John E Davies

Be sure to drill the pilot hole for threaded screws the correct size, it should be a little larger than the minor diameter of the sheet metal screw (the diameter of the part that is not cut for threads). If the screw does not drive in easily, the hole is too small and you need to go up one or two drill sizes and then retry. If the hole is too small you can snap off the smaller sized screws, and that will make you swear, or else it can strip the heads of any sized ones. And you should always make a decent sized countersink around the fresh screw hole to prevent the gelcoat from cracking and chipping. See that pic I posted above your last comment. John Davies Spokane WA

I am seeing a lot of confusion here about the various Cooper models. HT3 is a commercial street tire, with a very high load capacity, over 3000 pounds: The AT3 series are all terrain tires There are a bunch of Discoverer variants including AT3 LT, AT3 4S (for winter), AT3 XLT which is a hybrid mud/ all terrain tread with beefier sidewall lugs, 12 different models in all! https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires Some will not be available in the stock size or load range for an Ollie - for example the XLT variant is NOT, they don’t offer one that small. The LT works. The LT 4S is tlhe right size but the wrong load rating. You have to look at specifications charts to see what is available. For example the 4s is not a Load E 10 ply tire: And the LT obviously is Load E: If you are going to post pics, make user comments, and provide links, please make very sure you are talking about the correct tire variant. Otherwise it is just static and super confusing for everyone. You do NOT have to put 10 ply tires on your Ollie, but that is a whole different conversation….. Thank you. John Davies Spokane WA

What is hard, the idea of punching holes in your Ollie or finding the right tool? If the latter, the Harbor Freight large step drill (up to 1 3/8”) works brilliantly with fiberglass, and adequately with aluminum, though it tends to clog in that material, and you should use a smaller one to get the hole started. https://www.harborfreight.com/2-piece-titanium-nitride-coated-high-speed-steel-step-drills-96275.html Love those Cable Clams! John Davies Spokane WA

They are a great start, but also add a set of extended ones on your truck like Mike’s. Think layers of protection. In fact you might want to consider a temporary stone protector aerosol film for the trip back, so you won’t worry so much. Peel it off when you get home. Or tape closed cell foam on the front of the Ollie with gaffers tape, not cheap duct tape. Some folks headed to AK do this and it seems to work pretty well. Stopping the chips is most important, but NO way is your trailer going to stay clean over a 2500+ mile trip in November. In fact, you will probably have to take the longer route across the SW deserts then up on I-5. you will hit snow in the passes otherwise. Bring chains or cables for the truck AND the Ollie. What is your delivery date, and can you have it bumped a little earlier? You still need a few days in TN for the shakedown testing. In your shoes I would be thinking about having the Ollie delivered to Oregon. John Davies Spokane WA

On my Hull 218 the AC condensation drain line comes out at the left rear (street side) corner near the cable TV connector, stick a flexible rod of some kind up inside, most likely a bug or mud dawber has taken up residence. Mine is a 1/2” PEX plastic pipe, you won’t hurt it unless you get carried away with something hard and sharp. That line runs up the back side of the cargo area (toward the roof) you can also access it from there. Consider adding some coarse bronze wool to allow the water to come out, but keep the bigger bugs out. I think you can get it way cheaper at Walmart. https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-River-Tools-Bronze-Wool/dp/B079Y1QTY1/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1DFLZT60X80V1&keywords=bronze+wool+coarse&qid=1654821202&sprefix=bronze+wool+coarse%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-4 John Davies Spokane Wa

The bird at the top was totally unplanned. There is a row of wind turbines on the ridge on the far right horizon. OK, maybe not Easter Eggs, but unexpected when I was going through the pics, since my wife took them. John Davies Spokane WA

😅😂🤣 Was that a joke do you suppose? Maybe this explains why the wire color codes do not match industry standards…. A company that builds RVs has no critical diagrams anywhere in the premises? If it is actually true, my opinion of OTC just dropped a great big notch. How are they supposed to provide customer support? Thanks for the update. John Davies Spokane WA

Mike, thanks for posting, I was confused because Cooper and Discount Tire both do not list that size. I actually think that your Ollie tires are the AT3 LT, not the more aggressive “off roady” XLT that are on your truck! These are the only 16” sizes listed for the XLT: I have the XLTs on my LC200 and love them, I am a huge Cooper fan. Buyer Beware, the rolling resistance is a lot higher than with a pure “street” tire, it will affect your mileage, but you won’t have to worry about sidewall cuts. My original Ollie Michelins are now six years old, they will come off next Spring for a set of these LTs. https://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Discoverer-All-Terrain-Radial-Tire-LT225/dp/B07CZZSTYD John Davies Spokane WA

Please post a pic, I have used them in the past on my LC200 and found them to be lacking for that truck. I now have the AT3 XLTs on it and they are most excellent, mainly because they sling practically no gravel, unlike the finer tread and they have sexy cool sidewall protectors. But I think the AT3s would be great for “Mouse”, especially since they don”t make a small enough XLT😬 Thanks John Davies Spokane WS

I would be very reluctant to weld on that subframe, I bet the factory would not approve. it destroys the galvanizing and probably compromises the sealer between it and the aluminum frame. I don’t see any reason why one or two 1/4” stainless roll pins driven through holes in both washer and subframe would not work well. Alternatively, weld a piece of steel 90 degree angle to the washer facing inward, to engage the bottom lip of that suspension hanger. That might be a simpler method, you could take the two washers to a local shop to be welded, then install them at your leisure after painting them. John Davies Spokane WA

No worries, I am sure a very helpful moderator can move it to the general discussion one. Next time you start a thread, and I hope you will, try to pick an appropriate section, it simplifies things. But nobody is going to get mad. John Davies Spokane WA

Air Tags are also used to track people, for example slip one into a woman’s purse at a bar. There are some bad people out there. I use the early version Tile but not for nefarious purposes! John Davies Spokane WA

You still need to check those mounting bolts! John Davies Spokane WA

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/coast-guard-helicopter-rv-camper/ Pretty long spread between coupler and axles, I wonder what the TW is? John Davies Spokane WA

I don’t recall if they are stainless steel or plain steel, but if you have a telescoping magnet retriever tool, try fishing around down in that deep recess where all things disappear. You might just recover them. This might help. …https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6781-how-to-service-your-rear-electric-jacks/ John Davies Spokane WA

Then the switch may be physically dragging on its cover or the opening, you may have to remove it and perhaps file a bit of extra clearance where it hits. Or maybe just try loosening the screws and shifting the switches a little. The technical term is “fuss with it”. John Davies Spokane WA

Your front toggle switches will free up if you spray some silicone lube and work them a little, they get dirt buildup. Get a 3/4” 1/2” drive socket and torque wrench and check the mounting bolts of both rear ones. They should be 43 ft lbs. Recently my right jack seized and I found the bolts that go vertically down through the frame rail to be super loose, like one full turn. Both jacks were this way. They worked fine after retorquing. I suspect the housing was tilting under load and binding the main shaft. The horizontal bolts inside the trailer were fine. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6812-check-your-rear-jack-mount-hardware-bottom-frame-bolts-were-1-turn-loose/ IF they are loose, please file a followup to your service ticket! John Davies Spokane WA

Video test drive reviews videos have hit the Internet, big time, just pick one: Google “2023 Toyota Sequoia review video” Here is a test of the TRD Pro that includes some offroad stuff, fast forward to the 20:00 minute mark if you want the skip the intro. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Zomv68MFU I think it would be great for towing the LE2, I have small reservations about third “fixed” row seats, I am sure there will be a way to get them out, make a flat platform for cargo, fool the electronic warnings, and maybe lose 100 pounds of dead weight. The last year model of the Land Cruiser 200 offered a special edition with no third row, no side steps and AT tires, maybe that is in the future for the Sequoia. I also don’t like the part time 4wd, but I know why they did it, better fuel economy. And the interior design would take some getting used to. And the placement of those twin turbos, so far down and buried under other parts. 😳😳😳😳😳 John Davies Spokane WA

Another big caution about cheap power adapters and high amp circuits. They are cheap for a couple of reasons, they use smaller gauge poor quality wire (sometimes copper plated aluminum) and the pins in the socket and plug are substandard - they are undersized and weak, so they bend and you get a poor contact. Poof! Camco makes decent RV accessories and I have bought a lot of them, but I won't buy anything electrical. Look for a good marine part like Marinco, and expect to pay double or more. Kristie, you probably don’t want that to happen to your Ford inverter connection… John Davies Spokane WA

Forgot this, if you are running the AC and also another light load inside the trailer, be sure to use a super heavy gauge cord, not any old 14AWG cord. I have been using this 10 AWG one almost continuously for five seasons, I only hook up my heavy 30 amp cord if it is stinky hot and I am stuck at a hook up site with 30 amp power. This cord won’t even get warm with peaks of 18 amps running from my Yamaha generator. It is holding up really well. Write your name on it with a sharpie on it a few spots as a theft deterrent! Polar/Solar 1787 10/3 15-Amp SJEO Outdoor Extension Cord with Lighted End, 25-Foot the lighted ends are a nice touch, they tell at a glance if the other end is “hot”. Did you look at your truck owners manual about adapters? John Davies Spokane WA

This is beyond my skill set, but I know you will only be able to use half that rated current per “leg” if you spilt it into two 120 volt legs. You can’t pull 30 amps like from a proper RV socket. But you could plug a second cord into that second leg for some other load like a chainsaw while the trailer was getting power. https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/anyone-figure-out-how-to-convert-240v-outlet-to-120v-and-still-use-all-7-2kw.3148/ Doesn’t Ford offer the necessary 240 to 120 adapters? I would definitely go with OEM parts in this situation. If you use a no name China made cord and damage the inverter, Ford won’t be happy. I bet that unit is a couple of thousand $ at least. I am guessing that this is appropriate. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Champion-Power-Equipment-3-ft-240-Volt-Y-Adapter-48035/203501783 John Davies Spokane WA

You haven’t provided enough info for anyone to help. How long did you run the microwave? How long and what quality sun exposure? “Nearly 13 volts” reading on what device? Under load? Charging? Resting? What batteries do you have? John Davies Spokane WA

What grease have you been using? Was there any excess play in the hub? Any unusual sounds when you spun the tire? You lucked out by catching that early enough. Nobody likes to deal with a smoking hot seized hub in the middle of nowhere. Thanks for posting the pics. John Davies Spokane WA

I do too 😁 A good double pane glass panel is maybe R5. Which is pretty good compared to a single pane, but not much more can be said about that. Just stick your hand on your home window when it is bitter outside. John Davies Spokane WA

I think doing a walk around with a thermal camera would show where the heat is going. It might provide some interesting pictures and start some “heated” discussions. In the event if a fire I am not going to hang around inside. There are plenty of other sources of toxic chemicals in there like the tanks, plumbing, cushion foam, and appliances, not to mention the VAST amounts of fiberglass and gelcoat. My small addition of DC foam is not a serious concern to me. But I wouldn’t want unprotected DC foam in my house, it needs a fire barrier like 5/8” drywall.. “Aggressive marketing” 😄 That is a great euphemism for a lie. Like “up to”. My truck gets about 12 to 14 mpg normally, but it got “up to” 50 mpg once descending into the Hells Canyon gorge right after filling up. John Davies Spokane WA