John E Davies

Thanks, I remember VIVIDLY an old black and white TV safety commercial circa 1960, a little girl is cutting out paper dolls, seen from her own viewpoint, she gets up with her pointy scissors and runs to greet daddy, and falls. The screen goes black. Very haunting, that is why I think, what if somebody tripped onto that pole. But the bottom line it is so I can see the poles more easily when backing into the garage and when running the snow thrower in poor visibility…. which is why they have stripes painted on them. John Davies Spokane WA

I went out this morning to scrape off a dusting of new snow…… what did I find? Hmmmm. Not your normal vehicle, skinny tires, narrow track, and the driver goes in at out over the right front tire. https://japancardirect.com/blog/what-is-the-best-kei-truck-to-export-from-japan-part-4/ Sure enough, there was a package on the porch. John Davies Spokane WA

What is the battery voltage or state of charge? In my experience a blinking RED light is a bad sign, don’t ignore it. Please add your model and hull number, and tow vehicle info, to your signature. Without that we have no clue what you have. John Davies Spokane WA

Very pretty structure? Got power? “Mouse” is as always safely out of the weather, and there has been snow on the ground non-stop since mid November, I could not even get the leaves up or cut the grass and fertilize 😤😤😤 . I do not normally have to clear my back yard for the dogs to run, using the snow thrower, but I did it once already and it is not even winter yet… What is your typical snowfall in MA? John Davies Spokane WA

I agree, I was an A&P and thus did not have to fuel airplanes 😬 like the “ line boys” did. Have a BIG rolling fire extinguisher well back, connect the grounding cable between plane and tanker, touch the nozzle to a metal surface first. Pay attention! No chatting on your phone. Anything else besides NO smoking?? I never saw a fuel fire, but I did see an owner hand -prop an old Cherokee with the throttle wide open. He refused a jump start from a line boy. It bounced over the chocks, OVER the owner who was now flat on the ground, screamed across the ramp and rammed a brand new tied down Beech P-Baron near its left wing root. The Baron’s fuel tanks ruptured in a CLOUD of gasoline vapor. But it never lit off. The Cherokee owner was on his knees with his hands over his face saying “Oh shit oh shit oh shit….” I got to help put a new left wing assembly on it….. I never did hear who paid for it. John Davies Spokane WA

And then there is the risky infrastructure of H2 storage and transport…. https://www.eenews.net/articles/lng-explosion-shines-light-on-42-year-old-gas-rules/ I read somewhere that a LNG tanker explosion hit by a terrorist missile could take out a city, and burn the skin off any person within a mile radius. John Davies Spokane WA

I am pretty sure that having tens of thousands of occasionally poorly maintained hydrogen fueling stations would be a fire marshal’s long term nightmare. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/80th-anniversary-hindenburg-disaster-mysteries-remain-180963107/ Of course there were mitigating factors in this case, the dope they used to treat the outer skin was basically dried rocket fuel. 😳 I am sure that Toyota won’t do that. BTW I LOVE that pic if the four men leaning over their H2 engine. It appears to have a plain paper filter, not a spark arrestor like every marine engine of the time had. POOF! No more hair on the younger ones…. FrankC, did you ever get flash back up through there? How is your hairline?😀 John Davies Spokane WA

'Fire! Fire! Fire!’ The Perplexing, Deadly Electric Bike Problem.  Malfunctioning lithium-ion batteries in the increasingly popular form of transportation have been linked to numerous explosions, blazes, and deaths—and little is being done to reduce the danger John Davies Spokane WA

It has a 23 gal fresh tank, full of water that adds 192 pounds…… Is that a typo? If not, what were they thinking? John Davies Spokane WA

You need to keep the compressor at no more than 60 psi. It will not hurt anything. Using 120psi off a big compressor will rupture lines. I suggested blowing out twice with AF between those two processes. As long as you trust your AF is rated to -50F, I think you would be safe with just the AF. The main thing is to try to eliminate any and all trapped pockets of water. Do you plan to carry an extra propane bottle? You will go through the gas incredibly fast. Depending on the inside temperature…. My adapter is a Camco one, I drilled out the tiny hole to make it flow better. I see that you can now buy one like that, see below. John Davies Spokane WA

If I thought the temp was going to drop much below 0 degrees F, I would drain the entire system (long before the cold hit!) and blow it out with air, then do an antifreeze treatment, and then blow THAT out with air. The real worry with using only compressed air is that there will always be a little leftover water in the system, and it will accumulate at the low spots like the street side check valves. Doing it twice with AF in between should make the system freeze proof. The folks who really get screwed don’t winterize nearly soon enough, and when they do try to do it - “OMG an arctic blast is here!” - all the drains are frozen solid and it is far too late. This is all entirely theiretical for me 😬. The coldest my unheated but attached RV bay has every gotten is +42 degrees F. John Davies Spokane WA

Oh yes, ask your truck and trailer insurance rep for any limitations/ exclusions about such an extensive off season trip in inclement weather. John Davies Spokane WA

Gerry, no offense, but I think it is a foolish crazy idea. But this is from a guy who parks his trailer thru the entire winter. I have been towing for 50 years, and I do know the perils of winter driving, especially on cleared roads (hard packed snow.) Ignoring the nasty effects of mag chloride, you could not pay me enough to tow “Mouse” over them. I suggest that you at the very minimum install a set of 100% winter tires on the truck and the trailer… . No All Season can begin to compare, even if it has the snowflake symbol on it. The compound is too hard below 40 deg F. My LC200 has studded Nokian Hakka LT tires and they are wonderful. I scrapped a set of three season old studless Nokian snow tires with 70% tread left after a sphincter tightening experience on sheet ice on the Interstate that almost killed me. That exact same scenario involved my son and my old Land Cruiser 80, four years ago, but he totaled it. Studs rule! Unfortunately soft tires will wear really fast when towing and the steering will be disturbingly vague. The trailer may not like them either. Around here the number of TRAVEL trailers you see on the road from Dec through Feb can be counted on the fingers of one hand... I believe deep down that for a trip like this you need a truck camper on a big pickup. Period. John Davies Spokane WA

“Customer states car won’t start after towing behind RV… Clutch is hard to operate.” https://www.thedrive.com/news/rv-driver-annihilates-fiat-500-by-flat-towing-it-in-first-gear-on-the-highway John Davies Spokane WA

This is a great deal on a used lens…. John Davies Spokane WA

See the May 16, 2022 post here about the fan wires and corrosion. If there are any signs of green nasty crud, ask for a new pair of fan assemblies, they are happy to send two! https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/1978-nature039s-head-composting-toilet-installation-in-an-oliver-big-thread/page/5/ John Davies Spokane WA

This is the method Andersen recommends. It is fine IF you have room to pull forward. Some really short sites don’t have that room. And if you want to hitch up the night before departure, while the truck is at an angle, it isn’t very practical. John Davies Spokane WA

Battle Born Black Friday John Davies Spokane WA

I’m using a pair of turnbuckles with self locking stainless nuts, rather than chain binders. On my trailer they fully replace the front extension chain sections. They work MOST excellently! They are lighter but do have more failure points, OMG…..! Andersen did not approve of ANY mod, but the tech said that a 2600 lb WLL would be OK, as long as you don’t actually adjust tension with them. Just remove slack! If I bust one, I will replace them both and continue on. They greatly improve the rather poor Andersen Experience. IMHO. The reason you can’t find that thread here is that the original poster did not bother to put the subject in the title, which screws up Search. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6707-andersen-hitch-hookup-mod/#comment-72082 John Davies Spokane WA

I would like to once again point out that an Ollie is a recreational vehicle, and it is specifically mentioned in the manual that it is not designed for full time occupancy. And that for winter use in frigid temps the water system must be winterized if the furnace is not used. A few owners certainly do full time them, but to live in them continually as a residence requires extra diligence in keeping all the complicated systems working as designed. Especially in frigid temperatures! I am not sure that anyone relying on the overwhelmed professional RV service industry should try this. I certainly would not attempt it if I could not fix stuff myself! My first suggestion to Margaret is to get the water and gas leak(s) fixed. ASAP. The latter is a huge safety risk, do not use any gas appliance until that is corrected (turn off the main valves!!!). Proper furnace operation combined with adequate air flow should correct the moisture issues caused by excess inside humidity… once that inside leak is stopped! The second suggestion is to move to a warm desert location for the winter. Have you gone door to door asking neighbors for help? RVers are generally a friendly bunch, maybe you can find one who understands and can repair your trailer’s faults. BTW with the furnace operating, warm (ish) air from the basement goes into the spaces between the hulls. That should stop any chance of ice forming in those locations. Space heaters inside the living area do not do that. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

I wanted ventilation for that HOT compartment in warm weather. This also functions as another furnace return air path. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5329-how-to-victron-mppt-solar-charge-controller-underneath-the-street-side-bed/ I think there are way too many dead end spaces in an Ollie, like the pantry and closet, and those electronics bays. There needs to be much better air transfer through all of them. John Davies Spokane WA

Did the RV tech go up top? It most likely is seeping in from the roof, as you said the floor is a tub and it is highly unlikely that a leak from a window or plumbing joint will pool there. It could be the top of the entry door too. My roof vent leak; https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4003-how-to-maxxfan-remove-and-service-preventive-maintenance-to-avoid-water-damage/ Please post your model and hull number. John Davies Spokane WA

You can put panels on your garage roof, no worries, but you must add a solar controller right at the trailer, because the external solar port just connects directly to the batteries. Easy to do.… https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5478-how-to-remote-mount-the-controller-of-a-suitcase-solar-panel-not-inside-the-trailer/ In your shoes I would remove the Zamp PWM controller in the Ollie and replace it with a more efficient Victron MPPT one, and use the old Zamp for your roof charge controller. Kill two stones with one bird - a double upgrade. You will need to figure out how to cover the big ugly hole where the Zamp is located. I installed an iPad Mini 2 there, to run the Victron Connect app, interface with my Garmin inReach, and some other stuff. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5357-how-to-mount-a-tablet-computer-in-place-of-the-zamp-controller/ John Davies Spokane WA

I am not sure how I feel about this, they did politely blur my house street number, license plate and face, but the actual app shows my physical address…. and much of the contents of my RV bay. Should I request that they blur out the Ollie and the inside of the bay? Am I being paranoid? Comments? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes the big CLAM fits on a bed. John Davies Spokane WA