John E Davies

Some quick comments on the Alpine Loop and the established "tourist trails". Other than a few of the ones rated "Difficult" (Black Bear, one-way down into Telluride in particular, has killed some careless visitors) these routes are really not as hard or scary as the warnings indicate. If you have a little experience driving secondary forest roads and are not accrophobic, you will have no problems driving a Wrangler all over the place. If you have doubts then you can take a guided tour. Bring winter clothes because they are open topped and this is a place that is best experienced with unobstructed views. If you drive the Alpine Loop, your halfway break stop is Lake City. As I mentioned, it is a wonderful spot. It has some very cool shops, a good city park, and lots of nicely maintained Victorian buildings, so you can stretch your legs with a small walking tour. I really want to revisit this area and spend at least a week exploring. One reason we traded our truck in on a Land Cruiser is so we can park Mouse at a secure, centrally located RV park, in Ouray for example, and cruise the high passes easily and in comfort. John Davies Spokane WA

My favorite area by far in CO is the Durango/ Silverton/ Ouray area, including Lake City, but that last town is hard to get to, being on the "wrong" side of the mountain, so to speak. If you like offroading, rent a Wrangler and do the Alpine Loop or one of the many other stunning back country trips in the high country. If you like trains, the Silverton Railroad is unbeatable, but it's a long loooong trip up and then back to Durango. One way would be better if somebody can shuttle you back. Do not attempt the Million Dollar Highway from Silverton to Ouray unless you are _very_ confident in your rig and your driving skills. If you have any interest in classic Brit bikes, you can make a detour north of Mesa Verde to Colorado Norton Works in Delores. Yummm! St Elmo ghost town and nearby Leadville are wonderful if you like old buildings. https://roadtrippers.com/stories/st-elmos-fire-the-tragic-story-of-americas-most-enchanting-ghost-town Have fun! I love the Colorado high country. It is way too busy for my liking in summer, but September should be perfect. Watch the weather reports. John Davies Spokane WA

Resurrecting an old thread.... OK, I have changed tow vehicles, from a brute of a Ram 3500, tow rating 1 gazillion pounds, to a luscious 2013 Land Cruiser 200, tow rating 8500 pounds, max tongue weight 850 pounds... I plan to do a short tow test first, after I get my brake control installed, but I am pretty sure that I am going to need weight distribution plus, perhaps, rear airbags. I have ordered a tongue weight scale so I will know what numbers I am dealing with exactly. (With the Ram I just did not care!) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B007REJTGI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Any updates or new info on the Anderson hitch? Are you folks who use one still happy? How are the new inserts holding up? Which model does Oliver sell typically - what bracket size? Are your brackets moving at all? Any frame damage? Here is an interesting installation video from Oz. He recommends that you use this method for tuning the chain tension: 1- level the trailer 2- measure trailer frame height front and rear 3-measure tow vehicle wheel well height front and rear 4-drop the full coupler weight onto the ball (the tongue angles down and the TV angles down) 5-adjust nuts three turns initially 6-adjust nuts slowly and equally 1/4 turn until the trailer has settled (tongue comes up level) and the TV has settled level (there is an equal drop at the front and back wheel wells). 7-record number of threads for future reference. (That was my suggestion.) In the example vehicle (LC 200 - woohoo!) it settled 30 mm from the original "no load" position. Any comments about this technique? Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Oh man, I strongly second Bill's recommendation. "Quill" is unusual and IMHO downright classy. If you Google images for the word you will find some really beautiful ones you could use for a small side graphic. It could easily be combined with the standard "swooshes" too. They alteady look as if they were drawn with a pen. This is very cool! John Davies Spokane WA

I am still in limbo over a switch, but I did end up ordering a complete backup camera placard, LED and switch from Oliver, I just haven't received it yet. I plan to post part two of this thread when I get it installed. I hot wire the system for each tow.... Here are some screen shots. Resolution is barely adequate and response time is laggy, but it is entirely usable in decent light. At night it is going to be pretty much useless. I wish Garmin had spent more development on a better camera. My 6 inch RV660 LMT display is plenty sharp.... the camera resolution is poor. All pics are in full sunny daylight. This is my garage door about two feet away: The side lines are the lane lines, showing where the tires will go, and the horizontal lines are distance markers, the nearest is 2 ft and the furthest is 6 ft from the back of the rear bumper. More to come later. John Davies Spokane WA

Even if it is mounted at the top of the rear wall the rear platform will block anything on the ground closer than say 6 feet, if loaded with a bulky cargo as in the picture. I can see none of the rear bumper, but my spare and some of the rear wall is visible with mine. I have posted some more pics in my Garmin install thread but I still haven't finished the switch installation. I have to hot wire it when I am traveling... ;) John Davies Spokane WA

Can you post some closeups of the rear cargo basket and tell us how it has worked? Does it have running lights or just reflectors? What is the cargo? I think it is an interesting design but it would totally block a rear view camera. Please comment. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

FYI they are looking for pics with a visible custom personalized name on the trailer. Here is Mouse, with Zadie and Zack asking to go for a walk. John Davies Spokane WA

There is a slide vave located under the front dinette seat, with the handle in the rear wall of the bathroom. Easy access, at both ends. John Davies Spokane WA

My water heater quit working on gas a couple of days after delivery. I did some basic troubleshooting and determined after ten minutes that the ignitor was not firing. The system would cycle on and off three times, then lock out with a solid red light. The overtemp switches were not tripped, and there was gas, which I proved by carefully sticking a long camp stove lighter in the burner hole. I clicked the lighter and the flame POPPED and whooshed out and burned all the hair off the back of my hand. Check, there is gas! Note to self: do not do this again... I called Jason at Oliver Service and asked if he could send me a replacement board so I could install it myself. He told me that they do not warranty the appliances and I would have to take it to an RV dealer for repair. Fine.... I found a new OEM module on Amazon for $79, and also a much better aftermarket one for about the same price, but it would require a new plastic cover. https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0002MG2IK/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IY2Y0Y0X7RVZF&colid=1X5H11EH41351 https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B007HRVXY6/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I3LZPCEN833TPC&colid=1X5H11EH41351 Since it was going to be a warranty repair, and I am a confirmed cheapskate, I scheduled an appointment at a local shop in Spokane. They told me it would be three weeks before they could see me, and that they stocked a lot of boards for the Suburban heaters, so most likely they could fix it while I waited. I told them that I would be surprised if the job took more than fifteen minutes, and access to it was great. Three weeks later I showed up, checked in, watched with concern as they took Mouse away, and then I waited. Half an hour later I was called into the office. "The board is bad." ME: "Right, I knew that and I told your tech." "In order to do this under warranty we have to order a replacement board from Suburban, and it will take two to six weeks to get here, do you need the water heater to work before then?" ME: silence, counting to ten very slowly. "Sir?" ME: "I do need it to work on propane. Is there an alternative?" "We can install an aftermarket Dinosaur Electronics board, it is a much better part and has a five year warranty, and we have plenty of those in stock since the Suburban boards fail so often." ME: Sinking heart. "How much would that cost?" "The board is $129 and the cover is $10, and it will be $279 total with labor." ME: "I wish this was mentioned when I talked three weeks ago. Just put it back together and I'll order the part from Amazon and fix the heater in two days." "OK, fine, that will be $50 plus tax for the diagnosis." As I left, the tech who did the work told me quietly, "I left your old board on the floor at the entry, and I also left a used one that was in our junk box. We strip stuff like that off old water heaters when we scrap them. It will probably work fine for years. They sure did build your trailer nice!" I was floored and relieved, and my faith in mankind got a very small boost. I thanked him and left with Mouse, feeling a lot better. I got home, plugged in the board and the heater fired right up. Woohoo! My old (brand new) board that failed (water pump is to the left): The underside, showing the bottom of the fried resistor. The white foam strip goes on the PC board and keeps it off the mounting surface (the water pump and manifold assembly plate). If I had the notion, I could have replaced that resistor for less than a buck.... I don't know how I should feel about the dealer, their parts prices are _over_ MSRP and they sure try to screw you, but then the tech went way out of his way to make things right. He could have got into trouble with his boss, too. Moral of story: unless it is an expensive repair or you can live without a part for a long time, just fix it yourself or have a buddy do it for you. I hope to never go back to a dealer, ever. There is no way I was going to leave Mouse there, and then have everybody start crawling around inside, looking. John Davies Spokane WA

I agree entirely. I just got back from a highly developed city run campground by a lake that was packed with people on the weekend. I saw a number of rentals and also some foreign language speaking folks (Chinese?). The folks that bothered me the most were those parents who let their site look like a junkyard with water toys, balls, shoes, and general kid debris strewn everywhere, all day long. Actual trash was not too bad since there were lots of trash cans, but I did have to pick up half a dozen small bits before we even parked. The staff did police the area pretty well, picking up small stuff as they appeared. Campers from other countries can't learn good manners if the Americans around them don't demonstrate them. During the day I drove high up in the mountains on a 4wd track. I stopped at a rough campsite for a while with a stunning view. There was a bunch of used brass on the ground from a 9mm pistol. It was a little too scratched up for reloading so I spent five minutes gathering it up to recycle.... that's pretty anal, but it does look bad on the ground. There are many many more RVs on the highways this summer than in previous years. I suspect that a lot of the owners bought overstock units that are getting liquidated at fire sale prices. Once those stick and staple units start to self destruct, they will get parked and hopefully the number on the roads will go down a little. Off season camping looks more and more tempting now. John Davies Spokane WA

Brad, I have a 2006 Ram 3500 4wd with slightly oversized tires (worn 33 inch diameter). I am using an extended 3/4 inch rise ball mount and a standard 2 inch ball (with 1 inch shank). Both are rated at 7500 pounds. My ball measured 23.5 inches to the flat on top and that has worked well. This was with the bed loaded with all the gear I planned to carry, plus a fiberglass Leer canopy, probably 700-800 pounds total. I chose a mount that was three inches longer than a regular stubby one, for better tailgate and bumper clearance for the coupler and the storage basket ... https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007M308U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 DO NOT use your 5000 pound rated parts! Your Class 5 receiver is rated for a gazillion pounds, don't fret about that part of the equation. Don't forget to bring grease for the ball and coupler. I towed the trailer dry from the factory to Falls Hollow CG, and it wrecked the chrome plating on a brand new ball. Any synthetic grease will do, I carry a 3 oz tube of brake caliper lube in the cubby of my dash, so it is always handy. It takes up minimal space. FYI, I bought a 2 inch ball with extended shank at eTrailer. I added eight 1 inch ID hardened (Grade 8) washers under the mount. I planned to use them to fine tune the ball height, if needed. I did not need to move any under the ball, but if you are running bigger EDIT: SMALLER tires you might want to go this route, for some height flexibility. Do not use soft hardware store washers, they must be hardened and be sure to torque the heck out of the nut (250 ft lbs). I have used this method for countless years and never had a problem with the washers being there. Since you have airbags, you can probably just skip the washers.... unless you are really anal. John Davies Spokane WA

https://cityofchelan.us/departments/parks-recreation/rv-park/ The pic is looking west toward the lake, which is a couple of hundred yards away. This is very nice but it's $50 per day for full hookup sites, that is rather steep by local standards. It's run by the City of Chelan and is right downtown, close to pretty much any tourist stuff you could imagine: boat rentals, beach, go carts, shops, ranger station, parks etc. It is _insanely_ busy on weekends, not so much mid-week. The pads are short and you can't spill over onto the grass or they will mow it to pieces .... Dogs are forbidden after July 1 though the summer. Our two Labradoodles are OK for this visit. Area info: ... http://www.lakechelan.com ... it's a heck of a nice lake but the accessible southern portions are horribly over developed and getting worse. Escaping uplake in a boat or up into the high and remote mountains in a 4x4 is one way to escape the summer crowds. [attachment file=IMG_2261.JPG] This sort of camping is not my cup of tea - we are staying three nights while my wife attends a business conference in town... the venue is only 0.4 miles away so she walks it easily. John Davies Spokane WA

Is the sink drain a standard residential fitting? I discovered that my wife washes her hair over the sink, and I need to put a screen or strainer there, one that is easy to remove for cleaning. Plus it will eliminate the need to completely cut the sealer and disassemble the front of the vanity to clear the trap ;( That is a very poor feature IMHO. There are many types, I want something similar to this. ... Any suggestions? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

That's beautiful. It's very impressive. Will it stay in place in the sink recess during towing? Where do you plan to store it? That is half the challenge when you are building stuff for a small RV... John Davies Spokane WA

That is interesting, but it only holds 2 gallons and is far far bulkier than a soft sided sun shower, which rolls up very small. Two gallons is not really adequate for a shower, especially for a lady with a lot of hair to rinse out. I can see where this unit would be useful if there were nowhere to hang a sun shower, like on the beach... John Davies Spokane WA

That is a simple and elegant solution, thanks. I have fixed your link (use the third button from the right to make web url a clickable link): http://www.leevalley.com/us/hardware/page.aspx?p=74182&cat=3,43722,43743 John Davies Spokane WA

Does anyone know where I can get either a vinyl applique or a laser printed aluminum switch placard like this? Have added a Garmin backup camera and would like the switch to match the others in appearance. Jason in Service told me that they get all theirs from: .... http://www.seton.com ... but I emailed them and got a frustrating canned response telling me to buzz off. So now I need to figure out a local source or another online place. Any suggestions? I can make an aluminum plate, drill it and paint it black, I just need the label and the perimeter line. So it looks pretty and professional. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

They are close to the same, both are medium strength. I think the 4200 is a little stronger adhesive, the 4000 has added UV resistance, here is a chart. I would go with the 4200 simply because you have more time to work with it and remove excess. It's what I have always used. 5200 is a much better choice if you are gluing parts together that probably will never have to be disassembled, like a boat deck to a hull.... it is pretty much permanent. John Davies Spokane WA

What made you feel the LX 570 was not adequate? Was it the squooshy suspension? LXes are pretty darned soft so they will ride like a car. The Land Cruiser 200 is stiffer and it is easy enough to upgrade the springs, or just add airbags in back for the extra tongue weight. and they also do not have the darned self adjusting stuff to fail.... My Cummins 5.9 is a wonder going up a 12% pass at 10,000 feet while towing, that would be hard to give up. I sure wish we got the diesel Cruiser 200 here.... Thanks, John Davies Spikane WA

Randy, I would definitely remove that gutter completely, there is no doubt in my mind that the sealant has failed, and the other sections are now suspect. The main concern is that the screws into the hull may not be water tight. Water ingress is likely, and possible freezing damage in winter. Take it off, redo it with 3M 4200 and you will not worry about it when you are lying in bed when the rain is coming down hard! Even if there were no other problems, you will then know that, instead of wondering: is it, or is it not, leaking down inside the hull? Read and follow the 3M sealant instructions exactly, do not use alcohol for initial or post cleanup! It will prevent the sealant from curing! BTW, I suggest that you keep a close eye on your other outside seals, if the same person installed them, or used the same batch of sealant, they too might have problems like the door gutter, which in my opinion should be a "red flag" of warning to you. John Davies Spokane WA

Great idea, I will try that. Thanks. The comment about possible fiberglass hull damage is a good one and something I had not considered. I think I will leave the wheel facing wrong side out, and consider it to be protecting the wheels good side, and also the hull, from crash damage, sort of a "soft auxiliary bumper", in case I back into a tree. At least, that is what I will tell anybody who asks ;) Do you have pics of your lock setup? John Davies Spokane WA

It won't fit that way due to the wheel offset - I tried - and also the pretty side of the wheel would get scarred up by the ring on the retainer. It would definitely look much better, especially as the wheels get aged and dirtier. The entire mount would have to be rebuilt, with the center part extended back half an inch, plus there would need to be some way to pad the good side of the wheel without scarring it or letting water sit there and corrode it. It would be best to just weld a great big thick flange on the cylinder, with steel studs sticking back for real lug nuts and a lock. To be honest, I don't know why they chose this design. It keeps the clean side of the wheel pretty, but the good side of the tire sidewall chafes hard on the hull and will mess it up it and the gelcoat after a long time..... Plus if the tire deflates, the wheel will get loose on the mount. Well built, but ...Perplexing engineering! Not at all how I would approach the problem. The one positive note is that with drum brakes almost all the dust gets blown away and very little accumulates like with disc brakes, so the back sides of the wheels can be kept reasonably clean. If kept heavily waxed, and cleaned routinely during rotations, they all will look good for a long time. If not, I guess the cover goes back on, or I build a new mount one winter.... Oh WAIT! Does anybody other than me rotate their spare? John Davies Spokane WA

There is nothing securing the spare under the fiberglass cover, and because there are no studs like on the hubs, you can't use a conventional Gorilla or other threaded wheel lock. I considered drilling a 5/16" hole in the threaded rod for a padlock, but I decided instead to use a steel cable looped through the wheel itself. The cable is 1/8 plastic coated, 24 inches overall length, the "wire rope sleeves"are aluminum. I used a big old hand crimping tool to secure the loops. None of the parts will scratch the wheel or mount. Anything bigger would be hard to get through the openings between the mount and the wheel. I wanted to try going naked - no cover installed - so I used the star nut that secures the cover to run the flat washer down tight on the loops, to keep them and the lock from moving. If you wanted to install the cover, you would need to thread the cable in a different configuration, so that the lock and loops are hanging down and keeping the flat part of the wheel retainer free and clear. It is secure enough, IMHO. Anybody who was really determined to steal it could get through it pretty fast with a bolt cutter, but it is much better than nothing at all, and it is a very good visual deterrent. I had all the parts on hand in my garage, so it took only half an hour. It's an easy mod if you have the tools. EDIT: Thanks to Raspy for this tip. I screwed the threaded rod into the mount another 1.25 inches, so the exposed part was not a hazard or eyesore. More better! One thing I don't like about this design is that the ring scrapes badly on the inside of the wheel face as you tighten it hard, shedding aluminum particles. This is not good, but anything added there to act as a pad needs to not trap moisture. John Davies Spokane WA

My wife spent a ton on nice Twin sized linens before we picked up the trailer. Then we found that they are way too big because the beds are 30 inches x 75 inches, not 39 x 75 which is a Twin. They are really Bunk mattresses. NOT THIS: I really wish that ALL the advertising was not wrong, it means I need to get better fitting ones. I started to cut the existing ones down but there are ten pieces, and that is a whole lot of screwing around, and the results will not be pretty. I have decided to narrow the covers and blankets lengthwise, and replace the other six pieces. Here in the forums I saw mention of this place: ... http://www.ablifestyles.net/camper-rv-bedding/camper-rv-sheets/road-ready-rv-sheet-set/ Since we have ten inch tall mattresses, their off-the-shelf sheets (7 inch) will most likely be too small. They do offer custom sizing if you send them the dimensions. They also make Airstream specific linens with curves, so I am probably going to have them make me pads, bottom and top sheets that will fit the odd Oliver shape so there is not a lot of extra material bunched under and beside the mattresses. http://www.ablifestyles.net/special-order-camper-rv/ Here's some questions. Has anyone ordered custom linens from here, or another vendor, and were you happy with them? Do any of them have Oliver mattress dimensions on file, so that I would not need to measure the curve radius? Does anyone have that figure? I am not very happy about having to do this. Thanks for any help. And please ask Oliver Sales to change their literature so this does not happen to lotss more buyers. John Davies Spokane WA