John E Davies

Yep, that is a very cool spot, we have been there twice. If you are doing anything involving the Alpine Loop, you end up in Animas Forks. It is central to maybe eight different 4wd trails, plus the graded road to Silverton. John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, thanks so much for the detailed info, I need to waypoint your recommendations. Unless you perhaps have gps locations? John Davies Spokane WA

http://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/Parks/ridgway Has anyone stayed here? I reserved a site for early July for four nights. Electricity but no hookups, plus deep shade over the site. It’s an extremely popular boating destination so it will be packed, but we will be leaving Saturday morning, so maybe we will avoid the worst. We will park Mouse and explore the high passes solo in the Cruiser. If the weather is good we will try Ophir Pass - Telluride - Imogene Pass - Yankee Boy Basin one day, Engineer Pass - Lake City - Carson ghost town - Cinnamon Pass another day. That leaves one day extra for foul weather delays or for just farting around in Ouray (hot springs) or Silverton. On Saturday we will start to work our way due north, maybe Black Canyon south rim and CO Nat Monument. Then through western WY to Lander (Wind River Mts), Bighorn Mts, Cody (Firearm Museum), Yellowstone area, maybe the Park itself. Maybe cut east to Billings for the Red Oxx factory store, north west to Helena (Glass center and cool downtown). This depends on if we are feeling burned out and also potential smoke and heat. Then home direct. Three days down, five days in western CO, ten+ days in WY and MT. Should be fun and not too hard in terms of miles per day. The longest haul will be to Ouray, 1100 miles. We will go NOWHERE near SLC, woohoo! Comments for places to dry camp are most welcome. Nat Parks and Monuments are OK, I have the Geezer Pass. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Those Ranger Tugs are cool and stunningly pretty in real life. That R27 is not exactly easy to tow..... I actually did go to the boat show after all. There were four boats that interested me, one was an R23, it would actually pull OK behind my Land Cruiser if I never went to Colorado with it.... FYI.... One R23 = two Olivers. One R27 = three to four Olivers. $$$$$! Plus, if you keep it in the water, figure about 10% of its cost per year to maintain it correctly, including fuel, insurance, haul outs, annual bottom paint and slip rental, this is if you pay to have it serviced professionally. Keep it on a trailer, stored inside, the cost is WAY less, and you don’t need the bottom paint. But if you tow it, you need to protect the bow and forward facing glass from rock and bug damage and figure in the cost of fixing chips in the gel coat, which is a PITA. Holy cow, why did I ever start thinking about boats again....? I thought I learned my lesson 30 years ago. I do have a canoe.... I need to replace loose rivets in the gunnels. That is the extent of the work it needs.... John Davies Spokane WA

While I agree that stainless bolts can be a problem, look under your Ollie and you will see that the body is bolted with stainless bolts through the frame rails. If you use aluminum anti-seize compound on the fasteners, they should be fine. I agree that sticking them in there unprotected is possibly bad news. I wonder if the factory coats them? OTH I have removed bare stainless bolts from a 13 year old aluminum trailer and found only a light white coating. The best defense is keep the electrolytes away entirely. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the article. I hope nobody is submerging their Ollie into salt water, but winter deicing chemicals are JUST as bad in terms of potential corrosion, and the problem is that they are hygroscopic (never dry out) and it is often impossible to wash a trailer in freezing weather. This is one reason I won't even consider towing in the NW this time of year. BTW I do intend to electrically isolate each aluminum mudflap bracket where it bolts to the steel subframe. John Davies Spokane WA

Mark, It is interesting that the Jenneau power boats are now being made here in the USA. I doubt if I would ever see one at a local show, but there is a Jeanneau powerboat dealer in Seattle, so maybe they might bring one there. I like the Hewescraft you posted, any idea about pricing? I always though these commercial grade aluminum hulls were pretty darned expensive, and probably way overkill for any use I would put it to, like cruising the Columbia or lower Snake Rivers...) This one would be perfect for that, in the shorter size for easier trailering: http://www.hewescraft.com/products/pacific-cruiser/ Having outboard power really opens up the inside in terms of cargo and tankage... http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2016-hewescraft-240-pacific-cruiser-102795207/ John Davies Spokane WA

This drifts s little off topic. I posted a year ago about slideouts and the horrible crash performance of RVs in general. The industry has safety minimums that manufacturers must meet, but they are all focussed on plumbing, gas detection, and fire protection. Not a thing about safety during a crash. It’s perfectly OK for a structure to explode into kindling during a rollover, or for the builder to cut four gaping holes into an otherwise (fairly) sturdy cabin to fit multiple slides, and to locate one directly behind the driver so that he is crushed when in flies forward. It truly is insane from this perspective. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/recreational-vehicle-standards-and-why-is-the-average-build-quality-so-low/ I have been researching power boats recently, an old interest rekindled after 30 years, and I am appalled at the designs. Boating has been in a huge slump and the makers are desperate to bring new families into the sport with innovating and affordable designs. These boats are almost universally “bow riders” with a large open seating area up front, instead of an enclosed deck, so you can pack a few extra people onto a small design. They look cool in the showroom but are stupid and deadly in reality. Even the larger boats are coming with this feature. They are safer due to their extra size and mass, but still..... does this make sense even to the novice? Do they consider what happens in even a low speed accident? https://www.wavetowave.com/home/2017/9/19/bowriders-the-death-of-safe-design We used to have a SeaRay 250 Sundancer that we would take out on Puget Sound. That was not a small boat.... I can vividly recall the time we plunged into a very steep FOUR FOOT tall wake from a laboring cruiser going through the fast current of Deception Pass. A wall of green water swept over the closed deck of our boat and exploded into the windshield. Loose objects crashed to the deck. With an open deck we might have gone to the bottom. As it happened we swore but nothing broke. I’ve been thinking about going to the Boat Show next week, but, like RV shows, I will probably be absolutely disgusted with what I see and I will most likely make rude comments to the poor sale people. They can’t help it if all they have to sell is junk. Olivers are amazing trailers. One thing that really impressed me during research is how focussed the company is on real world safety. I have heard stoies of how well they survive crashes, but have never seen actual pics. Neat trailers! Comments are welcome, as always. EDIT. This neat trailerable pocket cruiser from France caught my eye. They do stick a small seat up front for lounging at anchor, but no huge cavities with couches. John Davies Spokane WA

https://www.motoring.com.au/toyota-landcruiser-200-series-2018-tow-test-110477/ The stock engine is 270 bhp/480 ft lbs, but it will put out reliable 600 ft lbs with a mild tune. Last year 13,000 200s were sold in Oz, most of them diesels. They also get a bunch of lower trim levels like the bare bones VX tested, one step above a work truck... If I ever move to Australia or NZ I know what I will be buying. John Davies Spokane WA

Another interesting fact is that Land Cruisers go through several owners at first, the first ones tend to lease, and they replace them every one or two years with another new one. They also don’t take them off pavement so they are usually in very nice condition inside and out when the third or fourth owner buys them. By then the value is half the new cost and regular folks who want to utilize their offroad capabilities can do so without panicking about scratches and dents. It takes about five years for the aftermarket to make stuff like body armor available. You don’t see used 200s sitting on dealer lots, they get grabbed up within a few days. Some dealers have waiting lists. I am the fourth owner and my 2013 now has 103k miles. It drives like new with absolutely no squeeks or rattles, even on nasty potholed forest roads. It is a great highway tourer. The fuel economy sucks, but that is the price you pay for its bulletproof build quality. Everytime I see a Prius I am thankful, since four of them made the building of my Land Cruiser possible..... if we could get the twin turbo V8 diesel variant like the rest of the world, that would no longer be an issue. They are neat vehicles. John Davies Spokane WA

John Davies Spokane WA

Boy this is an old thread! The main issue with your Sequoia 4.7 is the engine and transmission. They are just plain inadequate for an Elite II, especially in the mountains. For what you describe a Land Cruiser 200 would be perfect. Your goals are the same as mine. Park the Ollie and explore the high country... Since you will definitely be going off payment it would be silly to buy a new truck. A used 2013 or later would be ideal. Look for a low miles certified if you are at all uneasy, but these trucks have VERY few serious issues. The drivetrain is identical to the Tundra and it is a brute. If you can afford it, get the later year with 8 speed auto. It has closer spacing of the first 6 gears with two overdrives and a much lower first ratio. But the six speed is fine too. $40K will buy you a very nice 2013 or 2014. These trucks new are now close to 90K. All you really need is; Remove the running boards, consider steel sliders. Install larger 10 ply tires. Install a minimal lift if you plan to do a lot of ledgey passes. That's all you need, it is absolutely phenomenal offroad. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/land-cruiser-200-towing-thread/ If you have proper tires you probably will never need to use CRAWL to self-extract from a bog: If you don't mind another Sequoia, a late model 5.7 will do OK off-road when prepped the same but it is in NO way as capable as a 200. If you think you want a bed, look at a used Power Wagon 6.4. They drive way better than the HD pickups but you can't load them way down with gear like those. They are clumsy on tighter trails..... I used to have a fully tricked out Series 80 Land Cruiser (with three lockers).This mostly stock 200 is a little larger physically but it will go anywhere that older truck would go. It is scary capable. John Davies Spokane WA

First, here is a tech bulletin offering basic info and instructions to inspect annually. No other useful info about actual replacement is included. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/tsb-understanding-galvanic-reaction/ How many zincs are there on an Elite II frame? What are their exact locations? What is the correct procedure for replacing them (surface prep especially)? Are they in fact zinc, or some other metal such as aluminum? What is the size and part number? Would it be beneficial to add more to the frame? Or larger ones? http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/sacrificial-zincs.asp There are two reasons I am asking: First, they should be inspected annually and replaced if eroded to 50% of their original size. Second, I will be adding additional aluminum brackets to the frame and wish to add extra zincs on them. Two of the brackets are for mudflaps and they will be in a harsh location in terms of road spray and gravel rash.. Comments? Would somebody with direct experience like to start a How To thread? Any and all comments are most welcome. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

If you monitor your trailer tires using TPMS and have a 40 psi warning set, fine, run 45 psi in these tires, but you eliminate that reserve air that gives you time and miles down the road to react to a slow leak like a nail. For someone without trailer TPMS, running 45 psi is foolish and risky. Once the tire starts to look flat it has been running in heat distress and it is too late to prevent internal damage which may not be visible. We can talk this endlessly, but I still don't understand why Oliver will not: 1: provide TPMS as a factory option 2: Provide written guidance on a satisfactory and safe pressure range. Their continued silence on this issue is troublesome. I have requested it by PM, maybe a few others here can do so too. BTW I believe that a good trailer TPMS is one of the very best safety accessories you can have. It is affordable and will provide great peace of mind on lonely backroads when you are far from assistance. It will potentially save you money in the long run by preventing most types of tire failures, and it can warn of brake or bearing issues (if the sensors also monitor temperature). John Davies Spokane WA

Phil, is there any reason Oliver continues to give zero guidance about ideal tire pressure, and also why are they delivered with tires inflated to max sidewall pressure? For storage that may make some sense, as a manufacturer, but it is doing a disservice to the buyer to not adjust them to a reasonable value like 60 psi for an Elite II. Tire pressures should be a tech bulletin. I have requested this in the past and still haven't seen one. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Here is a great guide to gelcoat repair. It is not hard to do, it is a little tricky to do correctly so that it looks OK. I've done boats before, but never a trailer. REPAIR OF GELCOAT AND OTHER SECRETS OF MAINTAINING YOUR BOATS FINISH: http://www.optistuff.com/info/faq/instructions/GelcoatRepairInstructions.pdf How to Select Sealants & Caulk: https://www.westmarine.com/WestAdvisor/How-to-Select-Sealants-and-Caulk John Davies Spokane WA

Balancing trailer tires is never done by the manufacturer, they just don’t care; it takes time, which costs them money. Most buyers don’t know enough to ask for it, and the vast majority don’t care. The only way to know for sure that your tires are NOT out of balance is to spin them up on a balancing machine. We hung around TN for a week, camping and visiting family, then on the long haul back west I had them balanced (including the spare) and it made me feel a whole lot better. Did the trailer tow any different? Not that I could tell. My wife was amused more than anything. For $50 it is a no brainer. Do it, then don’t worry. There are too many aspects about towing that you have little or no control over. Why worry about one simple task that you can do something about....? John Davies Spokane WA

The only situation where tire diameters are a concern is with awd vehicles. Tires with significantly different rolling radius on the same axle can really mess up the differentials - Subarus are especially vulnerable to drivetrain damage - and it can cause the electronic nannies like Stability Control to completely freak out. For independently operating trailer tires, it is simply a non issue. Nobody will notice if one tire has marginally greater tread depth, except you. John Davies Spokane WA

How about drugs or stolen weapons? Those might be OK.... John Davies Spokane WA

Tire rotation IS necessary. Your tires wear out through age and UV/ ozone exposure even if they are not used. You may find your spare dry rotted in ten years and useless, you might as well get some use out of it. https://www.discounttire.com/learn/tire-aging There is a lot of wear on a II due to tire scrub when turning, hard backing especially. On a single axle trailer this does not happen. John Davies Spokane WA

A good tire store that has a decent sized parking lot can do it, just tell them that you can raise all the tires off the ground for them using the jacks. Or an RV shop can do it.. I would pick Discount Tire if one was close. Before you go, pull the cover and inspect your spare wheel to see if it matches. Mine did not - it was a different model entirely and I had to get a replacement from Oliver. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/mis-matched-spare-wheel/ John Davies Spokane WA

NO wood shims, you want to use non-rotting materials that can't trap water. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

That is so cool, but what planet is the inventor from if he thinks it would work as shown in the video? It fails in so many ways.... For maneuvering up an alley, maybe it would work if there was no mud on the tires and you didn’t tear the tongue jack clean off the frame, or deplete the batteries. What is the duty cycle on the motors? I smell burning insulation. Those kiddies playing around the trailer would be road kill in real life. The four actuators hang down, with a minimum road clearance of about 4 inches, and two are located behind the rear wheels. That will work wonderfully off pavement.... https://www.truma.com/web/downloadcenter/files/truma-mover-xt4-installation-operating-de-en-fr-it-nl-dk-se.pdf What a hoot. I think it’s all an elaboate prank. All the people in the brochure are so happy that they no longer need to back their RV, so they go dancing and sailing instead, in their Truma Lifestyle Clothing . https://www.truma.com/web/downloadcenter/files/truma-manoeuvring-systems-brochure-en.pdf LOL indeed. John Davies Spokane WA

Would your Trailer Valet have been secure with the optional jack brace? I looked closely at Mouse and there is a good probability that the brace bracket would fit. The frame interferes partially, so that there is not much of the main tube projecting. Did you use their coupler plate between ball and Bulldog? The videos emphasize that you must really crank down on the locking collar. I am curious about why it did not stay put. One would expect them to warn of this if any particular type of coupler were unsafe. I am glad you were not hurt, but can you please elaborate? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

John Davies Spokane WA