John E Davies

Thanks, that is a terrific overview. One thing to mention … he talks about the tire placard, in his case it is for a ST 8 ply tire that originally came on his Airstream, so it shows a pressure of 65 psi. Which is also the max for any Load D 8 ply standard size tire…. . Only by referring to the manufacturer’s load chart was he able to determine the ideal pressure for his new set of LT 10 ply tires. He decided on 67 psi for his 9000 pound AS. The Ollie Placard is for 10 ply Load E and 80 psi. I think Oliver should have a video just like this one, and ALSO tell us the correct pressure for the two trailers at their 5000 and 7000 lb max GVWs. And at lower weights! Just give us the proper chart(s). John Davies Spokane WA

Search doesn't do much usually, but in this case it gets a bunch of hits: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?q=TPMS&quick=1 https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2482-review-tire-traker-tt-500-tpms/ After more than four years I still like it. I "flick" each transmitter in the morning before I leave camp to wake them up, that way the monitor will show the current cold pressure, not the hot pressure from the last time it was on. This is not possible with internal automotive type sensors. They will show you the correct pressure as you drive away, after a minute or so. Be sure to add one to the spare tire also. Install a short spare tire extension air hose and you won't have to remove the tire to add air. Definitely buy a TPMS, you will be much less stressed on the road, especially when you are far from services. John Davies Spokane WA

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3627-glacier-national-park-post-season/ John Davies Spokane WA

EDIT 10/02/22 This thread is for LE2 tandem axle only! Here is a related poll and thread for the smaller single axle trailer …. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7376-elite-1-tire-pressures-poll-for-current-model-elite-1-only-with-lt-tires/ Everybody seems to be VERY confused about proper tire pressures. This has been an ongoing issue for as long as I have been on the forum, 7 YEARS. and with the proliferation of new hulls, it appears to be getting even worse. I actually started a service ticket long ago asking Oliver to include a Tire Pressure Load Chart, so we can accurately determine what is the right amount of air to carry the load. The sidewall pressure is the maximum the tire can take, not the correct pressure for the Oliver load! This has not yet happened, here is the one I made for the older tires (I run mine at 42 psi, with an approximate 6000 pound trailer weight.): From the 2022 Owners Manual Here is the Tire Placard from Hull 218 IF YOUR PLACARD IS DIFFERENT FROM THIS PLEASE POST A PICTURE. Please consider contacting Oliver with a new service ticket complaining about the continued lack of guidance. VERBAL recommendations given at DELIVERY vary wildly, are unreliable and should be received with a heavy dose of skepticism. 😳 Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

42 to 45 psi. 50 at the very most. 80 psi is the maximum that the tire can take, it is not at all appropriate for a little trailer; running double the ideal inflation pressure will beat up the frame, hull and your personal belongings😳 Have you been finding stuff shaken up, rearranged, and or lying on the floor? Does your television fall down? BTW, Did you ever get a tire inflator? You started a thread asking about it and sort of dropped out. John Davies Spokane WA

Don’t keep driving around with it busted, remove the TV from the mount ASAP, or you will have just a scattered pile of scrap plastic and wires.😳 John Davies Spokane WA

Dennis Dillon Ram in Caldwell ID (Boise) does most of its business with folks who buy and fly, they have a regular shuttle service to the airport, and they post all their prices as well as the window sticker. In better days, they would show a new Ram HD Laramie with $12,000 off MSRP. Those days are gone, I looked yesterday and they have lots of diesel trucks, just one gasser, a Power Wagon. The 2500s are at MSRP plus a $4000 discount if you finance through the dealership. My local Ram dealer has an Order now and pay invoice deal. I have no idea how long it takes to actually get a truck this way😳 There are some deals out there, maybe not in Texas. We bought a new 2022 Acura RDX PMC Edition last November, it is a limited run of just 200 cars. My dealer could not get one, in Seattle/ Portland there were four. Three dealers had them marked up at least $10,000 (20%), plus they had added extra cost “packages.”. We found one at MSRP at an independent Acura dealer in north Seattle. “We are a family run dealership, we never charge over MSRP.” So we bought that one. It pays to check around. Don’t necessarily buy from the closest dealer! I have bought two used cars long distance, one from Colorado and one from South Dakota, and drove each one home. It makes for a great road trip. John Davies Spokane WA

They are glued on, cut the outside sealer away and carefully pry them off using a thin flexible putty knife. If you are careful you can use a mallet to tap the putty knife, to shear the glue. I don’t know what type of glue they used, I personally would use a silicone adhesive sealant like 3M 4000 UV Fast Cure. I removed one of the rear red ones a couple of months ago to run wires there, the old stuff came off the hull easily with a plastic razor blade and some solvent. Flexible Putty Knife Scraper Tool, Spackle Knife Stainless Steel Blade with Soft Grip Handle, FYI, I would drill a teeeeny drain hole (1/6” or smaller) at the bottom of each of the lenses to let the water out, then see if it dries out OK when it gets in direct sun. If it does, you can reseal the outside and not replace them. Don’t leave the hole open, dust will enter. You could actually leave the water inside, but the next time it freezes it will probably break. John Davies Spokane WA

You can add a sun shield, there are dozens to choose from, measure your case to make sure it will fit. Here is an example. I haven’t needed one for my Garmin GPS, I can tilt it down and toward me to kill the glare. Have you tried that? I also have a non reflecting Dash Mat on top of the dash that helps a lot. As an experiment, find a scrap of black felt and put it on the dash in the area of your camera. John Davies Spokane WA

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/1978-nature039s-head-composting-toilet-installation-in-an-oliver-big-thread/ John Davies Spokane WA

As long as the ply rating and sizes are identical, the Michelin chart is fine. I would not make a huge jump, take them to 44 psi, try it a while, check tire temperatures. If they seem fine, drop them to 42. That's where mine seem happy, of course this depends on how heavily loaded and how fast you drive. If the tires feel excessively hot, they need more air. Use a battery powered temp gun for best results. You may notice a drop in towing mpgs, since there will be more rolling resistance. If you do hear from Cooper, can you please post that info on this thread? Thanks! https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2363-how-to-tire-pressure-placard/ John Davies Spokane WA

These are ten ply TRUCK tires, they are supposed to be adjusted for the weight carried by each tire. A 7500 pound HD truck carrying 2500 pounds of cargo needs 80 psi in its rear tires because each tire is so very heavily loaded. (The front ones can run lower, about 50). One Ollie LE2 axle at maximum trailer weight of 7000 pounds has just 2700 pounds shared between both tires. So the pressure should be lowered to an appropriate level. The air supports the load, not the sidewalks. Hard tires don’t flex over bumps and potholes! Your suspension only moves up maybe an inch before the axle hits the frame. So the tires are a very important part of how it absorbs road shocks. If the Ollie is lightly loaded, hard tires make it even worse. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2363-how-to-tire-pressure-placard/ A TPMS is a very important safety tool, get one ASAP so you know if a tire picks up a nail and starts to deflate! You both will feel a lot better knowing all your tires are set correctly and holding air. Does the new owners manual show a load/ pressure chart for the Cooper tires? There is no need to include all the garbage general information about tires, that is all easily found with a simple Google search. What is needed is inflation information specific for this trailer. For years they were delivering these trailers at 80 psi and it was wrecking the interiors! Cabinet doors falling open, drawers breaking, cargo getting flung around 😤. TVs breaking! This is a pet peeve of mine for five years and counting, thus the exclamation points😬!!! FYI LE owners should run “about” 50 psi. If you drive long distances on slow speed, seriously potholed dirt roads you need to lower the truck and trailer tire pressures. Or else creep along at a walking pace. John Davies Spokane WA

When I see stuff like that, my first question is how much pressure do you have in your tires? On an LE2, more than 50 psi will beat up your trailer and everything inside it. I run 42 psi (with a TPMS). I also removed my (fixed mount) tv the day after I got back from Tennessee 😬 That big crack might be repairable by removing the tv from the mount and epoxying a big aluminum plate there. John Davies Spokane WA

Imelda, you may not know this, I apologize if it is familiar to you. While the 6.4L Powerstroke offered some improvements over the 6.0, they are still largely unreliable. There are a number of common 6.4L Powerstroke Problems that owners of these trucks consistently encounter. What’s worse is that like the 6.0L Powerstroke, repairing the 6.4 often requires raising the cab to easily access the engine. This makes any repair more expensive. https://dieselresource.com/diesel-resources/6-4l-powerstroke-problems/ I personally would not keep any aging Ford 6.0 OR 6.4 diesel, things will only get worse IMHO. If you want to get away from diesel entirely, look for a 3/4 ton (2500) gas truck, something like the F250 with the excellent 7.3 liter “Godzilla” engine, or a Ram with the 6.4 gas Hemi truck engine. You do not have to buy in Texas, consider finding a dealer in another state, fly in, buy your truck, drive it home. As long as your current F250 is running well - go ahead and replace that fuel pump first - it should be VERY easy to sell locally. A F150 will certainly get better mileage and be a better daily driver, if you need that, but it will always be a big compromise for towing, drivetrain strength and durability, and payload. I am not sure why you think new HD trucks are hard to find in TX, Autotrader shows 230 F250s within 200 miles of Dallas. …. Autotrader New F250 for Sale John Davies Spokane WA

That sounds like a great approach. Do you have a link to the course or instructor? My sister bought a 10 foot teardrop two years ago, she is now into her third camping season, and neither she nor her husband can back it. They just threw their hands up and quit trying to learn. They disconnect and maneuver it by hand. Fortunately it weighs just 1200 pounds, but one day they will get into trouble that they can’t walk it out of 😳 If you do take the class, please post a thread in the Towing forum, it could be helpful to others in your situation. Like my sis… John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome, I picked up my LE2 in early April 2017, you will need to do some serious trip planning due to weather issues in the higher parts of the west, the mountain passes especially. It’s a long haul, but as long as you give yourself lots of time, say a month in total, it will be fun rather than a chore. Don’t try to do 500 mile days back to back, you can get away with that when traveling solo, but with the trailer it will be too stressful. You should not learn how to tow with a brand new $75,000 Ollie, it will be horribly nerve wracking. Borrow or rent a small utility trailer, U-Haul for example, and drive it around over a long weekend. Learn to maneuver, back up and deal with traffic, to get used to the changed driving dynamics. Then it won’t be so much of an adjustment with the new Ollie. Please add some info to a Signature that appears after every post (your tow vehicle and Ollie model at least) so we know what you have. It helps when you ask questions or have a problem. My sister is in Portland, where are you? John Davies Spokane WA

I was pretty sure that this was vapor wear….. they have been making wild unsubstantiated claims for years, but they have started to establish a dealer network and I actually found one for sale J https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2022-Cortez-SIDE-DOOR-5022635317 Tho it is listed as Used, the private seller says it is brand new, I wonder what is wrong with it ??? John Davies Spokane WA

Good point, I do the same. These little compressors run very hot, so your tires end up being at a higher pressure than the recommended cold setting, after airing up, because you are pumping a bunch of superheated air into them, and they are already pretty warm from driving. The same with deflating, Your normal running pressure is a lot higher, so my deflators are set to 22 psi for a "cold" pressure of about 18. For SLOW driving only, below 25 mph.... I always recheck them the next morning when they are cold, they usually need some readjusting. John Davies Spokane WA

Brian, what precision does the ARB inflator have, does it read tenths of a psi? The Astro does, and is super easy to over inflate slightly, then drop the pressure exactly from say 42.1 to 42.0 psi. I quite like the ARB one and might have bought it instead, I am a huge ARB fan though their stuff is really over-priced. An overland rig with ARB parts all over and inside it represents an owner with very deep pockets. This thread is drifting way off topic because we still don't know what John C Marsh Jr actually wants to do with it.... from the picture in his post I can guess he isn't going off-road. 😉 John Davies Spokane WA

OK, I guess you need to say what you want, a portable compressor or a gauge/ inflator…. And do you want it for your garage, or for topping up a low tire on the road, or airing up all eight tires after driving on rough dirt roads? John Davies Spokane WA

I assume you mean one that inflates as well as has a gauge….. you are correct, most are garbage. You have to pay for a decent one. I have had this for four years and it has been great. Highly recommended, if mine broke or disappeared I would buy another one without hesitation. These inflators are bulky and not great for travel, mine hangs from a hook on the wall directly over my shop air compressor. I carry a cheaper analog gauge when on the road, to use with my Smittybilt high volume (almost 6 cfm) low pressure compressor. Astro Pneumatic Tool 3018 3.5" Digital Tire Inflator with Hose I have a couple of other Astro tools, they seem to be a good combination of value and quality. John Davies Spokane WA

It takes a few full charge cycles to get the cells to balance, they talk about this in the Lithionics manual, have you been following their guidelines? How many cycles (charged to 100%) have yours had since you got the trailer? I have Battle Borns, and they only balance (between batteries and between cells) when they are at 100% state of charge and they sit for a while. I think that is typical for this type of cell. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes. There is a single zipper on one long side. I have had my covers off several times to hand wash. It can sometimes be a little finicky to get the foam back in, but it is OK. John Davies Spokane WA

That is a valid concern, but easily fixed for very little cash: Driving any trailer into tight spots is super easy from the front, as long as there is physical room for the bigger one at the parking area. However the Elite does have a number of other advantages over the larger trailer, especially for boondocking and those small National Park and forest service campgrounds. Watling Engineers Front Towbar Demonstration John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome to the forum, I lived in Mukilteo for about ten years starting around 1984. If you haven’t been back in a while, you will not believe how that entire area has changed 😳 Do you have any towing or RV experience? Did you ever look at an Elite 2? The littler one is a great trailer but it is going to be cramped for two people and all their stuff on longer trips. If you have not seen the bigger one, try to get an appointment, it might change your mind. John Davies Spokane WA, the Dry Side.