John E Davies

https://www.facebook.com/groups/oliverposse/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/oliverowners/ Click "Join Group" after logging into Facebook. I personally do not like and won't use FB, and I don't see any need for multiple Ollie groups, but whatever. Why not just use these forums? BTW, you must use the toolbar button to get hyperlinks to show correctly. John Davies Spokane WA

That looks interesting. There are a lot of silicone greases, some good, some not so much. Here is the gold standard for use on everything mechanical - oil and fuel filter gaskets especially. DC4 is in every A&P mechanics toolbox for use any time something made of rubber or similar material needs to stay pliable and slippery. It is more pricey than the common stuff like Permatex that is at the auto parts store. https://www.amazon.com/Dow-Corning-Electrical-Insulating-Compound/dp/B0195UWAHG/ref=sr_1_13?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1479434643&sr=1-13&keywords=Silicone+dielectric+grease It is HIGHLY effective on low voltage electrical and coax connections for keeping corrosion at bay. Also under a rubber spark plug boot on your lawn mower so it is easy to remove years later. Or to condition your door seals. A big tube lasts a really long time.... It doesn't have teflon, so I suspect your pool lube will work a little better for sliding parts. Please post a follow up report. John Davies Spokane WA

How many miles of towing and under what conditions? Any dirt road use? Wet roads? Was the inside cone of the aluminum mount scored? The reason I ask is that, from an engineering point of view, this sort of contamination is entirely unacceptable. The "dirt" in the pic you posted is essentially silica valve grinding compound. That stuff is used to make two conical moving surfaces mate together perfectly, and then it is completely washed away. We don't need or desire that in a trailer hitch! I think Anderson needs to offer a neoprene boot for the top of the mount to keep water from washing abrasive particles into this vulnerable area. Otherwise, owners are going to be continually replacing the inserts, and buying new outer units when they get too damaged to be serviceable. BTW, if you wonder how valve grinding compound is used, this will enlighten you: .... http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/tapered_cone_seacocks .... Now you can decide if you want that constantly going on inside your expensive aluminum hitch. I really like the intent of the Anderson hitch. Would I ever buy one, for the dusty roads I plan to tow on? Nope, not a chance. John Davies Spokane WA

The Oliver frame is wonderfully engineered, beautiful to behold, and very durable. Just don't bring any gallium (or mercury) along on your next camping trip. This is undoubtedly a pointless post, but the video is really cool and more than a little scary. Especially since you can have a small vial of gallium shipped free to your home for $10 from Amazon..... This stuff, as well as mercury, is absolutely forbidden on airplanes, because a tiny spill could cause hundreds of thousands of $ worth of damage to the structure. Yikes. John Davies Spokane WA

Dave, a decent multimeter with ammeter function is a must-have tool for troubleshooting, but only if you are reasonably skilled in using it. For testing the voltage of a motor or determining that a ground has high resistance it is essential. But you still have to dig it out of your toolbox, have the necessary jumper cables and adapter wires, have access to and be able to read wiring diagrams, and especially have a logical and focused mind. As I get grayer, and my eyesight gets worse, reading and thinking become more important factors. The Tekonsha tester works like the cheaper LED light testers but it also allows you to verify that your controller is working correctly, by simulating the resistance load of the brake magnets. There is no other simple way to do this other than by connecting your trailer! If you do connect to your trailer and the controller doesn't work, you have no idea if the problem is in the truck or the trailer. If your trailer is stored off site, it means that you have to wait until you are leaving on a trip to see if things are working right. I don't think anybody wants to hang around at a storage lot trying to figure out why the brakes are dead..... It takes only a minute to take the tester out of the glovebox, plug it in, and have a buddy work all the lights and the brake controller, and you can see that everything is good by observing the six LEDs and the displays on the P3 screen. Using a meter would take WAY longer and frankly is a real pain in the butt. The wiring at the back of a car or truck is exposed to extremely nasty conditions, including corrosive road chemicals, and it is very common for wiring and the 7 pin connector to fail, especially if there have been non-factory mods. If your connector has a steel body, it WILL rust out and then short out the wire terminals inside. Plastic ones will not do this. If somebody made a connection using a non-waterproof splice, it WILL corrode and fail, eventually. The Tekonsh tester is a great tool to give your truck a spring checkup before you leave on your first trip. Buy it and you will thank me later. Also it is a great feeling to pull it out, test somebody's lights, and then be able to tell them immediately if there is a problem and which circuit is involved. It makes you look like a wizard. ;) John Davies Spokane WA

Those of you with the big diesel trucks, please post your fuel economy figures and a brief description (towing speed, elevation, terrain). I have a 2006 Ram 3500 5.9 Cummins and am wondering what I would see towing an Elite II. I regularly get 18-20 mpg running empty on the freeway, and up to 22 on 60 mph flat back roads.... I am hoping for 16 pulling the trailer. Thanks, John Davies Spokane WA

Properly adjusted brakes should be able to skid all four tires on dry pavement when the voltage/ gain/ power is cranked all the way up. Something is wrong and you need to fix whatever is amiss. If one brake is faulty, say due to contamination from a leaking grease seal, then the other three should still lock up. You may have a wiring issue like a poor ground. Adding an additional ground wire between the trailer frame and TV can dramatically reduce or prevent brake and lighting problems. The vast majority of trailer brake and light problems are due to poor grounding, and this is the first thing to look for when things are acting strange.... I have not read anything here about the quality of the Oliver chassis wiring, but I expect that it is FAR better than that of the typical Harbor Freight utility trailer or most travel trailers. But that doesn't mean that there isn't a loose or corroded connection somewhere. eTrailer.com has lots of great troubleshooting articles like this one .... https://www.etrailer.com/faq-testing-trailer-brake-magnets-for-proper-function.aspx Unless you have serviced them very recently, it would probably be a good idea to physically inspect and adjust all four brakes, just to establish a baseline for further troubleshooting. A decent digital multimeter with ammeter function and some advice from a knowledgeable neighbor can really help if you have an electrical problem, or just ask here. BTW, the P3 is a great controller. I have one in my Ram and it works very well. It is very popular for many reasons. If you do not already have one, I _strongly_ suggest you buy one of these special Tekonsha testers, ASAP, to use for testing both the tow vehicle lighting circuits and the function of the controller. It serves as a dummy load so you can activate the features of your P3, including the manual over-ride lever. (It eliminates the No Trailer warning when the trailer is disconnected.) It may save you much time and confusion, and your wife will not yell at you for saying bad words. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

Are these intended for winter storage while parked on concrete? I honestly can't envision dragging them around during trips, especially if I were going to be at irregular campsites. I would caution people to make sure their wood is in prime condition .... if there are any weaknesses the block can split into two pieces when heavily loaded along the grain. Imagine splitting a piece of firewood. Across the grain is far stronger. Yours are probably fine but they worry me, especially as they get a little beat up over time and absorb water and then repeatedly freeze. John Davies Spokane WA

This a general comment on blown fuses..... A fuse is installed in a circuit not to protect the device at the other end, but to protect the wiring. If the load shorts out (burns up and diverts the current straight to ground) then the excessive current will blow the fuse and keep the wiring from overheating and catching fire. This is the main function of fuses and circuit breakers (though the latter can be used to make circuits safe to work on by manually opening them.) If a fuse blows, there is generally a physical reason. A manufacturing defect is one possibility, but this is rare there days. Trying to service or repair a device while it is hooked to power is another - the dreaded "sparks flying" scenario when your wrench shorts across the hot terminal and you say bad words... If you replace a blown fuse and do not see any reason for it to be blown, make sure you keep an eye on it and definitely keep a spare or two in your kit. Check the load device and see if it shows any signs of distress, like overheating, discoloration, binding or stiff bearings (for a motor) or a nasty smell. Never ever EVER replace a fuse with a higher rated one to keep it from blowing. Be safe. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the great comments. Nice pics, but please add some from that remote BLM campsite! Your Audi seems like a good match, but I hope you will continue to keep us updated with it's good and bad points. You are stressing that 3.0 liter engine pretty hard... Is yours a diesel? How are the power and engine/ transmission temperatures at 12,000 feet and 6% grade, with your Ollie in back? As I pointed out in an earlier post, doing any kind of remote travel with a German car in many parts of the West is a very risky business, if you have a check engine light come on, or worse. If you plan to drive on ANY rough unpaved roads, you should install better (higher profile) non-runflat tires and wheels, and carry a matching full sized spare tire and the tools to change it. Getting a tow while stranded by a slashed sidewall on some remote road, with zero cell coverage, will really ruin your day.... Been there, done that! But only once! Please post pics, I love the Utah scenery, especially the places that are a little less visited. John Davies Spokane WA

As a consumer, I think it is very wrong that you would have to basically disassemble the entire vanity, then reassemble it again with expensive and difficult to find adhesive, to access a piece of plumbing. This design makes it virtually impossible for the average owner to fix a leak in the boonies. Every, EVERY SINGLE plumbing joint and connection should have relatively simple access. Inspection hatches are the answer, not the method described above. I am extremely disappointed that this is needed in a trailer marketed as a unit that will be passed on to future generations... and I hope Oliver will start adding hatches or completely redesigning the systems so that all the connections are located at accessible areas. In the meantime, I suppose every owner should buy a tube of sealant and add it to his spares kit. 3M 4000 is great stuff but you won't find it at Walmart. West Marine stores an Amazon are good sources. John Davies Spokane WA

Uhmmmm .... I was suggesting that you use low pressure gas from your residential tank to run your furnace. Your home tank is not plumbed correctly to supply liquid propane for filling, but it can perhaps be modified if your propane supplier is willing. There are potentially serious risks involved and I personally would not do this anywhere near a residence. There is a reason propane fill stations are located away from buildings. Read post 4 at the following page, then you can decide if you want to do this. Here's the meat of that long post.... "It usually works pretty well, but one time I was fueling up an old Farmall H on propane and the check valve in the liquid line wouldn't seat... I tried tightening and loosening the valve several times (since the end of the hose connector has a pin that depresses the check valve to open it when the connection is made) to try to get the check valve to reseat, but it wouldn't... soon I was leaking liquid LP everywhere and of course being cryogenic, it starts freezing everything over as it boils away... So, with a full tractor tank, and the bulk tank hoses closed, the stupid thing is slobbering liquid LP everywhere and boiling off furiously into a billowing white cloud drifting clean across the field toward the highway-- I'm just praying nobody driving down the road tosses a cigarette or we're gonna have one h311 of a fuel-air explosion... I run to the shop and get some heavy leather welding gloves to try to tighten up the connection, but with the slobbering LP boiling off and freezing everything pretty soon even these heavy gloves are freezing solid... about this time the old man shows up and tells me "yeah, we had that happen once in awhile back in the old days-- get a 2x4 and smack on the valve til it seats"... So I grab a 2x4 block off the stack we keep under the diesel tank to block up equipment and start gently 'pile-driving' the check valve connection welded to the side of the tank... after some gentle and then a little more vigorous persuasion, the check valve finally snaps shut and I can let the connections thaw and then uncouple the hose... " http://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?30820-Filling-20lb-LP-tanks-from-residential-size-large-LP-tanks Regardless, you have to weigh your tanks to properly fill them. Topping off is not as simple as topping off a compressed air cylinder where you just monitor the pressure gauge...... I sure wish Oliver would offer diesel appliances instead of propane. John Davies Spokane WA

As long as you are monitoring the trailer OFTEN, there should be no problems doing this. However, I suggest a backup electric cube heater set to a lower temp than the main thermostat, to act as a failsafe in case the propane tanks run dry or the furnace fails to light. If the trailer is close by your residence, you can install a remote thermometer and keep an eye on the interior temp from your house. I think going away and leaving your trailer at a remote location while relying on the just furnace to keep it from freezing is a HUGE, possibly expensive mistake. RV systems are simply not as reliable as residential units. BTW, if you park your Ollie beside your home, can you run a propane hose from your big propane tank to the trailer, using a quick disconnect fitting, so you don't have to worry about the little tanks running dry? That would be a neat mod, as long as you remember to disconnect it before leaving! John Davies Spokane WA

Bill, I somehow missed your original post. I do want the camera to be up high in back, primarily because I plan to ditch the spare tire cover entirely! Plus it should stay a little cleaner in nasty weather. I appreciate your comments. John Davies Spokane WA

Why don't you block the existing return air grill with cardboard, crack open the dinette access panel and repeat your experiment? If there is a decrease in the delta T then you may want to proceed with your mod. If there is no signifiant difference, well, you have entertained us all for a while and have a great week! My guess is that if you do relocate the return air grill you will hear a little less furnace noise from the rear beds, if that matters at all. If you really wanted to grab the bull by the horns, you could tee into one of the HVAC ducts in the front and install an adjustable damper to bleed hot air directly into the area. A simple mechanical one would probably work OK, after some experimenting. Or you could go all out: ... http://www.smartclima.com/category/air-duct-damper Honestly, unless you want a toasty warm bathroom floor, I think this is really a non-issue. John Davies Spokane WA

I am guessing here ... it sounds as if the check valve in the hose is installed backwards, or there is a severe crimp or blockage in the hose itself... I don't know how easy it is to see the check valve. There should be an arrow on the housing showing flow direction. Obviously, it should point towards the black tank. Maybe a strong flashlight and an adjustable mechanic's inspection mirror would be called for. You can clean the tank very well with a rinse wand and a garden hose from the toilet opening, just be darned careful. This has been done successfully for as long as RVs have been around. I would hope that the pre-delivery inspection would include a function check and leak testing of this system! While it would be really easy to install the valve in the wrong orientation, a quality control inspection should easily catch such a mistake. Good luck I just have to ask, is your truck's nickname "Popeye"? John Davies Spokane WA

I think raising the front to ensure all the tanks are as empty as possible is a terrific idea. However, if you do that and then level the trailer, the remaining two or three (?) gallons of fresh water will be distributed over the entire bottom of the tank. Even if this were to freeze solid for month or two, it will likely do no harm at all because it is such a thin layer over a large area. The problem with ice damage occurs in small confined spaces where there is no room for expansion. That is why we worry about pipes and pumps. The tanks themselves, if emptied, are really not much of a worry. A trick nobody has mentioned is that you can open the fresh and gray drains and trailer the guy around for a while. Any remaining fluids will get sloshed around and out onto the ground. Please don't do this with the black tank! I am so eager to have an Oliver so I can actually do this stuff instead of just read and write about it! Oh yeah, I personally am reluctant to spray any kind of lubricant into locks, other than the special lubes that are intended for the application. T-9 or Tri-Flow or WD-40 or any of these universal lubes just don't work real well in the tiny confined spaces inside the tumblers of a lock, and they attract airborne dust. I use this on all my locks, and it is fantastic, if a little messy. ... https://www.amazon.com/AGS-LE5-Lock-Ease/dp/B000CIJUGA John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks for the comments. It looks as if the Voyager system is a great choice for most buyers. My primary reason for wanting a Garmin camera, though the display and resolution are not so nice, is that in my case I do not want an extra screen and wires cluttering my dash. I will see if Oliver will run a cable and mount a Garmin camera in back of the trailer for me. If that is going to be too costly ..... How hard is it to string a couple of 12 volt wires and a video cable to the top of the closet? Is there an easy way through the floor or overhead? John Davies Spokane WA

Does the Oliver installed camera use a transmitter up front to ensure that the wireless signal is strong at the tow vehicle? If so, where do they put it? Front closet? Is there a published max transmission distance for the Oliver camera system? Do they run that cable, plus a power wire, through the cabin, regardless of whether or not you pick that option when ordering? In other words, is the BU camera plug and play later? The reason I ask this stuff is that I have a camera-capable Garmin RV 660LMT nav (a very fine unit!) and I was wondering if I could add a Garmin brand camera later without having to run a new transmitter wire through the length of the trailer. Does this look like the same type of cable that Oliver uses? https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/shop-by-accessories/cables/wireless-backup-camera-extension-cable/prod144533_010-12043-10.html Some closeup pictures and maybe the owner's manual download link for the Oliver camera would be most helpful. BTW, the Garmin BC30 camera's transmitter has a theoretical (max) range of 45 ft, which is very marginal for a rear location. The reason I want to use a Garmin BU camera is that I will not have to mount and power a second monitor on the dash, and my Garmin gps is already in place and being used for nav voice routing, apps and hands free phone calls. The Garmin will accept up to FOUR camera inputs, so I can add a camera at the rear of my truck for hitching up, and possibly one in the front grill for off-roading and using a front receiver hitch.... "You can pair up to four wireless cameras with the BC 30 receiver cable. For example, you can pair one backup camera installed on your vehicle and a second backup camera installed on a trailer. From the camera view, you can cycle through the video feeds from all paired cameras. You can change the order in which cameras appear when you switch cameras." Yeah, I know I can contact Oliver but this way everyone is involved in the conversation! Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Cool, thanks very much for posting. I never knew about the acid cleaning trick. The video shows why it is better to close the pressure relief valve again, after bleeding off pressure, then open it after the drain plug is completely out. This way the water does not surge out suddenly and uncontrollably until you are standing well clear and ready for it. There are always things to learn...... John Davies Spokane WA

90 days since the last post..... Any updates on this subject? Specifically, using the black tank for additional gray storage, or better yet, replacing it with a dedicated auxiliary fresh water system during the build? Are there any new Natures Head owners who can chime in with comments? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Don, I don't have a trailer at the moment.... that info was from years past. You can buy one online like this one: .... https://www.amazon.com/Camco-11691-Water-Heater-Rinser/dp/B002XL2IBS ... but I made my own by drilling half a dozen holes in the sides of an 18 inch piece of 3/8 inch aluminum tubing and crimping the end closed, so the water would shoot out in all directions. I flared the other end and used automotive fittings to adapt to a garden hose connector. It really is a tool you should have, and use often. John Davies Spokane WA

LOL, you might want to reverse those steps unless you want to soak your crotch. Pop the little pressure release lever first, CLOSE IT AGAIN, then go about removing that huge drain/ anode plug. Then stand to one side and open the relief valve again to let air into the tank. Remember that you have six gallons of water that will come out a 1 inch hole in rather a hurry..... Remember to flush the heck out of the heater using a wand before reinstalling the old anode, or a new one. You can buy one for less than $10 or make one from aluminum tubing if you are handy. You might be amazed at how much sediment and scale comes out the hole; even if you use a filter on your city water connection, there will be built up scale inside the tank walls. The amount depends on how hard the water is and how much you use the heater.... You can use the same wand to rinse out any remaining crud from your black tank that the factory rinse system might have missed, by lowering it carefully through the toilet. Plug any gaps around the wand with an old towel and wear safety glasses! The water heater tank may not drain completely - you can blow out any residual water with an air gun before putting it back together. John Davies Spokane WA

Please start a new general Offroad Towing thread with pics and comments. Maybe other current (adventurous) owners can add more media and comments. I am looking forward to this! Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA