Jump to content

John E Davies

Member+
  • Posts

    5,758
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    243

Everything posted by John E Davies

  1. Well, this is disappointing but not at all unexpected. I raised up the rear blinds and found the window channel, and the back of the blinds, choked with dust. However, it is very possible that I did this when I blew the dust off the outside with my leafblower, has anyone else seen this happen naturally, without power assistance? John Davies Spokane WA
  2. Do you mean remove the cable stay and let the door hang completely vertical, like the hot water heater door? No, there is about 2 inches clearance with the door hanging on the stay. So with that disconnected the door would open a little further and then hit the mudflap bracket hard. I never have a need to “crawl into” the opening, so this never even occurred to me.... I use a couple of milk crates shoved way back, but I attached ropes to them so I can just pull them out. No crawling. The long items I keep in there like a folding table are easy enough to reach. I have wondered for a long time why all the outside and cabinet doors have the hinges on the bottom, that seems completely backwards to me. It does save on the cost of gas struts.... John Davies Spokane WA
  3. I doubt it, flaps are required for registering a trailer there. If you moved and took your Ollie you would have to fit a set. I think. This is heresay for me. John Davies Spokane WA
  4. No worries, work very well.... John Davies Spokane WA
  5. Foy, that looks just so very wrong to me! And totally unacceptable. Are both sides like that, or just the left one? My suspicion is there is a manufactureing defect in the subframe, one or more hangers are mislocated, or more likely, the entire subframe was positioned too far forward on the frame rails. Either way, Oliver owes you some serious shop time to fix it. On “Mouse” the left jack is positioned almost an inch further back than the right, but the suspension is centered under the fenders. There is zero contact between tire and fender. Please start a new thread about this and report back when it is sorted out. RE the mudflaps.... I sent a link to my install thread to Jason with a suggestion that they engineer and offer a similar design as a factory option, and he agreed that it would be a good idea. He said a few customers have specifically asked, and they are mandatory if the trailer goes to Canada. Incorporating brackets or just pre-drilled mounting holes into the build of the subframes would be dead simple. Then the arms would be plug-and-play. The hardest part of the mod is lying on your back and drilling the steel subframe..... http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/how-to-rear-mud-flaps-for-the-ollie/ John Davies Spokane WA
  6. Easier, maybe, but unless you have installed mudflaps on the trailer you risk damage from stuff thrown by the left rear tire..... I suggest that you keep them tucked away as they were installed at the factory. Or install mudflaps ;) I just finished detailing “Mouse” and noticed how much less crud and dings were in that area now.... John Davies Spokane WA
  7. My wife found a set of four stickers on eBay from the UK..... John Davies Spokane WA
  8. Noticed this in tidying up the wiring in my lower compartment: The fat red and yellow wires are the 12 volt power and ground for the fridge. The white block is a terminal block to join them to the wires coming out of the control board. I did not like to see them chafing on the steel bracket. Remove the 20a fuse for the fridge (under the dinette) and turn off 110vac before messing around in there! Unscrew and discard the white plastic cable clamp on the left, reposition the wires as shown and secure with cable ties. Make sure the wires are clear of the ground stud sticking up nearby. Check the tightness of the screws in the terminal block, one of mine was a little loose. I also looked inside the control box and secured the other wires to make them neater and so they cannot flop around. Check yours, and clean out the dust while you are in there. Remove the 30amp blade fuse from the holder on the red wire, dead center in the above pic. Clean any corrosion and reinstall the fuse with a coating of dielectric grease on the contacts. Secure it with the fuse angled down, to keep out water! This fuse holder really should be a sealed unit, there is no excuse for exposed electrical connections in a completely open outside compartment! Question: I am thinking of a simple way to block off this compartment for travel on dirt roads, to keep electronics and coils clean. How about a heavy trash bag filled with enough styrofoam peanuts to fit snugly in the cavity, around all the various components? The vented cover should hold it tightly in place. Obviously the fridge and propane would be switched off. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA
  9. Those are definitely overkill but they look like they work terrifically well. I did fine with a scrap of Coleman sleeping pad (the blue dense egg crate foam). But I am a much smaller guy. It is important to not wear shoes that have metal eyelets, or black marking soles, or they can leave dark scuff marks on the gelcoat. John Davies Spokane WA
  10. Get a tall ladder, a rope, some rags and a foam camping pad to kneel on. Pad the ladder and secure it to the awning with the rope. If your silly drip seal is still in place, you can’t do this, so tie it to the entry grab bar and be really careful not to knock your ladder over! If you have to go up near the door, you need to tilt the solar panel up to be able to walk past it. If you climb up near the rear, this is not needed. (This is another excellent reason to throw away that seal. You can clean the accumulated muck from behind it at the same time.) Climb on roof, awning side only (so you don’t slide off). Remove cover of AC. Clear drain of debris. Inspect and clean other components as needed. Reinstall cover. Climb down. Go get a beer. Blowing compressed air up from the drain bottom opening might work but it won’t get the debris away from the top opening, so it will probably plug up again. You need to physically go check out what is going on up top. If you have some 303 Protectant, clean and treat the plastic cover to keep it from getting brittle. Nobody said owning an RV was easy.... I just spent most of a day on the roof detailing. If in doubt, find a young person to do this for you or take it to an RV $hop! Note that the seal is gone: Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA
  11. Here again, the chart shows a spike beyond previous bubble highs which points to another crash. So add this indicator to trailing 12-month P/E, cyclically adjusted P/E, asset prices to GDP, and about a dozen other historically-reliable valuation measures that are now screaming “get out!” https://www.silverdoctors.com/headlines/world-news/the-rv-indicator-is-flashing-get-out-of-the-markets-now-just-like-it-did-before-and-before/ John Davies Spokane WA
  12. So I noticed that MontanaOliver has Hull 326, and Mark picked his new LEII up exactly a year after we got Hull 218. That works out to exactly nine deliveries per month, on average. Does anyone know what is the target number of monthly production? Two per week sounds like a good goal to me, but how many of these trailers does Oliver want to crank out? Will it affect the build quality? Has anyone heard if they will expand the production line, perhaps offering a new model, or just more units of the current ones? We are approaching the end of a huge and worrisome RV Bubble, and as gas prices start to climb back up towards $4.00, the bubble will burst and demand will plummet as it did in 2008. I sure hope the factory doesn't overextend. Comments? John Davies Spokane WA
  13. This is BLM land, no facilities, with a rough, steep dirt road leading to dispersed sites on two small Channelled Scabland lakes. Twin Lakes Recreation Area is between Odessa and Harrington WA,in the very middle of the state. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/03/channeled-scablands/ When you are alone and the bugs are out, you have lots of time to mess around with a camera, making time lapse videos: [attachment file=133808] John Davies Spokane WA
  14. I don’t mind having chargers that may be obsolete in a decade, if I am still around I will just deal with replacing them. I actually think that the round 12v sockets are obsolete already and I would rather just have more USB ports. It is fairly easy to replace one with a dual USB..... as far as exotic chargers go, I would just run my inverter and plug it into a 110 VAC wall outlet. You will get better results in searching if you add the term “hard wire”. John Davies Spokane WA
  15. All the chargers hook up to the 12 volt system in your car or in your trailer. “5 volts” is the regulated output voltage needed by your phone, tablet, or gps. “1 amps” or “2.1 amps” is the maximum current provided for each USB receptacle. Obviously, IF your device is designed to handle more current, a 2.1 amp port will charge it much faster. A device designed for a low amp charger will not be hurt in any way by using a high amp unit, they self-regulate. You won’t burn it up. You will find lots of round plug-in chargers that have one 2.1a and one 1a port Each port will be labeled differently, which can be frustrating if you charge your phone from the “slow” port by accident. The letters are often hard to read. The dual 2.1a models are much less common. I think it has to do with their ability to shed waste heat during operation. These aluminum ones are designed to handle the heat better than the plastic ones. Plus they cost more to manufacture. With a dual port model you just stick the cord in either port, you don’t have to fuss around with seeing which one is faster.... or wondering why your iPad battery keeps going down while you are using it. John Davies Spokane WA
  16. The factory units in Hull 218 are high quality (Blue Sea) but only 1 amp, so they are slow when charging a modern smartphone or tablet. It took a lot of searching but I finally found a nice CNC machined replacement that is available with a NON-illuminated face, which is perfect for over a bed or anywhere close to the sleeping area. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CJW3ZRP/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 The bezel is smaller than the diameter of the charger. Mask off the openings to keep out debris! Carefully reduce the diameter of the lip to closely match the bezel, so it will slide inside snugly. I used a belt sander with a fine grit belt, followed up by 220 grit hand sanding. MAKE SURE the unit functions properly before grinding, you might not be able to return one that you have altered! Also double check function just before installing. I “painted” the raw aluminum with a black Sharpie. Inserted into the bezel, and marked the + and - terminals with a silver pen so I could actually see them. and installed it into the hole where the factory unit used to be: Note how very thick that cabinet bottom is, I wanted to mount one more on the street side, but there was no way it would easily work through that much thickness. I pulled the stereo and drilled a hole next to the faceplate, picking up power and ground from the radio wires. I used an inline fuse holder plus a 10 amp fuse. My wife can lay her devices on top of the galley counter, or underneath to get them out of the way for food prep. These new chargers will charge my iPhone way faster than the old one. And no more glowing light in the eyes at night.... Neat mod, highly recommended! John Davies Spokane WA
  17. Well, I do love projects. Thanks for the kind words. I am truly a little worried about poorly sealed circuit boards, in the outside areas mostly, but also inside the hull. Normal dust is not a real issue. But the red rock dust in most of southern Utah is .... it is up to a few percent iron oxide, and it becomes conductive when moist. If an unsealed board or electrical connexion (which most are in RV appliances) gets heavily coated in red dust, and then is exposed to moisture, it can cause corrosion and board or connector failure. I have experienced this directly after a 4wd vacation in Canyonlands. Inside the trailer, the completely exposed boards for the water heater, water tank level monitors, inverter, etc etc, as well as every single wire connection and unsealed switch are at risk. Besides this special concern about “Moab corrosion”, regular dust inside is a general nuisance and an eyesore. Why not just keep it out? I like a clean interior.... The outside components are still at risk tho. I would really like to hear from long time owners if they have dealt with dust inside the trailer, and how they did it. I realize that only a few ever get off pavement, and fewer still are like me who might drive for three or more hours on really dusty ones. BTW, I did consider cracking the roof vent and running the fan on high in reverse, but that would bring in unfiltered air. You could add a filter under the fan, but changing it would dump dust all over you and the interior. Keeping the filter mechanism outside is best. Also, I had been thinking about this since well before I ordered Mouse. I started a thread 15 months ago and got minimal response... John Davies Spokane WA
  18. Teaser: I am sure dust is leaking into lots of places I haven't seen yet, like all the scupper drains and the roof vent. For sure I see it around the door seal near the hinges and the bottom, the aft outside storage door near the shower, and I am getting serious leakage under the fridge ... but that one is most probably a bad seal behind the flanges of the unit that I can fix: The Aussies do this all the time to deal with "bull dust". The basic idea is that you add positive pressure (clean, highly filtered air) to the cabin, shut all vents and openings, and the air leaks out any places dust would normally enter. As tight as the ollie is, it would not take a lot of airflow to be effective - 100 cfm should be more than plenty.: [attachment file=Aussi Dust syatem.JPG] I mocked up a system on Mouse and think I could duplicate that one for less than $300, using a smaller filter assembly. [attachment file=Donaldson FRG filter screen cap 03.png] That unit will fit behind the street side propane bottle, I already have side access doors. It will be easy to remove the end cap for filter replacement, and the dirt purge valve will point down to exit around the frame members. Excuse the poor graphics: [attachment file=IMG_4920 Labled.jpg] The inlet can go into the cabin here, I think. Does anyone know what is behind the X? I am almost, sort-of, sure that it is clear under the bathroom vanity. [attachment file=IMG_4916 Labled.jpg] An inexpensive 3 inch bilge blower will fit here: [attachment file=IMG_4838 Labled.jpg] Because there is lots of room on the faucet side of that cavity: [attachment file=IMG_4841 Labled.jpg] Getting the pipe in would be simpler if the X location were available, if not it could be brought in from higher up but that would complicate the plumbing. Power is there at the water pump switch (the fan motor draws less than 4 amps) and I could add another waterproof switch. Air entering the vanity would diffuse throughout the floor and enter the cabin through the heater grill and other openings. The inlet pipe from the air filter would go straight up between the two bottles, 90 degree elbow to the street side and then 90 degree elbow up to a snorkel tube: [attachment file=IMG_4927 Labled.jpg] If you wanted a totally stealth installation you could elbow down and install a washable pleated filter but that would be maintenance intensive, and the air under the doghouse is not too clean. Here is the snorkel: [attachment file=IMG_4933 Labled.jpg] Side view, it would fit pretty close to the front hull seam. You would have to notch the doghouse cover to clear it.: Thoughts? Am I insane? I think it would look totally cool..... John Davies Spokane WA
  19. I wish you the best of luck figuring this out .... I wish there were standards so that factory truck monitors could easily accept outside video feeds. I do think you will need to find an aftermarket wifi dongle to connect to your nav head. My Land Cruiser has perimeter cameras as well as front and back cameras. I hoped to tie my trailer one into that system. No luck. I am now using a Garmin BC30 backup camera connected to my RV660 gps. It works fine, and having the second screen helps in certain unusual circumstances, such as going down a steep twisty dirt road in first gear, 4 Low. I have a view of what is in front of the truck bumper AND what is behind the trailer. I would lose that ability if I had the rear signal integrated into my factory display.... Sorry to hijack your thread. I actually believe having the monitor up high in your direct line of sight is WAY more useful, especially when you leave it turned on in heavy traffic. You don’t have to look away from the road to see it. Note that my high mounted camera, about 8 inches below the Oliver sign, allows me to actually the rear tire; plus the two furthest guidelines are adjustable. I have mine set at six feet and four feet. I think this is important! I don’t know if the factory unit has that capability.... John Davies Spokane WA
  20. Just had a random thought. I could fabricate a long removable solid “running board” that could be slid onto brackets on the frame. It would also extend across the steps to the front of the hull, to act a deflector to keep the dust plume low down until it reached the rear wheels. Could that be effective at all? It would look odd, but odd never stopped me before. John Davies Spokane WA
  21. Thanks for the link, I somehow missed most of that conversation, probably because of the very misleading title. I do hope that we can gather up as much info and pictures about compressor fridges as possible in this thread so that anyone who may be interested can easily find it. I really think this Forum has enough members and activity now that a FAQ section would be a great benefit. I have some thoughts on doing a permanent patch over the two big outside openings, but it would depend on what fridge I chose, in terms of leaving good access to the compressor and electronics. The Nova Cool F5800 looks very good because all that equipment is up high in the left rear (as viewed from the front of the unit) corner, so a large vent opening in the entry wall there could provide excellent access. If that turns out to be true, then doing a permanent patch job on the unused outside holes would be a good thing. Is there any market for a lightly used year-old absorption fridge? Maybe $400 on Craigslist? Being able to get some cash for the old one might help me sell the idea to my Personal Banker.... John Davies Spokane WA
  22. Long Nova Kool install thread at the Escape Forum, no pictures for some reason. http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8/nova-kool-rfu-8320-refrigerator-installation-4741.html John Davies Spokane WA
  23. Overland and SeaDawg, and anybody else who has knowledge or first hand experience, please comment. I am interested in plugging the two gaping holes in the side of the hull and also eliminating one potential fire hazard, the propane line into that area. I would love to see more pics like this from Overland: Please talk about what you learned from: Initial research Problems during the installation Tips for an easier installation How to neatly block off the outside openings What you have learned AFTER installing it - using the fridge What brands/ models work best in an Ollie, What brands to avoid. I have owned a portable ARB fridge for several years and like it a lot, so this is not completely new territory. I just hope that I can become educated here. I am currently interested in the Nova Kool F5800, mostly because it will fit nicely in the existing opening. The required cutout is 32 H x 23.25 W x 23.25 to 22" D (adjustable support frame). The Dometic RM2454 (my unit) opening: 36.5 H x 24.01 W x 23.7" D. So the new unit is shorter by 4.5 inches but otherwise really close. The Dometic is 4.0 cu ft, the nova Kool is 5.8 Cu ft, a huge incrrease. Parts diagram: ... http://novakool.com/products/single_doors/documents/PartsListF5800ACDC.pdf Installation and Owners Manual: .... http://www.novakool.com/support/documents/manualnkf-049revdec2013.pdf Cost is around $1350 plus shipping, warranty is two years, it works at 30 degrees off level, and the venting needed is 30 sq inches above and also below the compressor. ... And that is about the extent of my knowledge about Nova Kool. For those of you wondering why we are even interested in this stuff, please watch: ... Please discuss. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA
  24. I could try that, but I do keep some frozen stuff in the freezer, so anything I wanted to keep froze hard would have to go in my ARB 12 vdc unit. The rest of the fridge contents could warm up a little without harm, I guess. Can someone post pics of solid outside vent covers? I don't like to re-engineer what has already been sorted out. I would desperately like to hear if other Ollie owners experience this issue! The lower vent location is extremely far down under the hull compared to most other RVs except maybe for popups. It is located directly in the path of the rooster tail generated by the truck. So, am I getting all this dirt due to the basic “design flaw”, or is this a nasty byproduct of my Stone Stomper installation, which keeps all the debris down low rather than letting it billow up and partly disperse into the gap between? I could take off the SS and do some tests, but I hope that owners can just tell me if it happens to you too.!! If this is a design flaw then Oliver needs to be putting compressor fridges into their boondocking trailers. Or at least giving guidance about how to deal with the situation. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA
  25. My compressor doesn't have a high enough flow rate to clear the coils in between the two access openings. The blower does great. I do not have to take the extension tubes. If I had the blower I could also use it to clear the spot in front of the cabin door, but that would probably upset any neighbors. John Davies Spokane WA
×
×
  • Create New...