John E Davies

I recommend going to the Glacier/ Banff/ Jasper areas on the return trip. The scenery is so stunning that it will make Alaska look dreary in comparison. The west route Cassiar Hwy up BC is pretty stunning too, way better than the Alaska Highway. But it is a lot twistier and slower and can be extremely dirty if it is wet weather. John Davies Spokane WA

Bumping an old thread, owners of newly acquired older hulls may not be aware of this. It really should be a factory Service Bulletin. John Davies Spokane WA

jd1923, Using your 3 way fridge when the trailer is not very close to level in all directions is dangerous over the long term. This is true even when you are running it off shore power. You have a couple of choices, grade your parking spot and always level the trailer when camping, or install a DC compressor fridge with extra solar and battery capacity to run it. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/8865-fridge-fires-if-you-have-an-older-hull-you-really-need-to-pull-out-that-fridge-now/ There is a device called Fridge Defend that will monitor temperatures, but it is impossible to install in the old hulls without removing the fridge first, due to inadequate access from the outside. You cannot even inspect most of the critical components annually, as called out in the Dometic manuals, without doing that! Bad Oliver engineering on display here! ALL your Ollie systems are designed to operate when level! The fresh and grey tanks are long and low, so minor variations affect the sensors and how much water is available to the pump... There was a factory “fresh water pickup tube” mod available for the older hulls, it moves the pump supply tube up top where it belongs, instead of at the back rear wall of the tank. I am guessing your Hull 113 tank was never modified, so you are only able to use about 20 gallons at best, when level, and less than that if the tongue is low! https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2261-how-to-fresh-water-tank-suction-tube-mod-no-spin-welding-required/ This “no weld” modification worked very well for years, but actually adding the top fitting is a better solution from an engineering perspective. I do not know if Oliver ever issued alerts to owners about this, it really should be a Technical Service Bulletin! John Davies Spokane WA

I hope you are joking about using that antifreeze tester in your batteries. John Davies Spokane WA

That post extension is very bad. Steel is VERY wrong for this application. Put back the OEM style short stainless bolts, never put steel washers or extensions of any kind between a cable terminal and the battery terminal. If you feel the need to have increased height, use a solid brass or copper extension. Also, the cable should not be stressed like those are, the tight curves will cause wire strands inside to break. John Davies Spokane WA

Wet batteries need to be checked when fully charged, using a cheap electrolyte hydrometer. Each cell should be close to each other. The acid should be clear, not dark grey. Even one low specific gravity cell will cause the other two to discharge. The two front batteries are probably damaged beyond repair - they must be strapped down solidly to prevent motion, which causes major internal damage to the lead plates. The exception is if the trailer was parked all the time, but if that were true, why even add a bungee? When you service them you should make sure that all the terminals and cable ends are very clean and all the hardware is tight. Clean the batteries with a baking soda mix to neutralize any vented acid. Never add tap water, distilled only. Have you read through the battery owners manual? All your manuals are available to download. Wet batteries are insanely heavy, a continual PITA to maintain, a risk of corroding your battery tray and the aluminum support structure, and are really are not suitable for RVs any more. This isn’t just my opinion. Consider replacing them with SLA. Upgrade the system right, don’t band aid fix an “older” design that isn’t ever going to provide peace of mind and low maintenance. Unfortunately lithium$ are very inappropriate for your hot desert location, if the trailer is stored outside, they do not tolerate lots of heat very well. It should be easy to relocate the remote solar display to head height. It will tell you exactly what is going on with the panels. There may be a loose or corroded connection up top. The terminals on all these parts should be cleaned, including the hidden ones inside the controller and under the master switch. Blue Sky is uber high quality, marine grade hardware. Better than consumer grade stuff from Zamp or Renogy. Have you verified that the solar switch is in the ON position? John Davies Spokane WA

Getting the sap off your Ollie is going to be a chore. Plastic scraper blades work well if it is cool (not sticky). I hate sap. John Davies Spokane WA

That is a very simple design, my guess is that the jam nuts have come loose, but it should still rotate the arm. Try pulling outward and and then inward on the handle, while rotating the handle. If there is a door vent opening nearby, you could pry that out and reach inside with a bent rod to move the arm that way. What a strange problem, please post a pic if and when you get the door open. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2688-how-to-junction-box-for-trailer-harness-repair-or-extend-the-harness/ You will have to install your own cutoff switch, these early trailers certainly have none. BTW, I would NEVER recommend a 7 pin plug or receptacle with a steel housing. The inside will inevitably rust, short out the terminals, cause weird light problems and blow fuses, use a plastic housing only! Living in Arizona makes this much worse, the red dust is up to three percent iron oxide, and highly conductive when you add a little moisture. John Davies Spokane WA

Those are hub center CAPS. I sure hope your axle hubs don’t come off. File a Service Request and Oliver can send you a new one, or a new set. There is no other source for them, I am sure. John Davies Spokane WA

What are you using, I REALLY hope it is not a low carbon steel or brass brush. Aluminum oxide flapper wheel, no worries! https://welditmyself.com/wire-brush-for-aluminum/ Have you considered taking them to get media or glass bead blasted? I am guessing you are going to paint them? https://www.harborfreight.com/18-oz-portable-sand-blaster-gun-kit-59490.html John Davies Spokane WA

10 amps is appropriate, your 100 watt panel will never put out more than 7, at best. It looks like a standard ATC type. Buy a set of spares for the future, in all sizes. John Davies Spokane WA

One advantage of rubber stem mounted sensors: first thing in the morning before departing, make sure your monitor is awake, then walk around and do your tire and wheel inspection, and rap each sensor a couple of times with your finger. This will trigger a new signal to the monitor. As you leave you can see TODAY’S pressures, not yesterday’s!!! If a tire picked up a nail yesterday it could have been slowly deflating all night. Read and learn: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6043-article-on-how-tpms-sensors-operate/ Turn in your junk wheel without the rubber, and you should get about $14 or $15 for it.. or hang it on your garage wall as a keepsake. I hope you turned in a Service Request about this, maybe a bad batch of tires? Oliver needs to know when these events happen. I am glad the Ollie survived. The rubber scuffs will buff out. John Davies Spokane WA

KenB, please post a follow up, especially if you have some wind, I wonder if the trailer will rock more? How many more AHs? Etc. The reason I put up my “HOW TO links page” is that after about a dozen threads, I realized that having them all in one location could really help somebody find them, especially years later, and that page can be added as a bookmark. For those other members with lots of tech threads, you could do the same… start your own page. John Davies Spokane WA

jd1923, CRC non chlorinated brake cleaner is $6 at my NAPA store, on sale now for $5, I buy by the 12 count case when they heavily discount it. You have to be very wary of getting all that nasty dirty oil on a clean driveway, it may not all come out. It is better IMHO to catch it all in a pan using the cleaner, then let the solvent evaporate off for a few days. then wipe your pan with solvent and paper towels and let them flash dry before disposal in the trash. I have pressure washed AFTER degreasing the nasty bits. Be very sure to lube all the many moving parts of the brakes after a deep clean, they will not work properly otherwise. Don't forget the adjust linkage and where the shoes rub the plates. It sure does look pretty tho, I would have guessed that the paint would fly off. John Davies Spokane WA

Unless you only travel with one other person you are going to find the cargo volume to be extremely lacking. Eventually the aftermarket will come up with a full length cargo floor going across the second row, but it hasn’t got there yet. You could pull out that third row and build your own platform, or commission a custom build…. But what a PITA to have to do it. They need to offer a non- hybrid stripped model (no third row, no hybrid battery poking up out of the deck) for people who actually use the truck for other things than carrying a kid’s soccer team. Then they could add extra fuel capacity there to compensate for the big fuel economy drop. If you plan to tow a lot, you won’t get great mpgs with the hybrid anyway. I like a lot of the truck’s features, and hate a few, but would never buy the hybrid. If you haven’t seen one in person, go to a dealer and take a close look. Compare the cargo area to a 2022 model with the IRS instead of the solid axle. I looked at a TRD Pro (my favorite) and was pretty darned depressed afterwards, and by the $80k sticker.…. John Davies Spokane WA

Indeed, it is the upward travel that is lacking. Do you plan to carry an air pump? Run your trailer tires at 42-45 psi all the time and lower that number if you have more than say five miles of washboard. Rock hard tires and crappy suspension kill parts and belongings. John Davies Spokane WA

Monroe shocks purchased new in the aftermarket (not Oliver OEM installation) have a lifetime warranty to the original buyer. Your used ones won’t have any warranty at all, I suspect. Can you accept that? John Davies Spokane WA

Tideline77. You should extend the garage and raise the door opening, not shorten the Ollie. You will never be happy otherwise - you risk damaging the trailer, damaging the garage itself, and you and your SO will be constantly frustrated. Plus you will not have any room for other stuff in there. Ideally you need a foot of clearance at the coupler so you can easily maneuver around it with the door closed, and three feet on all sides and at the back. This allows you to open the trailer door and cargo/ battery access doors and actually get into them. For example, to slide out the batteries for service or winter storage. One Ollie owner actually lowered his concrete garage slab rather that raising the structure. Radical, but it turned out well. John Davies Spokane WA

There is no reason to buy Dexter branded parts, these all come out of the same factories. You can get the cheaper versions in manual adjust plus new drums for less than $600 shipped. John Davies Spokane WA

Do yourself a big favor and ditch the auto adjust brakes for manual ones. New drums too, or the diameters will not match. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2778-brakes-auto-adjust-vs-manual-adjust-what-are-the-differences/ Use Timken bearings and Timken seals too. You may have to supply those to your trailer guy. I doubt that they sell many due to the cost. Do you intend to detail the springs and parts when the brakes are off? There will never be a better opportunity. John Davies Spokane WA

Rule of thumb for towing…. If you cannot maintain a minimum safe highway speed going up steep grades, you need a bigger engine. Otherwise you will just wear out your drivetrain and wear out your patience, and the patience of the people stacked up behind you. It simply is not safe. Have you looked at a newer Ram 1500? They are very carlike, have great interiors and one would be a perfect TV for your LE1. These are small trailers but they are deceptively heavy, like armored battle bots. An alternative would be a body on frame full sized SUV like a Tahoe or Sequoia. John Davies Spokane WA

A properly designed bus bar should have close to ZERO ohms resistance. I suspect that poor wiring construction practices are contributing and that there is more to this story. John Davies Spokane WA

If you don’t feel the need for an expedition grade cooler, or don’t have the cash, these Alpicools will work fine. They make a number of different models, all are very affordable. This one shows an extra $30 off applied at checkout, it might apply to others, you would need to look….. I imagine that they are clearing out excess summer inventory. I have this 19 quart size, I picked it expressly because the height closely matches a milk crate, so I can place milk crates with camping gear around the cooler and still have a flat ”floor” for other stuff on top of it. It rides in the back of my LC200 and is easily accessed by raising the upper hatch, leaving the tailgate closed. VERY handy. I use the following power pack/ inverter to keep it operating when parked, the truck supplies 6 amps to recharge the pack and also cool the fridge when the engine is running (this is called pass through charging, many do NOT do this). Plus it is a LiFePO4 battery, just like in your Ollie’s lithium package, and it charges fully off shore power in just one hour! Woohoo, that is neat. I really like this combination. This item too has an extra discount over the already hefty price cut! The solar panel is compact and light, and very well made, the only downside is that it is a lot harder to prop at an angle than is a heavy harded side one. At mid day you can just let it lie flat. John Davies Spokane WA

Well, just like in your home’s shower, there is a J shaped trap that stays full of water to keep out sewer odors, if the tank valve is open (handle pulled forward) and the tank isn’t full, there isn’t much left to cause this except a clog. I don’t recommend caustic stuff like Draino, that could damage the seals in the tank valve. Maybe someone else can suggest an “RV safe” drain cleaner. Don’t let hair go down there! And don’t let food go down the kitchen drain either, both will cause stinky odors and problems with the valves. The outside shower is the best way to rinse off a dog…, John Davies Spokane WA