John E Davies

I see no need for extensions. I can see down the sides perfectly well, I canNOT see behind, at all, through the mirrors. In heavy traffic at slow speeds I turn on my Garmin backup camera to let me keep an eye on tailgaters and people pulling out to pass. I strongly recommend a backup camera, spend your money on that instead of mirror extensions. I just added rear airbags in order to allow me better control of leveling when fully loaded. I will report back after my next trip. I think they are going to be useful. The downside is that at minimum pressure (5psi) they raise the back up 3/4 inch and they do stiffen the empty ride slightly. Not necessarily a bad thing, considering how soft the factory springs are. Show me some pics of your 200,how do you like it? Here is my current setup: 5 psi in the airbags, lightly loaded (no water, nothing in the jerry cans, nothing in the back of the truck), Anderson hitch lowered to level the trailer. When I add heavy stuff in back of the 200, I can pump up the bags to carry the extra weight. It may only need 10 psi, I will experiment. Before adding the bags, the 200 was butt low and the trailer was too....it was a little dorky looking, like this: Now it is more betta! John Davies Spokane WA

This pulled up beside me today. I guess “avid bird hunter” would be a good description of the owner....Nice rig! It has Oliver Wheels. Tho if it were mine I would have backed the UTV in to put the engine weight over the axles. Unless they are really heavy dogs.... John Davies Spokane WA

I can’t find much pricing info on Assa locks, do you have a link? I too like The Collar, it is solid and very compact, but the main problem is that it does not block the big hole in the coupler. A thief might be able to lower it onto a 7/8 “ ball and drive away. Adding a hardened 2 inch ball bearing inside your coupler would fix that. ... https://www.amazon.com/Inch-Chrome-Steel-Bearing-Ball/dp/B0074VCP8S/ref=sr_1_4?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1524662203&sr=1-4&keywords=2+inch+ball+bearing I am using this lock through The Collar....https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Hardware-S828-160-Shrouded-Hardened/dp/B001V5IYT2/ref=br_lf_m_87a5jnww68ca6zo_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&s=hi I’m sure it isn’t nearly as pick resistant as the Assa, but it does feel and operate very soldly. It is heavy with a well shielded mechanism. It does not stick up like a disc lock. I would suggest a long Python cable lock through the wheels, but they are so very easy to pick. I do have one securing my cans to the tongue tray, it is a visual deterrent mostly. Stuff down low is much easier to cut, but that square chain looks pretty cut proof, if it will go into the wheel holes. Hardened chain is an absolute nightmare to shorten, you have to use a grinder or cutoff wheel and it is very time consuming. Layers of protection! Several cheaper solutions are worth considering, no thief wants to have to disable several locks and then he finds you removed the fuses for the jacks.... If I were truly worried about long term storage I would take off at least two wheels and remove them from the site. John Davies Spokane WA

LOL, I also get fully distracted in Emergency Mode. Fortunately my wife is ussually well away from the action, dirt, and stress, so she has snapped a few great pics in the past. Having a great camera on your phone really helps. Some of the isolated forest, farm and ranch roads around here, especially the unmaintained ones marked “Primitive Road No Warning Signs”, can get grease slick after a sudden rain but fortunately the air is so dry that the ground dries out very fast, within hours usually. I bet that isn’t the case at LBL. I was there a few times camping and dirt biking when I was a youngster, I do remember that there was mud.... John Davies Spokane WA

Pictures please! I am really glad you got unstuck but want to see. How did you wash the mud off? John Davies Spokane WA

I do have to wonder why? Why go looking for new customers when the production line seems to be maxxed out? Why no mention of the many reasons Ollies are so unique and desireable? Is this going to be aired on tv or what? Curious mind needs to know..., John Davies Spokane WA

I bet it is a local voice actor, associated with the company that made the commercial. ... tho he sure sounds a WHOLE lot like Sam Elliot; Beef: It's what's for dinner: ... Which IMHO is a GREAT thing. What a terrific voice, both of them! John Davies Spokane WA

What is your tow vehicle? Dually vs HD vs Half Ton vs SUV... the payload rating makes a world of difference. John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t think you would need to remove it to modify the fittings, but the factory can tell you how may hours are needed, and the difficulty level. John Davies Spokane WA

That is a simply luscious holder, I have two in my home and one in Mouse, mounted in the same spot as yours I used stainless screws and nylocks. It is a rather expensive holder but it has NO faults other than its cost. John Davies Spokane WA

Nice installation. Pretty! I especially like your choice of power distbution box. Did you get the high output USB ports? I share Randy’s thoughts on blocking the emergency exit, the fixture being right next to that window and bolted down. I expect in a fire you would blow right through the lamp, smashing it flat, but you would probably end up with some extra scratches... would you care to share your thoughts and reasoning about this? Did you consider a large flat plate and industrial velcro? Do you find having the lamp on top hinders routine access to the inside compartment, or do you just no longer use it? Did you secure all those floppy wires? But I guess they all ride pretty well just lying in the wood tray when stowed. I greatly appreciate the good quality pics. I am still waiting to see more of the pointy part of your trailer..... Edit: I have a suggestion in regard to pics. It is really hard to get correctly exposed images due to the bright reflective finishes Oliver uses. It’s like being on a bright white sandy beach. When you edit your pics, use the Exposure or Brightness settings to lighten up the too-dark areas. It will tend to wash out the rest of the shot, but it will highlight the hard-to-see black parts. Like this: Forcing the flash ON may help to brighten a black box, but it introduces unwanted reflections. It can be challenging taking pics of Olivers... Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

When you buy a US spec Land Cruiser you accept the fact that it will suck gas. My truck has 33 inch LT mud tires and those hurt. I get 10 to 12 towing, depending on how much steep climbing is involved, and there is a lot of that around here. I got 14 one time, downhill with a stiff tailwind. But that was definitely an aberration. The truck is only rated at 18 highway, not towing,in stock form with passenger tires. It used to get that at a steady 60 mph, and even a little better, before I started screwing around with it... If you go oversized on the tires, regearing from 3.9:1 to 4.3 or even 4.88 ring and pinions will _really_ wake up the towing performance and possibly increase mileage at the same time, but that is $3000. All models have two really tall overdrive gears. Regearing lets you tow in fifth instead fourth (6 speed tranny) except for steep grades. The later 8 speed trucks have tighter spacing between gears, and a much lower first gear, and are a little better at towing, than my 6 speed (2013 model). The 4.5 liter twin turbo diesel Cruiser blows the 5.7 gas version completely out of the water for towing and range, especially when chipped - 50% more power at the wheels with just a chip, exhaust swap and dyno tuning. ... Fast forward to 5:00 for road test and fuel economy results. Darn it.... Why won’t they bring these here!? ... https://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser-200/range John Davies Spokane WA

At 5’10” and sleepng feet to the rear, I find the length OK, the width is more bothersome since there is no room to just roll over. (The mattresses are not regular Twin sized, but Bunk sized - 30 inches.) You must lift your body and reposition.... At your height it would really be best to test one in person. If you buy a Two Bed trailer and find out you don’t sleep well, that would be very upsetting. A King would without a doubt give tons more room and sleeping comfort. Also you need to see if you can live with whacking your head in the head.... especially when using the toilet. I showed Mouse to a couple who really liked the design, but the severe lack of headroom was a 100% deal breaker for the husband who was 6’6”. The entry opening to the head is a low head knocker, as is the main entry, but at least the latter is well padded. The metal head door frame can be painful... Try before you buy! John Davies Spokane WA

Yep, I was talking about converting the black to fresh in that thread, but I have not got anywhere with it yet. The tank should be fine for potable water, I think it is ABs, and the only code issue is that waste and potable systems cannot be interconnected. Thus you won’t find a manufacturer who will do this during or after production.... it would be up to the owner. It should gravity feed the main tank since it sits several inches higher, so other than reconfiguring the venting system (you must disconnect and cap the existing big vent line at the tee under the bathroom sink) and adding a new vent/ overflow, there won’t be a lot to the conversion. Go ahead and do yours, post pics and a shopping list, and then I will do mine. The R&D is the tough part. BTW, since I fixed the pickup tube in my main fresh tank so that I can use almost all of the capacity, I am not nearly as worried as I was a year ago..... that mod is now standard at the factory, so you will already have full use of your fresh tank. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the link, I was not aware of that shop. I have never heard of a late model (200 Series) diesel swap, there are lots of emission and other stuff that have to be addressed. Lots of older rigs get dieseled, but only in places where there are no vehicle inspections. I just wish Toyota would bring the diesel 200 version here, it is a beast of a tow vehicle with 50% improved mpgs, and about double the fuel capacity. John Davies Spikane WA

We spent two nights here last week, it is a nice older commercial campground located 30 minutes back on a dead end paved road at the edge of the Blue Mountains, due south of Pomeroy. The Tucannon valley is one of the most popular fishing areas in SW WA, and on holiday weekends there may be 5000 fisherfolk visiting. It was pretty quiet this time of year. We had heavy rain and a couple of inches of snow on the high hills above the campground. The paved road continues 8 miles to the Tucannon NFS campground, then turns to rough gravel and jeep roads before reaching the Wilderness boundary. In summer the Kendall Skyline Drive is very popular, after the snow is gone, and this CG would make a fine basecamp for exploring the fishing lakes and the high country. ... http://www.union-bulletin.com/things_to_do/outdoors/changes-in-store-for-popular-string-of-tucannon-lakes/article_d717a1ac-5c24-11e6-8eda-3735d26eb769.html https://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGW274-054 Because of the large number of visitors at times, there are many other camping opportunities. The wildlife refuge has a dozen free campgrounds (WA Discover Pass required) plus there are three NFS campgrounds and a few undeveloped spots, plus way more places once you get out of the valley into the woods. I went as far up as I could, but I decided I should stop when I no longer saw any tracks in the snow at 3300 ft. The high ridges are above 6000 ft and may not be snow free until June. The Stone Stomper worked well. It rained hard on the way home, and I was astonished to see that the rear glass and hatch of the 200 remained dry. All the water spraying off the truck’s tires was diverted under the Oliver, as designed. It was cool to see it in operation, in the rear view mirrors. John Davies Spokane WA

That is a very cool installation. OTH I have some serious reservations about the location, since the jack will be dead center in the blast of spray and gravel coming off the tires of your TV. How do you intend it keep it functioning smoothly and not get totally blasted and corroded? I do have to say that a Stone Stomper would provide excellent protection, but getting access to the jack would be time consuming and a little frustrating at certain times. John Davies Spokane WA

This is a very interesting article.... It starts out discussing lawsuits concerning death and injury from fundamentally dangerous and unsafe “bow rider” sport boats, and then gets into the RV industry. Boat: “They had no naval architects and they didn’t do any engineering,” says attorney Roger A. Dreyer of the California firm of Dreyer Babich Buccola Wood Campora, LLP, who represented the Bell family. The design criteria was what looks good -- not what was safe. The design was completely contrary -- boats don’t have bows that go to the water. There’s no efficiency. But one [Mastercraft manager] testified that it looked ‘sexy.’" RV: In July 2009, two members of the Shreveport, La. First Baptist Church youth group died and 21 passengers aboard a 42-passenger 2007 Starcraft XLT International 3200 bus manufactured by Forest River were injured. The group was enroute to Macon, Georgia to attend a youth ministry camp, when the left rear tire of the Starcraft bus suffered a catastrophic tread separation, prompting a loss of control that caused the bus to roll over one and a half times. The company had built the bus on a Navistar chassis certified to a certain fully loaded weight. But in outfitting the bus with extra seats and a cargo room for customers such as churches, Forest River had cut the chassis in half and extended it to make it longer. Frame rails were also added to the rear of the bus to extend it even further for the cargo area. As re-configured by Forest River, the bus was no longer safe to carry a full load of passengers and their luggage. Nonetheless, as a second-stage manufacturer, Starcraft used the original manufacturer’s compliance certifications to assert that the vehicle met government safety standards. The victims sued Forest River. John Davidson, a Jackson, Mississippi lawyer who represented some of the plaintiffs discovered this loaded weight discrepancy in the First Baptist’s bus, and other, similar medium-sized buses. He also discovered, in deposition testimony, that none of Forest River’s engineers actually had engineering degrees, and the company had no industrial scales to weigh their products. Woah! Full story: .... http://www.safetyresearch.net/blog/articles/litigation-pushes-ski-boat-manufacturers-safer-designs John Davies Spokane WA

No in oh so many ways! Rear door! Dust and muck collector! Front window, no guard! Rock and bug collector! It will be broken within 2000 miles. 4000 GVWR, 3400 base, 200 pounds of water = 400 pounds of cargo capacity!!! No ground clearance. No solar on roof. Not four season. 3 yr warranty. $45,000 MSRP! I just don’t see the value; even if the trailer was “impeccably” built, which I SERIOUSLY doubt, that is not a $45k trailer. If discounted 25% at the lots, then maybe, for some people.... who want a pretty, but significantly impractical toy. John Davies Spokane WA

Mark, that will not be a problem, you should probably use a short 3/4 hose and park the truck bed right next to the rear suction port for best flow rate. I know of several Ollie owners who use bladders or portable tanks for topping up. That is exactly what the system is designed for.... http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/water-bladder-bags/ Carrying 500+ pounds of water will settle the back of your big truck a little, which is probably a good thing. Excited much? John Davies Spokane WA

I checked mine and they were there, but very loose. I switched to 10/32 nylocks, but did NOT use large flat washers. I used the existing small flat and lock washers instead. The hardware fits into a deep recess, and I am not sure there is enough thread extension to get full nut engagement when using a larger washer, without over-stressing the plastic. There is a thick rubber gasket at the top and it is hard to tell when the cover is fully seated. Old hardware on the left, new on the right. The screw is to show the thread size of the motor studs: You can see that the nut disappears into the hole without spacing it out somehow: I ran the nuts down evenly until one thread showed through the nylon: I don't know how tough the plastic cover is, but it feels flimsey. Be careful. John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t resize at all, but I do always edit and possibly crop when I save a pic. John Davies Spokane WA

Test from my iPhone 6S (Verizon). Copied from my Photo Library. EDIT -Looks OK, is your phone software up to date, maybe reboot it.... Note that your THUMBNAILS will appear trimmed, but not distorted, at the bottom of the post. Are your actual pics also squashed? Post one here please. Select “Insert into content”. I agree it is a real pain to use a phone, my iPad Mini 4 is bad, but not nearly that horrible. Have you thought about buying a low end iPad Mini , and using your phone as a hotspot for Internet? Ipads make great navigation aids when in the boonies, with appropriate map software. The Retina display on the newer iPads is stunning, and you can get an iPad starting at $329 and a Mini 4 at $399. Plus they are great for watching downloaded Netflix or Prime movies. John Davies Spokane WA

How come you didn’t include the spare? Do you not rotate your tires? It is rather hard and time consuming to check the spare’s pressure. Are you comfortable with the very short warranty (90 days)? Please post a review when you are done. John Davies Spokane WA

This is a great reference. http://www.mrheater.com/downloads/dl/file/id/134/mr_heater_hfa_guide_2015.pdf John Davies Spokane WA