is possible that the left shoes are contaminated due to the (small) grease leak I previously had. You cannot swap magnets (or shoes) side to side since they are L/R specific due to the shape of the swinging arm they are riveted to. The one grabby brake works fine most of the time, it only gets grabby when it heats up. So I don’t see how contaminated linings could be doing that. But maybe so.... I have complained before about Dexter price fixing, it makes no sense to buy individual parts like shoes when you can buy the entire assemblies at 60% off MSRP. The parts are not seriously discounted and no shops stock them anyway... they all just swap out the assembled backing plates. John Davies Spokane WA

Congratulations, you are making good progress. You canNOT pull an Elite II with a Tacoma in the mountains, but you would be just OK in Florida. Don't fall in love with the II without also upgrading the capabilities of your future truck. If you can stand an SUV, consider a used, low miles (less than 100K) 2013 or later Land Cruiser: HIGHLY capable off-road, stellar build quality, sumptuous interior, same brute drivetrain as the Tundra. Big downside is the terrible fuel economy. If you keep it stock, you can see 18mpg highway, low down and flat terrain, unladen. Any mods like LT tires will drop this figure significantly. I get 16 hwy, 10 to 12 towing the II. Your mileage would be a little better with the lighter trailer. Your wife would LOVE traveling in one. There are at least two of us on the Forum with 200s. A used 200 with 100K miles can feel like a new vehicle, the interior materials hold up well, no squeaks or rattles on even the roughest roads. They are built incredibly well and are designed to last 300K miles and 25 years, in any environment in the world. https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Used+Cars/Toyota/Land+Cruiser/Daly+City+CA-94016?zip=94016&listingTypes=used&startYear=2013&numRecords=25&sortBy=relevance&firstRecord=0&endYear=2016&modelCodeList=LC&makeCodeList=TOYOTA&searchRadius=300 Keep us informed, please. John Davies Spokane WA