John E Davies

Yes, but it should not make you hesitate. You can easily suck water in using the main water pump. If that pump fails, it won't do you any good to gravity fill the tank since you could not use any of it. Lack of gravity filling is a plus, not a minus. John Davies Spokane WA

This guy tests every concievable aspect of this generator. It's a pretty amazing project. The generator is a winner. http://www.2manytoyz.com/yamaha2400.html He mentions a $100 Yamaha rebate. I could not find any info on this...? John Davies Spokane WA

Sorry for the double post.... They are sold in tiny numbers, so you will need to use Autotrader or Car Gurus to locate one. Even a used one will show you a lot, there have been minimal changes through the years. Try Crawl mode, it is very entertaining. John Davies Spokane WA

Overlander, since you are out test driving vehicles, try a Land Cruiser 200. It is more expensive than a Disco but much more capable offroad than any uni-body LR, and WAY better built. You could pick up a really nice Certified 2014+ for the price of a new Discovery. The downside is that people will mistake it for a Highlander instead of a space vehicle.... or that's an upside, I dunno. Stock articulation: A Disco would have one tire a foot in the air. John Davies Spokane WA

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2017/05/which-premium-truck-performs-best-as-a-daily-driver.html Don't let mpgs rule your search. The best unladen fuel economy of the group came from the Titan XD but it really struggled pulling a trailer near its max load. Its always best to err on the side of "too much truck" than the other way around, which happens all too often. John Davies Sokane WA

Thanks so much for the many comments. I think we will stop at Jackson on I40, since it swarms with mainstream lodging. Expedia shows 71, starting at $34! I am a little stunned by the low prices. Maybe there are rats? ;) More likely bedbugs.... We will look for something in the $60 to $80 range. That will give us an easy 90 minute drive the next morning to Howenwald. Maybe if we need to sleep outside the trailer one night later on in the week, for repairs, we will try a local place. Thanks again. John Davies Spokane WA

It should be dead simple, plug and play, if you buy the Tekonsha Toyota adapter harness. Definitely pick a spot away from your knees. In the event of a collision it will rip open your leg otherwise. The P3 needs to be aligned parallel to the centerline of the truck, but it does NOT need to be horizontal, like the older units. It is a great controller for the price, and thus very popular. Shop around since prices vary wildly. You also need this tester. It is the only device that will functionally test your electronic controller without having a trailer attached, a great investment for peace of mind that your truck is ready to tow. ... https://www.amazon.com/Tekonsha-6562-Trailer-Emulator-Display/dp/B004BCA9B8 John Davies Spokane WA

Aftermarket engine tuners are very common for diesels, but in the case of the Raptor EcoBoost, maybe there is a market for an Economy Towing mode that optimizes fuel consumption by lowering boost and fueling. You don't (usually) need 500+ ft lbs for towing an Ollie. 350 is plenty. Keep the boost down and the fuel consumption drops dramatically. Are there multi-program tuners for the Raptor? I am sure that you know that fat tires, lots of lift and truck aerodynamics are the killer of fuel economy. You need to decide how important those features are for you. Seen this review? ... http://truckyeah.jalopnik.com/the-2017-ford-raptor-is-a-gas-sucking-one-trick-pony-bu-1794548282 Adding a lightweight canopy will improve highway mileage measurably, but it will subtract from the already dismal payload numbers. I want to trade my 2006 3500 Ram diesel in on a used Land Cruiser 200, and I will probably leave it mostly stock to avoid the deadly spiral of adding off-road mods that kill fuel economy. Considering where a stock cruiser will go, I can live with a set of meatier tires and sliders. I think the fact that you are reconsidering your choice is a good thing. John Davies Spokane WA

We will be coming in from the West through Dyersberg and will be needing a motel or quiet B&B to stay on Sunday night, prior to taking delivery on Monday May 15. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Dyersburg,+TN/Hohenwald,+TN/@35.7271351,-89.0017795,9z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x887929b40a4deaa9:0x3659044b67c3c572!2m2!1d-89.3856281!2d36.0345159!1m5!1m1!1s0x887cb566fbeef5f3:0xc7adb44e4de67696!2m2!1d-87.5519628!2d35.5478513!3e0?hl=en Any recommendations? After 2200 miles in six days we will be road weary. It doesn't appear that the Howenwald motels are very well rated. We do not want a 40 year old low end place on a busy road. Any comments on this B&B? It is a cabin on the Buffalo River south of town. Quiet is probably a good description. https://www.facebook.com/RiversideAntiquesAndBedBreakfast/ Anywhere within two hours drive from town, to the west, would be fine. Under $100 only, lower is better... Thanks for any recommendations. After Sunday night, we have lodging pretty well covered ;) John Davies Spokane WA

I debated long and hard with myself on whether I would order a single or double axle Ollie. A tandem offers some real advantages but you really lose maneuvearbility. A triple is a nightmare I choose to never experience.... never mind the extra toad. I decided that the extra load capacity and towing stability of four wheels overweighed my desire to make lots of jack knife turns. We will see what the future brings.... Thanks for the pictures. John Davies Spokane WA

How do you like the Yamaha and would you recommend it? I currently have an older EU1000i and am considering getting the Yammie and selling off my Honda. The EF2400iSHC gets stellar reviews, here especially. http://portablegeneratorguide.com/yamaha-ef2400ishc-review/ I would carry it in my TV most of the time, weight is not a big issue, and would use the generator ocassionally for really cloudy times or running the air conditioning in the boonies. I had an Air Command 13.5 installed.... Thanks John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the comments. Rather than inserting a liner that would trap water and road grit underneath, I will try squishy duffles first and see how they hold up. I went by the thrift store and came home with two used ones (in new condition) for $5. I can't see spending much on brand new ones since they will get beat up pretty fast. Those of you that put in a liner, do you take it out periodically to clean underneath? I would worry about long term corrosion... especially in winter months. BTW since I ordered the composting head, I won't be carrying a big stinky hose at all, just a couple of 1 inch ID fold-flat waste discharge hoses for gray water and an 18 inch length of 3/4 rigid hose for dumping directly into a bucket, and those are compact enough for a single 24 inch long duffle, no sweat. I'm not yet sure what else will ride in there. I'm going to carry the fresh water hoses and adapters inside the hull, in a plastic bin, to prevent cross contamination. Any ideas on what else would be OK to transport in there? Maybe some 1 ft square pieces of 3/4 CDX or rubber horse stall mat for under the jacks? Welcome mat for outside the entry? Folded tarps? Nothing illegal! Finally, how wet does it get in there when towing on soaked roads? Can it be sealed up better? John Davies Spokane Wa

Reed mentioned in a new thread that he had lost 20% of his water out the vent while on rough roads. This can happen in other RVs but I would expect that a well designed vent system in an Oliver would not let this happen. Have other Oliver owners experienced this? https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/26621948/print/true.cfm http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/fresh-water-tank-vent-leaking-147144.html#post1417961 I haven't been able to find a pic of the vent design, it is not shown on the plumbing schenatic in the Owners Manual. Does it go straight down after coming out the top of the tank? Does the pipe extend down into the tank, which will cause a siphon to be started when water sloshes? This is an unacceptable situation for me if it is common, since I plan to dry camp often with no water source for refilling a tank. Any ideas on how it could be easily corrected? Besides "do not drive on rough roads." I have read that a significant amount of the capacity is unusable due to the low and flat design, having another five or six gallons slosh out on the drive to a site would make me very mad.... Also, there risk of drawing in outside dust from the vent. Would a solution to this situation be a raised vent pipe with an exterior filter? I would not care if water vented down the outside of the trailer when filling the tank, if it stopped any water loss during travel. Or you could add a selector valve so normal water overflow during filling was through the existing pipe, and you could switch to a high filtered outside air vent for travel. Comments and ideas are welcome. Thanks. John Davies Spojane WA

....against the raised diamond plate pattern? Some diamond plate is extremely sharp, some not so much. Does anybody use a sheet of rubber or else store smaller stuff in duffle bags to prevent wear? It seems as if a duffle would certainly keep stuff a lot cleaner. What say you? Pictures? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

I am confused by the waste schematic from the Owners Manual. Is the gray dump valve, the one on the left of the drawing, shown in the correct location? It should be at the very outlet of the gray tank, in the short leg of the tee, not in the main outlet pipe. As drawn, there is no way to isolate the gray and black tanks. With all valves closed.... If the gray tank is empty, the black tank is full, and you open the black dump valve, waste will flow down the main pipe and then back up into the gray tank. That cannot be correct. I have owned one travel trailer, and it had the typical setup where both gray and black waste lines go to a valve manifold, and the only way to interconnect them is to cap the outlet and open BOTH valves at the same time. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

I received this from Jason about the toilet vent hose: It is tied into the plumbing line under the bath vanity that vents out the roof of the camper. This plumbing pipe is used to allow air to vent out of the system for proper draining. It is not tied into the black tank, but the black tank flush port is on the outside of the camper. No one can run water into the black tank from outside because under the dinette seat inside the camper we have an inline shark bite valve that you will leave closed to prevent this from happening. The vent is also connected so if they did fill up the black tank it would overflow into the vent pipe and drain into the grey tank. So it appears that the NH vent runs into the vanity and tees in up high, above the black and gray tanks. But the black vent is still wide open, and the rinse system is still fully operational. Oliver is very trusting that everybody who uses the plumbing will be intimately aware of all the nuances: "you will leave closed"! Also, the black tank is connected via the vents to both the NH and the gray tank, so the inside will not remain virginal very long..... I plan to take pics of the entire installation and start a new thread after I pick up the trailer in three weeks. John Davies Spokane, WA

FYI I would not let anybody tow my brand new Oliver with an old diesel truck, at least not very far. It may arrive soot stained and nasty looking. I personally would be looking for flatbed transport, if I were to ship. But we are driving 30 hours to go get her....leaving in two weeks. Woohoo! John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks, that should go on an annual Spring checklist John Davies Spokane WA

I've used that and it does work well. I don't think it is an especially easy to carry size or form factor. Is there a similar product that is available in a small squeeze tube, say 4 ounces, which would be much better for my emergency kit? I don't want to carry a big caulk gun. Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

I agree - I think iTunes and especially the Sync function is a horrific disaster. It really does not handle "self created" pdfs. They just aren't seen. I use a neat IOS app called File Browser. It makes it relatively painless to _directly_ transfer files from a handheld device to a desktop, or vice versa. It is direct, fast and easy to understand. Well worth the price IMHO. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/filebrowser-access-files-on-remote-computers/id364738545?mt=8 John Davies Spokane WA

Great ! I think that these trailers do not photograph very well. They are beautiful but when you see one in person, it is stunning. Especially if it is cleaned up and shiny. John Davies Spokane WA

Sherry, that is what I was planning to do. But not have a one way valve. There needs to be a new and completely separated 1/2 inch vent hose coming off the top of the unused black tank, going out the bottom of the trailer for venting and overflow, just like the other tanks. I don''t want to get into all the details of the mod I have in mind since it got discussed pretty heavily in the other thread. It won't take a lot of work to replumb the system. John Davies Spokane WA

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2017/04/towing-here-are-safety-tips-and-tricks.html John Davies Spokane WA

Reed, there is a multipage thread on the Natures Head toilet and it is quite clear that Oliver will not delete the unused black tank and plumbing and install additional fresh in its place. I plan to re-task mine eventually for additional fresh water capacity, and I would prefer that it remains as virginal as possible until then... with no interaction with nasty moisture venting from my composting toilet. I was told by the Service Dept via Anita in Sales that the NH vent "connects to the black vent". What I don't know is what else they do to the system. I don't plan on blowing up my tank, but there should be no loopholes in a system design that would allow that to happen in the first place. Murphy's Law and all that. Thanks for the pic and comments. John Davies Spokane WA

So, I am still completely in the dark in regards to the composting toilet. I can't find any pics of one installed in an Ollie, and the good folks at Oliver have not been answering my emails lately. I did send this question to Jason a few minutes ago, but I thought that I would throw it out to the Oliver Community for comments... Can you please tell me: how does the Natures Head vent hose attach to the existing black vent system? Is it teed in or is the black tank vent capped off completely at the tank? The reason I ask is that: If it is teed, then somebody could run water into the black tank through the black tank rinse line, flooding the bathroom through the toilet vent. If the vent is capped at the tank, then there is no venting in the black tank. Running 60+ psi water into it through the rinse line could rupture the tank or the black drain plumbing. Either situation is very bad news! Do you eliminate or plug the black tank rinse line to eliminate these possibilities? If the rinse circuit is disconnected internally, this couldn't happen, but I am unsure if they considered these two disturbing scenarios. As an older gentleman who occasionally has brain farts, I have to make sure a system is bulletproof. Comments? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA