John E Davies

Suggestion, test your brakes as described, in a controlled setting, to see how hot they get. If one or more is hot or cold in relation to the others, you have a problem. If you are willing and able to do your own work, you can futz around forever and try to figure things out. If you have to pay a shop $100 per hour, then just have them install four new brake assemblies, and YOU supply the brakes, Otherwise they will charge you full MSRP or even higher. Buy your brakes at eTrailer, they are cheap and you will save a lot. Be aware the shop will not be happy and they will not offer their own warranty on the parts, just on their labor. But Dexter has a five year limited warranty on their brakes, so you should be able to get reimbursed from them if there is a problem later. This is an Old School "manual adjust" brake, which I strongly recommend. The self adjusting ones just do not work well and they add extra springs and friction points to cause drag. These are the ones I ordered.... https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Dexter-Axle/23-27.html John Davies Spokane WA

Dexter specifically cautions the installer to use large wires for the electric brake system. From the service manual here https://www.dexteraxle.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/light-duty-electric-brakesc67a839d2ba463c18d7aff64007a4014.pdf?sfvrsn=0 [attachment file=Dexter electric brake wire guidelines.png] Oliver installed grossly undersized wires on my trailer. I do not know what size main wire runs inside the hull, but in the left wheel well there are two pairs of 18 AWG wires, one for each axle. the white wire is the supply wire, the black wire is the Dexter wire that crosses over to the right side brake: The Dexter wires are a connected pair of 20 AWG wires, running through the hollow axle tubes. I have been chasing a problem where the left front brake is doing way more work than the right front. It overheats, gets grabby and I am afraid that it is going to ruin the brake by frying the linings, grease and seal. I have been into the brakes two times, taken them apart, lubed everything and haven't been able to improve them. Before ordering new brakes I decided to upgrade the wires, just to make sure there was not an issue with too much voltage loss. I bought a really nifty miniature inductive ammeter to do some measuring. It is a fantastic tool and I strongly recommend one for your emergency kit. It has a built-in VOM (volt/ ohmmeter with leads) as well as the inductive amp gauge function. ... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00O1Q2HOQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 To use it, you must have the wire separated from any others in the bundle. It will not work with two or more wires at once. I pulled the breakaway switch cord and measured total amps going back to all four brakes: Specified current is 3 amps per brake magnet at 12 volts. I was plugged in, so shore power had my battery at 13.2 for the start of the test. The little wires coming off the switch get pretty hot, they are undersized too ;( I measured each brake current separately. Right front: Left front: The other two were similar and I noticed that the right ones were drawing slightly less current than the left ones. That could have been variations in the magnets, or it could have been a crimp connection problem or those darned undersized wires. I decided to run larger wires across each axle to eliminate any voltage loss due to the too-small Dexter wires. There was nothing easily done about the factory wires without digging around underneath the battery compartment inside the trailer and running new big wires. At least there were two undersized wire pairs, not just one. Here are the factory crimp connections: Note there is some clear silicone on them where I was checking voltage with a sharp probe last week.) They showed no signs of corrosion and appeared to have been crimped with the correct tool. I cut them all off. I bought weatherproof butt splices to replace them with, These are really expensive at Ace Hardware, $5 for three. They are way cheaper in bulk from eTrailer or Amazon. I used 14 AWG stranded wire that I already had. It is still not large enough, but it is way bigger than the feed wires coming from the hull. Going even larger would not accomplish anything. The benefit of this size is that one 14 AWG wire will fit in one side of the splice, and two 18 AWG wires will fit in the other side, for a neat, snug connection. When crimped and shrunk, they make an exceptional connection for three wires or two. I pulled the old wires out of the axle tubes and tossed them in my recycle bin. I ran the new ones along the outside of the tubes, on the back side so they will be protected from stones. Why outside? The inside wires are loose, banging and scraping inside the tubes and there is no way to inspect them without actually removing them. Wires on the outside are easy to inspect and they will not move around if properly secured. The right side splices: The left side splices, where the feed wires join: The wires secured to the tubes, and split loom added where they cross the U-Bolts: Before securing them at the ends, I rechecked the amps, and found a slight improvement. Left front: Right front (measured from the wire near the left brake): So, at this point I knew my brakes were in good shape internally and the wires were not causing any problems. I tested the brake performance using my infrared remote temp gun, after going down a 1 mile, 300 foot descent, using no engine braking. The left front was still getting hot, and the right front was still not really doing much but the temperature delta had dropped from 100 degrees to 90 degrees, probably an insignificant variation. I doubt the wiring change helped any.... You could sure smell that left front brake. Temperature, degrees F, max reading: LF: 244 RF: 155 LR: 200 RR: 205 If I can get that LF down 50 and the RF up 50, they would all be working the same, providing even and worry free braking. Time for a new set of brake assemblies on the front axle. I hate electric brakes, there are so many things that can go wrong with them, and the only way to inspect them is to disembowel them... Disc brakes are scheduled for the winter. John Davies Spokane WA

Rodger, where do you live? You could really benefit from attending an Overland rally, they have sit-down classes, hands-on winching and other events, offroad driving area, vendor displays, trail rides (you can easily beg a ride) and the potential to meet great companions and learn how to safely travel those remote areas you are interested in seeing. See this thread for general info. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/any-ollies-want-to-meet-at-the-nw-overland-rally-in-central-wa-06-28-17/ These events are more numerous in the West, but just about every region in the US will have something going on, within a reasonable driving distance. Watch this.... This is THE greatest source of info for this kind of travel: https://expeditionportal.com John Davies Spokane WA

I can’t help directly, but you can read this troubleshooing article and decide how deep into your system you want to go..... you may end up taking the trailer to an RV repair shop. But if you can locate a helpful handyperson (relative or neighbor), You might be able to at least eliminate the most likely possibilities. https://axleaddict.com/rvs/How-To-Service-And-Repair-A-Motorhome-Air-Conditioner-AC One thing to keep in mind is the complete “shore power” load. You need to make sure you do not have too many appliances sucking power at the same time, especially if you are on a 15 or 20 amp supply. If you have the built in surge suppressor you can study the remote display under the street side bed to see how many amps are being used as the air conditioner unit turns on. That might be informative. You should see a really big increase on the amp reading as the unit starts. If that does not happen, you may have a problem with the starting capacitor or the compressor itself... You can turn off extra 120 volt circuits like the electric water heater to reduce the overall load. Consider turning off ALL 120 volt circuits except the AC one, to see if it will run OK. Good luck, and please let us know what you find. John Davies Spokane WA

Rodger, welcome to the Forum. For what you plan to do the Elite should be a teriffic choice, but I think you need to reconsider your choice of truck. I have been unable to find a recommended max tongue weight figure for the ZR2 diesel, anywhere, but after reading this ..... http://coloradofans.com/forums/114-2nd-gen-chevrolet-colorado-forum-2015-gmc-canyon-forum/362209-actual-zr2-towing-experiences.html .... I believe that you will have no choice but to use a WD hitch. For normal unpaved surfaces the Anderson does just OK, but an offroad coupler would be orders of magnitude better for rougher situations where articulation becomes a critical factor. It is a PITA to worry about wrecking your ball mount or having to stop in a filthy ranch road to reduce tension on the nuts, so that the vehicles can move independently. For normal easy forest roads (groomed gravel) there would not be any real worries, but for “moderate offroad” boondocking you would be MUCH better off with a half ton truck with a 360 degree coupler, so you can go anywhere the rig will fit without the constant worry that you will bust something. At the very least you will need airbags or Timben bump stops - along with the severe lack of payload after considering tongue weight, have you considered this and their affect on offraod performance? With a tow vehicle like a F150 Raptor or the new ram Rebel TRX (slated for production, hopefully with smaller tires and less power) you would have a much better setup, be able to use a dead weight offroad hitch, and still be able to go everywhere the ZR2 would go, just with more pinstripes.... Ask Overland to chime in. He is using a Raptor to tow an Elite II and would be able to give valuable advice, about his cool hitch especially. In your shoes I would be buying a new Power Wagon during an end-of-year sale (up to $13k off MSRP), but I like brute motors and solid axles. BTW what part of the country will you be primarily visiting? John Davies Spokane WA

I am spending the weekend with my son in Seattle. We were walking around south Lake Union yesterday to eat lunch and see the maritime sights and I suffered some extreme culture shock. Fremont is a cool old neighborhood a couple of miles north of there, and they have an annual Summer Solstice Parade. To say it is unusual would be a huge understatement. I knew that the rules were pretty loose, but I never expected to directly encounter naked body-painted cyclists on the bike path headed for the parade, that far from the venue. Definitely not safe for work..... I guess I am just an Old Fart.... but it really startled me then, and it still bothers me. Happy Fathers Day. John Davies Spokane WA

I read the service instructions, and all I can say is it would be a PITA to take care of, especially if the water has any substantial mineral content. I would steer well clear of this unit, but you might be willing to spend hours and hours on your knees taking it apart and reassembling it..... Whole house humidifiers have a similar maintenance regime, but they are way easier to get to and don’t require a prolonged praying position. John Davies Spokane WA

My hitch started to make the dreaded Anderson Groan during sharp turns, an indication that the sleeve was contaminated with grit. The sound first appeared at about 2800 miles since I bought the hitch.you need a pretty heavy duty external snap ring tool to get the bottom ring off. It is strong. Invert the hitch in the receiver, remove the snap ring, whack the bottom of the ball mount. If that doesn’t work you may have to connect to your Ollie and use the jack to raise up the ball, and jump on the mount to free it. Mine popped loose with a single hard blow of my 2 lb dead blow mallet. Separate the sleeve from the ball mount. Upside down in a vise, one whack. Clean parts with a strong solvent and a red scotchbrite pad. I used brake cleaner. There was a lot of nasty crud stuck to all the parts. Don’t forget to clean the inside of the aluminum mount itself. Cracked sleeve. I don’t see how it could fall out, I just reused it. Reassemble dry, install the snap ring. Good to go.... no more ugly noises. I really think that the hitch needs to be sealed from the elements. Moisture won’t hurt it, but grit and dust certainly will. I can see having to do this annually at least. I plan to carry my snap ring pliers on long trips, just in case. Yes the ball is heavily worn, but it is not getting worse. I do plan to eventually replace it and the coupler in the stronger 2 5/16 inch size. This worn ball works ok, except on the rare occasion that I drive over a really steep slow speed dip, the coupler rotates out of the groove on the ball with a loud bang. Disconcerting but fairly harmless, I hope... John Davies Spokane WA

Search is a joke, it amazes me that it is so useless! It is about the slowest and worst I have seen on any forum, in years. It has no user settings at all and it is only accessible from the Forum main page.. 1 - Use Google and put the term olivertraveltrailers.com in front of your search term. That may get you a few results. 2 - If you know who posted the topic you are after, go to their Profile page, select Forums and browse for the result you want. 3 -COMPLAIN to the webmaster and moderators until this gets replaced with a functional search engine. John Davies Spokane WA

I would be really interested to see if this works, but I have doubts that you will ever be able to maneuver past a couple of bikes secured to the floor, to the back of the cabin. Pedals and other hard points will scrape, tear and soil the interior, plus the mount will be a real toe knocker when the bikes are gone. I just can't imaging it working very well in such a narrow isle. In a full sized van, it can be great.... Good luck and please post pics of the experiment! Any competent welder who is comfortable with aluminum (not all are!) can build a custom bolt-on bumper bike/ storage rack like the Oliver one, to your specifications. Don't even think about welding it to the frame! Consider the high shipping cost if ordering from the factory. If I made one I would be sure to include red LED turn and running lights and an expanded metal floor. plus tie down loops. Be aware that the rear of the trailer is its most dirty/ wet location when moving fast. Nice bikes or equipment need to be covered. If you don't have a backup camera, you will definitely want to install one to keep an eye on the bikes as you travel on bumpy roads! "HEY, didn't there used to be two bikes back there?!" John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dfpc/current-wildfires Thanks, we have been keeping an eye on the fire near Durango and as we get closer to heading to Ouray, we will decide if we want to go elsewhere. It looks as if 550 (Million Dollar Hwy) is shut down, not good! We will bring our 110 volt HEPA room filter, just in case we get caught in a smoky area. It scrubs the air really well and only uses 1 amp AC, so the inverter can run it pretty much forever off our 4 batteries and solar.... Smoke is an ongoing issue in the West, Montana was especially horrible last summer with deadly, off-scale levels of particulates in a few towns. Let's hope it improves this year. Buying one of these would be a good idea for those who might have to camp in these wildfire areas. I run it in our master bedroom 24/7 because I have allergies. Even with a whole house HEPA filter, this scrubs that "clean" air even better. This is my home unit, it is a little big for a full time dedicated trailer air cleaner, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWYO3EM/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00BWYO3EM&pd_rd_wg=yLBS5&pd_rd_r=WBESFXJ4F9W6M0K9KNHY&pd_rd_w=AykPY but it flows and filters way more air than the small one: https://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HPA100-True-Allergen-Remover/dp/B00BWYO2FW Generic HEPA filters (make sure they are real HEPA) are $20 per pair, the pre-filters are carbon treated foam and available inexpensively as "trim to fit" sheets. You can vacuum or blow off the dust from the pre-filters, or just swap them when they get filthy. The main filters should be changed about yearly if run continuously, depending on how bad the air is.... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CKB3ZDV/?coliid=I1KZCENM2ZK38M&colid=77ELCXYF0Y8I&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it Good stuff for those of us with chronic lung irritation and seasonal allergies. John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, we really need an FAQ section, with links to the really helpful threads, especially for stuff like routine maintenance. “Search” is close to useless in this forum. You might have noticed I title any new thread that explains a mod or repair “HOW TO: _____” it is an attempt to group the posts in the Search results. A better search engine would be very welcome, this one is simply lame. John Davies Spokane WA

If the grease is discolored or nasty from contamination or water entry, don’t just add more without fuguring out why it looks that way. You can do all three simultaneously so you can compare the color in each. Replace a bad gasket or screw as needed. Having spares on hand would be a good idea, unless you are OK with waiting to complete the job. If the grease is in bad condition it should all be cleaned out, the loose parts inspected carefully for wear, then reassembled with fresh lube. I have not serviced mine yet, but the front one has started to get louder. I think I will clean them all out and substitute a superior grease like this one, which is way better (and more expensive) than the jack grease. .... https://smile.amazon.com/Red-Line-80401-Grease-Ounce/dp/B0053O9FQS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1528808329&sr=8-2&keywords=Cv-2+grease While designed for CV axle joints it works great in other stressed areas, including firearms. I use this in the trailer wheel bearings, it is wonderful stuff. It is very slick and does not stiffen up at really low temperatures. The big negative is the cost. John Davies Spokane WA

I strongly agree, I show these “special” spots to seriously interested potential buyers, but not to ANYbody else. Having both of them displayed in a big national magazine in the same article is just bad. The cat is out of the bag, but in future this should be discouraged. John Davies Spokane WA

I too found a large gap in the bottom seal, letting in dust and spray... I added a strip of 1/4 inch black high density foam rubber weather seal there, from Lowes. I also tightened the latch about a half turn. Be sure to seal the entire section of piano hinge, plus the open gap at the front. I think maybe they wanted to leave a way for water dripping out of the shower area to escape....? Even sealed up pretty tightly, I think enough would trickle out to alert you of a plumbing problem. Plus water trickling out after you use it will run down the inside of the door, instead of down through the open hinge, so leave the head hanging to the front until it has quit. Mudflaps on the trailer will help too, and if extended up to the underside of the hull, they are extremely effective in keeping road debris from eroding and contaminating your fresh water connections. Why they leave these completely exposed to road damage baffles me. At the very least they need a stainless guard/ deflector in front of them. This shows the mudflap, before I added the extra foam over the hinge. I positioned the rubber so it comes up to the hull. In the first pic, the door has flexed the flap forward a little http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/how-to-rear-mud-flaps-for-the-ollie/ EDIT: found a pic of the dust entry, before sealing. John Davies Spokane WA

Bump, less than a month, we could use some company. We will be glamping at the town of Chelan WA, on Lake Chelan, in the city-run resort RV park, the nights of June 24-26, then will find a spot in the National Forest in the Entiat Valley Wednesday, arriving at NWOR Thursday lunch time, to pick a prime spot with tandem 20x20 spaces, hopefully well away from, and upwind from, the offroad winching area, entrance and main vendor area. Cool things will abound! I have several brochures to display, and fifty referral card to hand out; I expect to have some interested visitors, the vast majority of whom have never laid eyes on an Ollie. I don’t plan to show the trailer all the time, maybe a couple of hours in the evenings. I think most attendees would be way more interested in the Elite, due to its compact size and lighter weight. It would sure be nice to have one of each here.... John Davies Spokane WA

Will there ever be an Oliver Owners Rally West, say near Denver or SLC? I have zero interest in coming to the eastern half of the country. It would be a lot longer haul for the Hohenwald folks, but it would draw in people who probably will never attend one close to TN. BTW, my wife, dogs and I will be attending the NW Overland Rally in central WA starting June 28, we could use the company of another Ollie.... Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Fixed your first pic.... Your daughter has a delightful smile, how does she like the Ollie? Welcome to the Oliver Family. We are headed to western CO in less than a month, we will explore the Ouray area for a week, then head north to Black Canyon and Dinosaur NM, I can’t wait! Where will you folks be then? John Davies Spokane WA

If you have TPMS you can screw a sender onto the spare, but that doesn’t help if you want to actually gauge it or add air. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006O2S8M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have used these for decades in cars with a spare buried under the trunk. They need changing after maybe five or six years since they tend to develop a slow leak through aging of the rubber. I don’t use a tire cover, but this will be equally useful if you do, you can route it down into the rear compartment and check pressure by dropping the bumper. Or leave it poking out from under the cover down low at the top of the bumper area. I secured it to the wheel hardware, and added my TPMS sender onto the end. You still need to take a look under the cover routinely, to make sure all is well. At around 40 inches it is a little long for my setup, if there is a shorter one, please post a link. John Davies Spokane WA

That is over half an inch diameter, way too large and heavy, you may be over estimating the hardware required. Why not just use one or two small (1/4 inch) clevis pins? Or if you want fancy and stainless, .... https://www.amazon.com/VTurboWay-Release-diameter-Stainless-Hardware/dp/B07CWC6V73/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1528587602&sr=8-7&keywords=Clevis+pin+with+clip+1%2F4+inch John Davies Spokane WA

I am a little troubled that it was workng when you unplugged at home, but now it isn’t. That is an unusual failure mode. John Davies Spokane WA

Bad power at the outlet, your surge suppressor is blocking it. It normally takes about 20 seconds to read and analyse, then it “CLUNK” engages the relay if all is OK. Check the remote display under the rear street side compartment. Any “E” error messages can be interpreted in the owner booklet. You could use the bypass switch, but this is a really bad choice unless you are 110% positively absolutely sure the power at the outlet is good. It’s purpose is realy to get power if the built-in suppressor itself goes bad. Try hooking up to another nearby outlet. If you must have 110v, ask for another site. (In the future, check for good power before settng up camp.) Ask your camp host or a useful looking neighbor to help. Use your batteries and stay calm for the evening, tomorrow is a better day to worry and you can call Olivertech support. Be calm and enjoy your Oliver. It works perfecty fine off grid, unless you have no inverter and must make popcorn for your evening Netfix session.... actually, that sounds pretty bad, but you can always ask a neighbor to pop it;) What facility are you staying at? We need pictures, and please add some info to your profile. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

This is a truly useful app, however it is not 100% accurate. It relies on USER input to keep it current, which is as easy as sending an email, and they answer promptly, verify the info and make the update quickly for the next database download. If you send a link or gps coordinates and a description, rather than just saying, “this campsite info is wrong”, they will be very grateful The data used in the app is constantly being reviewed, revised, etc. We have been working on the data for 8 years now, correcting current listings as we find more information about them, adding new locations, and even deleting entries that further research shows are not available for camping. An updated version of the app with the newest data is issued monthly. We have seen apps where the data has not been updated since the initial release of the app months ago. We encourage user-input to help ensure our listings are up-to-date. In just a few months of use in WA I found and sent reports for: A free campground that had been converted to a state parks commercial operation Two close by camping areas, one state park and one Dept of Fish and Wildlife, that had their data merged, and only one was marked on the map. My favorite Corp of Engineers lakeside campground that had the only access road removed by a huge landslide the year before. OTH, we were headed for what I thought were free dispersed sites along a BOR reservoir, after reading some glowing Internet reviews, and I found that Ultimate Campgrounds made no mention of them, and when we arrived, we saw all the new Day Use Only, No Camping signs. So, use it but always check and verify before committing to that side road.... so you don’t find this: and please report errors! Click the round Info button, top right corner, then submit a ticket at their website support page. Great resource! .... http://www.ultimatecampgrounds.com/index.php/products/applications John Davies Spokane WA

Unfortunately almost all the accessible free public lands are west of the Mississippi R, the eastern lands are mostly National Parks or highly commercialized resort style campgrounds with no boondocking. When most of the rural land is private, you find it posted and often gated off for any casual visitors. Add in the high population density, and the result is few available sites. Some National Parks and Monuments, such as Big Bend and Escalante, do offer dispersed camping at marked locations, but discourage random boondocking. The western National Forests and the vast areas of BLM land are pretty much wide open for this, if you can find a big enough wide spot, you are usually OK to spend the night there Texas is a prime example of bad planning... Just after statehood the new government opened almost all land for private development, probably as a buffer against Mexico, saving very little for the future public. Now there are vast primitive areas, but they are mostly private farms and ranches, with no public access. I like Texas, but this is an idiot situation, unless you happen to own a 10,000 acre ranch. This is just one of many reasons we fled from TN in 1981 and never looked back. If you really want to boondock, other than parking lots, plan on lots of high mileage days to get there, or sell your home and move west. Utah would be a good central location. You could boondock in spectacular scenery the rest of your life and never leave the state. The West Coast has great opportunities, but due to high population, in season many camping spots are very hard to find without a reservation. If you live within two hours of Puget Sound, you can just forget camping without a reservation from June through August. I moved from there too, 14 years ago. I do strongly suggest reviewing sat imagery before venturing down any uncertain road, to make sure there is a turnaround..... or hike it first! For a long road trip, if we have several fixed destinations, I will spend many hours studying the Ultimate Campground app and Google Earth (higher definition imagery than most nav apps, and the wonderful 3D tilt) and I will waypoint with comments all possible free or low cost camping locations close to the route, on GAIA, so en route we can easily find a spot when we start to get tired. Do your researching when you have extra time and fast wifi, rather than when cruising down a remote highway, with spotty cell reception and an expensive data plan. Use a good nav app and download the maps and images you need, before leaving home! John Davies Spokane WA

I was greasing and checking the Easy-Flex suspension at 6000 miles. The shackle nuts were fine, but several of the u-bolt nuts were a fraction loose, and two on the same bolt were 1/4turn loose. I checked these at 3000 and found the same situation, tho I can’t recall if the same nuts were loose both times. These should be checked every 3000 miles until they no longer require tightening, then you could go to a longer interval. John Davies Spokane WA